The Story Craft Cafe Podcast

Why We Love Mysteries With Lucy Clarke | Story Craft Cafe Episode 25

Sunday Times bestseller, Lucy Clarke, is the author of seven psychological thrillers - THE SEA SISTERS, A SINGLE BREATH, THE BLUE/NO ESCAPE, LAST SEEN, YOU LET ME IN, THE CASTAWAYS, and ONE OF THE GIRLS. Her debut novel was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, and her books have been sold in over 20 territories. THE BLUE is currently being filmed for a seven-part television series for ParmountPlus, due for release in 2023.
Lucy is a passionate traveller, beach hut dweller, and fresh air enthusiast. She's married to a professional windsurfer and, together with their two children, they spend their winters travelling and their summers at home on the south coast of England. Lucy writes from a beach hut, using the inspiration from the wild south coast to craft her stories.

Writing Fantasy and Building A Reader Base With Jeff Wheeler | Story Craft Cafe Episode 24

Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains. His books have been on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list 6 times (for The Thief’s Daughter, The King’s Traitor, The Hollow Crown, The Silent Shield, Prism Cloud, and Knight’s Ransom) and have sold more than 5 million copies. His novels have also been published or will be published in many languages: Italian, Chinese, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Spanish, Russian, and German.
He was the founder of Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction (www.deepmagic.co), a publication that ran from 2002-2006 and 2016-2021. He’s also a founding author at BingeBooks.
You can usually find Jeff at Emerald City Comic Con, New York Comic Con or at writers conferences like Storymakers and Teen Author Boot Camp.
He welcomes hearing from readers: jeff /at/ jeff-wheeler dot com
If you are interested in purchasing signed copies of his books for friends, family, or your own collection, please e-mail: WOJWbooks /at/ gmail dot com

Creating Fantastical Characters and Worlds With Brian McClellan | Story Craft Cafe Episode 23

Brian McClellan is an American epic fantasy author from Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his acclaimed Powder Mage Universe and essays on the life and business of being a writer.
Brian now lives on the side of a mountain in Utah with his wife, Michele, where he writes books and nurses a crippling video game addiction.
Brian's novels include the Powder Mage Trilogy (Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic), Gods of Blood and Powder (Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire, and Blood of Empire), and the Valkyrie Collections (Uncanny Collateral and Blood Tally).
From Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage trilogy, comes the first novel in the Glass Immortals series, In the Shadow of Lightning, an epic fantasy where magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out."Excellent worldbuilding and a truly epic narrative combine into Brian's finest work to date. Heartily recommended to anyone who wants a new favorite fantasy series to read."—Brandon SandersonDemir Grappo is an outcast—he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed: the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out.Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it."Powerful rival families, murderous conspiracies, epic battles, larger-than-life characters, and magic."—Fonda Lee, author of The Green Bone Saga"Engaging, fast-paced and epic."—James Islington, author of In The Shadow of What Was Lost"Clever, fun, and by turns beautifully bloody, In the Shadow of Lightning hits like a bolt through a stained glass window."—Megan E. O'Keefe, author of Chaos Vector

Bringing Ancient Myths Into Modern Fantasy With Helene Wecker | Story Craft Cafe Episode 22

