#amwriting With Jess & Kj

Hey writers! Sarina here!  I have never been quiet about how much I enjoy Karin Slaughter’s work. So when the opportunity arose for me to read her brand new book, We Are All Guilty Here, and then interview her about it, I raised my hand faster than an extra in a deodorant ad.  The new book is a series starter with a kickass female heroine, and I could not have loved it more!  Join as as I quiz Karin on:  How to write a sweeping series starter Small towns as a setting. How small is too small? The difference between a procedural and psychological suspense Character development and much more!  Karin is incredibly smart and such an important voice in suspense. You won’t want to miss this one! Other favorite’s of Karin’s that we discussed include: Pieces of Her The Grant County series Hey, Jess here to talk to you about a series I have created just for supporters of the #AmWriting Podcast. I met an aspiring author and speaker who has an idea for a book that just knocked me over. I said, please, pl

How dare you? That’s the first question KJ asked Ally Carter, whose name is “synonymous with hilarious action and heart-pounding romance” (TRUE). Is KJ outraged? Hell no. It’s a legit question. Ally’s books are so so much fun, with wild action scenes befitting a Bond movie (or a Jason Bourne, OBVIOUSLY) and plots that trot the globe while dancing backwards in high heels and KJ really wants to know—how did Ally give herself permission to just go there? To write the dreamy, wild, sure it could happen but also we don’t even care because we’re so in it story that scares many of us (especially ex-journo KJ, who wastes far far too much time on such non dramatic questions as “but how would someone with that job pay for health insurance? and “technically, how much snow could that unit make in one night?).  Also asked: how did you learn to write action so well? Do you take all kinds of crazy self defense classes? Or dissect movie fight scenes in slo-mo? Are you fun to watch a spy movie with, or terrible? I would hav

Sarina’s second thriller is now out. It’s a twisty thriller with a single-mom protagonist and some deep, dark secrets. It’s called Dying to Meet You and it is creepy in the best possible way.  In this episode, Jennie interviews Sarina about the new book, and about the difference between writing romance and writing thrillers. You may think that’s obvious, but Sarina has recently shifted into writing thrillers and she has such a nuanced understanding about what it all means. She gets into what defines a genre, how you have to honor your readers expectations, and the different ways you hold tension when telling a story. It’s a masterclass in genre. Books mentioned: Dying to Meet You, Sarina Bowen Sarina’s other thriller, The Five Year Lie The Guest List, Lucy Foley  On a Quiet Street, Seraphina Nova Glass  Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she’s a mess. She kno

Jess, Sarina, Jennie and Jess are all here to talk about taking a break from various angles: the mechanics angle, the guilt angle, the fear angle, the identity angle and inspiration angle.  Mechanics.  Leave yourself notes about the project when you leave off, for example, “The next thing that needs to happen is this…” so when you come back, you know how to get back into the project. This is Sarina’s daily practice, but it really helps when she has to leave a project behind. This can be especially helpful when you have to go away for an unexpected emergency.  Jennie adds that the only way you can do this is if you have a place to keep and find those notes to yourself. In one of your 47 notebooks or in the document itself? Or, as Jess adds, on the side of the cardboard box you use for trash in your basement workshop that you almost recycle by accident.  Jennie also notes that you have to have intentionality, to know what you are writing so you can know what comes next, whether that’s in your outline

When Sarina found Stephanie Pao on social media, she knew she had to interview her. Stephanie has the job we all want—she owns a bookstore on wheels. La Fleuria is L.A.’s first mobile romance bookstore, and we are here for it. Tune in to hear our interview with Stephanie. We’re discussing how she got this idea, where she turned for advice, and how she figures out what to stock and where to park La Fleuria! Show links include: #YouAndYourBookstore episode with Mary Laura Philpott La Fleuria book truck Stephanie on Instagram Stephanie’s Linktree La Fleuria’s popup schedule Thrown for a Loop, Sarina’s upcoming release (pub date 11/4/25) TropeTruck, a book truck whose owner generously contributed knowledge Ingram, the wholesale bookseller we discuss in some detail (because Jess needed to understand how this bookseller access to indie authors works!) Books Stephanie recommends and loves to sell at La Fleuria: Yes No Maybe by Jessica Sherry (La Fleuria’s #2 bestseller!) Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Re

One of the writing skills I am asked about the most is, “How do I get emotion on the page?” People ask this no matter what genre they are writing, because no one wants to produce a manuscript that is flat and unengaging. Emotion is the key, but figuring out how to inspire your reader to feel something is a tricky thing to learn and an even trickier thing to master. In her debut novel, Slanting Towards the Sea (Simon & Schuster, July 2025), Lidija Hilje has mastered it. The story feels so raw and so real—and English is not even Lidija’s first language! It’s a remarkable achievement.  I’m excited to speak with Lidija about her path to publication and how she figured out how to get the emotion of her characters onto the page. Links from the Pod: Article from Jane Friedman Guide on Literary Fiction from Lidija Lidija’s website: www.lidijahilje.com Author Accelerator book coaches Barbara Boyd and Nita Collins Hey everyone, it's Jenny Nash. This episode happens to feature an Author Accelerator book coa

