Don’t Worry, No One’s Listening (DWNOL)

Ray Porter joins Edward Savio for a funny, candid conversation about storytelling, performance, and a voice listeners already know from some of the biggest audiobooks in the genre—including Project Hail Mary, the Bobiverse series, and Savio’s own League of Auld. Newly inducted into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame, Porter talks about what makes narration work, why the job is to serve the story, and how acting, writing, and audiobook performance all depend on the same thing: getting your ego out of the way. It’s a smart, human episode about craft, voice, and the strange intimacy of being the one guiding the listener through the dark. Presented by Bookstr.com   Music: “Local Forecast - Slower,” “Loopster,” “I Got a Stick Arr Bryan Teoh” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0   “Patron Saint of Heists” by Bryan Teoh Licensed under Creative Commons: license 0 attribution

Liza Tully joins Edward Savio to talk pen names, mystery structure, writing process, and the pleasure of exact language. From literary fiction and dark suspense to The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant, this is a conversation about trust-your-instinct writing, reader expectation, giant handwritten notebooks, and why the best advice may be learning which advice to ignore. Presented by Bookstr.com Music: “Local Forecast - Slower,” “Loopster,” “I Got a Stick Arr Bryan Teoh” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0   “Patron Saint of Heists” by Bryan Teoh Licensed under Creative Commons: license 0 attribution

Max Barry joins Edward Savio to talk satire, persuasion, and why even the most ridiculous ideas have to feel real. From Lexicon to Jennifer Government to The 22 Murders of Madison May, which sets a serial killer loose across the multiverse with reality-bending consequences, they get into dialogue, power, and the problem of writing satire in a world that keeps outpacing it. Funny, sharp, and a little unsettling, it’s a look at how the absurd starts to feel uncomfortably real. Presented by Bookstr.com Music: “Local Forecast - Slower,” “Loopster,” “I Got a Stick Arr Bryan Teoh” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 “Patron Saint of Heists” by Bryan Teoh Licensed under Creative Commons: license 0 attribution

Software developer turned bestselling sci-fi author Dennis E. Taylor joins Edward Savio to talk about the unlikely path that led to the Bobiverse series. They discuss engineering, artificial intelligence, writing habits, and the moment a bad Kindle book inspired Taylor to start writing fiction himself. Presented by Bookstr.com Music: “Local Forecast - Slower, ” “Loopster,” “I Got a Stick Arr Bryan Teoh” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0    "Patron Saint of Heists” by Bryan Teoh Licensed under Creative Commons: license 0 attribution

Bestselling novelist and cultural critic Kat Rosenfield joins Edward Savio for a candid and hilarious conversation about writing by instinct, trusting creative chaos, and the difference between building stories and breaking them apart.   Rosenfield discusses her novels No One Will Miss Her, You Must Remember This, and the just-released, How to Survive in the Woods, her instinct-driven writing process, and why writer’s block often means your brain is still “baking” the story. They also talk about cultural criticism, great dialogue, and the strange experience of researching pop culture “for professional reasons.”   A sharp, funny look at storytelling, criticism, and making it up as you go—like a grown-ass professional.

Bestselling author Jonathan Maberry joins author and screenwriter Edward Savio to talk monsters, trauma, productivity, and the joy of writing without fear. A candid, wide-ranging conversation about craft, character, and surviving the long haul. Presented by Bookstr.com   “Writing is 99% thinking about it. The rest is typing.” “You find the speed at which you do your best work — not the speed people tell you to.” “Trauma doesn’t disappear. It changes shape.” “If I’m writing to please readers, that’s fear-based. I want to be joy-based.” Music:“Local Forecast - Slower, ” “Loopster,” “I Got a Stick Arr Bryan Teoh” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"Patron Saint of Heists” by Bryan TeohLicensed under Creative Commons: license 0 attribution

Julia Whelan on acting, audiobooks, writing, and why that story is never really about her. Actor-turned–audiobook superstar–turned-novelist Julia Whelan joins Edward Savio for a candid, funny, and unexpectedly revealing conversation about how she found her voice on and off the page, and the twist that led her into audiobooks long before the industry exploded. Whelan talks about writing My Oxford Year, Thank You for Listening, and her latest, Casanova, LLC—and why you won’t catch her writing a memoir. She explains her aversion to prescriptive writing rules and the single question she asks before starting a new project. With thoughts on Ray Porter’s influence, the evolution of audio storytelling, and DWNOL’s refreshing longform “non-interview” format, this episode offers an intimate look at a storyteller who’s mastered more mediums than most people try. Presented by Bookstr.com Music: “Local Forecast - Slower, ” “Loopster,” “I Got a Stick Arr Bryan Teoh” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Patron Saint of Heists" by Bryan Teoh Licensed under Creative Commons: license 0 attribution

Guts, glory, and funny stories. Boot camp, writing, and the journey from feeling invisible to finding your place. Greg Cope White joins Edward Savio to talk identity, the Marines, and turning survival into story—from The Pink Marine to the Netflix series Boots. Presented by Bookstr.com Music: “Local Forecast - Slower” “Loopster” “Your Call” “I Got a Stick Arr Bryan Teo” Songs by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Writing, rewriting, and the occasional F-Bomb. Edward Savio kicks off DWNOL with Christopher Moore, author of Lamb, Fool, and Anima Rising. They get deep into process, balancing jokes with meaning, and staying true to the work and your voice. From early discouragement by a bad teacher to becoming a bestseller. DWNOL is presented by Bookstr. Christopher Moore's Latest Novel: Anima Rising