The Open Mic: Writers in Their Own Words

My guest today is the bestselling author of one of the most unique thriller series out there, the ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS series, which features a protagonist who is part of a 12-step program for reformed killers. Kind of like if John Wick or Lawrence Block’s Keller or Anton Chigurh decided one day to just stop taking lives for a living. It is, in a word, effing great! Okay, that’s two words but you get the point. He has also authored several other books, either solo or with writing partners like Alex Segura, James Patterson or, most recently, Jeff Rake, creator and showrunner of Netflix’s Manifest. Their new book DETOUR, which came out earlier this year, is the story of a space shuttle flight crew that returns to Earth only to discover the home they’ve returned to is not the one they left behind. It is also the first in a series. Rob has also penned numerous short stories, comic books, novellas and quite a few non-fiction articles in publications like Salon and Writer’s Digest.  I could go on, but let’s have me stop talking and get to the man – please welcome Rob Hart to the Open Mic. 

My guest today is making a return visit to the show for the first time in three years. He is the acclaimed award-winning author of two dozen novels, including a trio of really fun and interesting series: 1) his idealistic ex-football player-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter and 2) the equally fascinating duo of bickering attorneys, Solomon vs. Lord and 3) his great new series days featuring two folks you might have heard of, Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein. Paul Levine, welcome back to the Open Mic.

My guest today is an multi-award-winning author, lecturer and writing instructor who has more than two dozen books to his credit, including five different fiction series as well as a number of forensic science books aimed at helping writers get their medical science-based stories right. With that you might have guessed he knows something about medicine, and you would be right – in addition to his many writing credits he has also been a practicing cardiologist for the last 45 years. And somehow he finds the time to also be a podcast and radio host. Please welcome DL Pyle to the Open Mic!

My guest today is a best-selling writer who gone from designing roads on the thrill-a-minute California highway system to the even more fast-paced – and some might say equally treacherous – world of thrillers. His work has won numerous awards and I’m happy to have him on the show today. Please welcome J. Luke Bennecke to the Open Mic. 

If you are a regular viewer or listener you know that while I focus on writers I have on occasion had literary agents on this show. In that vein, today I’m welcoming back my own literary agent, Elizabeth K. Kracht of the Kim Cameron Agency. Aside from putting up with me and a host of other clients (Like James L'Etoile!) Liz is also an author and editor who’s book The Author’s Checklist is essential reading for any aspiring writer.  

My guest today is a is the author of 10 psychological thrillers, several of which have been compared to the likes of Kafka and David Lynch. His latest, THE MEMORY WARD, came out last March and has been described as an examination of “the nature of identity, trauma, and what it means to be human.” He has described his work as a battle where the author must “grab an axe and show the story who’s boss.” With a mindset like that I just had to have him on the show. So please welcome Jon Bassoff to the Open Mic.

My guest today, Brooke French, is the author of three thrillers, two starring intrepid disease ecologist Letty Duquesne and another series with lawyer Tess Oliver. French knows her way around the legal world for sure, having spent well over a decade as a successful lawyer in Atlanta. She refers to herself now as a "recovering lawyer" and a full-time writer, which is a good thing for everyone out there looking for fast-paced, deeply-plotted and well-written thrillers.

My guest today is the writer behind the Twin Cities Mystery Series featuring detectives Erik Jansson and Deb Metzger, which have been widely lauded for clever plots, witty and intelligent dialogue and just generally being great reads. She is also an excellent short fiction author, including a story in the great new anthology ON FIRE AND UNDER WATER, which came out from Rock & a Hard Place Press in September and which explores the intersection of climate change and crime. 

