The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

Critically acclaimed debut novelist and food writer, Catherine Kurtz, spoke with us about art school, painting life, judging the International Chocolate Awards, and her delicious first book FEAST.

Catherine Kurtz is a multidisciplinarian known for her parallel careers in the visual arts, literature, and culinary criticism – including as a judge and educator in the field of chocolate tasting. She is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and a Grand Jury Member of the International Chocolate Awards.

Her debut is, Feast, “for fans of Chocolat (show-co-lot, haha, i need this 😂) and Like Water for Chocolate,” and described as a historical novel set at the turn of the 20th century as one young woman navigates the wonders and perils of her remarkable gift: an astonishing sense of taste and smell.

Alex Hay, author of The Housekeepers called it, “A beautiful book, vivid and delicious and alive—a story of escape and belonging and one woman's extraordinary gifts, unfolding its mysteries with care, brimming with feeling and stunning prose.”

Catherine Kurtz is also a painter represented by The Redfern Gallery in London. Her journalism has been published in a variety of publications including The Spectator’s Scoff, Harvest, ckbk and Celebrated Living.

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In this file Catherine Kurtz, Milena, and I discussed:

How her debut ​​combines her backgrounds as a painter, food writer, and professional chocolate taster

Writing a book for The Great British Bake Off on Chocolate

Working with rock star turned chef Graham Garrett on his book Sex, Drugs, and Sausage Rolls 

Why she took an art school approach to writing

The editorial approach to her food-centric writing and debut cover design

Her writing philosophy

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

linktr.ee/catherinekurtzart

Feast by Catherine Kurtz (Amazon)

Catherine Kurtz on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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Bestselling author Meg Shaffer spoke with us about paying homage to fairy tales, defending libraries against censorship, and her latest cinematic, genre-bending bestseller, THE BOOK WITCH.

Meg Shaffer is the bestselling author of The Lost Story and The Wishing Game, which was a Book of the Month finalist for Book of the Year as well as a Reader’s Digest and Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and has been translated into 23 languages. Shaffer holds an MFA in TV and Screenwriting from Stephens College.

Her latest is the instant bestseller The Book Witch, described as a novel that’s part mystery, part love letter to libraries and booksellers, and a direct, timely meditation on book-banning.

Booklist called it a “whimsical tale of lost love, family secrets, and how books can change a reader's life” and Kirkus calls it “catnip for anyone who ever wished they could walk around in their favorite book.” 

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In this file Meg Shaffer, Milena, and I discussed:

How she wrote a couple dozen romance novels under her real name

The rules set forth in her latest book about entering the worlds of beloved childrens’ series

Why the author’s writing is best when she’s having fun

Channeling the iconic sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury

Why "all books are kids' books if the kid can read"

How she aims to make readers appreciate the books they read as children

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

megshaffer.com

The Book Witch: A Novel By Meg Shaffer (Amazon)

Meg Shaffer Amazon Author Page

Meg Shaffer on Instagram

Meg Shaffer on Facebook

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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Acclaimed debut author Darby Bozeman spoke with us about her journey from middle school English teacher to published author, and her debut thriller, SUMMER’S NEVER OVER.

Darby Bozeman, originally from Portland, Oregon, relocated to the American South for graduate school, earning a master's degree in teaching from the University of Georgia. Before pivoting to full-time writing, she spent five years as a middle school English teacher.

Her dual-timeline debut thriller, Summer’s Never Over (Berkley Trade Original; on sale June 9, 2026), is described as We Were Liars meets God of the Woods, and is set at a summer camp where a counselor died in a suspicious fire five years prior. The book was recently chosen as a June selection for the Book of the Month Club.

Publishers Weekly called it an “Impressive debut…an addictive thriller ideal for summer reading.” Bestselling author Ashley Winstead wrote, "Darby Bozeman has the perfect beach read in this sinister summer camp thriller, where the paradisical woods of Dread's Cove hide not only hot bodies and cold waters, but dark secrets.”

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[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Darby Bozeman, Milena, and I discussed:

How she gleaned inspiration from her teaching

The science of narrative writing, including tension building and sentence-level craft

Why her book was pitched as “Carly Fortune writing a murder mystery”

How she secured an agent and got a two-book deal

Why she prefers the coffee shop to her own coffee

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

darbybozeman.com

Summer’s Never Over : A Novel By Darby Bozeman (Amazon)

Darby Bozeman on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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New York Times bestselling and award-winning author John Kenney spoke with us about life as an ad-man, writing humor for The New Yorker, and the paperback release of his latest novel I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD.

John Kenney is the bestselling author of three novels and four books of poetry, including Love Poems (For Married People), a New York Times bestseller. His first novel, Truth In Advertising, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He is a longtime contributor to The New Yorker magazine’s Shouts & Murmurs column.

His most recent novel, I See You’ve Called In Dead (available in paperback June 2nd), is described as “The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy” and was an instant bestseller. The book follows Bud Stanley, an obituary writer who accidentally publishes his own obituary and begins attending strangers' funerals to find meaning of life.

In a starred review Booklist said of the book, “I See You’ve Called in Dead is a witty and heartwarming reminder of the bottomless despair, limitless absurdity, and undeniable joy of the human experience.”

John Kenney has worked as a copywriter for more than 25 years at Ogilvy, McGarry Bowen, and Publicis. He has created campaigns for American Express, Citi, Chevron, Heineken, and Cadillac, to name a few.

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[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file John Kenney, Milena, and I discussed:

His past life as a high profile copywriter 

10 years of rejections from the New Yorker

Why he still has impostor syndrome

The personal inspiration behind his latest novel

Writing self-deprecating poetry

Why he’s writing a memoir about rewriting his mother's obituary

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

byjohnkenney.com

I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney (Amazon)

John Kenney Amazon Author Page

John Kenney on Instagram

John Kenney for The New Yorker

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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#1 New York Times bestselling author, Ruta Sepetys, returns to speak with us about her 12 years of research, ragtime music, and the “fortune and facade” of 1920s Detroit in her adult historical fiction debut, A FORTUNE OF SAND. 

Ruta Sepetys is the award-winning and internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Her acclaimed “crossover” YA literature includes the Carnegie Medal-winning Salt to the Sea. 

Her latest, A Fortune of Sand (available May 26th), is described as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby and Amor Towles’ Rules Of Civility meets Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums. The novel follows a wealthy, eccentric family in Detroit’s booming automobile industry and includes a plot twist around stolen jewels.  

A Booklist starred review called the book, “A richly detailed portrait of the glittering city and [Detroit’s] dark underbelly. . . . This will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety and Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach.”

Ruta’s books have won or been shortlisted for more than 50 book prizes, and are currently in development for film and television.

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[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Ruta Sepetys, Milena, and I discussed:

Why she still gets nervous before every book release

Finding a writing structure to mimic the volatile energy of The Roaring ‘20s

Why she filed FOIA requests and worked with former FBI agents to interpret her research

How she co-authored a YA historical mystery with Steve Sheinkin

Why she prefers the term "investigation" over "research"

Her creative fuel

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

rutasepetys.com

A Fortune of Sand: A Novel by Ruta Sepetys (Amazon)

Ruta Sepetys Amazon Author Page

Ruta Sepetys on Facebook 

Ruta Sepetys on Instagram

Ruta Sepetys on Twitter

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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