Miles Beyond the Page

Michelle Miles
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

Miles Beyond the Page is a conversation-driven podcast celebrating the stories behind the stories. From romance and fantasy to speculative fiction, women’s fiction, and beyond, host Michelle Miles talks with authors about their books, creative process, characters, worlds, and inspiration. We explore what happens between the first spark of an idea and the finished book readers hold in their hands—because the heart of every conversation is storytelling. Grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and join us as we go Miles Beyond the Page.

  1. 5d ago

    Episode #91 Matt Witten – 51 Percent, Corporate Power & Writing for TV vs. Novels

    In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles sits down with bestselling author, playwright, and television writer Matt Witten to discuss his latest thriller, 51 Percent, and his remarkable career spanning novels, television, and the stage. Matt shares the inspiration behind 51 Percent, a dystopian murder mystery set twenty years in the future where powerful corporations control public infrastructure, privatize law enforcement, and even own people through "51%" contracts. As resistance begins to grow, the novel explores timely questions about power, freedom, and the future of society through an ensemble cast of characters with competing perspectives. Michelle and Matt also dive into the differences between writing for television and novels, drawing on Matt's experience writing for hit series including Law & Order, House, Pretty Little Liars, and Supernatural. He discusses breaking into television through a Law & Order pitch meeting, developing memorable characters, transitioning between screenwriting and fiction, and his path to traditional publishing after winning the Malice Domestic Writers Award. The conversation also covers Matt's creative process, balancing multiple storytelling formats, and what's next—including his upcoming 2027 thriller, Clutch, set in the world of the WNBA. 🎧 Join Michelle and Matt for an engaging conversation about thrillers, television writing, publishing, and crafting stories that ask compelling "what if?" questions. 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more author interviews and creative conversations on Miles Beyond the Page! ABOUT MATT WITTEN: Matt Witten is a TV writer, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who has written for many TV shows including House, Pretty Little Liars, Law & Order, Medium, Supernatural, and CSI: Miami. His thriller novel The Necklace is published in eight languages, is an Amazon Editors' Pick, and has been optioned for film by Leonardo DiCaprio. His novel Killer Story won a Foreword Indie award for best mystery and has been optioned for TV by Endgame Entertainment. Matt wrote four amateur sleuth novels that were published by Signet, including the Malice Domestic Award-winning Breakfast at Madeline’s, and he has been nominated for two Edgars and an Emmy. His published stage plays include The Deal, Washington Square Moves, and The Ties That Bind. He wrote the movie Drones, produced by Whitewater Films. His futuristic thriller, 51%, comes out in 2026. NBC hired Matt to cowrite a TV pilot based on 51%. His movie/TV agent is Paul Weitzman at Culture Creative Entertainment. WHERE TO FIND HIM: Website | Instagram | Facebook WHERE TO FIND HIS BOOKS: Amazon

  2. Sep 1

    Episode #90 Steve Southard – The Seastead Chronicles, Ocean-Born Sci-Fi & Worldbuilding

    In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles welcomes science fiction author Steve Southard to discuss his unique brand of ocean-based science fiction and his latest collection, The Seastead Chronicles. Drawing inspiration from his service in the U.S. Navy submarine force, Steve imagines a future where humanity colonizes Earth's oceans, creating floating "aqua states" complete with their own cultures, conflicts, governments, and histories. Steve shares the inspiration behind The Seastead Chronicles, a collection of interconnected stories spanning nearly eighty years of life at sea. He explains how the project evolved from short stories into a much larger fictional universe, discusses his plot-first writing process, and reveals why he loves the excitement of drafting but finds revision to be the most challenging part of writing. Michelle and Steve also explore immersive worldbuilding, from designing detailed maps to creating a custom collapsible globe of his fictional world. They discuss lessons learned from co-editing Twenty Thousand Leagues Remembered, the realities of publishing with small presses, marketing as an introverted author, and practical advice for writers on persistence, handling rejection, finding their own creative process, and focusing on what truly matters instead of worrying about doing everything "the right way." 🎧 Join Michelle and Steve for a fascinating conversation about science fiction, worldbuilding, writing craft, and building an author career one story at a time. 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more author interviews and creative conversations on Miles Beyond the Page! ABOUT STEVEN R. SOUTHARD: Steven R. Southard writes science fiction, and dabbles in other genres. Read his new short story collection, The Seastead Chronicles, where characters grapple with the difficulties of living on and under Earth’s oceans. His short stories appear in over a dozen anthologies, including Tamarind literary magazine, Spring Into Scifi (2025), and The Science Fiction Tarot. He co-edited the anthologies 20,000 Leagues Remembered and Extraordinary Visions, Stories Inspired by Jules Verne. WHERE TO FIND HIM: Website | X | Facebook WHERE TO FIND HIS BOOKS: Amazon