I’m a big fan of Nathalia (Nat) Holt’s books, and am so excited to have the opportunity to talk to her about her new book, The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers' Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda.  I first met Nat when her book Cured: The People Who Defeated HIV came out and I attended a book event at Dartmouth Medical Center. She is so smart and curious and in this episode we will be talking about the process of researching elusive history, where her ideas come from, and who gets to tell what stories.  Nathalia Holt’s website

Our goal words, as a reminder Sarina: presence Jess: growth Jennie: Teflon™ KJ: inner compass #AmReading Jess: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid KJ: The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen Jennie: Shakespeare: The Man Who Plays the Rent by Judi Dench Sarina: Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

This is the how-to book you need right now, the one with “am I ready to query” and “what does my platform need to look like” and “what if no one buys my book” and “what happens if someone buys my book”. We have a great episode, talking about creating this book, writing this book and living this book—because Kate McKean is not only a very experienced agent, she has also lived the answer to all those questions and that’s part of what makes it special.  Follow:  Kate McKean Agents and Books Also find her at agentsandbooks.com  And buy this book! Write Through It: An Insider’s Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life #AmReading Kate: Madeleine Roux, A Girl Walks into the Forest (Dark, feminist and rage-y) KJ: Francesca Segal, Welcome to Glorious Tuga (not any of those above things)  Alison Espach, Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance (somewhere in between) Writers and readers! KJ, here. If you love #AmWriting—and I know you do—and especially if you love the regular segment at the end of most episodes where

Karen Dukess’s first book, The Last Book Party, was wildly successful by any measure—sold at auction, Indie Next pick, Discover New Writers pick… you probably read it. The second… Didn’t sell. Not as in, not very many people bought it but as in, no publisher published it. She spent the requisite couple years or so, her agent signed on but… no takers. She felt like she was the only person in the whole entire world that that happened to… until she started asking around. Turns out, you know how people say writing books is hard? And publishing is tough? They’re right! Never fear, Karen lived to tell the tail. Her next novel (do we call it second or third?), Welcome to Murder Week, is wonderful and available in a bookstore near you (and as you’ll hear, I loved it and it’s the perfect page-turner but not-anxiety-producing read for a swimming pool, beach, airplane ride or couch). But the real joy is that Karen is willing to dish. You’ll hear: What happens when you want to be a bullet journal sticker getting write

Hi! Jess here. As an author and host of this podcast, I hear “I have a great idea for a book!” a lot, and while I believe everyone has a story to tell, I’ve only been knocked over by these book pitches twice. The first was the idea for the book Raising Empowered Athletes: A Youth Sports Parenting Guide for Raising Happy, Brave, and Resilient Kids by Kirsten Jones (pitched to me at speaking event in 2015, published in 2023) and the second was last week, in a conversation with this week’s guest, Dr. Megan. I’m SO excited to introduce you to our new series, “From Soup to Nuts,” and its subject, Dr. Megan. She’s a therapist, speaker, and hopeful author who presented me with that aforementioned great idea for a book and a hook for a speaking career. She’s the right person to write this book, there’s a hole in the market for it, and it’s timely. So….now what? Over the next weeks and months, I will be mentoring Dr. Megan through her proposal, querying an agent, and planning ahead for a potential speaking caree

Meg Mitchell Moore is the author of Mansion Beach, a page-turner-y multi POV summer saga with everything you could ask for: a beach, a body, rich people behaving badly but also sometimes not behaving badly, parties, drama and just enough gender-swapped Gatsby to think hard about the meaning of the American Dream. I loved it (KJ here) and I also loved this conversation with Meg, who apparently thinks in multiple POVS and is always just as impatient as I am to feel like the book is done and wonderful when sadly it is… not.  #AmReading Meg: Audio: Great Big Beautiful Life, Emily Henry—Julia Whelan Also mentioned: Julia Whelan’s Thank You for Listening Print: The Road to Dalton, Shannon Bowring from The Book Shop of Beverly Farms KJ: Mansion Beach Welcome to Glorious Tuga, Francesca Segal Find Meg at @megmitchellmoore on IG, or visit her website at www.megmitchellmoore.com HEY. Did you know Sarina’s latest thriller is out NOW?  Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a

Greetings writers! Sarina here.  Earlier in May I was surfing social media, as one does, when I came across a story about children’s author Erica Perl and an ill-fated school visit. Her scheduled visit to a school was abruptly canceled. After asking a few questions, it was determined that a single parent had objected to…  Well, it’s hard to say. We’ll let Erica tell her story. But you should know that Ms. Perl’s twenty years of book publishing have included such salacious titles as When Cookie Met Carrot and A Whale of a Tea Party. (

