Story Deep Dive Podcast

Story Deep Dive
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Fiction
  • Updated Weekly

Join editor and USA Today bestselling author Dana Pittman and developmental editor Rachel Arsenault for a weekly deep dive into great novels. storydeepdive.substack.com

  1. 3d ago

    Episode 87: Writing Paths, Time Horizons, and Why Your Goals Change Everything

    Welcome to Story Deep Dive! In this bonus episode, Dana and Rachel dig into one of the most important questions a writer can ask: what do you actually want your writing to do? The answer to that question determines your publishing path, your timeline, your research priorities, your team, and how you build an audience. Whether you’re writing toward a traditional deal, planning to self-publish, or still figuring out which way you’re going, this episode gives you the real trade-offs, the timelines no one tells you, and the mindset that makes the whole process more sustainable. You’ll come away with a clearer picture of what each path actually costs and what questions to start asking right now. You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Estimate Timestamps 0:05 — Check-Ins: Triple Threat Book Club and First Draft Season Dana’s summer at Danja Tales is centered on the Triple Threat book club experiment: instead of everyone reading the same book, each student is reading their genre’s GOAT, bringing their own work and insights to a shared conversation. “You don’t get to hide in the crowd.” Dana is holding the framework while students bring the specifics. Rachel is heading into first draft season with a new NAV 101 cohort, with graduates from previous cohorts in the room as a second voice: “I promise, it really is so good on the other side.” 24:02 — The Core Question: What Do You Want Your Writing to Do? Dana frames the episode: naming what you want from your writing life isn’t a soft, philosophical exercise. It’s the question that shapes every downstream decision. “Different goals call for different craft decisions. They may call for different resources.” Rachel adds the coaching side: the first question she asks in any consultation is what the client wants the book to do and what they want their writing career to look like — because the answer changes the work. Even “I don’t know” is a useful answer. It keeps the question on the table. 30:08 — Every Path Has a Price Dana’s framework for the episode: every writing path has a cost, and knowing yours before you commit keeps you from being surprised at the wrong moment. Rachel goes straight at the most common misconception: choosing traditional publishing to avoid marketing. “Going trad, you still have to do marketing — especially as a debut author.” Marketing is a requirement on every path. The only writer who doesn’t have to market is the one who doesn’t care if anyone reads the book. 33:51 — Traditional Publishing: What You Get and What You Pay The trad path hands off cover design, printing, and distribution costs to the publisher. What you pay instead is time. Query timelines alone run six to eight weeks minimum per wave, across multiple waves. Add agent submission time and editorial consideration time on top of that. Dana names the math: “If it takes you a year and a half to two years, plus their year and a half to two, you see what I mean?” The launch window at the end of this long runway is compressed. Rachel adds the one-shot rule: you get one pitch per agent per project. Get rejected, move on. The manuscript can come back later — “when you get your first book out, they’ll say, what else do you have?” — but you don’t get a redo on the same submission. 