The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience Podglomerate

Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author April Henry, spoke with me about winning the Edgar Award, killing people on paper, and researching her latest cat-and-mouse survival story, STAY DEAD.
April Henry is the acclaimed bestseller of mysteries for adults and over 15 novels for teens, including the bestselling Girl, Stolen; Girl Forgotten; The Girl I Used to Be (Edgar nominated and winner of the Anthony Award for Best YA Mystery), and most recently winner of the 2024 Edgar Award in the Best Young Adult category for her novel, GIRL FORGOTTEN (2023).
Her latest novel, Stay Dead (May 28, 2024), is described as “... a thrilling murder mystery featuring a teen with an assassin on her trail fighting to uncover the truth behind a government cover-up.”
New York Times bestselling author Ellie Marney called it a “Pacy survival tale, eco-thriller, and murder mystery all rolled into one."
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In this file April Henry and I discussed:
A crazy thing that happened to her after she won the Edgar
The postcard she got from Roald Dahl that started it all
How she made the transition to full-time writer
Why she trained with real FBI agents
Her love of the treadmill desk
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
aprilhenry.com
Stay Dead by April Henry (Amazon)
April Henry Amazon Author Page
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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Bestselling author, podcaster, blogger, speaker, and my friend Jeff Goins, brought me along on a creative journey not too long ago called Hey, Creator! and it was some of the most fun I’ve had as a podcast producer.
Here’s an episode from the last season we did together titled “How to Finish the First Draft of Anything.”
Jeff Goins helps creative people succeed. Through his bestselling books, courses, coaching, and speeches, he shares his ongoing journey of transformation, inspiring creators to discover their voice and share it with the world.
He is also the founder of Fresh Complaint, a bespoke creative agency that helps authors, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs turn their stories and ideas into books that change the way people think.
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In this file Jeff Goins and I discussed:
Why the first step to finishing is to begin
The secret to getting unstuck
Why nothing is ever really finished
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
goinswriter.com
freshcomplaint.com
Hey, Creator! Podcast
Jeff Goins Amazon Author Page
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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#1 New York Times bestselling author, Mark Sullivan, spoke to me about the story that saved his life, how to write history’s darkest chapters, and his latest novel based on a true story, All the Glimmering Stars.
Mark Sullivan is a journalist and award-winning, bestselling author of 20 novels including Beneath a Scarlet Sky, The Last Green Valley, and the #1 New York Times bestselling Private series, which he writes with James Patterson.
His latest historical novel, All the Glimmering Stars (May 7, 2024), is “Inspired by a true story [of] two teens kidnapped by an African warlord [that] find salvation through love in a powerful [story] … set in 1990s Uganda.”
New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz, said of the book, “Mark Sullivan’s All the Glimmering Stars is the pinnacle of an already distinguished career. A searing piece of historical fiction steeped in a yearslong deep dive into the horrors of child soldiering, it is at its core something tender and rare: a love story between two profoundly good people striving for light in unimaginable darkness.”
Mark Sullivan graduated with a BA in English before working as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in West Africa. Upon his return to the US, he earned a graduate degree in Journalism at Northwestern University.
AND DON’T FORGET YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH US ON THE WRITER FILES COMMUNITY AT PATREON.COM/THEWRITERFILES
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In this file Mark Sullivan and I discussed:
His former life as an award-winning investigative journalist
How his cross-cultural skills inform his work today
Why he decided to make the transition from suspense to historical fiction
Searching for the deeper meaning behind his storytelling
The four things he has to have before he can write a story
His intensive research process
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
marksullivanbooks.com
All the Glimmering Stars: A Novel by Mark Sullivan (Amazon)
Mark Sullivan Amazon Author Page
Mark Sullivan on Facebook
Mark Sullivan on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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#1 New York Times bestselling author and TV producer, Tom Straw, spoke to me about breaking into television, the Gordian knot of ghostwriting, and his new “culinary, espionage, travel thriller” THE ACCIDENTAL JOE.
Tom Straw is an Emmy and Writers Guild of America–nominated writer-producer, New York Times bestselling author, and former Mystery Writers of America board member.
Writing as Richard Castle, Tom originated the hit Nikki Heat series, writing its first seven novels, all New York Times bestsellers, including Heat Rises, which reached number one.
