Carter Wilson's Making It Up
159 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn this conversation series, USA Today bestselling novelist Carter Wilson talks to writers of all backgrounds in order to find out why they do what they do. He and his guests discuss childhood influences, roots of creativity, luck and loss, tools of the craft, and the highs and lows of publishing. At the end of their conversation, they pick a random sentence from a random book and use it to create an impromptu short story. Visit Carter at www.carterwilson.com.
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Episodes
Making It Up with Ashley Winstead, author of The Last Housewife
July 21, 2022 20:00 - 48 minutes - 33.5 MBNovelist Ashley Winstead holds a Ph.D. in contemporary American literature from Southern Methodist University and a B.A. in English and Art History from Vanderbilt University. Her 2021 thriller, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, was a breakout hit, and is being followed up with her August 2022 release The Last Housewife. Among other things, Carter and Ashley discuss getting her Ph.D. and the path back to writing, writing to leave a legacy, and how difficult it can be to find an agent. At the en...
Making It Up with Hannah Mary McKinnon, author of Never Coming Home
July 11, 2022 19:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBThe 50th EPISODE (!) of Making It Up features Hannah Mary McKinnon, who led a successful career in recruitment before quitting the corporate world in favor of writing. Her debut, Time After Time, was a rom-com but she has since transitioned to suspense novels. Of five, four are bestsellers and her seventh book and sixth thriller is scheduled for spring next year. Hannah’s latest thriller, Never Coming Home, released in May 2022 and is a book that Carter dubs “masterful.” Among other things...
Making It Up with Hannah Mary McKinnon, author of Never Coming Home
July 11, 2022 19:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBThe 50th EPISODE (!) of Making It Up features Hannah Mary McKinnon, who led a successful career in recruitment before quitting the corporate world in favor of writing. Her debut, Time After Time, was a rom-com but she has since transitioned to suspense novels. Of five, four are bestsellers and her seventh book and sixth thriller is scheduled for spring next year. Hannah’s latest thriller, Never Coming Home, released in May 2022 and is a book that Carter dubs “masterful.” Among other things...
Making It Up with Hilde Lysiak, author of Hilde on the Record
June 27, 2022 19:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBHilde Kate Lysiak founded the newspaper Orange Street News at the age of seven. Now, at fifteen, she’s written and published hundreds of stories, has been recognized for her work in the New York Times, The Today Show, GMA, and The Washington Post. Additionally, she has a book series with Schloastic and a TV mystery series inspired by her life, titled Home Before Dark, which premiered on Apple TV+ in April 2020. Among other things, Carter and Hilde discuss why she wanted to start reporting ...
Making It Up with Elle Marr, author of Strangers We Know
June 20, 2022 21:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBNovelist Elle Marr strives to tell powerful and compelling stories of women who demonstrate resilience in the face of great obstacles. She is the author of three thrillers, The Missing Sister (2020), Lies We Bury (2021), and Strangers We Know (May 2022). The Missing Sister was the #24 Best Selling eBook of 2020 on Amazon, #1 in the entire Kindle Store, featured in Woman's World, and named one of PopSugar's 31 Thrillers of 2020. Her latest thriller, Strangers We Know, was an Audible Most Ant...
Making It Up with Jess Montgomery, author of The Echoes
June 06, 2022 21:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBJess Montgomery is the author of the Kinship Historical Mysteries, set in 1920s Appalachian Ohio and inspired by Ohio’s true first female sheriff. Under her given name, she writes the “Level Up Your (Writing) Life” column for Writer’s Digest. She also hosts the “Tea with Jess: Chatting with Authors & Artists” in which creatives share their journeys and insights. Among other things, Carter and Jess discuss her path and reasons for going into technical writing, how the genre you can’t stop ...
Making It Up with D.P. Lyle, author of Double Blind
May 28, 2022 22:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBD.P. Lyle is the award-winning author of 22 books, both non-fiction and fiction. He is the International Thriller Writer’s VP for Education and runs CraftFest, Master CraftFest, and ITW’s online Thriller School. D.P has also written for television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Cold Case, House, Pretty Little Liars, and more. Among other things, Carter and D.P. discuss the importance of confidence, the research that goes into writing and having too many books to write at once. At t...