For more than two decades the Men of Mystery conference has celebrated the many great men who write the mysteries so many of us love. Established in 2000 by the late Joan Hansen, this very popular events is put on these days by today’s guests, Jan Wilcox and Cindy Woods. Over the years Men of Mystery, or MoM for short, has featured a literal who’s who of great male mystery writers: T. Jefferson Parker, Matt Coyle, C.J. Box, Michael Connelly, Baron Birtcher, Stephen Mack Jones, Brad Thor, Lincoln Child, William Kent Krueger and so many more, including this year’s headliners Craig Johnson and Walter Mosley. This year’s event marked MoM’s 25th anniversary, and so I’m really pleased to have Jan and Cindy here with me today on the Open Mic: Writers in Their Own Words to talk a bit about the conference’s great history and hopefully its future. You can also watch the episode on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/XFSbhwwIVc8

I’ve known Richie Narvaez mostly as a great crime novelist, with works like Roachkiller and Other Stories, Hipster Death Rattle, Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco, and Noiryorican. But he is also a writing teacher, a speaker and one of the very best short fiction authors on the market today. His short stories appear in any number of anthologies, including one that I just grabbed my copy of, ON FIRE AND UNDERWATER: A CLIMATE CHANGE CRIME FICTION ANTHOLOGY, edited by our mutual friend Curtis Ippolito. 

My guest today is someone with whom most of you have at least a tangential relationship. How is that possible? Well, because before he started writing compelling techno-thrillers, he spent much of his career at Microsoft, where he led the creation and development of a little thing you might have heard of – the Xbox. His first technothriller – THE WILKES INSURRECTION – came out in 2021. That one introduces us to his lead protagonist, Major Tamika Smith, a failed intelligence officer in search of redemption as she goes up against an elusive extremist hell-bent on destroying America. Smith, now a U.S. Senator, is back in his new book, THE BLOCKCHAIN SYNDICATE, which comes out on October 21st. This time Smith’s challenge is even greater and more personal – her boyfriend is kidnapped after a school shooting injures his daughter, forcing her to confront a shadowy criminal syndicate aiming to “fix” America their way.

I have often noted how prolific some of my guests are in their work, but I have to say my guest today really is one of the most prolific I working in the field today. As a writer he is the author of around 1300 short stories across a wide range of genres, at least eight novels and scores more non-fiction books and articles. When not doing his own writing he has edited dozens of crime fiction anthologies, including one of my new obsessions, the Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir series. He has been nominated for all the major awards this business has to offer, is also a well- known and in-demand speaker and teacher and even finds time to write advertising copy. Holy cow.

Most of the authors who join me on this show are fiction writers, but this week I bring you a conversation with the really great nonfiction author Andrea Lankford. A former National Park Service ranger and investigator, Lankford's latest book TRAIL OF THE LOST is a gripping tale of her efforts to help find a trio of missing Pacific Crest Trail hikers who all seemed to vanish without a trace. One might think this would be an easy sale to publishers, but her path from concept to the NYT bestsellers list was anything but a gentle walk in the woods.

If you follow this show at all you know I am a big fan of the short story, and particularly the crime fiction and noir genres. Stacy Woodson's work has appeared in numerous high quality short story magazines, including Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen, Mystery Weekly and many others. She has also had her work in a lot of other great single anthologies with awesome titles like the Tattered Blue Line, Jukes and Tonks and Groovy Gumshoes. She is a two-time Derringer winner in the short mystery category (four nominations in all) and has been nominated for several other awards as well. She is also an editor, a writing teacher and, on occasion an actor who has appeared on shows like The Walking Dead and Homeland. 

My guest today has one of the most varied resumes of anyone I have ever had on this show. He is: an Author / Filmmaker / Actor / Composer / Educator / Public Speaker / Consultant / Reviewer / Writer-in-Residence /CEO/ and a columnist with Writer’s Digest. And, most important for our purposes today, Clay Stafford is the founder of the Killer Nashville International Writers Conference, which this year will be held August 22-25th, in Music City of course. Clay is also the Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of Killer Nashville Magazine, and somewhere in there he has managed to sell a whole lot of books.

My guest today is the award-winning author of a dozen books, including three different multi-book series and two standalones. She is also a veteran journalist who has reported from more than a dozen countries over her long career, and is now she’s back in the newsroom serving as an interim editor at the Seattle Times. And somehow between books and the news, she finds time to produce a Substack newsletter – I am now tired even saying those words.  So please welcome the very talented Gwen Florio to the Open Mic: Writers in Their Own Words. 

