The Story Craft Cafe Podcast

Preston & Child, the New York Times bestselling author duo known as Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child individually, are at the top of their game. Their writing has been praised as “consistently exciting and never predictable” (Associated Press) and “[there’s] nothing else like them” (Washington Post).  PENDERGAST: The Beginning joins Pendergast as a brazen rookie under the supervision of Special Agent Chambers. While investigating a gruesome crime in the Mississippi bayou, they uncover a string of grisly, ritualistic killings that defy any known serial killer profile. With Pendergast’s brilliance and unorthodox methods, they solve the case and find the killer… and that is when the true horror begins.

Matthew F. Jones is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels as well as a number of screenplays. His novels have been widely translated and several times have been named on best novels of the year lists. Three of his novels, A Single Shot, Deepwater and Boot Tracks, have been made into major motion pictures. He has taught creative writing at a number of colleges and universities, including Randolph Macon College, Lynchburg College and the University of Virginia. He grew up on a horse and dairy farm in rural upstate New York and currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

It’s been five years since heiress Clare Monroe tragically died on New Year's Eve at her family's fabulous Italian estate. Since that time, her college roommates have harbored a dark secret--their lies and misdeeds led to her death all those years ago. What happened that fateful night was a series of horrible accidents, but Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David are guilty, nonetheless. And their desperate decision to conceal the truth destroyed their once-close bond. Now, the estranged friends are each the recipient of an invitation from Clare’s family to an all-expenses-paid trip back to the Monroe's lakeside palazzo for a long-overdue celebration of life party. It’s an invitation none of Clare’s friends want to accept, but they can hardly refuse. Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David have barely settled into the idyllic estate with the rest of Clare’s family before they become targets of a series of unsettling occurrences. Someone here knows the truth, and as the menacing taunts and threats escalate, it becomes swiftly clear that nothing is as it seems at the Monroe palazzo, and their secret—and their lives—are in danger.  ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kit Frick is a MacDowell Fellow and International Thriller Writers Award finalist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Syracuse University. She is the author of the adult suspense novels The Split and Friends and Liars, the young adult thrillers Before We Were Sorry (originally published as See All the Stars), All Eyes on Us, I Killed Zoe Spanos, Very Bad People, and The Reunion, and the poetry collection A Small Rising Up in the Lungs. Kit loves a good mystery but has only ever killed her characters. Honest. Visit Kit online at KitFrick.com and on Instagram @KitFrick.

We all love a good writing challenge, don't we? NaNoWriMo (RIP) was an excellent challenge that helped a ton of writers get started as writers. We at Dabble even started our very own 60 Day Novel Challenge to help encourage and empower people to take that plunge and get their novels written, but do we have to wait until October or November to write? What if you're inspired in the middle of Spring? The good news is that most writers are always writing or thinking about writing. In today's Fireside Chat, join Abby and Hank as they discuss being a year-round and lifelong writer.

As authors we envision a life of creating stories that entertain and move readers, or so we hope. The reality is, though, that we must learn to balance art and commerce. As authors we must wear many hats throughout our career. Join us as we talk it out.

Blaine Pardoe is an award winning New York Times bestselling author who lives in Spotsylvania, Virginia. He is the author of numerous science fiction, military history, true crime, horror, and business leadership books. He is considered one of America's best writers about the Great War. His books have been published in six languages and he has been a featured speaker at the U.S. National Archives, the United States Navy Museum, and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs.

Welcome to the 60-Day Novel Challenge Live Show. It’s your place to ask questions, get unstuck, and stay motivated throughout the 60-Day Novel Challenge! Each week during the challenge, we go live to: Answer your questions Troubleshoot common writing roadblocks Share tips to help you plan, draft, and finish your novel Highlight upcoming challenge events and writing sprints This week, we're wrapping up our novels by discussing the third act and reflecting on all the effort you've put in so far. Plus, we answer all your burning questions! Still need to join the challenge? It’s free! And if you sign up for a free trial of Dabble and connect it to your 60-Day project, we’ll extend your trial until the end of the Challenge, all with no credit card required! Join the Challenge: https://www.dabbleu.com/feedDabble Free Trial: https://www.dabblewriter.com/ Let’s write that novel—together! #AmWriting #60DayNovelChallenge #WritingCommunity #NaNoWriMo #DabbleWriter