Making It Up with D.P. Lyle, author of Double Blind
May 28, 2022 22:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBD.P. Lyle is the award-winning author of 22 books, both non-fiction and fiction. He is the International Thriller Writer’s VP for Education and runs CraftFest, Master CraftFest, and ITW’s online Thriller School. D.P has also written for television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Cold Case, House, Pretty Little Liars, and more. Among other things, Carter and D.P. discuss the importance of confidence, the research that goes into writing and having too many books to write at once. At t...
Making It Up with Ananda Lima, author of Mother/land
May 23, 2022 20:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MBAnanda Lima is a poet whose most recent collection, Mother/land, is the winner of the Hudson Prize. She is also the author of Chapbooks Translation (winner of the Vella Chapbook Prize), Amblyopia, and Tropicália (winner of the Newfound Prose Prize). Her work has appeared in the American Poetry Review, Poets.com, Kenyon Review Online, and many more. She has an MA in Linguistics and an MFA in Creative Writing. Among other things, Carter and Ananda talk about writing in various languages, co...
Making It Up with Katrina Monroe, author of They Drown Our Daughters
May 12, 2022 00:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBKatrina Monroe is a novelist whose debut title, They Drown Our Daughters releases in July 2022 from Sourcbooks. The book has been named one of CrimeReads' 16 Horror Novels To Look Out For In 2022 and Tor Nightfire's Horror Books We're Excited About In 2022. Katrina lives in Minnesota with her wife, two children, and Eddie, the ghost who haunts their bedroom closets. Among other things, Carter and Katrina talk about what constitutes horror, how the switch from small publishing to a larger r...
Making It Up with Katie Lattari, author of Dark Things I Adore
May 04, 2022 18:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBKatie Lattari is the author of two novels, American Vaudeville, a small press work, and her recent thriller debut, Dark Things I Adore. Her short stories have appeared in such places as NOO Journal, The Bend, Cabildo Quarterly, and more. Among other things, Carter and Katie discuss creepy small towns, the tumultuous journey to writing novels, and how to handle the editor’s first letter without panicking. At the end of their conversation, they make up a little tale about a dark plan, starti...
Making It Up with Erica Ferencik, author of Girl In Ice
April 20, 2022 20:00 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBNovelist Erica Ferencik is a graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Boston University. Her most recent release, Girl In Ice, was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a Los Angeles Times Best Crime Novel of Winter 2022, and a Reader’s Digest Best Fiction Book of 2022. Among other things, Carter and Erica discuss the benefit of travel for researching books, how writing comedy and thrillers are more similar than you might think, and what it looks like to define your own success...
Making it Up with J.T. Ellison, author of Her Dark Lies
April 06, 2022 16:00 - 54 minutes - 37.4 MBJ.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award-winning co-host of the literary TV show A Word on Words. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker. With millions of books in print, J.T. has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, been optioned for television, and has been published in 28 countries. Among other things, Carter and J.T. discuss growing up surrounded by reading and writing, making every mistak...
Making It Up with Lara Elena Donnelly, author of Base Notes
March 23, 2022 15:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBLara Elena Donnelly is the author of the Nebula, Lambda, and Locus-nominated trilogy The Amberlough Dossier, as well as short fiction and poetry. Lara has taught in the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College as well as the Catapult Workshop in New York. She is a graduate of the Clarion and Alpha writers’ workshops and has served as on-site staff at the latter, mentoring amazing teens who will someday take over the world of Science Fiction & Fantasy. Among other things, Carter and Lara discu...
Making It Up with Lara Elena Donnelly, author of Base Notes
March 23, 2022 15:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBLara Elena Donnelly is the author of the Nebula, Lambda, and Locus-nominated trilogy The Amberlough Dossier, as well as short fiction and poetry. Lara has taught in the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College as well as the Catapult Workshop in New York. She is a graduate of the Clarion and Alpha writers’ workshops and has served as on-site staff at the latter, mentoring amazing teens who will someday take over the world of Science Fiction & Fantasy. Among other things, Carter and Lara discu...