38:45 — Independent Publishing: What You Get and What You Pay Indie gives you control over timing, positioning, and pace. What you pay is that every decision is yours to get right or wrong. Cover design, team assembly, market research, reader list building — it all lands with you. High-demand cover designers can have two to three year waitlists. Rapid release is possible and common in romance, but it’s built on inventory writers accumulated before hitting the market. “They are responsible for when it goes out.” Rachel draws the contrast cleanly: traditional moves at the publisher’s pace and you’re along for the ride. Indie, you set the pace. 44:26 — Time Horizons: What Timeline Have You Actually Assigned to Your Writing Career? Dana names the thing most writers haven’t said out loud: “I realized I always thought of writing as my retirement plan. I didn’t realize that’s the timeline I had stuck on it — and that made, it changed my choices.” The timeline shapes the catalog. If you want your books to have long legs, you make different choices than if you’re trend-forward. And knowing your timeline means you can plan backwards from where you actually want to land, not from someone else’s idea of what “a long time” means. 48:44 — Getting Your Reps In Dana’s emphasis: doing all your work on one story can work against you, especially in the trad lane. The first idea is not always the best version of the idea. There’s real value in completing work, getting it read, and learning the gap between what you envisioned and what a reader experiences. Rachel adds the time-limit tool: give yourself a defined window on any single project — a year, a year and a half — and commit to either pitching it or calling it practice by that date. It prevents the indefinite spin that kills momentum without producing a manuscript anyone can read. 53:29 — Build the Audience Before You Need It Both hosts land on the same non-negotiable: build your audience before you need it, regardless of publishing path. Newsletter, social presence, reader engagement — these are not optional for writers who want their work to reach people. Dana: “You want to build the audience before you need it.” A larger number is better, but what matters most is that you have one and you’ve started. The earlier you begin, the more leverage you have — in negotiations, in launches, and in your own confidence at the table. 59:09 — Research, Industry Events, and the Things No One Tells You Industry knowledge is more accessible than it’s ever been. Pitching sessions on X, conferences with agent access, agent and editor social media — these are tools, and writers who use them come in better prepared. Dana’s point for indie writers: being in charge is only useful if you know what you’re doing. “If you don’t know nothing, you got somebody that don’t know nothing in charge.” Working with people who do know is part of the cost of the path. 1:02:47 — Your Journey Is Allowed to Be Yours Dana closes with a client who stepped away from writing for a decade while his kids grew up, retired, and came back. “That’s not what you’re going to see anywhere. But he had to have grace to let his kids get older.” Timelines are personal. Platforms change. The publishing landscape keeps shifting. What stays stable is the question: what do you want? Write that down. Bring it into the room with you. And give yourself permission to build toward it at the pace your life actually allows. Even “one book at a time” is a plan. Next Episode: Dana and Rachel kick off their discussion of Louisiana Longshot by Jana DeLeon. Join the Conversation: Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts at storydeepdive.com. Follow Story Deep Dive on YouTube and Substack, and connect with Dana and Rachel to keep the discussion going! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