Welcome to the 60-Day Novel Challenge Live Show. It’s your place to ask questions, get unstuck, and stay motivated throughout the 60-Day Novel Challenge! Each week during the challenge, we go live to: Answer your questions Troubleshoot common writing roadblocks Share tips to help you plan, draft, and finish your novel Highlight upcoming challenge events and writing sprints This week, we're talking about the second half of act two: the midpoint and second plot point, and what those mean for your character. Of course, we're answering all your burning questions, too. Still need to join the challenge? It’s free! And if you sign up for a free trial of Dabble and connect it to your 60-Day project, we’ll extend your trial until the end of the Challenge, all with no credit card required! Join the Challenge: https://www.dabbleu.com/feedDabble Free Trial: https://www.dabblewriter.com/ Let’s write that novel—together! #AmWriting #60DayNovelChallenge #WritingCommunity #NaNoWriMo #DabbleWriter

Welcome to the 60-Day Novel Challenge Live Show. It’s your place to ask questions, get unstuck, and stay motivated throughout the 60-Day Novel Challenge! Each week during the challenge, we go live to: Answer your questions Troubleshoot common writing roadblocks Share tips to help you plan, draft, and finish your novel Highlight upcoming challenge events and writing sprints This week, we're looking at the thrilling things you want to harass your protagonist with: the rising action, subplots, and the antagonist! Still need to join the challenge? It’s free! And if you sign up for a free trial of Dabble and connect it to your 60-Day project, we’ll extend your trial until the end of the Challenge, all with no credit card required! Join the Challenge: https://www.dabbleu.com/feedDabble Free Trial: https://www.dabblewriter.com/ Let’s write that novel—together! #AmWriting #60DayNovelChallenge #WritingCommunity #NaNoWriMo #DabbleWriter

Welcome to the 60-Day Novel Challenge Live Show. It’s your place to ask questions, get unstuck, and stay motivated throughout the 60-Day Novel Challenge! Each week during the challenge, we go live to: Answer your questions Troubleshoot common writing roadblocks Share tips to help you plan, draft, and finish your novel Highlight upcoming challenge events and writing sprints This week, we're talking about the first act: ordinary world, inciting incident, and the first plot point. Still need to join the challenge? It’s free! And if you sign up for a free trial of Dabble and connect it to your 60-Day project, we’ll extend your trial until the end of the Challenge, all with no credit card required! Join the Challenge: https://www.dabbleu.com/feedDabble Free Trial: https://www.dabblewriter.com/ Let’s write that novel—together! #AmWriting #60DayNovelChallenge #WritingCommunity #NaNoWriMo #DabbleWriter

Welcome to the 60-Day Novel Challenge Live Show. It’s your place to ask questions, get unstuck, and stay motivated throughout the 60-Day Novel Challenge! Each week during the challenge, we go live to: Answer your questions Troubleshoot common writing roadblocks Share tips to help you plan, draft, and finish your novel Highlight upcoming challenge events and writing sprints This week, we're looking at theme, Dabble's Plot Grid, and how to set ourselves up for writing success next month! Still need to join the challenge? It’s free! And if you sign up for a free trial of Dabble and connect it to your 60-Day project, we’ll extend your trial until the end of the challenge, all with no credit card required! Join the Challenge: https://www.dabbleu.com/ Dabble Free Trial: https://www.dabblewriter.com/ Let’s write that novel together! #AmWriting #60DayNovelChallenge #WritingCommunity #NaNoWriMo #DabbleWriter

Welcome to the 60-Day Novel Challenge Live Show. It’s your place to ask questions, get unstuck, and stay motivated throughout the 60-Day Novel Challenge! Each week during the challenge, we go live to: Answer your questions Troubleshoot common writing roadblocks Share tips to help you plan, draft, and finish your novel Highlight upcoming challenge events and writing sprints This week is all about conflicts. External conflict, internal conflict, and why these two things matter so dang much. Still need to join the challenge? It’s free! And if you sign up for a free trial of Dabble and connect it to your 60-Day project, we’ll extend your trial until the end of the challenge, all with no credit card required! Join the Challenge: https://www.dabbleu.com/ Dabble Free Trial: https://www.dabblewriter.com/ Let’s write that novel together! #AmWriting #60DayNovelChallenge #WritingCommunity #NaNoWriMo #DabbleWriter

