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 ...
Making It Up with Barbara Nickless, author of The Drowning Game
Barbara Nickless is the #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Sydney Parnell crime novels. The series has been optioned for television and has won two Colorado Book Awards and twice won the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence. Her standalone spy thriller was released in January 2025. Barbara’s essays and short stories have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Penguin Random House, and other markets. She also teaches creative writing to veterans at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.Among other things, Barbara and Carter discuss navigating PR as an author, Barbara’s research in Singapore for her espionage thriller, and transitioning from writing series to standalones. At the end of their conversation, they make up a mysterious story using a line from Cara Black’s Murder at la Villette.
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50:19
Making It Up with Sandra Block, author of The Bachelorette Party
Sandra Block graduated from Harvard and is a practicing neurologist. Her work has been published in the Washington Post. Little Black Lies is her debut and a finalist in the International Thriller Awards, and The Girl Without a Name and The Secret Room are the other books in the Zoe Goldman series. What Happened That Night is her stand-a-lone novel, and Girl Overboard is a Young Adult thriller. The Bachelorette Party is her newest novel.Among other things, Sandra and Carter discuss defining success as an author, competing with the emergence of AI, and writing gore in their novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from Stuart Turton’s The Last Murder at the End of the World.
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Making It Up with Emily Jon Tobias, author of Monarch: Stories
Emily Jon Tobias is an award-winning writer whose work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and has been featured in literary journals such as Santa Clara Review, Flying South Literary Journal, Typehouse Literary Magazine, and more. Her debut collection MONARCH: STORIES won the American Book Fest International Book Award and an International Impact Book Award. Emily is a mentor in the PEN Prison Writing Mentorship Program and holds a MFA in Writing from Pacific University Oregon. Among other things, Emily and Carter discuss publishing a book without an agent, how rejection helps to build community, and how writing a book helped Emily through early sobriety. At the end of their conversation, they make up a mysterious story using a line from Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian.
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Making It Up with Pamela Statz, author of Thorn City
Pamela Statz grew up in Wisconsin and attended UW Madison, earning degrees in Journalism and History. She’s worked in media and advertising in San Francisco and Portland for Lucasfilm, WIRED, Nike, and Wieden+Kennedy. Thorn City is her first novel.Among other things, Pam and Carter discuss Pam’s experiences with writing classes, considering self publishing, and writing a book with multiple POVs. At the end of their conversation, they make up a funny short story using a line from Matthew McConaughey's Greenlights.
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Making It Up with Alex Kenna, author of Burn this Night
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.
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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