I met my guest today a while back at the Left Coast Crime conference in Bellingham, Washington. She has been a magazine writer, a writing tutor and an editor during her career, but only began writing fiction about 10 years ago. In that time she has published several short stories and, in 2023, her debut novel I KNOW WHAT YOU DID, which deals with this fascinating premise: What if a bestselling novel fictionalizes the death of your childhood best friend, and accuses you of her murder? That is one hell of a premise to be sure. To talk about this and more, please welcome Cayce Osborne to the Open Mic. 

My guests today are a husband and wife team of Anthony Leigh Adams and Christina Adams that collectively write under the nom de plume of A.C. Adams. They are longtime veterans of Hollywood with a ridiculously long list of credits for many major studios, including ABC, CBS and Disney. They are have worked on scores of projects with Oprah Winfrey, produced documentaries for PBS, musicals for the stage and, well, you get it – they are very, very talented. But with all that, they are here with me today to talk about yet another project, their new book CHASING SHADOWS, which is a mystery based on true events related to the disappearance of Christina's father. The book has been called “a hair-raising roller-coaster thrill ride” by Kirkus Reviews and received numerous five-star reviews on Amazon and at Goodreads. 

 My guest today is a very talented writer, particularly in one of the forms I enjoy the most – the short story. His stories have appeared in numerous publications, and he has been a finalist for the Derringer, Anthony and Macavity Awards, which for the uninitiated are kind of like the Oscars, Golden Globes and maybe the Grammies for us writer types. And on top it all, he’s one of the industry’s good guys. So please welcome Curtis Ippolito to the Open Mic: Writers in Their Own Words. 

My guest today is a very multifaceted author, editor and journalist whose work includes short stories, two nonfiction books, editing the Columbus Noir anthology, and the Andy Hayes Private Eye series, featuring a former Browns quarterback turned private eye. He is here today to talk about The Mailman, his brand new thriller starring Mercury Carter, a former postal inspection agent who must track down a violent crew across the Midwest to rescue a kidnapped woman.Please welcome Andrew Welsh-Huggins to the Open Mic.

Regular Open Mic folks know I focus my attentions on crime fiction, mystery and thriller authors. But for today's show we delve into true crime as I welcome my good friend and colleague Brian Joseph to the show to talk about his new book, Vegas Concierge: Sex Trafficking, Hip Hop, and Corruption in America.

My guest today has long been a world traveler who has had more adventures than anyone I know. He is joining me today from his home in France, a country I very much look forward to returning to someday. He has been a guest before, all the way back when this was still just a blog and before the YouTube and podcast shows. His work has won numerous awards and accolades, including the Paris Prize for Fiction in 2013 for his novel, a Vision of Angels. His 2019 novel THE FOURTH COURIER was also a finalist for Best Gay Mystery in the Lambda Literary Awards, and his 2020 novel FIRE ON THE ISLAND won the Gold Medal in the Faulkner-Wisdom Competition. I could go on, but you get the idea. His new book, Istanbul Crossing, is the story of a young gay Syrian refugee who, after watching his cousin executed by ISIS for being homosexual, flees to Istanbul for his safety. I’ll let him tell us more about that in a moment. So now let me please welcome Timothy Jay Smith to the Open Mic. NOTE: This conversation took place before the Nov. 5th 2024 election. 

My guest today, Jason Powell, is one of the up and coming authors out there in the mystery genre. His debut novel No Man’s Ghost introduces us to Charles Davids, a probationary NYC firefighter whose first week on the job coincides with that of a mentally disturbed man going through a divorce who moves from calling in fake fires to acting on the real thing. It is a gripping and fast moving story that not only is a crime tale, but gives us a really insightful look into the lives of the brotherhood of firefighters.