  3. Aug 25

    Episode #89 Christina Braver – Hawaii for Two, Sex-Positive Romance & Writing Intimacy

    In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles welcomes romance author Christina Braver to discuss her contemporary romance Hawaii for Two and how her background in clinical psychology shapes the stories she tells. Christina shares how the novel combines beloved romance tropes—including forced proximity, fake dating, and only one bed—with thoughtful conversations about intimacy, communication, and personal growth. Christina explains the inspiration behind Hawaii for Two, exploring her characters' emotional and sexual journeys with honesty and intention. She discusses writing realistic intimacy, incorporating accurate sexual health information into her novels, the importance of enthusiastic consent, and why romance fiction can help readers develop healthier expectations about relationships and communication. Michelle and Christina also dive into Christina's journey from writing during the COVID pandemic to becoming an indie author, her unique "plotzer" approach that blends plotting and pantsing, the challenges of marketing in today's publishing landscape, and what success means beyond sales. Along the way, they share practical advice for writers navigating publishing while staying true to their creative vision. 🎧 Join Michelle and Christina for an insightful conversation about contemporary romance, writing authentic relationships, indie publishing, and creating stories with both heart and purpose. 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more author interviews and creative conversations on Miles Beyond the Page! ABOUT CHRISTINA BRAVER: Christina Braver is a published author of nine steamy, contemporary romances, and an advocating for real sex representation in the genre and sex education in general. She has a master’s degree in clinical psychology and pairs that knowledge with information from prominent sex experts to write character-driven stories described as “a little bit nerdy, a little bit dirty.” Her books bring toe-curling spice and real-life tips while addressing deeper issues such as endometriosis, difficulty orgasming, sexual stereotypes, and surviving sexual shame. She lives outside Seattle and enjoys wine, mountain biking, laughing too loudly, and of course, reading. WHERE TO FIND HER: Website | Instagram | Facebook WHERE TO FIND HER BOOKS: Amazon

  4. Aug 18

    Episode #88 Mary Karlik – Lasso My Heart, Cowboy Romance & Writing on the Road

    In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles welcomes romance author Mary Karlik back to the show to celebrate her latest Tule Publishing release, Lasso My Heart. Set in the fictional Texas town of Spring Creek, the novel blends heartfelt romance with familiar connections to her updated indie YA series through subtle Easter eggs that longtime readers will enjoy discovering. Mary shares the real-life breakup that inspired the novel’s opening, her first experience writing a dual-timeline story with flashbacks, and the significance of the "frog box" thread that weaves throughout the series. She also discusses her four-book contract with Tule Publishing and previews future stories set in the rodeo world, featuring a rodeo doctor, an injured bull rider, and a smokejumper. Michelle and Mary dive into the realities of writing while traveling, developing emotionally authentic characters, embracing discovery writing, and balancing the business side of publishing. They also discuss promotion, advertising, deadlines, rejection, and overcoming the creative doubts every author faces. 🎧 Join Michelle and Mary for a warm conversation about cowboy romance, publishing, and finding inspiration wherever the road leads. 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more author interviews and creative conversations on Miles Beyond the Page! Mary Karlik (also writing as Mary J. Wilson) combines her Texas roots with her Scottish heritage to write happily-ever-afters from Texas to Scotland. Her five contemporary young adult romances are set-in small-town Texas. She is also published in epic fantasy with her Fairy Trafficking series set in Scotland. She also writes adult contemporary romances set in Scotland and Texas. When she is not writing or reading, Mary enjoys hanging out with family and friends, traveling around the world, or hill walking in Scotland while struggling to speak Gaelic with her Scottish husband. She lives in both and Scotland and Texas. WHERE TO FIND HER: Website | Instagram | Facebook WHERE TO FIND HER BOOKS: Amazon