    Episode 87: Writing Paths, Time Horizons, and Why Your Goals Change Everything

  2. Aug 23

    Episode 86: Story Threads, Tropes, and Interpersonal Conflict in Broken Harbor

    Welcome to Story Deep Dive! In this final episode on Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles, Dana and Rachel share their editor’s takeaways: the braid, the four-act structure, conflict buckets, suspense that never sacrifices the romance, and interpersonal conflict between characters who like each other. They also reveal next month’s crossover pick. Whether you’re a romance writer, a cozy mystery author, or a story strategist, you’ll gain insight on tracking your threads, using tropes as an engine, and learning from books that aren’t your own picks. You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Estimate Timestamps 0:26 – Next-Book Reveal: Louisiana Longshot by Jana DeLeon The hosts announce next month’s crossover pick, Louisiana Longshot by Jana DeLeon, a cozy mystery with a twist: the protagonist is a CIA agent, not the usual amateur-sleuth baker. Dana explains why cozies are a strong study in character development across a long-running series this one runs 30 books and is still going, and Rachel flags it as their first fully clean, no-steam pick in two years. 18:35 – Editor’s Takeaways: The High-Level List Dana reiterates the month’s refrain and names her takeaways: the braid internal, external, romantic, tropes as engine, and suspense without sacrificing romance. Rachel folds in external threads used to real effect, specificity for story and characters, and the importance of interpersonal conflict. 20:51 – The Four-Act Structure and the Braid Dana teaches the four-act structure each act roughly 25 percent as a more natural pacing tool than three-act, and maps the book onto it. She ties it to the braid and gives a sharp editor’s caveat: when two braid elements integrate so well they can’t be severed, it reads beautifully but studies poorly, because the beat is doing double duty. Broken Harbor keeps its threads trackable, which is what makes it teachable. 27:40 – External Threads and Conflict Buckets Rachel notes Sutton builds a life even when Cope isn’t on the page, which keeps her from being a damsel. She introduces conflict buckets: categories of antagonism you can abstract from your story to verify your act-one setups pay off and to see what happens when two buckets hit at once. Dana adds the bonus: mapping threads makes plot holes blaring, so it doubles as an editing tool. 32:41 – Suspense Without Sacrificing Romance Writers lean into suspense because it’s more tangible than plotting a feeling, but it usually railroads the romance. Cowles keeps clean lines, the romance progresses while the suspense stays as present white noise, then both converge in one relevant climax. Rachel ties it to expectations: because the prologue signaled the destination, the twist is satisfying, not out of left field. 40:00 – Tropes as Engine, Revisited Dana revisits the trope list, single mom, hockey player, found family, small town, forced proximity, and shows each affecting trajectory rather than dangling as a label. Rachel connects it to specificity: tropes feel arbitrary when jammed in for popularity, and the fix is to ask why this matters to the story and how it’s part of the fabric of the characters. 44:47 – Same Ingredients, Different Dish Dana reframes the trope-skeptic’s worry with a cooking metaphor: same ingredients, totally different dish. Your lens and your characters’ specific wounds are what make a familiar trope uniquely yours. You know better now, so you do better, and leveling up is the whole point of studying a book like this. 48:26 – Don’t Shy Away From Interpersonal Conflict Rachel’s closing craft point: conflict between characters who care is a gift, harder and more meaningful than conflict with the snooty side character. It lets them confront flaws and shows change over time so growth doesn’t feel overnight. Dana adds it happens in a safe space, where someone you care about can say what others can’t. 58:57 – The Mic Drop: Learn From Books That Aren’t Your Pick Both hosts close on the show’s philosophy: you can learn enormous amounts from books outside your genre. See it, don’t unsee it, generalize the move, then notice why it hit you, and solve the new problem, how do I do this in a way only I can? Book Selection: Title: Broken Harbor Author: Catherine Cowles Since the moment our lives fell apart, the only thing that mattered was making a good life for my son. A life where he was happy and safe. I just never expected to find that safety with a hockey player known for his brutal dominance on the ice and his recklessness off it. But Cope Colson is so much more. The gentle way he makes sure we’re okay. The playful care he shows my son. The way he truly sees me. When my life comes apart yet again, it’s Cope picking up the pieces. Now, we’re living in his house, eating his incredible, chef-worthy meals, and it’s not just my son who’s falling. It’s me. Because when Cope touches me, I lose all sense. I’m no longer thinking about staying safe, I’m thinking about how my skin ignites with every glance, how I come undone with the barest brush of his fingertips, and when we give into temptation…I’m lost. But Cope has secrets and so do I. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, there’s nothing they won’t do to end our happiness once and for all… Where to Find the Book Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles is available in several formats. It's also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website. Next Episode: Next month, Dana and Rachel kick off Louisiana Longshot by Jana DeLeon, a cozy mystery crossover pick and their first fully clean read, with a CIA-agent protagonist and a 30-book series to learn from. Join the Conversation: Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts at storydeepdive.com. Follow Story Deep Dive on YouTube and Substack, and connect with Dana and Rachel to keep the discussion going! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

