Dedicated with Doug Brunt

Jenny Jackson: tequila soda (2 1/2 ounces Casamigos blanco, club soda, lime)The highly regarded executive editor and now debut author of the stunning novel PINEAPPLE STREET discusses her thoughts on the changing generational views of wealth and inheritance, her technique in switching POVs in her novel, what it was like returning to the office at Penguin Random after maternity leave, her top literary influences, how she won the bid for CRAZY RICH ASIANS, what it's like editing top authors like Emily St. John Mandel, Chris Bohjalian and Kevin Kwan, and hangover strategies. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rick Springfield: coffee or Kola Spiced Beach Bar rumRick and I tell the story of sharing the same editor at Simon & Schuster, Rick describes what life was like as both his music and acting careers simultaneously went big in 1981, how a great song gets written in two phases, reveals who is Jessie and who is his girl, reacts to the news that Kellyanne Conway listed in her high school yearbook that her life's ambition is to kiss Rick Springfield, talks about how he has managed to make his struggles with depression a part of his strength and drive. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amor Towles: Negroni (1 ounce Barr Hill gin, 1 ounce Campari, 1 ounce sweet vermouth with an orange peel)Amor discusses his notebook of story ideas, the piece of hotel stationery that contains the original sketch for A Gentleman in Moscow, the original titles of each of this three books, how he uses the technique of outlining to drive his creative process and the physiological reason it works for him, an editing trick to elevate his work to the best it can be, what he means by 'an Impressionist version of history' and 'timely v timeless', reveals his thoughts on Ewan McGregor starring in A Gentleman in Moscow, talks about his literary influences and favorite books of all time, gives a hint about his next novel, reveals the tradition of Towles Cinema family movie night, and answers some listener questions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

James Patterson: red wine #1 bestselling author of all time discusses his early struggles as a writer when his first manuscript was rejected by 31 publishers, his eventual career transition from advertising executive to full-time writer, the frustrating lack of media attention for his new book about cops, Walk the Blue Line, which was co-authored with Matt Eversmann (retired Army Ranger, winner of the Bronze Star, group leader of the Black Hawk Down, Mogadishu raid), how Amazon is changing the character of Alex Cross for the new streaming series (and why Amazon is doing it), and his worst-ever book event. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Min Jin Lee: Ito En unsweetened green tea Min Jin Lee discusses the grey area between accountability and ‘cancel culture’, how she left the law for fiction writing, the power of fiction to educate, her favorite K-dramas streaming on TV, an update on her next novel and what she and Donna Tartt have in common.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brad Thor: Revolver (2 ½ ounces Bulleit bourbon, ½ ounce Kahula, dash of bitters with an orange rind)Hear how Brad Thor predicted Chinese balloons in his novel ten years ago and the other threats he predicted when working for Homeland Security’s Red Cell Unit that later came to pass, whether he will (again) run for President of the USA in 2024, which A-list Chris of Hollywood could play Scot Harvath on the screen, and who wins the MMA bout between Scot Harvath and Jack Reacher. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Stossel: vodka martini (2 1/2 ounces vodka, 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, lemon twist)19-time Emmy Award winning John Stossel shares how his Jewish parents emigrated from Germany to the USA in the 1920s, recalls his first job working as an office gopher in an Oregon newsroom in 1969, moving to NYC to work for CBS and having fun while renting Hamptons summer homes with John Tesh and Arnold Diaz in the 1980s, considers the talents of Barbara Walters, tells how he conquered his childhood stutter but not before it led to his most embarrassing moment ever on live TV, reflects on the decades of his past writings, and offers some good advice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marlon James: Dark & StormyNamed to Time Magazine's list of '100 Most Influential People in the World' Marlon tells why he felt he'd leave Jamaica in either a coffin or a plane, remembers the story of the 78 rejections of his first novel and the amazing save of the manuscript that eventually found a home, relates the tale of a harrowing 'Voluntary Exorcism', discusses the universe of the Dark Star trilogy, how he feels about Postcolonial as a literary movement, and his literary influences that range from Shakespeare and Toni Morrison to Wolverine and Hellboy.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Melissa Francis: French Tart (2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce elderflower liquor, 1 ounce grapefruit juice, 1/4 ounce lemon juice, 1/4 ounce rosemary simple syrup, served up and garnished with rosemary sprig)Melissa talks about a poolside, cigarette-filled run-in with Giselle, discusses beginning her acting career at the age of six months, praises the way Michael Landon paved the way for other actors to bring their own ideas to the screen, reveals her admiration for the work of former co-star Jason Bateman, determines whether Elizabeth Banks really played her in an episode of 30 Rock, shares her process for writing her memior, and what she's learned about how to structure TV writing from several classes she's taken and recommends to anyone wanting to write for TV. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Steve Forbes: pilsnerSteve Forbes names his picks for the two best business leaders in American history, discusses the future of crypto currency, identifies the foreign economies poised to grow and the American real estate markets that are currently undervalued, analyzes the parallels of Grover Cleveland (1892) and Donald Trump (2024), sheds light on how to fix the nation's inflation problem, and reveals the story of how the Forbes 400 came about. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.