Hi all, Jess here. This episode was Sarina’s idea, and when you listen you will understand why. It can be hard to focus on the work, whether it’s editing, world building, conjuring meet cutes, or translating research-based hope for the next generation. That said, it’s important that we keep creating and putting our words out into the world. We hope you are able to keep working while navigating the a balance between consuming, processing, and reacting to the news cycle and shutting the world out in self preservation.  Stuff we talked about Write Through It: An Insider’s Guide to Writing and the Creative Life by Kate McKean Kate Mckean’s website We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter (release date August 12, 2025) The OpEd Project Authors Against Book Bans Possession by A.S. Byatt and the film I adore based on the book A Complete Unknown film Hamilton, Non-Stop (“why does he write like he’s running out of time?”) On Writing by Stephen King All In by Billie Jean King Permission by Elissa Altman M

Joan Fernandez is a former senior marketing executive and general partner of the financial powerhouse Edward Jones. In 2018, she retired from a 30+ year career to be a full-time writer. Since leaving the corporate world, she’s become a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Author’s Guild, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). In April 2020, she founded a Historical Fiction affinity group within WFWA that grew from a handful of people to nearly two hundred authors. Her debut novel, Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo van Gogh, has just come out — and I had the great privilege of coaching Joan at two points in her long process of writing this book so I had a front row seat to the deep work she did to bring this story to life.  Writing about a real person has some particular challenges, and we get into that here. I’m so excited to share our conversation today. Links from the Pod: Historical Novel Society the Authors Guild Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) Top Five Regrets of the Dyi

Jess here with Sarina Bowen to help simplify and demystify author contracts. Let’s start off with a wonderful resource called The Authors Guild. They have sample contracts on their website  The Authors Guild Sample Contract ONE You’re not “selling” your book. You’re licensing it. TWO Grant of rights Term length Which territories Which formats Territories North American World English World Formats and sub rights Print and digital and audio Sub rights like “first serial” Translation MAYBE Time limits X years The life of the copyright AG says: The standard license term for traditional trade publishing deals is "the whole term of copyright" THREE Financial remuneration: advances and royalty rates. WHEN is it paid? What percentages? Advance and payment schedule On signing On acceptance of the work (after an edit) On publication A year after publication FOUR Manuscript delivery and acceptance. What happens if people are unhappy. FIVE Other clauses

When a former NYT journo who now writes novels (that would be me, hi) gets together with a current NYT journo now writing novels, they—we!—cannot stop talking about the challenges, advantages, schedules, pros and cons of book leave and what it is about fiction that lights some journalists up, and turns some off. It’s the good, the bad and the overcome-able, and a class in how people who know they can get the work done also flail, and yet still get the work done. Mentioned on the pod: Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff  Twice in a Full Moon, Christina Lauren  #AmReading Liz: Naked in the Promised Land, Lillian Faderman KJ: Didion and Babitz, Lili Anolik Follow Liz on Instagram: @lizzyaharris

Hi #AmWriting listeners, Jennie here! Today, I'm talking to Jane Friedman, who is one of the most trusted voices in the world of publishing. She has advised and served organizations such as Writers Digest, The Chicago Manual of Style, The Editorial Freelancers Association, the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the National Endowment for the Arts, among others. She writes two must-read newsletters for industry professionals. One is her personal newsletter, and the other is The Bottom Line (previously called The Hot Sheet), where she provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals. The reason I wanted to speak with Jane on the podcast today is that she has just released an updated version of her book, The Business of Being a Writer, which digs into the nuts and bolts of the writing life, including the work of getting published and choosing how to do that, and the work of making money. It is one of those must-read books for writers who are serious about making a mark

Hey listeners: This week, everyone gets a taste of what paid supporters will get more regularly—a special Booklab: First Pages episode. Each month (and sometimes more often), we’ll choose two “first pages” to review. A first page, for our purposes, is the first 350 words of your book—fiction, non-fiction or memoir. We will read the page aloud on the podcast and discuss with a single thought in mind: Would we keep reading? First pages are incredibly important in every genre. If you can’t grab a reader on that first page, you might lose your chance of grabbing them at all. On the podcast, we’ll read the page aloud and then each cast our “vote”—would we keep going? Then—and this is the most important bit— we’ll discuss why or why not. Were we dying to know what would happen next, or turned off by an info dump? Ready to learn what you have to teach us or ready to see what’s on YouTube? Totally on board with a character or uncertain why we were there in the first place? In this episode, we discuss a high-action

Social media is all aflutter over an article by Alex Reisner in The Atlantic: The Unbelievable Scale of A.I.’s Pirated Books Problem. In this episode, Jess and Sarina cover the news and its ramifications for authors. You won’t want to miss this discussion about the lawsuits against Meta and OpenAI. We discuss problems and remedies, and the formation of legal markets for A.I. training. Like the work by HarperCollins on a paid licensing deal.  We also discuss the root cause: ebook piracy, and author reactions. Including this heartfelt one from author Julia Sykes. Sarina has also written more about piracy, and how to move toward a world where it’s not as prevalent.  Join us for all the latest news!