As one of the fantasy genre's most successful authors, R.A. Salvatore enjoys an ever-expanding and tremendously loyal following. His books regularly appear on The New York Times best-seller lists and have sold more than 30,000,000 copies. Salvatore’s most recent original hardcover, The Two Swords, Book III of The Hunter’s Blade Trilogy (October 2004) debuted at # 1 on The Wall Street Journal best-seller list and at # 4 on The New York Times best-seller list. His books have been translated into numerous foreign languages including German, Italian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Bulgarian, Yiddish, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Czech, and French. Salvatore's first published novel, The Crystal Shard from TSR in 1988, became the first volume of the acclaimed Icewind Dale Trilogy and introduced an enormously popular character, the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden. Since that time, Salvatore has published numerous novels for each of his signature multi-volume series including The Dark Elf Trilogy, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, and The Cleric Quintet. His love affair with fantasy, and with literature in general, began during his sophomore year of college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a Christmas gift. He promptly changed his major from computer science to journalism. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from Fitchburg State College in 1981, then returned for the degree he always cherished, the Bachelor of Arts in English. He began writing seriously in 1982, penning the manuscript that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic. Salvatore held many jobs during those first years as a writer, finally settling in (much to our delight) to write full time in 1990. The R.A. Salvatore Collection has been established at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, containing the writer's letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers. He is in good company, as The Salvatore Collection is situated alongside The Robert Cormier Library, which celebrates the writing career of the co-alum and esteemed author of young adult books. Salvatore is an active member of his community and is on the board of trustees at the local library in Leominster, Massachusetts. He has participated in several American Library Association regional conferences, giving talks on themes including "Adventure fantasy" and "Why young adults read fantasy." Salvatore himself enjoys a broad range of literary writers including James Joyce, Mark Twain, Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dante, and Sartre. He counts among his favorite genre literary influences Ian Fleming, Arthur Conan Doyle, Fritz Leiber, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien. Born in 1959, Salvatore is a native of Massachusetts and resides there with his wife Diane, and their three children, Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. The family pets include three Japanese Chins, Oliver, Artemis and Ivan, and four cats including Guenhwyvar. When he isn't writing, Salvatore chases after his three Japanese Chins, takes long walks, hits the gym, and coaches/plays on a fun-league softball team that includes most of his family. His gaming group still meets on Sundays to play.

Welcome to the Thursday Live Q&A Show. It’s your place to ask questions, get unstuck, and stay motivated throughout the 60-Day Novel Challenge! Each week during the challenge, we go live to: Answer your questions Troubleshoot common writing roadblocks Share tips to help you plan, draft, and finish your novel Highlight upcoming challenge events and writing sprints This week, we're talking genre, plot brainstorming, and worldbuilding! Still need to join the challenge? It’s free! And if you sign up for a free trial of Dabble and connect it to your 60-Day project, we’ll extend your trial until the end of the challenge, all with no credit card required! Join the Challenge: https://www.dabbleu.com/ Dabble Free Trial: https://www.dabblewriter.com/ Let’s write that novel together! #AmWriting #60DayNovelChallenge #WritingCommunity #NaNoWriMo #DabbleWriter

Julie Artz helps status quo busting writers slay their doubt demons and get their stories reader-ready. She is an Author Accelerator-certified Founding Book Coach and a sought-after writing instructor and speaker. She regularly contributes to Jane Friedman and Writers Helping Writers, and is an instructor for AuthorsPublish. A consummate social justice minded story geek, Julie lives by an enchanted river in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, two naughty furry familiars, and two college-aged children who occasionally manifest. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@julieartz Substack: https://julieartz.substack.com Is Your Story Reader-Ready? Take the quiz to find out: https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/68599ba553e03200150eff41  This month, I'm running my FREE critique parnter matching service, CP Meet Cute. Join the fun at https://www.julieartz.com/cp-meet-cute by October 24 and get paired with like-minded writers before the year is out!

