72 episodes
Behind the Book Tess Thompson and Karen McQuestion
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4.6 • 25 Ratings
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Behind the Book is hosted by authors Tess Thompson and Karen McQuestion, both of whom have a passion for books, lack filters, and are too curious for their own good. Listen to insider scoops, insightful conversation, and lots of laughs as they chat with bestselling authors and other top publishing industry insiders. Join them to find out the real story behind your favorite books and authors. New episodes are dropping, every week. Give or take. Depending. Produced by the incredible Craig A. Hart.
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Jayne Ann Krentz Talks About the Art of Reinvention
Tess & Karen couldn't believe their good luck in landing Jayne Ann Krentz as a guest!
The author of over 50 New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 35 million copies of her books in print.
Readers and authors will enjoy hearing her thoughts on the art of reinvention, defining the core story, and why emotions in novels are more important than setting.
Books mentioned
Sweetwater and the Witch by Jayne Castle
Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz
Website: Jayne Ann Krentz -
Lindsay Buroker On Her Career as a Prolific Indie Author
Lindsay is a full-time independent fantasy and science fiction author who loves travel, hiking, tennis, and vizslas. She's written over a hundred novels, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list, and has been twice nominated for a Goodreads Readers' Choice Award.
Tess and Karen loved hearing about how she got her start in publishing, why she decided to set up a Patreon account, and why she believes that free books are a valuable marketing tool for authors. She also explains the writing process that has enabled her to write over 100 books.
Enjoy!
Book mentioned:
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
Lindsay Buroker
Six Figure Authors podcast -
Kim Taylor Blakemore on Allowing Characters to Speak
Kim Taylor Blakemore is the bestselling author of After Alice Fell and The Companion, as well as young adult novels Bowery Girl and Cissy Funk, winner of the WILLA Literary Award. She is also the recipient of a Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award and three Regional Arts & Culture Council grants.
In addition to writing historical novels about fierce and dangerous women, Kim is the founder of Novelitics, which provides coaching, developmental editing, workshops, and community to writers from around the US and Canada.
Her newest novel is The Deception.
Website: Kim Taylor Blakemore
Novelitics
Book mentioned:
Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody -
Julianne MacLean on Having Creative Freedom
Tess & Karen loved interviewing their friend and accomplished author, Julianne MacLean. Julianne is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the popular Color of Heaven series. MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Her latest book, Beyond the Moonlit Sea, is a gripping novel about one woman’s search for answers when her husband vanishes in the night.
Website: Julianne MacLean
Books mentioned:
Amazon Ads for Authors by Deb Potter
Writing and Launching a Bestseller by Elana Johnson
The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler
Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King -
Reaching Readers with Heather Wheeler Sadlemire, Owner of On Top of That Marketing
On this episode, Tess & Karen are joined by Heather Wheeler Sadlemire, book promoter extraordinaire! Listen in as she tells what drew her to book promotion, and how she helps authors find their audience. She also discusses current trends in social media (including TikTok!) and explains the advantages of authors teaming up with others when doing giveaways.
Enjoy!
https://www.ontopofthatmarketing.com/ -
MaryAnn Schaefer: Working Behind the Scenes as an Author Assistant
We were thrilled when Tess's assistant, MaryAnn, graciously agreed to come on the show! Listen in as she explains how she got her start, the importance of keeping up to date with innovations in publishing, and why she considers customer service to be part of her job. She also divulges how she assists two authors with diverse personalities, each one writing in a different genre. As a bonus, she also shares some book recommendations.
Enjoy!
Customer Reviews
What a great podcast
Love this podcast and I am looking forward to new episodes. The last one was in Oct. 2022…When will new ones appear. Hoping soon!
Love this.
I’m enjoying your podcasts so much that I look for each week’s new one. When is the next new one coming out?
Discouraging episode
I love your podcast. I found it last month and have started listening to your full list. I still will continuing but your June 7, 2021 with Lesley Kagan was most discouraging. She did everything but say give up unless you started self pub in 2009, or you have an MFA, or a marketing expertise. I will not stop listening or writing but according to her I should prepare more drawer space for useless manuscripts. Keep up your good work, but her works I will not try.