My guest today came to me via a recommendation from another writer and friend of the show, A.J. Devlin. We were talking at Left Coast Crime in March and he said he had a friend with a new book coming out that I really should know about. He even had a signed copy for me! I know A.J. is a great writer, so I of course said I would check it out. I am so glad I did. That book, CALL OF THE VOID by J.T. Siemens is one of the best crime fiction novels I’ve read in years – compelling at every turn, very gripping, fast-paced and true edge of your seat entertainment. SO I’m very happy today to have J.T. Siemens here with me to talk about that book and his other work and all things writing.

My guest today, Mary Keliioka, has authored two notable mystery series: the PI Kelly Pruett mysteries, which features the title protagonist, and the Misty Pines series, featuring Sheriff Jax Turner. She also has a brand new book out, her first domestic thriller, DON’T ASK, DON’T FOLLOW, featuring a new lead character, paralegal Beth Ralston. The book has been called “a pulse-pounding read about truth, justice and the unexpected secrets families keep.” I’m reading it right now and so far I have to agree. 

Sagit Schwartz’s debut novel SINCE SHE’S BEEN GONE is a dual-timeline thriller that has been called a nuanced roller-coaster ride, gripping, pulse-pounding, emotional and a non-stop ride of twists and turns. Sagit is a licensed psychotherapist, so perhaps it’s not surprising that her character is also a mental health professional and that the story deals with several mental health themes to add to the suspense of the story. She’s here today to talk to me about the book and to share some insights into her journey to publication.

My guest today has had an illustrious career writing so many things, from screenplays and game designs to novels and poetry. She has authored numerous novels and short stories and won multiple Bram Stoker awards, which for the uninitiated are the major award for those writing in the horror genre. You might ask why I, a crime fiction devotee, has a horror author on my show. Well, the answer is we recently met at Left Coast Crime – sitting in the bar of course – and I thought she was just awesome and had interesting things to say to writers in any genre. So here she is!  Maria Alexander, welcome to the Open Mic. 

I was going to introduce my guest today as a debut author, but that’s not quite true. She has in fact ghost- or co-written fourteen books, including five NYT bestsellers. She is the author of the father-daughter memoir GOOD GIRL and a longstanding music journalist and critic whose work has appeared in major publications all over the country. I had the pleasure of making her acquaintance at Left Coast Crime this year and I’m really excited to have her here today to talk about her debut novel, THE LAST DAYS OF THE MIDNIGHT RAMBLERS, described as a gripping tale about the complicated legacy of a legendary rock band – like, oh, I don’t know, The Rolling Stones – and the ghostwriter telling their story. Sarah Tomlinson, welcome to the Open Mic!

My guest today, Dale Phillips, has a very eclectic creative resume that includes novels, short stories, plays, poetry, craft books and even acting. Away from the keyboard he has supported his writing habit as a technical writer and his food and shelter habit as a farm laborer, bartender and holiday Santa among many, many other things. As you might imagine from that history, he has learned a thing or two about marketing himself and his books, and he is here today to talk about that and to share some insights into helping other writers – from indies to Big 5 folks – sell more of their work. You can also catch the show on the Open Mic YouTube channel here.  

My guest today can legitimately be called one of the true legends of the Los Angeles writing scene. Gary Phillips has written almost 20 crime fiction novels, a baker’s dozen of graphic novels, numerous short stories and edited or co-edited scores of other anthologies. His latest novel, ASH DARK AS NIGHT, came out in April, the second in the Harry Ingram series. I’m reading it right now and it is of course fantastic. He’s here with me today to talk about the new book as well as his other work and all things writing and beyond. 

On today’s show the focus is on one of my favorite things – a debut writer. Jennifer Moorhead’s first mystery – BROKEN BAYOU – comes out on July 1st, and she is here with me today to talk about how she got here, from the querying process to the anticipation of seeing her book burst out into the wild. 

Killer Nashville has become one of the go-to writers conferences for crime fiction and thriller authors, a place where writers at every level can find camaraderie and insight to help them boost their careers. I recently sat down with Killer Nashville founder Clay Stafford to learn what inspired him to start the conference and what he has learned over his long and eclectic career that has helped make it such a resounding success. I found that Clay's tremendous passion for helping writers achieve their dreams comes across in everything he does. It was a great conversation, one not to be missed by anyone interested in writing and publishing.

