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© 2026 Carter Wilson's Making It Up
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In this conversation series, USA Today bestselling novelist Carter Wilson talks to writers of all backgrounds in order to find out why they do what they do. He and his guests discuss childhood influences, roots of creativity, luck and loss, tools of the craft, and the highs and lows of publishing. At the end of their conversation, they pick a random sentence from a random book and use it to create an impromptu short story. Visit Carter at www.carterwilson.com.
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“The idea that you could be at the whim of something as mercurial as a muse doesn’t work if you also have to show up for a job and a family and kids.” —Danielle Girard Danielle Girard is the USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author of sixteen novels. Her books have won the Barry Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, and more. In addition, two of her titles have been optioned for screen. Her next thriller, Pinky Swear, will be on February 24, 2026. Danielle is also the cre...
“You're really investing in yourself. And when I actually do get a check, I'm like—wait, I got paid for this one?” —Courtney Psak Courtney Psak is the author of two novels, and her third, The Hostess, is being released in April 2026. She graduated with a degree in Communications and Journalism with a master’s degree in Publishing. She is a member of the Crime Writers' Association, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime and a board member for the Mystery Writers of America. A...
“Don’t wait for chapter five to be good. Be good immediately.” —Chris Pavone Chris Pavone is an international thriller author whose novels include THE EXPATS, winner of both the Edgar and Anthony Awards; the instant bestseller TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON; and THE DOORMAN, a New York Times Notable Book of 2025. His novels have appeared on all the major bestseller lists and have won or been shortlisted for Edgar, Anthony, Strand, Macavity, and ThrillerFest awards, among others. Chris worked in ...
“(The CIA) redacted my height and weight. I kid you not—they redacted the color of the sky.” —I.S. Berry I.S. Berry spent six years as an operations officer for the CIA, serving in wartime Baghdad and elsewhere. She has lived and worked throughout Europe and the Middle East, including two years in Bahrain during the Arab Spring. I.S. Berry is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, International Association of Crime Writers, and the Association of For...
“He’s psychotic, you know. That really messed me up… but I think it was good to do—to delve into what is the point of view of someone who’s psychotic.” – Kika Dorsey Kika Dorsey is an author and an English lecturer at the University of Colorado, Boulder. While finishing her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, she performed her poetry with musicians and artists. She currently writes and publishes fiction and ghostwrites fiction and nonfiction books and articles. Her poems have been publishe...
“I wrote the first book to try and give my mother comfort and closure. But halfway through, I realized—I wasn't just telling her story anymore. I was telling mine.” – Casey Sherman Casey Sherman is a New York Times Bestselling Author of 13 books including The Finest Hours (now a major motion picture starring Casey Affleck & Chris Pine), Boston Strong (the basis for the film Patriots Day starring Mark Wahlberg), Animal & Hunting Whitey. Sherman is a contributing writer for TIME, ...
“Is it a good idea that I write in both horror and spy thrillers? No. I think it’s a crap idea. But Hollywood really loves the spy stories.” —Alma Katsu Alma Katsu is a NYT bestselling author whose books have been nominated for and won multiple awards including the Stoker, Goodreads Readers Choice, and International Thriller Writers, among others, and appeared on numerous Best Books lists. She has over 30 years’ experience as an intelligence professional at CIA and NSA, and has written ...
“You’re trying to beat on these doors in the publishing world… and suddenly this door you didn’t even know was there opens up and says, ‘Hey, come in.’” —Andrew Bourelle Andrew Bourelle is the critically-acclaimed author of Shot Clock, 48 Hours to Kill, and Heavy Metal, as well as a coauthor with James Patterson of the Rory Yates series. Publishers Weekly described him as “a writer to watch”. He teaches creative writing at the University of New Mexico. Among other things, ...
“The whole concept of working together started when we were in a writer's room—a Hollywood production company writer's room—and we learned how to create cliffhangers.” – Christina Baker Kline Christina Baker Kline is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including Orphan Train, The Exiles, Please Don’t Lie (with Anne Burt), and the forthcoming The Foursome (May 2026). Published in more than 40 countries, her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction,...