  3. Aug 16

    Episode 85: Everyday Heroines, Layered Alphas, and Backstory in Broken Harbor

    Welcome to Story Deep Dive! In this episode, Dana and Rachel discuss the characters in Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles: an everyday single mom, an alpha hero with real depth, a kid who functions as a true catalyst, and a rich conversation about backstory, memory, and the meaning a character makes of what happened to them. Whether you’re a romance writer, a paranormal author, or a story strategist, you’ll gain insight on writing love interests with variety, building believable family dynamics, and deploying flashbacks that actually mean something. You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Estimate Timestamps 1:00 – Danja Tales Check-In: Drafting a Full Series Before Release Dana shares that she finished first drafts of an entire four-book series back to back before releasing any of it, for scheduling and sanity, and is now reading top to bottom before working each book individually. She leans on dictation because she orally processes and on a meticulous folder because names are her kryptonite. Big caveat: this only works because it’s a proven, profitable pen name, and she wouldn’t recommend it to a newer writer. 17:42 – StoryCypher Check-In: Open Submissions and Beta-Reader Feedback Rachel describes her Academy’s open-submission sessions, including a live track-changes edit that solved a student’s problem by deleting two sentences. It opens a bigger point: take beta feedback in the aggregate, don’t spin out on one comment, and beware writer friends who diagnose the problem instead of reporting their experience. Give beta readers specific questions or “you don’t want them to tell you what they think, don’t open that can.” 29:22 – Sutton and Cope: The Everyday Woman and the Layered Alpha Dana frames Sutton as an everyday woman you want to protect, not a pity party, and praises how Cowles wrote Cope so you almost forget he’s a rich hockey star. Her craft note: if you can’t have a real emotional moment with your own story, you won’t get it on the page. Cowles gave Cope a wound as deep as Sutton’s, so their showing up for each other never feels like a free pass. 44:37 – Opposites on Another Level: Why This Isn’t Grumpy-Sunshine Rachel points out this isn’t the grumpy-sunshine dynamic of Knox and Naomi. Sutton and Cope share a bad habit, caretaking while keeping people at arm’s length, anchored in different wounds. Dana’s theory: as a book three, it earns leeway for atypical, outlier leads. Both land on the real lesson: tropes look samey, but love interests hold enormous variety. “You change one detail, you change everything.” 50:46 – Michael Hauge and Seeing the Essence Dana lands the episode’s richest idea through Michael Hauge: your couple sees the essence of the other person. Sutton sees through Cope’s coping without knowing the cause, and being seen without being called out creates the safety to eventually unload the wound. She’s careful to note Sutton can’t heal Cope, she can navigate him toward the conversation that frees him. 54:45 – Luca as Catalyst, Not Set Dressing Both hosts stress Luca is structurally essential, since Sutton wouldn’t be near hockey without him, and praise the age Cowles chose: independent enough to challenge his mom and carry both the one-liners and the wisdom. He also keeps the story out of the lazy miscommunication trap and, as Dana puts it, gets Sutton “Jedi-mind-tricked into taking care of herself.” 1:00:41 – Family Dynamics and the Specificity of Memory Rachel argues romances are a great place to study believable family dynamics, funny, snarky, annoying, lovable, not saccharine, built from specific mannerisms. She extends it to memory: a vague memory tells us nothing, but a specific one the hot dog down a stranger’s shirt reveals character. Dana adds the essential layer: what meaning did the character make of it? Backstory is the residue of the moment that changed who they are, not clever information to drip in. 1:11:01 – The Mic Drop: Freeing Characters From Their Jails Dana closes on the writer’s job: drip the transformation, don’t dump it, because nobody changes overnight. Do the extra work to build the undercurrent beneath each moment. What you’re really doing is freeing these characters from their mental, or situational, jails so they can become whole enough to love and be loved fully. Book Selection: Title: Broken Harbor Author: Catherine Cowles Since the moment our lives fell apart, the only thing that mattered was making a good life for my son. A life where he was happy and safe. I just never expected to find that safety with a hockey player known for his brutal dominance on the ice and his recklessness off it. But Cope Colson is so much more. The gentle way he makes sure we’re okay. The playful care he shows my son. The way he truly sees me. When my life comes apart yet again, it’s Cope picking up the pieces. Now, we’re living in his house, eating his incredible, chef-worthy meals, and it’s not just my son who’s falling. It’s me. Because when Cope touches me, I lose all sense. I’m no longer thinking about staying safe, I’m thinking about how my skin ignites with every glance, how I come undone with the barest brush of his fingertips, and when we give into temptation…I’m lost. But Cope has secrets and so do I. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, there’s nothing they won’t do to end our happiness once and for all… Where to Find the Book Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles is available in several formats. It's also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website. Next Episode: In the next episode, Dana and Rachel share their editor's takeaways from Broken Harbor, the braid, the four-act structure, conflict buckets, and suspense without sacrificing romance, plus a sneak preview of next month's pick. Join the Conversation: Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts at storydeepdive.com. Follow Story Deep Dive on YouTube and Substack, and connect with Dana and Rachel to keep the discussion going! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