Helene Wecker’s first novel, The Golem and the Jinni, was awarded the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature, the VCU Cabell Award for First Novel, and the Harold U. Ribalow Prize, and was nominated for a Nebula Award and a World Fantasy Award. A Midwest native, she holds a B.A. in English from Carleton College and an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from Columbia University. Her work has appeared in literary journals such as Joyland and Catamaran, as well as the fantasy anthology The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and children.
The Hidden Palace: A Novel of the Golem and the Jinni
"Richly nuanced and beautiful. . . . An immersive and magical tale of loneliness, love, and finding hope.” (Buzzfeed)
“A layered novel of many complex characters…To keep their worlds safe, Chava and Ahmad must access both their greatest supernatural powers and their deepest human impulses.” (Historical Novels Review)
In this enthralling historical epic, set in New York City and the Middle East in the years leading to World War I— the long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Golem and the Jinni—Helene Wecker revisits her beloved characters Chava and Ahmad as they confront unexpected new challenges in a rapidly changing human world.
Chava is a golem, a woman made of clay, who can hear the thoughts and longings of those around her and feels compelled by her nature to help them. Ahmad is a jinni, a restless creature of fire, once free to roam the desert but now imprisoned in the shape of a man. Fearing they’ll be exposed as monsters, these magical beings hide their true selves and try to pass as human—just two more immigrants in the bustling world of 1900s Manhattan. Brought together under calamitous circumstances, their lives are now entwined—but they’re not yet certain of what they mean to each other.
Both Chava and Ahmad have changed the lives of the people around them. Park Avenue heiress Sophia Winston, whose brief encounter with Ahmad left her with a strange illness that makes her shiver with cold, travels to the Middle East to seek a cure. There she meets Dima, a tempestuous female jinni who’s been banished from her tribe. Back in New York, in a tenement on the Lower East Side, a little girl named Kreindel helps her rabbi father build a golem they name Yossele—not knowing that she’s about to be sent to an orphanage uptown, where the hulking Yossele will become her only friend and protector.
Spanning the tumultuous years from the turn of the twentieth century to the beginning of World War I, The Hidden Palace follows these lives and others as they collide and interleave. Can Chava and Ahmad find their places in the human world while remaining true to each other? Or will their opposing natures and desires eventually tear them apart—especially once they encounter, thrillingly, other beings like themselves?

Crafting The Perfect Characters With J. T. Ellison | Story Craft Cafe Episode 21

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 critically acclaimed novels, including her standalone thrillers HER DARK LIES, GOOD GIRLS LIE, TEAR ME APART, LIE TO ME, and NO ONE KNOWS; the Lt. Taylor Jackson series, beginning with ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS; the Dr. Samantha Owens series, starting with A DEEPER DARKNESS; and coauthored the "A Brit in the FBI" series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. J.T. is also the EMMY® Award-winning co-host of the television series A Word on Words, and co-writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.
With millions of books in print, J.T.’s work has been published in 28 countries and 16 languages. Her novel THE COLD ROOM won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Paperback Original. Her novels FIELD OF GRAVES and WHERE ALL THE DEAD LIE were each a RITA® nominee for Best Romantic Suspense. She is also the author of multiple short stories, and the co-author of the urban fantasy series Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian, with R.L. Perez.
J.T. grew up in the foothills of Colorado, and moved to McLean, Virginia during high school. After graduating from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and receiving her master's degree from The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, she was a presidential appointee and worked in The White House and the Department of Commerce before moving into the private sector to work as a financial analyst and marketing director for several defense and aerospace contractors.
After moving to Nashville, J.T. began to research her hidden passions, forensics and crime, and was compelled to begin writing down her stories. Over the course of her career, she has worked with the Metro Nashville Police Department and the FBI, as well as performing autopsies and studying survivalists.
In 2012, J.T. teamed up with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter to co-write a new FBI series. The first book, THE FINAL CUT, released in September of 2013 and hit every major bestseller list. The series continued with THE LOST KEY, THE END GAME, THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE, and THE SIXTH DAY. The final installment, THE LAST SECOND, was published in March 2019.
J.T.’s first standalone novel, NO ONE KNOWS, a Nashville-based domestic thriller, was published in 2016 by Gallery Books. It was followed by the critically acclaimed LIE TO ME, published in 2017 by MIRA Books. TEAR ME APART released August 28, 2018. GOOD GIRLS LIE, released December 30, 2019. Her newest standalone, HER DARK LIES released March 9, 2021.
She also has co-written with Erica Spindler and Alex Kava on two anthology collaborations: SLICES OF NIGHT and STORM SEASON.
J.T.'s interests go beyond writing books—she publishes them, too. In 2015, she founded her own independent publishing house, Two Tales Press, which features short stories and novellas, including KILLER YEAR and DEAD ENDS. Her multi-author anthology A THOUSAND DOORS: An Anthology of Many Lives released to critical acclaim in November 2018. Most recently, she released TOMB OF THE QUEEN, the first Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian fantasy thriller, under the pen name Joss Walker.
An avid oenophile, J.T. launched The Wine Vixen, a wine review website focusing on all varietals and price ranges. Though the website is on hiatus, it is still full of great wine tips.
In 2015, J.T. became the co-host of the Nashville literary television series A Word on Words. The series was hosted by respected journalist John Seigenthaler for more than 40 years and remains a favorite among viewers. The rebooted show builds on Mr. Seigenthaler’s distinguished legacy with an exciting new version of the literary series. The show won its first EMMY® in 2017. Follow #keepreading for more updates on the show’s guests and lively literary discussions.
J.T. lives with her husband and twin kittens in Nashville, where she enjoys fine wine, good notebooks, and quiet moments on the golf course.