Making It Up with Aaron Philip Clark, author of Under Color of Law
March 07, 2022 16:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBAaron Philip Clark is a novelist and screenwriter from Los Angeles, CA. In addition to his writing career, he has worked in the film industry and law enforcement. His most recent novel, Under Color of Law, which was inspired by his experience in the LAPD, was just named a 2022 Thriller Awards finalist (Best Paperback Original). Among other things, Carter and Aaron discuss the world of screenwriting, eBooks versus hard copies, and what you can and can’t teach about writing. At the end of th...
Making It Up with Alex Finlay, author of Every Last Fear
February 21, 2022 15:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBAlex Finlay is the pseudonym of Anthony Franze, who launched his debut thriller the same year as me back in 2012. His 2021 breakout thriller as Alex Finlay, Every Last Fear, was an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, as well as a CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thriller of the year. His recent release is The Night Shift. Among other things, Carter and Alex discus...
Making It Up with Daniel Jude Miller, author of Monsters in Manhattan
February 14, 2022 16:00 - 50 minutes - 35 MBDaniel Jude Miller is the author and illustrator of the children’s picture book series Monsters in Manhattan, as well as Everybody Wake Up, Earclaw and Eddie, and Halloween Boy and the Christmas Kid. Growing up in Queens, NY and working in Manhattan inspired Daniel to write and draw all the creatures and goblins he came across on a daily basis. He now lives upstate, far from the clutches of those monsters. Among other things, Carter and Daniel talk about Daniel’s decision to start his own ...
Making It Up with Allen Eskens, author of The Stolen Hours
February 07, 2022 16:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBAllen Eskens is the bestselling author of The Life We Bury, The Guise of Another, The Heavens May Fall, The Deep Dark Descending, The Shadows We Hide, Nothing More Dangerous, and The Stolen Hours. He is the recipient of the Barry Award, Minnesota Book Award, Rosebud Award (Left Coast Crime), and Silver Falchion Award and has been a finalist for the Edgar® Award, Thriller Award, and Anthony Award. His books have been translated into 26 languages. Among other things, Carter and Allen discuss...
Making It Up with Lynne Griffin, author of The Dangers of an Ordinary Night
January 31, 2022 15:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBLynne Reeves Griffin is an internationally recognized family counselor, public speaker, teacher, and writer of fiction and non-fiction. Her work has appeared in Parents, Psychology Today, Solstice Literary Magazine, Chautauqua Journal, Craft Literary, Fiction Writers Review, Brain, Child, and more. She writes novels of domestic suspense as Lynne Reeves, with The Dangers of an Ordinary Night published by Crooked Lane Books in November 2021. Among other things, Carter and Lynne discuss how s...
Making It Up with Amanda Kabak, author of Upended
January 24, 2022 18:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBAmanda Kabak is the author of The Mathematics of Change and her latest novel, Upended. Her stories have been published in The Massachusetts Review, Tahoma Literary Review, Sequestrum, The Laurel Review, and more. She’s also the recipient of the Lascaux Review fiction award, the Arcturus Review’s Al-Simāk award for fiction, and the Betty Gabehart prize from the Kentucky Women Writers’ Conference. Among other things, Carter and Amanda discuss the messy nature of first drafts and how they lead...
Making It Up with Amanda Kabak, author of Upended
January 24, 2022 18:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBAmanda Kabak is the author of The Mathematics of Change and her latest novel, Upended. Her stories have been published in The Massachusetts Review, Tahoma Literary Review, Sequestrum, The Laurel Review, and more. She’s also the recipient of the Lascaux Review fiction award, the Arcturus Review’s Al-Simāk award for fiction, and the Betty Gabehart prize from the Kentucky Women Writers’ Conference. Among other things, Carter and Amanda discuss the messy nature of first drafts and how they lead...
Making It Up with Gabrielle St. George, author of How to Murder a Marriage
December 21, 2021 16:00 - 45 minutes - 31.3 MBGabrielle St George is a Canadian screenwriter and story editor with credits on over 100 produced television shows, both in the USA and Canada. Her feature film scripts have been optioned in Hollywood. She also writes humorous mysteries and domestic noir about subjects of which she is an expert– mostly failed relationships, hence her début soft-boiled series, The Ex-Whisperer Files, which recently launched with its first title How to Murder a Marriage. Among other things, Carter and Gabriel...