  4. Aug 9

    Episode 84: Prologues, Stakes, and the Breakup Scene in Broken Harbor

    Welcome to Story Deep Dive! In this episode, Dana and Rachel dig into the plot of Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles: the inciting wound in the prologue, how the book escalates to life-or-death stakes using regular people, and why a romance still needs a breakup scene. Whether you’re a romance writer, a suspense author, or a story strategist, you’ll gain insight on when a prologue earns its place, how to keep suspense from swallowing your love story, and how to use interpersonal conflict to develop character. You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Estimate Timestamps 0:41 – Danja Tales Check-In: The Social Media Reckoning Dana gets honest about a yap challenge and why talking on camera drains her even though she loves to talk. She names the real friction: platforms want one idea in 30 seconds, and books are so interwoven that a single topic dovetails into fifty others. Rachel mirrors it from the author side and both land on the same fix: get your reps in and keep tweaking until a sustainable rhythm clicks. 32:21 – The Inciting Wound and the Prologue Dana lays out the opening: Sutton and Luca living a normal life until the prologue goes south fast, the moment that becomes the wound the book unpacks. Rachel names why chapter one works: because we had the prologue, Sutton’s specific behavior, checking the parking lot, strict rules with Luca, tells us the threat is still operating a year later without the writer being heavy-handed. 42:46 – The Prologue Rules Rachel gives two clean heuristics for when a prologue earns its place: opening in a POV that isn’t your protagonist she cites Mistborn, and establishing tone and stakes up front the injured, bleeding open of John Wick buys the audience’s patience for the sad first 25 percent. Dana’s version: “don’t be lazy.” Cut a prologue that lets you drag your feet; crush one that seeds something the reader needs to carry. 51:24 – Suspense Without Sacrificing the Romance Dana calls suspense “a ballsy, elbowy person taking up too much room on the airplane,” because it can overpower a romance fast. Cowles keeps the fire kindled with phone calls and small pings while the romance builds. Rachel adds that the external threat feeds Sutton’s internal arc, and Dana’s rain-crawling-across-the-tin-roofs image captures the lingering dread the reader shares with Sutton. 1:02:26 – Multiple Threads Make a Story Feel Lived-In Because Sutton has a bakery, a son, and an ex, every scene has something to do beyond being romantic. Rachel notes this fixes a problem from past picks where lovers just wander and reflect when apart. The threads create different sets, the rink, the bakery, Cope’s house, that reveal different facets of the characters. Dana warns against subplot-for-subplot’s-sake: think in connections with real beginnings, middles, and ends. 1:06:25 – The Breakup Scene Soapbox Rachel hands Dana the soapbox and Dana takes it: every romance needs a breakup scene, because “a love not tested cannot be trusted.” Broken Harbor runs a soft, emotional version. The deeper rule: characters can’t change for the love interest, they have to heal individually and come back whole, or you’ve written toxic love instead of real love. 1:13:24 – Interpersonal Conflict as Character Development Rachel frames conflict with the love interest as putting a character through their paces, and tells the $15-an-hour story on herself: undercharging until Dana named the blind spot she couldn’t see. Good developmental conflict does the same for characters and lets readers watch them wrestle with something familiar, with the love as the catalyst for healing. 1:18:32 – Tropes as an Engine, Not a Label Dana closes on tropes: Cowles didn’t just make Cope a hockey player, she made hockey bump directly against Sutton’s wound, so the trope carries stakes and consequence. Found family works the same way. Her stance for trope-skeptics: give readers what they want, then anchor it so it changes how the characters feel, decide, and move. Book Selection: Title: Broken Harbor Author: Catherine Cowles Since the moment our lives fell apart, the only thing that mattered was making a good life for my son. A life where he was happy and safe. I just never expected to find that safety with a hockey player known for his brutal dominance on the ice and his recklessness off it. But Cope Colson is so much more. The gentle way he makes sure we’re okay. The playful care he shows my son. The way he truly sees me. When my life comes apart yet again, it’s Cope picking up the pieces. Now, we’re living in his house, eating his incredible, chef-worthy meals, and it’s not just my son who’s falling. It’s me. Because when Cope touches me, I lose all sense. I’m no longer thinking about staying safe, I’m thinking about how my skin ignites with every glance, how I come undone with the barest brush of his fingertips, and when we give into temptation…I’m lost. But Cope has secrets and so do I. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, there’s nothing they won’t do to end our happiness once and for all… Where to Find the Book Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles is available in several formats. It's also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website. Next Episode: In the next episode, Dana and Rachel discuss the characters in Broken Harbor: Sutton and Cope as a fresh take on opposites, Luca as catalyst, positive family dynamics, and how to write flashbacks and memories that actually mean something. Join the Conversation: Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts at storydeepdive.com. Follow Story Deep Dive on YouTube and Substack, and connect with Dana and Rachel to keep the discussion going! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

