Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authors

Colton Haynes understands the complexities of approaching a memoir. From learning to navigate difficult and personal life experiences to dealing with the hard process of cutting and editing his work, he used his trust in himself and his editors to push through the challenges and create a moving, well-written account of his life. Colton focused on modeling in his early career before being cast in hit shows like “Teen Wolf” and “The Gates,” and his memoir, Miss Memory Lane, is his first step into the writing world. To purchase Miss Memory Lane, follow the link below. From IMDb.com: American actor and model Colton Lee Haynes was born in Wichita, Kansas, to Dana Denise (Mitchell) and William Clayton Haynes. He began modeling at age 15 and his first success came with an Abercrombie & Fitch campaign. He also modeled for J.C. Penney, Kira Plastinina, and Ralph Lauren. He is best known for his role as Jackson Whittemore on MTV's Teen Wolf (2011). He also played Brett Crezski on ABC's The Gates. He has had guest appearances on several television shows, including The Hills, CSI: Miami, The Nine Lives of Chloe King, and Look. In this episode, you’ll discover: How Colton started his memoir journey How to cope with writer’s block How he coined the title What surprised him during his first writing project Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ Write On Con - https://www.writeoncon.org Colton Haynes - https://twitter.com/ColtonLHaynes?s=20&t=D0FkFMIw8BrKPzQWuOFccA Miss Memory Lane - https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/miss-memory-lane Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ and Atticus - https://www.atticus.io/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Perseverance and Professionalism with NYT Bestseller Christopher Golden After decades of consistent, high-quality work, Christopher Golden continues to appreciate every day as a professional writer. From movie-tie ins to his own novels, Golden continues to do the work necessary to stay afloat in the business. Whether it's Bram Stoker Award-winning novels, graphic novels, anthologies, or video games, he is a successful and prolific creative, by any standard. From Amazon.com: CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling author of such novels as Ararat, Red Hands, Snowblind, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, and Of Saints and Shadows. Golden co-created (with Mike Mignola) the comic book universe known as The Outerverse, featuring such characters as Baltimore, Joe Golem, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Hex Life, Seize the Night, and The New Dead, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, a BBC radio play, and the online animated series Ghosts of Albion (with Amber Benson). A frequent speaker at conferences, schools, and libraries, Golden is also co-host of the podcast Defenders Dialogue, and the founder of the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. The winner of the Bram Stoker Award for best novel in 2017 for Ararat, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories, winning twice. He has also been nominated multiple times for the Shirley Jackson Award, sharing a win in 2020 with James A. Moore for the anthology The Twisted Book of Shadows. Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. In this episode, you’ll discover: Where that lost “Sons of Anarchy” sequel might be How to get the work done, year after year What Stephen King thought of the cover for ROAD OF BONES Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ Christopher Golden - https://www.christophergolden.com/ Road of Bones - https://books2read.com/roadofbones Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ and Atticus - https://www.atticus.io/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Koepp knows the importance of correctly approaching a new story or project. By consistently outlining his thoughts, writing in a workspace that suits his style, and setting specific targets and goals, he keeps his writing process both efficient and personal. Koepp is a legendary screenwriter who has worked on movies like Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones and is the ninth most successful screenwriter of all time. To purchase his latest novel, Aurora, follow the link below. From Amazon.com: David Koepp is a celebrated American screenwriter who's written more than two dozen feature films. He's written with success in a wide variety of genres, including the first two "Jurassic Park" films, "Death Becomes Her," "Carlito's Way," "The Paper," "Mission: Impossible," "Spider-Man," "Panic Room," "War of the Worlds," "Angels and Demons," and "Inferno." Some of the films he's both written and directed are "Stir of Echoes," "Secret Window," "Ghost Town," and "Premium Rush." "Cold Storage" is his first novel. Koepp grew up in the small town of Pewaukee, Wisconsin. He went to a variety of colleges over a leisurely-paced academic career, and recounts his junior year as being "three of the happiest years of my life." He cites the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the film school at UCLA as particular highlights. In this episode, you’ll discover: How David became a screenwriter How he transitioned to writing novels How to avoid internet distractions How to write with a narrow setting How to adapt across mediums Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ David Koepp (Instagram) - https://www.instagram.com/dgkoepp/ David Koepp - https://davidkoepp.com/ Aurora – https://mybook.to/Aurora Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bestseller Emily St. John Mandel is well versed in the realm of writing science fiction novels. Drawing upon decades of story elements from her favorite sci-fi books, she creates stories that are true to herself while sticking to the rules of the genre. Emily has written six novels, winning notable acclaim from people like President Barack Obama, and had Station Eleven adapted for TV by HBO. To purchase her latest novel, Sea of Tranquility, follow the link below. From Amazon.com: EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL is the author of six novels, including Sea of Tranquility, The Glass Hotel, and Station Eleven, which was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Her work has been translated into thirty-two languages. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter. In this episode, you’ll discover: Who is Olive? How to write yourself into a character Why does post-apoc do so well? Why characters are always more important than setting How involved Emily was with Station Eleven’s adaptation Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ Emily St. John Mandel - http://www.emilymandel.com/ Sea of Tranquility - https://mybook.to/SeaofTranquility Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this monthly q & a session, the guys answer listener questions. J.K. Rowling was nearly homeless when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Stephen King penned CARRIE on a small desk wedged between a washer and dryer. James Patterson worked in advertising and famously wrote the Toys “R” Us theme song long before becoming an author. Join New York Times best-seller, J.D. Barker, and indie powerhouses J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon as they pull back the curtain on some of the world's most prolific authors. Where did they start? What is their process? The biggest names in publishing all have origin stories, all have a process, all have tips and secrets... What does it take to consistently top the bestseller lists? Get your notepad out. School's in session. This, is Writers, Ink. Questions asked: This is a difficult question - I've been pondering this for some time. I suspect you might be unable to answer this. There are a series of TV films starring Tom Selleck based on Robert B Parker novels called the Jesse Stone series. If you could use one word to describe the atmosphere in the films it would be melancholy. It's mostly achieved by music photography and Tom Selleck's slow drawl dialogue. How can one achieve this melancholy feeling in writing? How do you reconcile multiple streams of income (in multiple author services) and the simplicity of offering ONE thing on your website for clients? I know that in order to build clientele, we need to focus our efforts, time, and attention (and maybe even marketing) on one service so as not to overwhelm the potential client with too many options. But, I receive (small amounts of) income from various author services I perform--editing, coaching, audiobook narration. How can I keep my website, newsletters, and "elevator pitches" simple enough and still allow clients to know what they can hire me to do? For instance, I thought of putting up my signature offer on a featured website page, and then list "other author services" with a link to a different page so it doesn't clutter up the featured page. If you could go back in time and change one decision you made in your writing career what would it be and why? If you wouldn't change a thing...why not I'm appreciating more and more the benefits of hybrid publishing through traditional and self. While I start my query process, I'm curious to best practices. How many agents should you submit queries to at one time? If you have two novels in different genres, should you submit both and see which one is picked up or focus on one? Also, where are the best places to meet agents? I write in the fantasy and superhero fiction genres. Where would I find agents that represent my genres? Does a personal meeting help the process of query acceptance? Sounds like JD has "won" the treadmill that most authors hit in terms of making enough money to retire on without having to work with all his investments. What keeps him writing? I think Steven King said that 1 million words published is an achievement to make you a great writer. Do you think that number is correct? if not what is the number? Or does it mean you need to have an editor and ensure you have deliberate practice in order for the million words to count? J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bestselling husband-wife team Lars Kepler knows a thing or two about writing with your spouse. In writing as in marriage, the Kepler duo must routinely navigate around indecision, such as compromising on important plot points, in order to maintain an efficient and fun writing environment. Kepler is an international bestseller, having sold 16 million copies in 40 languages. To purchase their latest novel, The Mirror Man, follow the link below. From Amazon.com: Lars Kepler is a No.1 bestselling international sensation, whose Joona Linna thrillers have sold more than 12 million copies in 40 languages. The first book in the series, The Hypnotist, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club and the most recent, Stalker, went straight to No.1 in Sweden, Norway, Holland and Slovakia. Lars Kepler is the pseudonym for writing duo Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril. They live with their family in Sweden. In this episode, you’ll discover: Who is Lars Kepler? What does research look like during the pandemic? How they naturally translate Swedish for an English audience What a typical writing day looks like for Lars Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ The Author Life Summit 2022 - https://theauthorlife.com/summit2022/ Lars Kepler - https://larskepler.com/ The Mirror Man - https://mybook.to/MirrorMan Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Poetry and Persistence with NYT Bestseller Don Winslow Stephen King called Don Winslow, “one of America’s greatest storytellers,” and for good reason. For decades, Winslow has consistently produced international bestselling works. His newest release, “City on Fire,” is no exception. Don writes daily, sometimes reading poetry for inspiration. “City on Fire” is the first book of a new trilogy that will probably be Don’s last. From Amazon.com: Don Winslow is the author of twenty-one acclaimed, award-winning international bestsellers, including the New York Times bestsellers The Force and The Border, the #1 international bestseller The Cartel, The Power of the Dog, Savages, and The Winter of Frankie Machine. Savages was made into a feature film by three-time Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone. The Power of the Dog, The Cartel and The Border sold to FX in a major multimillion-dollar deal to air as a weekly television series beginning in 2020. A former investigator, antiterrorist trainer and trial consultant, Winslow lives in California and Rhode Island. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why Don is a cupcake How writing is like hockey and jazz Why seeing your words from a distance is important How Don finally finished a story, 28 years in the making Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ The Author Life Summit 2022 - https://theauthorlife.com/summit2022/ Don Winslow - https://www.donwinslow.com/ City on Fire - https://books2read.com/cityonfire Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jennie Nash has a blueprint for any successful book. By focusing on the pure fundamentals of writing and gaining marketing experience through pitching or proposing, she helps both fiction and nonfiction authors tell their best stories while earning a profit. Jennie is the author of eleven books and founder of Author Accelerator book coaching. To preorder her latest book, Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book, follow the link below. From Amazon.com: Jennie Nash is an evangelist for book coaching, which gives writers 1:1 support so they can write books worth reading. She is the creator of the Book Coach Certification Program at Author Accelerator and has trained more than 100 book coaches. Visit Jennie at www.jennienash.com and authoraccelerator.com. J.K. Rowling was nearly homeless when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Stephen King penned CARRIE on a small desk wedged between a washer and dryer. James Patterson worked in advertising and famously wrote the Toys “R” Us theme song long before becoming an author. Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins. Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why brevity is key Why writing should be market focused How to write a good proposal Why Jennie stopped writing fiction Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ The Author Life Summit 2022 - https://theauthorlife.com/summit2022/ Jennie Nash - https://jennienash.com/ Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book - https://mybook.to/Blueprint4Book Three Story Method: Writing Scenes - https://books2read.com/threestorymethodws Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Meg Bowles of The Moth knows the secrets to telling a good story. The Moth is an international organization that helps everyday people master storytelling through public speaking by focusing on authenticity, vulnerability, and confidence. They host public speaking events and workshops all over the world, and community events like The Moth Education Program. To purchase How to Tell a Story, follow the link below. From Amazon.com: THE MOTH is an acclaimed nonprofit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Since launching in 1997, The Moth has presented over 40,000 stories, told live and without notes to standing­-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth’s fourth book will be released in the Spring of 2022. J.K. Rowling was nearly homeless when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Stephen King penned CARRIE on a small desk wedged between a washer and dryer. James Patterson worked in advertising and famously wrote the Toys “R” Us theme song long before becoming an author. Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins. Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business. In this episode, you’ll discover: What makes a Moth story Why people fear public speaking How memorization ruins a story The power of a supportive audience Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ The Author Life Summit 2022 - https://theauthorlife.com/summit2022/ The Moth - https://themoth.org/ How to Tell a Story - https://mybook.to/HowToStory Best of BookTook - https://bestofbooktok.com/ The Carbon Almanac - https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Scene Rubric - http://scenerubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this monthly q & a session, the guys answer listener questions. J.K. Rowling was nearly homeless when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Stephen King penned CARRIE on a small desk wedged between a washer and dryer. James Patterson worked in advertising and famously wrote the Toys “R” Us theme song long before becoming an author. Join New York Times best-seller, J.D. Barker, and indie powerhouses J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon as they pull back the curtain on some of the world's most prolific authors. Where did they start? What is their process? The biggest names in publishing all have origin stories, all have a process, all have tips and secrets... What does it take to consistently top the bestseller lists? Get your notepad out. School's in session. This, is Writers, Ink. Join us on Patreon and ask a question guaranteed to be answered on the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/writersinkpodcast Questions asked: Just wondering how much your children are involved in your writing business and/or how much you plan to get them involved in the future. Would you discourage them from pursuing writing full-time? A question for each of you today: What one writing skill would you like to improve about your own fiction writing? Is there something you’ve been wanting that represents a level up investment for your writing life (e.g. joining an exclusive mastermind, going to a new conference, buying a new computer, etc.) that you’d like to do by the end of the year? I’m going to a conference that has a ‘pitch fest’ where you have 5 minutes (3 minutes to speak and 2 minutes for editor to respond) to pitch your project to editors and agents. Have any of you taken part in a pitch session? The conference organizers have provided some guidelines but would love to hear any tips. I’m pitching a non fiction book proposal. Thanks! Having talked with so many authors at this point, what seems to be the same thing or advice all of them say/do (besides that they write books)? Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ Free Writing Challenge from AutoCrit - https://autocrit.com/challenge2022 The Author Life Summit 2022 - https://theauthorlife.com/summit2022/ Death of the Black Widow - https://amzn.to/3rsA97v Curse of the Spiral - https://books2read.com/cursespiral Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.