100 episodes

Novelist Spotlight is a gathering place for people interested in reading and writing great fiction and literature. This is where you will hear from the authors who write the novels and learn of their motivations, writing process, characters, struggles and successes. Novelist Spotlight is hosted by Mike Consol, a lifelong journalist and author of four novels.

Novelist Spotlight Mike Consol

    • Fiction
    • 4.9 • 11 Ratings

Novelist Spotlight is a gathering place for people interested in reading and writing great fiction and literature. This is where you will hear from the authors who write the novels and learn of their motivations, writing process, characters, struggles and successes. Novelist Spotlight is hosted by Mike Consol, a lifelong journalist and author of four novels.

    Novelist Spotlight #160: A conversation with award-winner author Tom Zoellner

    Novelist Spotlight #160: A conversation with award-winner author Tom Zoellner

    In the spotlight is Tom Zoellner, the author of nine nonfiction books, including Island on Fire: The Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for the best nonfiction book of 2020 and a finalist for the Bancroft Prize and the California Book Award. He works as a professor at Chapman University and Dartmouth College, and as an editor-at-large for the Los Angeles Review of Books.  We discuss:  >> The three questions every author should ask while deciding on a subject >> The mistakes aspiring writers tend to make >> Teaching creative nonfiction >> What AI does well >> Arizona >> Train travel >> Etc.  Learn more about Tom Zoellner and his books here: https://tomzoellner.com Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no   Write to Mike Consol at novelistspotlight@gmail.com

    • 54 min
    Novelist Spotlight #159: Biographer Laurence Leamer on Capote, Hitchcock, Carson, Warhol and others

    Novelist Spotlight #159: Biographer Laurence Leamer on Capote, Hitchcock, Carson, Warhol and others

    In the spotlight is biographer and storyteller Laurence Leamer, whose most recent bio, “Capote’s Women,” has been turned into a Hulu series and has been nominated for five Emmy Awards. He is the author of more than 18 books, including five New York Times bestsellers and one off-Broadway play.  We discuss:   >> His choice of subjects >> His work style >> Being fired by Newsweek magazine  >> Johnny Carson and his ex-wives >> Andy Warhol’s muses  >> Truman Capote’s demons  >> Etc.   Learn more about Laurence Leamer here: https://www.leamer.com    Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no    Write to Mike Consol at novelistspotlight@gmail.com 

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Novelist Spotlight #158: Nurse, lawyer, justice advocate, novelist

    Novelist Spotlight #158: Nurse, lawyer, justice advocate, novelist

    In the spotlight is Amanda DuBois, author of the Camille Delaney mystery series. She is the founder and managing partner of the DuBois Levias Law Group, a woman-owned boutique family law practice in Seattle. She was also a former high-risk labor and delivery nurse at the University of Washington Medical Center, before beginning her legal career in medical malpractice. Today, she writes from her own experiences of confronting injustice.We discuss:>> Legal thrillers>> Developmental editing>> Meditation as a writing tool>> The law profession>> Medical practice>> Social justice>> Etc.Learn more about Amanda DuBois here: https://amandadubois.com/Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at novelistspotlight@gmail.com. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

    • 1 hr 5 min
    Novelist Spotlight #157: Bookstores alive and well — and here is a novelist who started one

    Novelist Spotlight #157: Bookstores alive and well — and here is a novelist who started one

    In the spotlight is Paula Treick DeBoard, novelist and new bookstore owner. In April 2024, DeBoard opened Bookish in Modesto, Calif., and discusses her motivation and her strategy for succeeding. She is also the author of four family dramas, the novels “The Mourning Hours,” “The Fragile World,” “The Drowning Girls” and “Here We Lie.” She also teaches writing at the University of California, Merced. Check out the Bookish website here: https://www.bookishmodesto.com/ Learn more about Paula Treick DeBoard here: http://www.paulatreickdeboard.com/ Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at novelistspotlight@gmail.com. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

    • 36 min
    Novelist Spotlight #156: Deconstructing master novelist Don DeLillo

    Novelist Spotlight #156: Deconstructing master novelist Don DeLillo

    Ask literary critics to name the greatest American novelists of the past 50 years and Don DeLillo’s name is sure to be there. DeLillo, now 87, has written more than 18 novels and has won awards ranging from the National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner Award to the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.   Discussing his career during this episode are Jesse Kavadlo and Aaron DeRosa, both members of the Don DeLillo Society. Kavadlo is also a professor of English and humanities and the director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Maryville University of St. Louis, and DeRosa is also an assistant professor of 20th and 21st century American literature at California State Polytechnic University.  Learn more about Don DeLillo here: https://delillosociety.com/  Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at novelistspotlight@gmail.com. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

    • 1 hr 11 min
    Novelist Spotlight #155: Bestselling author Matt Coyle, creator of the Rick Cahill crime novels

    Novelist Spotlight #155: Bestselling author Matt Coyle, creator of the Rick Cahill crime novels

    Matt Coyle is the author of the best-selling Rick Cahill crime novels. Though he has wanted to be a crime writer since age 14, his actual foray into crime fiction was delayed for 30 years while he spent time managing a restaurant, selling golf clubs for various golf companies, and doing national sales for a sports licensing company. He wrote nights for more than a decade in producing his 2013 debut novel “Yesterday’s Echo.” He has since published a total of 10 Rick Cahill novels and he has won numerous awards.  We discuss:  >> Writers’ groups >> Book conferences >> Writing without outlines >> First drafts >> Moving from first-person to third-person storytelling >> Advice for aspiring crime writers >> Etc.  Learn more about Matt Coyle here: https://mattcoylebooks.com/  Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at novelistspotlight@gmail.com. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

    • 1 hr 2 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
11 Ratings

11 Ratings

The Desert Ghost ,

Insightful

I’m a multi-book award-winning author. Mike is an absolute pro with a depth of knowledge about writing, authors, and processes that is quite impressive. His interviews just flow and before I know it, the episode is over and I’m wanting more. Definitely recommend this podcast for authors still looking to learn, and let’s face it, every one of us authors can improve.
B.T. Polcari

Beth drb ,

Engaging and wide-ranging interesting conversations!

Mike is a fun interviewer who asks wide-ranging and interesting questions. I enjoyed his interviews because they enter us into the author’s way of thinking and that’s always fascinating.

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