Chris Pourteau is the bestselling author of the sci-fi thriller novels of the SynCorp Saga (co-authored with David Bruns), the post-apocalyptic Serenity Strain novels, and the military sci-fi collection Tales of B-Company. His first novel, Shadows Burned In, earned the 2015 eLit Book Awards Gold Medal for Literary Fiction. The Lazarus Protocol, the first novel in the SynCorp Saga, placed in the Top Ten in Read Freely's 2018 50 Best Indie Book of the Year contest; it was the highest-rated Sci-Fi novel in the contest. He’s also edited and curated bestselling short story collections including the two animal-centric collections Tails of the Apocalypse and Tails of Dystopia (with Samuel Peralta), as well as Bridge Across the Stars, a collection of Sci-Fi stories from indie and traditionally published authors published by Sci-Fi Bridge, which Chris co-founded. His dayjob is editor-in-chief for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, which researches cutting-edge technologies across the transportation spectrum.  When he’s not writing, editing, or working the dayjob, Chris loves exercising regularly, watching shows like Star Trek and Stranger Things, and reading his favorite authors. Those include Bernard Cornwell, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Edgar Allan Poe, and Max Collins. He lives in Texas with his wife, son, and two dogs. (He’s a HUGE dog person, by the way.) Find out more about Chris and his writing through his newsletter. Sign up and get free stuff at https://chrispourteau.com/newsletter. Nick Cole is a former soldier and working actor living in Southern California. When he is not auditioning for commercials, going out for sitcoms or being shot, kicked, stabbed or beaten by the students of various film schools for their projects, he can be found writing books. Bronze Age Sword and Sorcery meets Military Fantasy in a lost world of long ago… Flying Ace Mason “Mace” Dickson was once a legend among fighter pilots. Now, in his middle years, that storied life is a distant memory—until NASA drafts Mace for a black book flight test. He’s transported to a strange world forgotten by time, where he wakes on the desert sands of a bloody battlefield. In this land, warfare isn’t fought from the skies at a distance. It’s vicious and hand-to-hand, and arcane spells can kill a man just as quickly as spear or sword. Mace is pressed into service as a slave for the Black Legion, a renowned company of mercenaries under the banner of the splendid Atlantian Army of the West, currently besieging the fabled City of Serpents. The Legion is the tip of the Atlantian spear aimed straight at the heart of the power-mad Thuman Evol, who marshals red sorcerers, armored war-dinosaurs, and a host of grim fighting men to oppose them. Out of his depth, Mace is trapped in a no-holds-barred contest of gritty grunt infantry, massive war machines, and strange sorcery, where the soldiers, NCOs, and battle captains of glorious Atlantis fight the enemy and sometimes one another for eternal honor, glory, and ultimate power. In this brutal world, ruthless circumstances force Mace to face at long last his inner demons. Inspiring him to persevere is the burning desire to return to his family for one more second chance at redeeming a life he once surrendered to fading glory and the bottle. But first he must survive the crucible of deadly magicks, backstabbing intrigues, and the utter savagery that is the lost world of Atlantea... First, Mace must live through hell...

Our #IndieSummer journey comes to an end this week, but it's not a finish line that awaits us, this is just the beginning. Today Indie author powerhouse Craig Martelle joins us to talk about building a plan to launch your work into the world and to see the success that book deserves.  Craig is a million-selling author of science fiction (post-apocalyptic, military sci-fi, and space opera), thrillers, and non-fiction.  Craig retired from the Marine Corps after a long career in the military intelligence community, having worked with most of the U.S. Government's three-letter agencies. After a short stint with physical security, Craig went to law school, graduated summa cum laude, and went into business consulting. From intelligence, to the inner workings of company board rooms, to on-the-ground leadership, Craig has seen it firsthand.  His books are an extension of his experience, putting the trials and tribulations of a fast-paced world into your hands. Whether in Science Fiction, Thrillers, Fantasy, or even his Non-Fiction, you'll find consistent themes of justice and doing right by those who are counting on their leaders. Leadership is a service, not a crown to lord over others.  No matter where Craig went, he always had a book with him. Thanks to 21st Century technology, He now has thousands of books at his fingertips and with him wherever he goes. How many books would he have read on deployments had he not had to carry a physical book?  No one is encumbered like that now. Craig loves the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, Andre Norton, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. He has been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, Craig aspires to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared him to. Through a bizarre series of events, Craig ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. He never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. He and his wife get to watch the northern lights from their driveway. Their dog has lots of room to run, just until temperatures reach fifty below zero. They have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer. It’s all part of the give and take of life. If they didn’t have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.

Chrystal Schleyer lives in South Carolina with her husband and children. Tucked away in a little black house on an old hay field, she happily lives in the middle of nowhere.  When not writing or reading, she can be found outside with her ever growing number of animals or scouring the shelves of the nearest thrift store.  A celebration at a turn-of-the-century manor takes a deadly twist, and everyone becomes a suspect. Twin brothers Easton and Weston are both in love with their childhood best friend Eloise. But headstrong Eloise prefers the younger brother, Wes, which is why she is heartbroken when, unexpectedly, Wes proposes to an heiress, and Eloise finds herself engaged to Easton—the twin she cannot stand. Then, during a week of celebration, Wes is poisoned. Murmurs of nightshade slip through the manor, and everyone seems to have a motive. Was it Della Drewitt—the heiress reluctant to marry Wes? Or did Easton decide killing his brother was the only way to secure Eloise’s affections? Or was it the housemaid Violet, Wes’s previous lover? As guests turn into suspects, attempts to kill Wes become more relentless than the storms churning the estate—who wants him dead, and why?