Story Craft Cafe Episode 20 | Destiny Salter Character Development & Evolution Workshop

If you missed our live event this past Friday in the Story Craft Cafe, don't worry, we've got you covered! Join us as we recap this exciting Character Workshop with story coach Destiny Salter! This workshop specifically focused on how to push your characters to evolve. This is an episode you will want to listen to again and again. Enjoy!Destiny is the writing mastermind behind The Book Clinic and has been helping authors improve their novels for years. You can also check out this Character Creation Workshop she hosted for Dabble in December!
About Destiny:
I have had the rare experience of being on both sides of the publishing industry—I’ve worked under the top agents in New York City and I myself am a writer with extensive knowledge of my craft.
I'm a graduate of Princeton University, where I studied English and Creative Writing. At university, I studied under best-selling authors and award-winning creative writers. Leaders in their genres, they taught me the ins and outs of story structure and the craft of great fiction writing.
​I have experience in the publishing industry, having worked for literary agencies such as Sterling Lord Literistic, and keep my finger on the pulse of the current publishing market. Having apprenticed under some of the top literary agents in NYC, I know not only what makes a good, compelling story, but exactly what literary agents and publishing houses are looking for from submissions.
 
The knowledge I've gleaned and the secrets I've learned go far beyond what you can simply find on the internet and are helpful both for those seeking traditional publishing or self-publishing.
I’ve edited in fiction writing of all genres, including children's books, though I specialize in fantasy, romance, YA, and thriller/suspense.  I also have experience with non-fiction, particularly autobiographies, memoirs, and self-help. I’m a member of several professional editor organizations including ACES: The Society for Editing, Editorial Freelancers Association, Professional Editors Network and Editors of Color.
​I have three years of experience as a professional editor and proofreader, and in that time, I’ve edited scores of manuscripts, from children’s picture books to large-scale epic fantasy novels. Whether you're trying to identify your target demographic or are struggling to develop a good character motivation, I'm here to guide you on your journey to publishing. I strive to be detailed, concise, honest, and intuitive, highlighting your story's strengths and shoring up its weaknesses. My goal is to preserve your voice as the author while also bringing out the best in your work. I value consistent and speedy communication with my clients to ensure I'm meeting their needs and that they can be exceptionally proud of the final product.
If you're looking for an editing and storytelling expert who brings both value and experience to the table, I'm the one you're looking for.
 

Story Craft Cafe Episode 19 | Fiona Barton Talks Casting Mystery Characters

Fiona Barton's debut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and has been published in 36 countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives in Sussex and south-west France.
Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards.
While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and she developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. Fiona interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most.
Local Gone Missing
Detective Elise King investigates a man’s disappearance in a seaside town where the locals and weekenders are at odds in this rich and captivating new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow.Elise King is a successful and ambitious detective—or she was before a medical leave left her unsure if she'd ever return to work. She now spends most days watching the growing tensions in her small seaside town of Ebbing—the weekenders renovating old bungalows into luxury homes, and the locals resentful of the changes.  Elise can only guess what really happens behind closed doors. But Dee Eastwood, her house cleaner, often knows. She’s an invisible presence in many of the houses in town, but she sees and hears everything.  The conflicts boil over when a newcomer wants to put the town on the map with a weekend music festival, and two teenagers overdose on drugs. When a man disappears the first night of the festival, Elise starts digging for answers. Ebbing is a small town, but it's full of secrets and hidden connections that run deeper and darker than Elise could have ever imagined.  "Barton presents such an embarrassment of riches. . . .Layers and layers of unlovely revelations about people who seemed perfectly nice."         --Kirkus Reviews"A captivating read. A first-grade suspense novel and highly recommended." --MysteryTribune