“Readers are giving you such a huge gift—and the gift is their time. So I always feel like to be respectful of that time, I have to be providing them with the best quality book I can.” —Cynthia Swanson Cynthia Swanson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the psychological suspense novels The Bookseller, The Glass Forest, and Anyone But Her. Cynthia was named 2025 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project, has received the Colorado Book Award and the WILLA...
“I got one life. What do I want to leave behind? And I decided a failed writer was better than a successful attorney.” —Elena Taylor Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo. With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers much more serious and atmospheric ...
“I wrote 90 pages about the most boring man in the world. He drove around, got coffee, thought about life... and after six months, I killed him and buried him in a desk drawer.” —Harry Hunsicker Harry Hunsicker spent his working career as a commercial real estate appraiser. His first novel was the Shamus Award nominated Still River, about a Dallas PI with the unfortunate name of Lee Henry Oswald. Hunsicker has since written and published eight more crime thrillers, including The Life an...
“The muse days and the slog days look the same on the page, but they feel completely different when you’re writing them.” —Aime Austin Aime Austin is the author of the Casey Cort and Nicole Long legal thriller series, weaving sharp social commentary into gripping crime fiction. Born in Brooklyn, Aime graduated from Smith College and Cornell Law School before practicing family and criminal law in Cleveland, Ohio. She now splits her time between Los Angeles and Budapest, writing thriller...
“Don’t be afraid of the fact that pretty much every first draft is a failure. Just get the thing out.” —Scott Graham Scott Graham is the author of the National Park Mystery Series, which includes nine books and counting. In addition to his mysteries, Scott is the author of five nonfiction books, including Extreme Kids, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award. Scott is an avid outdoorsman and advocate for public lands. He has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, radio disk ...
“Nothing guarantees anything. A breakout book doesn’t mean your next one won’t flop—and that’s just the reality.”—Andrea Bartz Andrea Bartz is a reporter, consultant, and New York Times bestselling author. Her third novel, WE WERE NEVER HERE, was a Reese’s Book Club pick and an instant New York Times bestseller; it was optioned by Berlanti Productions and Netflix. Her most recent thriller, THE LAST FERRY OUT, was praised by NPR’s Fresh Air, Marie Claire, Publishers Weekly, and more. She...
“I always say that both horror and romance are genres of hope.” —Lindy Ryan Lindy Ryan is an award-winning author, anthologist, and short-film director whose books and anthologies have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist and Library Journal. She was named a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree in 2020, and in 2022, she was named one of horror's most masterful anthology curators. Ryan founded Black Spot Books, a specialty press focused on amplifying women's voices in ho...
"The only way your journey ends is if you stop trying—and I wasn’t done." —Jeffrey Konvitz Jeffrey Konvitz is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Sentinel. He also wrote its bestselling sequel, The Guardian, and a third bestselling novel Monster: A Tale of Loch Ness. Konvitz is an entertainment attorney, screenwriter and producer. In the 1980s and 90s, he became one of the top independent production executives in Hollywood, where he still resides to this day. Among ot...
It is the 200th episode of Making It Up! “Every huge risk I’ve ever taken has led to another step toward what I always wanted to do with my life.” – Michelle Jabès Corpora Michelle Jabès Corpora received her Bachelor's Degree in English and Theatre from UMBC, then went on to earn a Master's degree in Children's Literature from Hollins University. She has been a wedding singer, has worked in a vet's office, and at a wildlife rehabilitation center. She moved to New York and worked as an a...
“The best form of marketing is just producing more work—because you never know when the next idea will catch fire.” —Joe Hart Joe Hart is the Edgar Award-winning and Wall Street Journal-bestselling author of seventeen novels, dozens of short stories, and several novellas. His work has been translated into eight languages and optioned for film. His latest novel, WYNDCLYFFE, was just released earlier this month. Among other things, Joe and Carter discuss the importance of word-of-mo...
“The desire was always there, but the drive wasn’t. I allowed other things to interfere instead of saying, ‘This is something you really want to do.’" —Dwayne Goetzel Dwayne Goetzel is a lawyer who specializes in trademarks, domain names, copyrights, licensing, and litigation relating to those fields. He is an attorney, father, writer, and someone who’s navigated several career choices. He has written nine novels. Among other things, Dwayne and Carter discuss continuing writing du...
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