Making It Up with Yasmin Angoe, author of Her Name Is Knight
December 13, 2021 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MBYasmin Angoe recently released her debut novel, Her Name Is Knight. She taught English in middle and high schools for years, served as an instructional coach for virtual teachers, and spent time as a freelance copy editor. Angoe recently received the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for emerging writers of color from Sisters of Crime, of which she’s a proud member. Among other things, Carter and Yasmin discuss Yasmin’s “first” book that she wrote in middle school, why you should always check your...
Making It Up with Yasmin Angoe, author of Her Name Is Night
December 13, 2021 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MBYasmin Angoe recently released her debut novel, Her Name Is Night. She taught English in middle and high schools for years, served as an instructional coach for virtual teachers, and spent time as a freelance copy editor. Angoe recently received the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for emerging writers of color from Sisters of Crime, of which she’s a proud member. Among other things, Carter and Yasmin discuss Yasmin’s “first” book that she wrote in middle school, why you should always check your ...
Making It Up with Dr. Ian Smith, author of Wolf Point
December 06, 2021 16:00 - 50 minutes - 35 MBDr. Ian Smith is the author of 15 books, both novels, and multiple #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction health and diet books. He is currently the medical contributor and co-host of the nationally syndicated television show The Rachael Ray Show and a former co-host of the Emmy award-winning syndicated daytime talk show, The Doctors. Among many more noteworthy achievements (too many to list here) Dr. Ian was appointed by President Obama to a second term on the prestigious President’s Cou...
Making It Up with Drew Magary, author of The Night the Lights Went Out
November 29, 2021 16:00 - 47 minutes - 33 MBDrew Magary is a co-founder of the employee-owned sports and culture website Defector, as well as a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle online and the author of three novels. Drew’s life changed forever at a company holiday party in 2018 when he suffered a mysterious fall that caused him to smash his head so hard on a cement floor that he cracked his skull in three places and suffered a catastrophic brain hemorrhage. His latest work—The Night the Lights Went Out—chronicles his recovery...
Making It Up with Alverne Ball, author of Blue Religion
November 22, 2021 19:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MBAlverne Ball’s creativity is seemingly boundless. His writing has been featured in literary magazines, he’s crafted award-winning comic and graphic novel material for various production studios, and he’s written and produced a short film himself. Oh, yeah, he’s also a novelist. His latest book is Blue Religion, a sequel to his earlier work Only The Holy Remain. Among other things, Carter and Alverne discuss the moment of clarity when he knew he wanted to be a writer, how difficult it can be...
Making It Up with Farrah Rochon, author of The Boyfriend Project
November 15, 2021 19:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBFarrah Rochon is a USA Today bestselling author who has garnered much acclaim for her popular Holmes Brothers and New York Sabers series. More recently, The Boyfriend Project and The Dating Playbook. When she’s not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah enjoys reading, cooking, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and Broadway shows. Among other things, Carter and Farrah discuss her mom’s influence as an English teacher, pursuing psychology to end up writing Romance, and ho...
Making It Up with Robert Dugoni, author of The World Played Chess
November 08, 2021 22:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MBRobert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series, which has sold over 8 million copies worldwide. In addition, he has two other series, several standalone novels, and numerous short stories. His latest book, The World Played Chess, is the emotionally arresting follow-up to The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. Among other things, Carter and Robert discuss their love for storytelling...
Making It Up with Matthew FitzSimmons, author of Constance
November 03, 2021 04:00 - 54 minutes - 37.4 MBMatthew Fitzsimmons nearly abandoned writing forever. Thankfully he persevered and is now the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Gibson Vaughn series. His most recent release is Constance, a mind-bending thriller about human cloning. Among other things, the two discuss Matthew’s long and sometimes painful path to success, which included being a playwright in New York, a long stint of teaching, becoming homeless, and finally taking salvation in novel writing. At the end of their c...
Making It Up with SF Kosa, author of The Night We Burned
October 25, 2021 17:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBSarah Fine, writing under the name SF Kosa, is a psychologist by training and a writer by passion. Though The Quiet Girl was her debut psychological suspense novel, she is the author of over two dozen fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi, and romance novels, some of which have been translated into other languages. Among other things, Carter and Sarah discuss how she went from wanting to be a surgeon, to writing novels, being internally focused while writing their first book, and writing to feel t...