Story Craft Cafe Episode 18 | David Koepp Talks About Bringing Visual Storytelling To Prose

David Koepp has written or co-written the screenplays for more than thirty films, including APARTMENT ZERO (1989), BAD INFLUENCE (1990), DEATH BECOMES HER (1992), CARLITO’S WAY (1993), JURASSIC PARK (1993), THE PAPER (1994), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996), THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997), SNAKE EYES (1998), PANIC ROOM (2002), SPIDER-MAN (2002), WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005), INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008), ANGELS & DEMONS (2009), INFERNO (2016), and KIMI (2022).
As a director, his work includes the films THE TRIGGER EFFECT (1996), STIR OF ECHOES (1999), SECRET WINDOW (2004), GHOST TOWN (2007), PREMIUM RUSH (2012), and YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT (2020). GHOST TOWN and PREMIUM RUSH were co-written with the enigmatic John Kamps.
Koepp’s forthcoming novel, AURORA, will be published by HarperCollins on June 7th, 2022. His first novel, COLD STORAGE, was published in 2019. His story YARD WORK, narrated by Kevin Bacon, was released by Audible Originals in July 2020.
He was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin and graduated from UCLA’s film school in 1986. He lives in New York City with his wife and children.

Story Craft Cafe Episode 17 | Hannah Mary McKinnon Discusses Making Likable Characters Out Of Unlikable Situations

"[A] highly entertaining, bone-chilling must read.”—Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest"A diabolical tour de force."—P.J. Vernon, author of Bath Haus“Don’t miss this propulsive, hypnotic thrill ride.”—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Last Girl Ghosted  First comes love. Then comes murder.Lucas Forester didn’t hate his wife. Michelle was brilliant, sophisticated and beautiful. Sure, she had extravagant spending habits, that petty attitude, a total disregard for anyone below her status. But she also had a lot to offer. Most notably: wealth that only the one percent could comprehend.For years, Lucas has been honing a flawless plan to inherit Michelle’s fortune. Unfortunately, it involves taking a hit out on her.Every track is covered, no trace left behind, and now Lucas plays the grieving husband so well he deserves an award. But when a shocking photo and cryptic note show up on his doorstep, Lucas goes from hunter to prey. Someone is on to him. And they’re closing in.Told with dark wit and a sharply feminist sensibility, Never Coming Home is a terrifying tale of duplicity that will have you side-eyeing your spouse as you dash to the breathtaking end.
Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favour of writing. While her debut, TIME AFTER TIME, was a rom com, she transitioned to the dark side thereafter. Her suspense novels include THE NEIGHBORS, and bestsellers HER SECRET SON, SISTER DEAR, YOU WILL REMEMBER ME. Her sixth book is scheduled for spring 2022.
Hannah Mary lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons
Connect on Facebook and Instagram @hannahmarymckinnon, and on Twitter @HannahMMcKinnon. For more, visit www.hannahmarymckinnon.com

Story Craft Cafe Episode 16 | Christopher Moore Talks About Mixing Fantasy With Satire

Christopher Moore is an American writer of comic fantasy. 
An only child, Moore learned to amuse himself with his imagination. He loved reading and his father brought him plenty of books from the library every week. He started writing around the age of twelve and realized that this was his talent by the time he was 16, and he began to consider making it his career.
Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. With the possible exceptions of Fool, The Serpent of Venice, Sacré Bleu, and Shakespeare for Squirrels: A Novel, all his books take place in the same universe and some characters recur from novel to novel.
According to his interview in the June 2007 issue of Writer's Digest, the film rights to Moore's first novel, Practical Demonkeeping (1992), were purchased by Disney even before the book had a publisher. In answer to repeated questions from fans over the years, Moore stated that all of his books have been optioned or sold for films, but that as yet "none of them are in any danger of being made into a movie."
Moore has named Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, John Steinbeck, Tom Robbins, Richard Brautigan, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and Ian Fleming as key influences on his writing.
Moore lives in San Francisco, after a few years on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.