The first book in his latest series is The Accidental Joe: The Top-Secret Life of a Celebrity Chef (Regalo Press/May 14, 2024), described as the story of “...a maverick celebrity chef [who] reluctantly agrees to let the CIA use his hugely popular international food, culture, and travel TV series as cover for a dangerous espionage mission.”
Bestselling author Walter Mosley said of the book, “Tom Straw's Sebastian Pike is a wonderful addition to the annals of amateur sleuths of the crime/spy genre.” Culinary personality Alton Brown said of the author, “Tom Straw has set the bar for culinary, espionage, travel thrillers. Actually, I think he invented the bar. And it’s a bar I’d meet him at any time.”
Tom  Straw’s television career has included WGA and Emmy nominations for writing and executive producer stints for shows including Night Court, CBS’s Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Nurse Jackie with Edie Falco.
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In this file Tom Straw and I discussed:
His early life as an AM radio personality and professional weatherman
How he got a shot to write on his first TV show
Working with Craig Ferguson and his robot skeleton sidekick 
The short version of hitting #1 as a ghostwriter for a fictitious mystery author 
How he invented the snarky, bad-boy, maverick chef for his latest novel
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
tomstraw.com
Tom Straw on IMDb
The Accidental Joe: The Top-Secret Life of a Celebrity Chef By Tom Straw (Amazon)
Tom Straw on Facebook
Tom Straw on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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Emmy-winning TV journalist and CNN Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir, spoke to me about finding his beat, seeking “hope in a changing world,” and his debut, Life as We Know It (Can Be).
Bill Weir is a veteran anchor, writer, producer, and host who joined CNN in 2013 after a decade of award-winning journalism at ABC News. After writing and hosting four seasons of the primetime CNN Original Series “The Wonder List with Bill Weir,” he was named the first Chief Climate Correspondent in network news in 2019.
His debut book is Life as We Know It (Can Be): Stories of People, Climate, and Hope in a Changing World, described as a “... positive and unabashed approach to exploring the science, politics, and human behavior that must be addressed to solve our most pressing problems.”
New York Times bestselling author and CNN anchor Jake Tapper said of the book, “Bill Weir provides insightful, alarming, but ultimately hopeful coverage of the climate crisis. His new book is a gorgeous love letter to his son but also to Earth and humanity,” and New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Safran Foer called it, “... a clear-eyed, heartfelt argument against despair.”
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In this file Bill Weir and I discussed:
How he incorporates the math and physics of storytelling into his journalism
The “crappy elf” method of writing and penning letters to his kids in the future
Why connection is more important than ever in the “golden age of distraction”
The difference between writing for the screen and the page
When he decided to focus on the dreamers and the doers
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
Bill Weir CNN Chief Climate Correspondent
Life as We Know It (Can Be): Stories of People, Climate, and Hope in a Changing World by Bill Weir (Amazon)
Bill Weir on Facebook
Bill Weir on Instagram
Bill Weir on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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#1 New York Times bestselling author, Tomi Adeyemi, spoke to me about the film adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone, her evolution as a writer, and the final book in her Orisha trilogy, Children of Anguish and Anarchy.
Tomi Adeyemi is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Hugo and Nebula award-winning novelist and screenwriter who was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in Media, and whose website was named one of the 101 Best Websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.
Her Children of Blood and Bone series continues to be a publishing phenomenon, acquired in a heated bidding war with the first two books becoming instant #1 NY Times bestsellers – spending over 150 weeks on the list – and over 1.5 million copies in print to date including recent paperback re-releases.
The Nigerian/American writer graduated from Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature and studied West African mythology, religion, and culture in Salvador, Brazil
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In this file Tomi Adeyemi and I discussed:
Her newly found balance and definition of success as a writer 
Facing rejection early on in her career
How she persevered through meticulous planning
Why her acknowledgments are so lengthy in her long-awaited capstone to her trilogy
What’s next for the superstar
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
tomiadeyemi.com
thewritersroadmap.net
Children of Anguish and Anarchy (Legacy of Orisha, 3) – June 25, 2024 by Tomi Adeyemi (Amazon)
Tomi Adeyemi Amazon Author Page
Tomi Adeyemi on Instagram
Tomi Adeyemi on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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