Making It Up with Maureen Johnson, author of the Box in the Woods
October 18, 2021 19:00 - 43 minutes - 30 MBMaureen Johnson is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle (now on Netflix), and several works in the Shadowhunter universe with Cassandra Clare. Among other things, Carter and Maureen discuss attending a Catholic high school as a non-Catholic, getting her MFA from Colum...
Making It Up with Lemony Snicket, author of Poison for Breakfast
October 11, 2021 21:00 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBDaniel Handler, better known as Lemony Snicket, became a cultural phenomenon with his 13-volume A Series of Unfortunate Events. His books have sold more than 70 million copies, won Peabody and Writers Guild of America awards, and have been made into box-office and streaming movies. His latest release, the standalone novel Poison for Breakfast, is self-described as a “book about bewilderment.” Among other things, Carter and Daniel discuss the education of writing, how to read like a writer,...
Making It Up with SA Cosby, author of Razorblade Tears
October 04, 2021 19:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBS.A. Cosby, thriller-writer extraordinaire. Shawn (S.A.) struck oil with his breakout 2019 novel Blacktop Wasteland, a Los Angeles Times book winner and the ITW Thriller Award winner for best hardcover (a big goddamned deal). He followed that up with his 2021 book Razorblade Tears, which was an instant New York Times bestseller. Among other things, Carter and Shawn discuss writing for a purpose and expanding perspectives, the role luck and timing play in success after publishing, and accept...
Making It Up with Stuart Turton, author of The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
September 21, 2021 21:00 - 56 minutes - 38.7 MBStuart Turton lives in West London with his wife and daughter writing murder mysteries after years spent as a journalist. He is the author of the international bestsellers The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle which got picked up to be a Netflix series, and The Devil and the Dark Water. Among other things, Carter and Stuart discuss finding work as a writer after traveling for five years straight out of college, remembering a childhood conversation that may have foretold a future career as an ...
Making It Up with Adrian Goldsworthy, author of The Fort
September 14, 2021 21:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBAdrian Goldsworthy is a historian and novelist who specializes in ancient Roman history. After teaching Greek and Roman history for six years before pursuing writing full-time, Adrian has since published a vast collection of both fiction and non-fiction works, most centered on Ancient Rome. His latest novel, The Fort, was released in August 2021. Among other things, Carter and Adrian discuss the creative challenge of putting 1,000 years of history into 450 pages, the publishing industry in...
Making It Up with Barb Webb, author of Getting Laid
September 06, 2021 18:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBBarb Webb is a sustainable living expert living in Appalachian Kentucky and the author of Getting Laid and Getting Baked. Barb's writing isn't just limited to books on sustainable living; she's also a prolific blogger with her self-founded company Rural Moms, which has a social media audience of over 200,000 followers. Among other things, Carter and Barb discuss growing up in a traditional family and being encouraged to fight against her artistic side, how her creativity found a home in te...
Making It Up with Brad Parks, author of Unthinkable
August 27, 2021 05:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBBrad Parks is an international bestselling author and the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. A graduate of Dartmouth College, a former journalist with The Washington Post and The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger, he now lives in Virginia with his wife and kids as a full-time novelist, his most recent being Unthinkable. Among other things, Carter and Brad discuss how writing is both an art and a craft, the allure o...
Making It Up with Xio Axelrod, author of The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes
August 19, 2021 18:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBXio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author who writes different flavors of contemporary romance and what she likes to call, “strange, twisted tales.” Her love for writing started with writing fanfiction due to a passionate response to how an episode of Buffy ended. Now, her most recently published novel is titled, The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes. Among other things, Carter and Xio discuss growing up under the influence of a songwriter and producer dad who wanted her to do anything but go...
Carter's Monthly Newsletter - Audiobook Edition!
August 12, 2021 19:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBAfter nearly four years of newsletters I decided to do something a little different this month. The audiobook newsletter! Same great content, but now I get to ramble on with a microphone instead of a keyboard. Enjoy!
Making It Up with Clare Whitfield, author of People of Abandoned Character
August 12, 2021 18:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBClare Whitfield was born the fourth child to ex-Armed Forces parents and grew up on St Helier Estate in Morden before moving to Sutton. After studying contemporary dance at Middlesex University, she worked as an editorial assistant for a publishing company, tried her hand at freelance writing, and eventually worked in marketing where she spent her free time writing. In her 30s she took an MA in creative writing at the University of Winchester and has now published her first novel, People of ...