  5. Aug 11

    Episode #87 A.M. Geever – Darkest Light, Shared-World Fiction & Indie Publishing

    In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles welcomes author A.M. Geever to discuss her post-apocalyptic fiction, her latest novel Darkest Light, and the unique experience of writing in a shared-world series. A.M. shares the inspiration behind Darkest Light, her contribution to the 13-author Fire in the Sky/Ravaged Skies shared universe, where a Carrington Event–style solar flare devastates the world's power grid. She explains how the authors collaborated within a common framework while creating their own distinct stories, complete with crossover Easter eggs for attentive readers. Michelle and A.M. also explore her approach to writing character-driven disaster fiction, setting stories in the remote landscapes of Montana and Idaho, and her detailed plotting process using resources from Writers Helping Writers. They discuss the creative freedom of indie publishing, the realities of marketing in today's publishing landscape, building newsletters and reader communities, and the craft lessons she's learned along the way—including why avoiding POV head-hopping makes for stronger storytelling. 🎧 Join Michelle and A.M. for an engaging conversation about post-apocalyptic fiction, collaborative storytelling, and building a successful indie author career. 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more author interviews and creative conversations on Miles Beyond the Page! ABOUT A.M. GEEVER: A.M. Geever is the award-winning author of The Undead Age and Steel City Apocalypse zombie apocalypse adventures. She also writes gritty post-collapse fiction in her Fire in the Sky series, where a solar flare brings modern civilization to its knees. A sci-fi enthusiast who dreamed of Starfleet command, she loves to write about impossible choices, no-win scenarios, and bad behavior. She shares her home with her husband, two cats with impeccable manners, and a pair of Blue Heeler/Catahoula hellhounds who have two speeds: fast and snuggle. WHERE TO FIND HER: Website | Instagram | Facebook WHERE TO FIND HER BOOKS: Amazon

  6. Aug 4

    Episode #86 Liza Jacob – Audiobook Narration, Auditions & Indie Author Insights

    In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles sits down with audiobook narrator Liza Jacob to explore the art, craft, and business of bringing stories to life through audio. Liza shares her journey from graphic design and illustration into audiobook narration, landing her first six-book series before she even had a home studio, and the acting and narration training that helped shape her career. Michelle and Liza discuss how audiobook performance has evolved, the importance of microphone technique and audio quality, and how Liza develops authentic accents by studying native speakers and working with dialect coaches. The conversation also offers valuable advice for indie authors looking to produce audiobooks. They cover the audition process, what authors should include in casting notes, common misconceptions about working with narrators, and what to listen for when reviewing auditions. Liza also explains audiobook pricing models, including royalty share and per-finished-hour contracts, shares her thoughts on AI narration, and discusses when authors might consider narrating their own work. 🎧 Whether you're an audiobook listener, a narrator, or an author considering audio for the first time, this episode is packed with practical insights into one of publishing's fastest-growing formats. 👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more author interviews and creative conversations on Miles Beyond the Page! ABOUT LIZA JACOB: Liza Jacob is a seasoned, sharp, and spectacularly listenable audiobook narrator. Liza brings a behind-the-scenes look at what actually makes an audiobook work—from performance choices to production standards. Listeners walk away with a sharper ear, smarter expectations, and fewer expensive mistakes. Equal parts craft and candor. With 30+ titles under her belt and over 10 accents mastered, she brings cozy mysteries, romance, and fantasy to life with a voice that’s as dependable as it is delightful. (Get ready — your listeners won’t just hear the story… they’ll feel it.) WHERE TO FIND HER: Website | TikTok