Regular visitors to this who know my my personal tastes and this show both skew heavily toward crime fiction, mystery and thrillers. Notice I did not say anything about women's fiction, which I confess up front I know almost nothing about. My guests today, however, have a new book out they say is a women’s fiction/thriller hybrid. My guests today, Nicole Moleti and Krista Wells, who write under the singular pen name Addison McKnight, were on the show about a year ago to talk about their debut novel, AN IMPERFECT PLAN. They’re back today to talk about their follow up release THE VINEYARD REMAINS. We focused a bit in that first appearance about the pros and cons of writing as a team. Clearly the system is still working, but we’re going to check in anyway just to see what they learned in that first go around that helped them this time, as well as that blending of genres.

My guest today is a prolific novelist, short story writer and all-around creative guy with fingers in any number of artistic pursuits, including podcasting. He has produced scores of short stories and over two dozen crime novels, including his brand new one, THE LAST FEW MILES OF ROAD. He is making his second appearance on the show, so please welcome Eric Beetner back to the Open Mic. 

My guest today, Vice Wetzel, is making his second appearance on the show, which coincides with the pending release of his second novel, Lose Yourself. Lose Yourself is the intertwining story of six people all struggling with vastly different complications in their lives, all of which come to a head at the final game of the major league baseball season as one of them seeks to make baseball history. Vince is here today to talk about the book and to share some of the lessons he’s learned along the way to help other indie writers like himself. 

My guest today, Wanda Morris, had the kind of breakout every writer dreams of. Her debut novel, All Her Little Secrets, won the 2022 Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Novel and was nominated for several more. Her follow up, Anywhere You Run, picked up right where she left off, winning the 2023 Anthony Award for Best Historical Novel, the 2023 Georgia Author of the Year for Best Mystery, and the 2023 Lefty Award for Best Historical Novel. You are probably picking up the theme here – Ms. Morris is one hell of a writer.  She’s here with me today to talk about those books as well as her new one, What You Leave Behind, which is due out in June. 

My guest today, Gigi Pandian, is the award-winning, USA Today-bestselling author of several different cozy mystery series, including the Accidental Alchemist Mysteries, the Secret Staircase Mysteries, the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries as well a handful of locked-room mystery short stories. She is very active in the broader crime-writing community, including being a co-founder – along with Kellye Garrett and Walter Mosley – of Crime Writers of Color, which of course was founded to serve as a voice of support and encouragement for writers coming from underrepresented communities. She has a new Secret Staircase book – A Midnight Puzzle – coming out on March 19th. We’re going to talk about that and much more here today.

My guest today is a man of many talents: he is a fabulous short story author, book reviewer, podcaster and interviewer and – for our purposes today – the author of four highly acclaimed crime thrillers, including his newest, When She Left, which just came out a few weeks ago. I’m very excited to talk with him about all of this today. Please welcome the fantastic E.A. Aymar to the Open Mic.

I believe most of the authors who come on this show have pretty interesting backstories, but my guest today has that in spades. She has been an actor, a yoga instructor and a martial arts teacher, has fought in the Chicago Golden Gloves competition, ran in the Chicago Marathon and competed in the Savate World Championships in Paris. In addition to her martial arts and boxing skills, she’s pretty good with a bow and arrow and a sword, so there’s that. And most of all, the reason she is here with me today of course, is that her debut suspense novel – Ghost Tamer – came out last fall. I’m reading it right now and it is a real rocket ride for sure. Please welcome Meredith Rae Lyons to the Open Mic.

