Carter Wilson's Making It Up

“I’ve just always been drawn to dark stuff. I’m really fascinated by why people do the things that they do—particularly bad things.” —Jennifer Fawcett 

Jennifer Fawcett is an author, actor, and playwright. She grew up in Canada and spent many years in theatre there before moving to the US. She has an MFA from the Iowa Playwrights Workshop and was a founding member of Working Group Theatre. Her work has been produced in regional theaters across the US and UK. Her play Apples in Winter won the National New Play Network Smith Prize and the Susan Glaspell Award. She has written two novels, including Beneath the Stairs and Keep This for Me.

Among other things, Jennifer and Carter discuss making professional connections with other authors, maintaining a relationship with your editor, and advocating for yourself to your publishing team. At the end of their conversation, they make up a descriptive story using a line from Audrey Lee’s The Mechanics of Memory.

“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 creator and host of the Killer Women podcast, where she interviews the women who write today’s best crime fiction. 
Among other things, Danielle and Carter discuss writing first-person present tense, Danielle going back to get her MFA after four published books, and the challenge with writing characters who are demographically different from you. At the end of their conversation, they make up a mysterious story using a line from Wendy Walker’s Blade.

“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.

Among other things, Courtney and Carter discuss Courtney’s detailed outlining and writing process, having a UK publisher, and how mother-in-laws make great unreliable narrators. At the end of their conversation, they make up a gripping story using a line from Chris Pavone’s The Doorman.

“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 publishing for nearly two decades and ghost-wrote a couple of nonfiction books. 

Among other things, Chris and Carter discuss working in publishing in New York City in the early 90s, why the first page of your manuscript is so important, and how a move to Luxembourg inspired Chris’s first novel. At the end of their conversation, they make up an emotional story using a line from Jeffrey Konvitz’s The Circus of Satan.

“(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.