  5. Aug 2

    Episode 83: Romantic Suspense, Found Family, and Tropes in Broken Harbor

    Welcome to Story Deep Dive! In this episode, Dana and Rachel kick off a four-week study of Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles, a small-town hockey romance that carries a real romantic-suspense thread underneath the cupcakes and found family. Whether you’re a romance writer, a suspense author, or a story strategist, you’ll gain insight on running two genres in tandem, ordering the way you open and close your threads, and choosing tropes that actually change how the story moves. You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Estimate Timestamps 0:37 – Danja Tales Check-In: The Triple Threat Summer Book Club Dana walks through the three-book system she’s running in DTW this summer: a Goat greatest of all time, the oldest and hardest to find, your foundation, an Evergreen shows how the niche has evolved, and a Chart Topper a current release. Her sharpest point: “read more” is weak advice without parameters. The room finally let writers articulate what they want and don’t want in their genre, and it surfaced a spinoff conversation about the difference between steamy romance and contemporary romance. 15:37 – Rachel at ProWritingAid: Structuring a Crime Story Rachel shares her novel-summer-camp talk on building crime stories act by act. Her core mechanic: crime stories flatline when they become “we went here and learned this, then went there and learned that,” and increasing gore does not increase tension. What escalates a crime story is the meaning of the information, building the picture of the truth and then disrupting it because the protagonist is wrong. 23:05 – Overview: What’s Going On in Broken Harbor Dana sets the table. Sutton is a single mom to her son Luca. A dangerous opening moment not of her doing sends them into a small town, a bakery, and eventually the orbit of a hockey player with his own publicity troubles. The romance and the found family build while a life-or-death cloud never fully lifts. 30:16 – Structure: Nested Threads and the Order You Open and Close Them Rachel names the move she loved: the suspense opens first, the romance opens next, the romance resolves first, and the suspense closes around it. The plots are nested and distinct enough to point at in any scene, yet braided so cleanly nothing feels tangential. Dana adds that this clean execution is exactly what makes the book worth studying. 33:47 – Romantic Suspense as a True Dual Genre Both hosts stress that romantic suspense means two equally weighted genres, not a romance with a suspense subplot. Dana defines the subgenre: a central external threat, usually life-or-death, running alongside the emotional vulnerability and guaranteed happily-ever-after of romance. What’s unusual here is regular people in a small town rather than mafia or law enforcement, which keeps the stakes believable. 50:39 – The Prologue, the Cover, and Managing Expectations The prologue introduces the suspense and sets the tone so the shift into the cozy first chapter doesn’t read as bait-and-switch. Cowles keeps dropping breadcrumbs so the threat is never forgotten, and the soft-colored cover does none of that work. Dana’s read: Sutton’s answer to danger is to hide, and no one lives a full happily-ever-after in hiding, so the real story is whether playing small ever kept her safe. Book Selection: Title: Broken Harbor Author: Catherine Cowles Since the moment our lives fell apart, the only thing that mattered was making a good life for my son. A life where he was happy and safe. I just never expected to find that safety with a hockey player known for his brutal dominance on the ice and his recklessness off it. But Cope Colson is so much more. The gentle way he makes sure we’re okay. The playful care he shows my son. The way he truly sees me. When my life comes apart yet again, it’s Cope picking up the pieces. Now, we’re living in his house, eating his incredible, chef-worthy meals, and it’s not just my son who’s falling. It’s me. Because when Cope touches me, I lose all sense. I’m no longer thinking about staying safe, I’m thinking about how my skin ignites with every glance, how I come undone with the barest brush of his fingertips, and when we give into temptation…I’m lost. But Cope has secrets and so do I. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, there’s nothing they won’t do to end our happiness once and for all… Where to Find the Book Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles is available in several formats. It's also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website. Next Episode: In the next episode, Dana and Rachel dig into the plot of Broken Harbor: the inciting wound, the prologue as runway, escalating life-or-death stakes with regular people, and why every romance needs a breakup scene. Join the Conversation: Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts. Visit storydeepdive.com. Follow Story Deep Dive on YouTube and Substack, and connect with Dana and Rachel to keep the discussion going! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

  6. Jul 26

    Episode 82: First Chapters, Earning Trust, and the Genre Contract in Sharp Objects

