Carter Wilson's Making It Up

“(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 Former Intelligence Officers. Among other things, Carter and I.S. discuss I.S. 's experiences with foreign affairs and her path to the CIA, writing a memoir to make sense of her experiences, and playing around with pacing and action in your novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from Wendy Walker’s Blade. 

“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 published in The Denver Quarterly and The Columbia Review, among numerous others. She is the author of four poetry collections and has won the Colorado Authors’ League Award. Among other things, Kika and Carter discuss the reality of making money as an author, writing unreliable narrators, and why it can be so challenging to get an agent nowadays. At the end of their conversation, they make up a beautiful story using a line from Angie Kim’s Happiness Falls. 

“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, Esquire, Washington Post, Boston Herald and Boston Magazine and has appeared as a guest an analyst on more than 100 television news programs. Among other things, Casey and Carter discuss Casey’s personal inspiration behind his decades-long investigation into the Boston Strangler case, his approach to investigative journalism for his non-fiction works, and his involvement in Peacock’s recent documentary on the Boston Strangler. At the end of their conversation, they make up a fascinating story using a line from Ben Macintyre’s Operation Mincemeat. 

“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 two spy novels. The Hunger was named one of NPR’s 100 favorite horror stories and was on numerous Best Books of the Year lists. Her first book, The Taker, was named one of the top ten debut novels of 2011 by Booklist. Among other things, Alma and Carter discuss the pre-publication review process within the CIA, writing in two different genres, and having your book optioned for film/TV. At the end of their conversation, they make up a fast-paced story using a line from Carlene O’Connor’s You Have Gone Too Far. 

“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, Andrew and Carter discuss referencing cinema and tv when teaching writing, why you should always be working on your next project, and working with James Patterson. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from C.J. Box’s Battle Mountain.