Making It Up with Sabrina Jeffries, author of Undercover Duke
August 05, 2021 17:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBSabrina Jeffries is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 novels and works of short fiction (some written under the pseudonyms Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas). She is a sought-after speaker, as evidenced by her 2010 gig as emcee for the National Romance Writers of America’s 30th Anniversary Awards Ceremony. She continues writing romance and even plays with adding in a little Mystery, with her most recent novel, Undercover Duke. Among other things, Carter and Sabrina dis...
Making It Up with Mark Sullivan, author of The Last Green Valley
July 29, 2021 19:00 - 45 minutes - 31.3 MBMark Sullivan is the acclaimed author of eighteen novels, including the #1 New York Times bestselling Private series, which he writes with James Patterson. He’s received numerous awards for his writing, including the WHSmith Fresh Talent Award, and his works have been named a New York Times Notable Book and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year. After Beneath A Scarlet Sky far surpassed what he could have hoped, he recently published another Historical Fiction Novel about a story of incr...
Making It Up with Erika Engelhaupt, author of Gory Details
July 23, 2021 02:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBErika Englehaupt has spent more than a decade writing and editing for top science publications, including National Geographic, Science News, Scientific American, the Philadelphia Inquirer and NPR. Her niche is exploring the gross and horrifying realities of nature. She decided to take it a step further, diving even deeper than her beloved blog, and write a book called Gory Details. Among other things, Carter and Erika discuss growing up with an engineer and inventor dad who always had a la...
Making It Up with Emily Bleeker, author of What's Left Unsaid
July 13, 2021 16:00 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBEmily Bleeker is a busy woman. She's a mother of four, an improv actor, an aspiring guitarist and, oh yeah, the Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of six novels. Combined, her books have reached over a million readers. She is a two-time Whitney Award finalist and was recently listed as one of the top 100 Kindle authors “of all time.” Her latest novel, What's Left Unsaid, releases July 2021. Among other things, Carter and Emily discuss writing from wildly different poi...
Making It Up with Graham Hurley, author of Last Flight to Stalingrad
July 04, 2021 18:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBGraham Hurley is the author of 25 novels, and shows no signs of slowing down. In his previous life, he worked as a script-writer with Southern Television before becoming a researcher and later a director. His latest novel is The Last Flight to Stalingrad, which The Times called "historical fiction of the highest order." Among other things, Carter and Graham discuss his lifelong love of WWII stories, writing five novels before he turned 18, and the challenge of mixing fact with fiction in hi...
Making it Up with Julia Heaberlin, author of We Are All the Same in the Dark
July 04, 2021 18:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBJulia Heaberlin is the author of the international bestseller Black-Eyed Susans, Paper Ghosts, and We Are All the Same in the Dark, her newest crime novel set in the moody landscape of Texas where she grew up. Heaberlin’s psychological thrillers, all set in her home state, have sold to more than twenty countries. Among other things, Carter and Julia discuss murder in a small town, how persistence is equally important as talent in writing, and how a personal tragedy affected her work-in-pro...
Making it Up with Steven James, author of Synapse
June 28, 2021 16:00 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBSteven James is a kind and gentle soul who writes about dark, gritty things. He's the author of more than thirty books, including the critically acclaimed Bowers Files, an eleven-book series of psychological thrillers which includes Opening Moves, Every Crooked Path, and Every Deadly Kiss. The series has received four Christy Awards, which is a damn big deal. Among other things, Carter and Steven discuss his family's history of spinning yarns, getting a Master's degree in storytelling, and...
Making It Up with Mark Stevens, author of The Melancholy Howl
June 21, 2021 17:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBMark Stevens is a helluva good writer and an all-around good dude. Best known for his Allison Coil mystery series, Mark’s novel Antler Dust was a Denver Post best-seller in 2007 and 2009. Buried by the Roan, Trapline, and Lake of Fire were all finalists for the Colorado Book Award (2012, 2015 and 2016 respectively). Trapline won. Mark has been named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year, hosts a regular podcast for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and has served as president of t...