  7. Jul 28

    Episode #85 Laura Van Wormer – Publishing, Reinvention & The Power of Story

    In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles sits down with author and former Doubleday editor Laura Van Wormer to discuss her remarkable journey through publishing, fiction writing, and creative reinvention. Laura shares how an unexpected opportunity led her to write a biography-style book about the fictional Carrington family from Dynasty, which opened the door to official tie-in novels for Dallas and Knots Landing. Those experiences helped shape her unique storytelling approach and influenced her bestselling novel Riverside Drive, a sweeping story of interconnected lives brought together by an unlikely catalyst. Michelle and Laura explore the realities of working in traditional publishing, protecting creative energy, and balancing the demands of writing with the business side of a creative career. Laura also offers insights into her chapter-driven, serialized style and the lessons she learned from both sides of the publishing industry. The conversation takes a deeply personal turn as Laura shares how a devastating head-on collision left her with a brain injury that ended her ability to write novels. Rather than stepping away from storytelling, she found a new creative path through her podcast, The Class of ’74, where she continues to connect with audiences through research, history, and compelling stories. 🎧 Join Michelle and Laura for an inspiring conversation about resilience, creativity, publishing, and finding new ways to tell stories when life changes the script. ABOUT LAURA VAN WORMER: Laura Van Wormer is the creative force behind "The Class of ’74," a serialized fictional podcast that blends nostalgia, drama, and meticulous historical detail. Set in 1971–1974 in a well-heeled Connecticut suburb of New York City, the show has been praised for its authenticity and period-accurate setting, detail and events, and draws on Laura’s decades of experience as a novelist, editor and researcher, with a specialty in the ways the past informs the present. Her storytelling style is rooted in a good sense of humor, character psychology, the rhythms of small-town life, and creates a world listeners fall in love with. She herself was a member of the Class of '74 in Darien, Connecticut and was infamous for stopping high school parties to read stories she had written. Laura started her career at Doubleday as a secretary (in the era Jackie Onassis worked there) and worked her way up to editor. She left to pursue her own writing and while learning how to write a novel, supported herself by creating books with the creators of the hit night-time TV serials, "Dynasty," "Dallas" and "Knots Landing." Laura's first novel, RIVERSIDE DRIVE, was a bestseller when it was published in 1988. She published 13 more novels with major houses but in 2015 she was on her way to the airport to visit Betty White in Los Angeles when a drunk driver going the wrong way on the Merritt Parkway in CT hit her head-on. She woke up a month later in Yale New Haven hospital with a crushed collar bone, 16 broken ribs, torn diaphragm, broken knee, and a severed foot that required four surgeries to save. Ten years later she attended her 50th high school reunion and was sad because no one could hear her. When she went home her other half suggested why didn’t she write a story as a podcast so her classmates could hear her – and THE CLASS OF ’74 was born, a weekly narrative soap opera about teenagers starting high school in 1971. While the story is fiction, it faithfully recreates the fascinating time before cell phones existed and is guaranteed to take the listeners' minds off their problems – at least for half an hour each week. WHERE TO FIND HER: Class of '74 Podcast Website | Apple | Facebook | YouTube | BlueSky WHERE TO FIND HER BOOKS: Amazon

  8. Jul 23 ·  Bonus

    Episode #84 Writing Morally Gray Anti-Heroes Readers Can Trust

    In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles breaks down how to write morally gray anti-heroes who feel dangerous, compelling, and emotionally safe for readers. Using what she calls a “relationship engine,” Michelle explores why morally gray characters aren’t defined by attitude or aesthetics—but by their personal code, the lines they refuse to cross, and the repeated choices that build reader trust over time. She discusses how to create anti-heroes whose devotion feels earned, whose love costs them something, and whose emotional arc centers on partnership instead of control. Michelle also dives into defining a character’s survival strategy, building conflict around self-protection versus vulnerability, and establishing non-negotiables in romance storytelling such as consent, accountability, emotional repair, and honesty. The episode includes practical guidance and a writing prompt authors can use to start building their own unforgettable anti-hero. 🎧 Whether you write fantasy romance, dark romance, paranormal romance, or emotionally intense love stories, this episode offers a deeper look at creating anti-heroes readers can obsess over without breaking emotional trust.

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About

Miles Beyond the Page is a conversation-driven podcast celebrating the stories behind the stories. From romance and fantasy to speculative fiction, women’s fiction, and beyond, host Michelle Miles talks with authors about their books, creative process, characters, worlds, and inspiration. We explore what happens between the first spark of an idea and the finished book readers hold in their hands—because the heart of every conversation is storytelling. Grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and join us as we go Miles Beyond the Page.

Information

  • Creator
    Michelle Miles
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    96
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Michelle Miles
  • Show Website
    Miles Beyond the Page