John Galligan is the author of many books including a standalone novel, Red Sky, Red Dragonfly, the Fly Fishing Mystery Series, and the Bad Axe County Series, which includes Bad Moon Rising, Dead Man Dancing, and his latest at the time of this interview, Bad Day Breaking. When he's not writing, John teaches college writing in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST FLIGHT, which earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal. The New York Times called it “thoroughly absorbing” and it was named an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads Pick, and a Best Book of 2020 by Amazon Editors and Apple Books. Her debut, THE ONES WE CHOOSE, was published in 2018 and has been optioned for television by Lionsgate. Her latest book, THE LIES I TELL, releases in 2023.
Julie lives in Los Angeles with her two sons and a golden doodle with poor impulse control.
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Kevin Maurer is an award-winning journalist and the three-time New York Times bestselling co-author of No Easy Day, No Hero, and American Radical, among others. For the last eleven years, Maurer has also worked as a freelance writer covering war, politics, and general interest stories. His writing has been published in GQ, Men's Journal, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and numerous other publications.
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Tom Morrisey is deeply in demand as one of the world’s top speechwriters and executive-engagement specialists. A speaker on writing and storytelling on both sides of the Atlantic, he has worked with leading executives from Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and The Walt Disney Company, and frequently writes articles and papers in the areas of executive engagement and coaching. He currently works in public affairs management for The Walt Disney Company, where he mentors speechwriters and storytellers on three continents.
Tom holds a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature from The University of Toledo as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from the world-renowned Creative Writing program at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. When not writing speeches, he pens thrillers and literary fiction.
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Samantha Bailey has been called the Queen of the Domestic Thrillers. She is the USA TODAY and #1 national bestselling author of WOMAN ON THE EDGE, her psychological thriller debut that received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was a PW Best Books Pick of the Week.
In addition to her writing, Samantha also works as a journalist and freelance editor; her work has appeared in NOW Magazine, The Village Post, The Thrill Begins, and The Crime Hub, as well as other publications. Samantha lives in Toronto, where she can usually be found tapping away at her computer or curled up on her couch with a book.
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Meg Gardiner is the author of fifteen acclaimed, award-winning novels. Her thrillers have been bestsellers both in the U.S. and internationally and have been translated into more than twenty languages. China Lake won an Edgar Award and UNSUB, the first in her acclaimed UNSUB Series, won a Barry Award. Her third UNSUB novel, The Dark Corners of the Night, has been bought by Amazon Studios for development as a television series.
In addition to her writing, Meg is a former lawyer, three-time Jeopardy! champion, and two-time president of Mystery Writers of America.
Meg's latest release is Heat 2, co-written with 4x Oscar-nominated writer-director Michael Mann.
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Landon Beach’s book Narrator has been described as “Misery meets Gone Girl” and he worked closely with Scott Brick, the audiobook’s narrator, to blur the lines between the fictional world and the real one to deliver a story readers won’t soon forget. This lively discussion will take you into the sound booth as you learn the inside scoop behind this unique collaboration.
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Alex Finlay is the author of the 2021 breakout novel, Every Last Fear, and one of Goodread’s most popular books of 2022, The Night Shift. His work has been an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, as well as a CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thrillers of the year. Alex’s novels have been translated into seventeen languages, and Every Last Fear is in development for a major television series.
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Lisa Phillips is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London. She is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author who is releasing her 61st book this fall. In this interview on The Story Blender, she shares her strategy for publishing and writing, how she deals with upcoming deadlines, and her thoughts on character arcs. If you like romantic suspense, especially inspirational suspense, check it out!
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Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in writing from The New School and speaks at college campuses and national conferences. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and book industry professionals and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community.
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