One of the best parts of doing this show is getting to discover a whole lot of writers whose work I have not yet come across. Because no matter how much you read – and I read A LOT – there are just so many more writers out there doing great, great stuff that you probably haven’t read yet. My guest today, Chris Holm, is just such an author for me. I’d been aware of his work, seen the name a lot and mentally logged it into the memory banks to get to soon. Well, I finally got around to it and boy am I glad that I did because Chris Holm is a literary badass. He is the award-winning author of the really cool Michael Hendricks thrillers, scores of acclaimed short stories, an equally-acclaimed standalone novel and a genre-crossing trilogy of stories that recast the ever popular battle between Heaven and Hell as “pulpy crime fiction.” That’s quite a collection, and I am really excited to have him here with me today to talk about his work.

My guest today is Colin Conway, an author with more than 30 books to his credit, including five different series ranging from political thrillers to police procedurals to traditional crime fiction to cozies. He’s here today to talk a bit about all that and more. 

Regular visitors to this show know that my focal point is to talk to authors, predominantly crime fiction and thriller writers. But I have a different show for you today, focused instead on music. Justin Case has been one of the most well-known and beloved classic rock radio folks in Northern California and beyond for many decades. He recently returned to the morning drive slot at KSEG The Eagle for the first time in years, so I thought it would be good to have him on to talk about music and radio and perhaps get him to share some stories from his long career dealing with rock stars.

My guest today is an old friend of the show, who is making I believe this third appearance here. There’s a definite reason for this, mainly that Jim L’Etoile just keeps writing really good crime thrillers! And the fact he’s a really good guy who is always willing to share insights with a fellow writer is a big part of it too. He’s here today to talk about his newest book, Face of Greed, which is the first in a new series featuring Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina.

My guest today, Matt Coyle, is a true star in modern crime fiction. He is the author of the bestselling Rick Cahill series, which features the exploits of the title character, a former cop-turned-PI who often finds himself sparring with the law as with criminals. His work has been called gritty, emotionally wrenching and hard-boiled, and I concur with all that. His latest Cahill book – Odyssey’s End – came out on the day we recorded this, Nov. 14th.

My guest today, Lou Berney, is considered by many to be one of the really truly great crime thriller authors in the world today. His books have earned him all the major awards this industry has for thriller writers, including the Edgar, Hammett, Steel Dagger, Barry, Macavity, Lefty, and Anthony awards. He’s also been a finalist twice for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. I recently finished reading 2018’s November Road, which was stellar, and I’m two-thirds of the way through his latest, Dark Ride, which is also just fantastic. I can’t say enough good things about his writing, so let me just say what a pleasure and an honor it is to have Lou Berney on today's edition of the Open Mic: Writers in Their Own Words.

My guest today, Eryk Pruitt, is considered by many to be one of the best crime fiction authors in the world today. I read his book What We Reckon a few years ago and it knocked my socks off, so I was thrilled recently to meet him at Boucheron in San Diego, and even more excited when he agreed to come on the Open Mic to talk about his latest book, Something Bad Wrong. I’m fully ensconced in that one right now and I can honestly say it just great stuff.

My guest today has been called a “present day Edgar Allen Poe” and one of the finest short story writers to come to prominence in the 21st Century. He has won virtually every award a writer can win – Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, McCavity and Derringer – if it’s got a name, he’s probably won it. Please welcome Art Taylor to The Open Mic!

My guest this week is another great debut author, J.D. O'Brien, who's great new book Zig Zag is a a rollicking tale of a weed dispensary robbery gone wrong has been called equal parts Elmore Leonard and Charles Portis - with Larry McMurtry's cowboy hat along for the ride.

My guest today is the very talented and definitely eclectic writer Alan Orloff, whose new book Sanctuary Motel should be out by the time you are watching or listening to this show. I’ve read it, and it is a fun, rollicking ride with a really memorable character with the great name of Mess. Alan is the author of a wide range of works, from YA to dark noir, and is the author of more than 40 published short stories.

My guest today is author Richard Meredith, who has used his love and knowledge of the sea to form the backbone of a series of very well received standalone thrillers. His latest, Maskirovka, came out in 2022 and deals with something we’re sadly all too familiar with – Russian meddling in American politics and beyond. The novel received a Starred Review from Kirkus Reviews and made its list of 100 Best Indie Books of 2022.