Carter Wilson's Making It Up

Alex Kenna is a prosecutor, writer, and amateur painter. Before law school, Alex studied painting and art history at Penn.  She also worked as a freelance art critic and culture writer. Alex’s debut novel, What Meets the Eye, was nominated for a Shamus Award for best first PI novel. Kirkus Reviews called it a “righteous, painful debut,” and Bookpage called her “a master in the making.” Among other things, Alex and Carter discuss finding creative outlets after professional schooling, navigating doubts throughout the first-draft process, and mixing genres to create a compelling story. At the end of their  conversation, they make up a comedic story using a line from David Guterson’s The Country Ahead of Us, The Country Behind. 

Georgia Jeffries is a writer of Emmy Award-winning drama and acclaimed noir fiction, and has been honored with multiple Writers Guild Awards, Golden Globes, and the Humanitas Prize. She worked as a journalist for American Film before writing and producing Cagney & Lacey, China Beach, and Sisters. Her short stories have appeared in national suspense anthologies, and she has also written biographical and historical profiles for HuffPost, Los Angeles Review of Books, and University of California Press. She is a professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she created the BFA Television Thesis program.Among other things, Georgia and Carter discuss optimism in the entertainment industry, teaching craft and business to MFA students, and how experience in screenwriting translates to writing novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from William Kent Krueger’s Fox Creek. 

Rebecca McKanna is an associate professor of English at the University of Indianapolis. Her debut novel, Don’t Forget the Girl, was nominated for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ+ Mystery and the 2023 Strand Magazine’s Critics Award for Best Debut Mystery, and awarded the 2024 Indiana Authors Award for Genre Fiction. Her short stories have been anthologized in The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 and recognized as distinguished in The Best American Short Stories 2019. She has been published in Colorado Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, and The Rumpus, among others.Among other things, Rebecca and Carter discuss the process of launching a debut novel, the struggle of self-promotion and going public with your book, and the differences between genre fiction and literary fiction. At the end of their conversation, they make up a chilling story using a line from Samantha Jayne Allen’s Next of Kin. 

Elise Hart Kipness is a television sports reporter turned crime fiction writer. In addition to reporting for Fox Sports Network, Elise was a reporter at New York’s WNBC-TV, News 12 Long Island, and the Associated Press, covering events including the Olympics, NBA and NCAA Championships, and the US Open. She is the President of Sisters in Crime Connecticut, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Key West Library. The third book in her Kate Green thrilled series, Close Call, will be released in October 2025.Among other things, Elise and Carter discuss pitching books in person to agents, Elise’s 12-hour writing days, and listening to your own book on audio. At the end of their conversation, they make up a creepy story using a line from Elise’s own novel, Dangerous Play.