    Welcome to Story Deep Dive! In this final episode on Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Dana and Rachel bring the series together with their editor’s takeaways: developing a cast through theme, letting plot carry theme while honoring the genre contract, why first chapters set the floor, and how an author earns a reader’s trust. Whether you’re a romance writer, a crime author, or a story strategist, you’ll walk away with practical tools for casting from theme, embedding meaning in plot, and writing openings that make a promise. You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Estimate Timestamps 1:09 – The Next Pick and a Confession Dana announces Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles, admits she picked it before finishing it, and explains how an unputdownable hockey romantic suspense doubled back on the series themes of openings and baselines. 8:06 – The Origin Story A warm digression on how Dana and Rachel met, including the Airbnb story where a wandering stranger met Dana’s hanger and Rachel’s freeze, now a runner about being ready next time. 21:13 – The Caveat and the Blurb Rachel gives the standing content caveat and reads the blurb one last time for the finale. 28:01 – Developing the Cast Through Theme Rachel returns to the circle-and-line exercise. Spreading a theme across characters with different responses is what gives it nuance, so every character pulls weight. Dana adds how the cast felt smaller than it was, tinted by Camille’s experience, and her affection for Jackie. 33:39 – Letting the Plot Carry the Theme Nobody shows up to fiction for a soapbox. The crime-story contract is upheld while the bodies, the investigation, and the reveal carry the theme. Dana names the mechanism: each clue disrupts Camille’s interior and forces her to act. 40:06 – First Chapters as the Floor The opening tells the reader everything about the ride ahead, sets the promise and inciting incident, and samples how dark the book can get so a reader can make an informed decision. 43:29 – Earning Trust the Old-Fashioned Way Dana contrasts the institutional darkness of Ninth House with the human, proximity-based darkness here, and names her editor’s note: Flynn earned trust with great storytelling, mastering the basics and then taking them up several notches. 48:23 – The Verdict, the Wound, and How Theme Emerges Dana’s honest verdict (loved it, didn’t like it) leads into the generational mother-daughter wound at the center. Rachel closes with a key editorial truth: theme often emerges from the story across drafts, then gets refined with intention. Book Selection: Title: Sharp Objects Author: Gillian Flynn Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming. Where to Find the Book Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn is available in several formats. It's also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website. Next Episode: In the next episode, Dana and Rachel kick off a new book with the happily ever after Dana has been waiting for: Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles. Join the Conversation: Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts. Visit storydeepdive.com, follow Story Deep Dive on your favorite podcast player and YouTube, and connect with Dana and Rachel to keep the discussion going! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

  7. Jul 19

    Episode 81: Authentic Characters, Backstory, and Generational Wounds in Sharp Objects

    Welcome to Story Deep Dive! In this episode, Dana and Rachel dig into character in Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: how tone and theme shape an entire cast, what makes Camille authentic rather than likable, and how trauma functions almost as a character of its own. Whether you’re a romance writer, a crime author, or a story strategist, you’ll gain tools for building a cast that carries your theme, writing a protagonist readers stay with even when they disagree with her, and unveiling backstory as narrative drive. You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Estimate Timestamps 0:43 – Hot Seats and the Perfect Day Rachel describes Story Cipher’s act hot seats and the power of framing questions that give writers feedback they can use. Dana connects it to alpha reads and shares her half-marathon training and a custom 75-day challenge, with the throughline that a desk-bound creative life requires intentional movement and real stopping points. 29:15 – The Caveat and the Blurb Rachel gives the standing content caveat and reads the blurb for anyone new to the series. 33:08 – Tone and Theme Shape the Cast Just as tone shapes plot, it shapes cast. Rachel runs a spectrum from the quirky small town of The Things We Never Got Over to the middle ground of The Woman in the Library to the near-uniform awfulness of Wind Gap, where the cast reflects the heavy story. 38:30 – The Town as Filter, Jackie as Balance Dana frames the cast as the lens that signals the story’s coloration, using Jackie as a character whose warnings are clear but easy to dismiss. Rachel names the effect: it works like an unreliable narrator, which earns the psychological-thriller label. 43:50 – Trauma as a Character Dana argues trauma functions like an unforgettable setting, having permeated the whole town. Flynn writes Adora, Camille, and Amma with the same wound and shows how each carried it differently. 47:17 – Camille: Authentic, Not Likable Rachel calls Camille a protagonist we disapprove of but don’t begrudge. Dana’s framing: she works because she feels authentic and we’re privy to her reasoning, so her choices stay in alignment with who she is. 57:01 – A Broken Relationship With Violence Camille’s dysfunctional relationship to violence, set early, braids her internal arc with the theme and the plot. Rachel offers the circle-and-line exercise for mapping a theme across a cast, and names Curry and Richard as self-serving outsider voices of reason. 1:03:49 – Backstory as Breadcrumbs Both hosts land on technique: meet the character where they are, anchor the rough edges in real experience, and drip the backstory so the reveal lands harder than a reader could have assembled on their own. Book Selection: Title: Sharp Objects Author: Gillian Flynn Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming. Where to Find the Book Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn is available in several formats. It's also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website. Next Episode: In the next episode, Dana and Rachel close the series with their editor's takeaways: developing cast through theme, letting plot carry theme, first chapters as the floor, and how theme emerges across drafts. Join the Conversation: Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts. Visit storydeepdive.com, follow Story Deep Dive on your favorite podcast player and YouTube, and connect with Dana and Rachel to keep the discussion going! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

