“I think people think that the first publishing contract is a windfall... But for most of us, it's the beginning of the story. All it is, is an open door to the writing life. And if you want to succeed... you're going to roll up your sleeves and get to work like everybody else who wants to do anything well in this life.” — Lisa Unger

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty-three novels. Her critically acclaimed novels have been featured on “Best Book” lists from the Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, and many others. She has been nominated for, or won, numerous awards including the Strand Critics, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations in the same year. Her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and others. Lisa is the current co-President of the International Thriller Writers organization.

Among other things, Lisa and Carter discuss pushing yourself out of your comfort zone by attending writing conferences, why increasing your own visibility is critical for both debut and legacy authors, and learning to let go when writing. At the end of their conversation, they make up an interesting story using a line from Chris Pavone’s The Doorman.

“What I noticed was that I started writing stories and just doing things like, ‘oh, wait, when I write, I don't need other guys. And I don't need a sound man. And I don't need a stage. And I don't need gear.’ It was so nice to be able to make something without all the crap associated with it.” — Michael Kardos

Michael Kardos is the author of the novels Fun City Heist, Bluff, Before He Finds Her, and The Three-Day Affair. His story collection Quick Change and One Last Good Time won the Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters Award, and his short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, and have won two Pushcart Prizes. He is also the author of The Art and Craft of Fiction: A Writer’s Guide, which is taught at universities across the country, and he co-directed the creative writing program at Mississippi State University for 15 years.

Among other things, Michael and Carter discuss how Michael went from a career in music to getting his MFA, their thoughts on craft books for new writers, and feeling uneasy most of the time while you’re writing a book. At the end of their conversation, they make up a strange story using a line from Kristen Perrin’s How To Solve Your Own Murder.

“What I’ve always been really focused on is trying to figure out what is it in any book—and it's different in different genres—that makes you keep turning the page. That's always been my goal: to get people to keep turning.” — Amy Meyerson

Amy Meyerson is the acclaimed author of the internationally bestselling books The Bookshop of Yesterdays, The Imperfects, and The Love Scribe. Her books are frequently chosen for best-of lists, including lists from Good Morning America, People Magazine, Publishers Weekly, among others. Meyerson completed her graduate work in creative writing at the University of Southern California, where she now teaches in the writing department. Her new novel The Water Lies--her first work of psychological suspense--was released in January.

Among other things, Amy and Carter discuss listening to audiobooks to improve your writing, using profanity selectively, and Amy’s shift to writing thrillers/psychological suspense novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a fascinating story using a line from Stephen Graham Jones’s Mongrels.