  8. Jul 12

    Episode 80: Crime Construction, Stakes, and Theme in Sharp Objects

    Welcome to Story Deep Dive! In this episode, Dana and Rachel break down the plot of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: how Camille’s job as a journalist shapes the investigation, how Flynn uses plot to explore theme instead of preaching it, and how tone calibrates exactly what lands on the page. Whether you’re a romance writer, a crime author, or a story strategist, you’ll gain practical tools for engineering conflict from character, marrying plot and theme, and dialing tone up or down with intention. You can also watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube! Estimate Timestamps 1:19 – Book Clubs and the GOAT Rachel describes how her multi-session book clubs run, from macro structure to line-level skills. Dana explains the GOAT, the greatest-of-all-time comp for your genre, and how to choose comps with maximum alignment to your subgenre so you can watch a genre evolve through your reading. 23:33 – The Caveat and the Blurb Rachel gives the standing content caveat and reads the blurb for anyone joining mid-series. Dana reminds listeners they are always cherry-picking. 29:27 – Set-Up: How Camille Gets There Curry sends Camille back to Wind Gap on a career-making assignment. Rachel names the core principle: a protagonist’s profession defines their relationship to the investigation, and pulling conflict from that occupation builds the story with intention. 33:36 – Two Kinds of Problem Some people won’t talk to a journalist; others talk too much and lie for the byline. Either way, who Camille is shapes what she can learn. Dana notes the double edge: the very reason Curry sent her is the reason she shouldn’t be there. 38:16 – The Dual Engines and Dripped Information Two threads run neck and neck: the murder mystery and the mystery of Camille. Rachel compares the breadcrumb backstory to Ninth House and Alex Stern. Dana’s formula: answer the question, then take us deeper and darker. 44:09 – Plot as the Vehicle for Theme Rachel argues that plot and theme can’t be at cross-purposes. The plot should let the reader experience the theme rather than be grabbed by the shoulders. The crime story becomes the vehicle for the theme of violence and the forms it takes. 50:12 – Tone as the Calibration Dial Tone determines how far the story goes and how much we see. Rachel contrasts The Woman in the Library (a scream, no body) with Sharp Objects (bodies described in detail) and uses the meat-processing plant as tone-by-detail. 58:34 – A Sequence of Permissions Dana’s image for Flynn’s escalation: each described moment earns permission for the next, pressing against the reader’s sensitivity rather than shoving, then turning the external material inward onto Camille. 1:01:13 – Concentric Circles Closing In The story opens broad and tightens until the walls close on Camille. Both hosts close on how hard the inward turn is to execute, and why any misstep would send the reader away. Book Selection: Title: Sharp Objects Author: Gillian Flynn Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming. Where to Find the Book Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn is available in several formats. It's also widely available in libraries and online retailers. Details on her website. Next Episode: In the next episode, Dana and Rachel turn to character: how tone and theme shape a cast, what makes Camille authentic rather than likable, and how trauma functions almost as a character of its own. Join the Conversation: Like what you heard? Subscribe, leave a review, and share your thoughts. Visit storydeepdive.com, follow Story Deep Dive on your favorite podcast player and YouTube, and send Dana and Rachel your 2027 reading recommendations to keep the discussion going! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit storydeepdive.substack.com

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About

Join editor and USA Today bestselling author Dana Pittman and developmental editor Rachel Arsenault for a weekly deep dive into great novels. storydeepdive.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Story Deep Dive
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    89
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dana Pittman & Rachel Arsenault
  • Show Website
    Story Deep Dive Podcast