The Thoughtful Bro

My interview with Chad Harbach discussing his latest, The Brightness . Chad and I discussed (1) the pressures and uncertainties for a writer who takes a decade or more between books; (2) how the lit journal landscape has changed since founding n+1 over 20 years ago, and (3) the influence of the grand 19th century novel on his own work. Order Mark's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Tho...

My chat with rising horror phenom Keith Rosson about his latest book, which is getting all the buzz, Crone . We covered (1) taking on zombies, vampires, and now witches; (2) finding the right moment in your life, to *finally* write that book that's been buried in you for decades; and (3) weaving tender genuine father-daughter emotion into what otherwise is a horror hellscape. Order Mark's novel  B...

My interview with one of my favorite speculative/horror authors, Alma Katsu , whose latest book, Incarnate , is a cross between Rumpelstiltskin, Oscar Wilde's Picture Of Dorian Gray , and digital urban legend. We discussed, (1) the rapidly growing online contemporary folklore / horror scene, a.k.a. "creepy-pastas," (2) how AI won't ever replace real art, and (3) why the golden age of horror storyt...

My exploration of the American publishing landscape with one of our great book critics, Ron Charles . We discussed (1) the cardinal sin of novels—sentimentality, (2) whether readers will soon care if their books are mass-produced AI slop rather than the expression of flesh-and-blood humans; and (3) how Toni Morrison gave him the most astonishing reading experience of his life. Order Mark's novel ...

My chat with Scottish literary punk icon Irvine Welsh, who came on to discuss his sequel to Trainspotting , Men In Love . We covered, (1) the impact of his iconic, generational film thirty years later, (2) how AI is trying to make us all redundant, and how creative expression is how to strike back, and (3) why you don't have to choose between your hooligan and artsy sides of your personality. Just...

My chat with Teddy Wayne about his latest literary thriller, The Au Pair . We covered (1) techniques for writing a bingeable book that can beat prestige TV at its own game; (2) the unexpected way he figured out the devilish final twist for his ending, and (3) why ambition and sex are the inexhaustible engines of delectable storytelling. Order Mark's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Th...

My talk with Silver Linings Playbook author Matthew Quick , discussing his poignant memoir, Dad, Love, Me . We covered, (1) his effort to end the cycle of generational abuse by caring for his father who now has dementia, (2) how trauma served as both a blessing and a curse, fueling a creative outpouring that carried Matthew to global fame, but also driving him to alcoholism, and (3) how true forgi...

My interview with Caroline Kepnes , creator of the You series , on her latest Joe Goldberg book, You First . We discussed (1) how she created a voice that's so electric and hypnotic, (2) what Joe Goldberg understands about people that allows him to manipulate them so well, and (3) the one thing that makes a character someone you root for, no matter how despicable they may be. Order Mark's novel  B...

My talk with my good friend Kimberly Hensle Lowrance on her debut novel What Remains Of You . We covered: (1) the architecture of planting a "phat hook" in the first few pages to snag a reader good; (2) why she didn't give up on the nine-year road to getting her first book released; and (3) what happens when an ardent and outspoken supporter of indie bookstores gets her debut novel published by Am...

My interview with Dane Bahr on his prohibition era thriller, one part David Mamet, one part Cormac McCarthy, The Dead Ringer . We discussed: (1) being a literary guy among diesel mechanics; (2) how he's activated to the highest expression by the darkest underbellies and hardest truths; and (3) being a typewriter guy in the age of the Interwebs. Order Mark's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All episodes o...

My one-on-one with Courtney Maum , re her latest novel Alan Opts Out . We covered: (1) The longing for the better aspects of the pandemic, when the whole world, for one brief moment, opted out, (2) her lifelong struggles with plot, and (3) the most important rule for a writer: don't be ruled by envy. Order Mark's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on...

My interview with ESPN/ The Ringer writer Jordan Ritter Conn about his new work of narrative non-fiction, American Men . We covered: (1) How men cope with the gap between who they truly are and their ideal of masculinity, (2) what the manosphere tells men they need, versus what they *actually* need to lead fulfilling lives, and (3) how the most important thing men need to realize is that they can'...

My talk with a true American Rambler , Isaac Fitzgerald , whose latest is about walking in the footsteps of folklore icon Johnny Appleseed. We chatted re: (1) the tradition of literary quests in search of the spirit of America, (2) how the *real* America ain't what's on your screens, and (3) why the book publishing industry is not in the danger people say—books still make lots of money and *no one...

My interview with Dr. Brennan Spiegel on his new book, Pull , about how to overthrow our oldest oppressor—gravity. We discussed: (1) how your relationship with gravity impacts your health—both mind and body; (2) how becoming gravity-resilient is a goal we all should shoot for, and (3) tips for writing lucid, compelling non-fiction, and making complicated scientific issues easy for the lay reader t...

My talk with National Book Award-nominee Andrew Krivak , discussing his latest novel, Mule Boy , a book that Publishers Weekly called "flawless." We covered (1) the importance of wrestling with the old, hard, elemental questions through words; (2) the pride of 20th century coal miners, who loved their treacherous work; and (3) how Andrew learned to tell stories from his grandmother, the one who re...

My probing discussion with Christopher Castellani re his brand-new literary/true crime novel Last Seen . We discussed (1) the Smiley Face Murder Theory, (2) how understanding the motives of your narrator is the key to any story, and (3) the real reason why some writers give up, and some keep going. Order Mark's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A...

My chat with "overnight success" and One Story editor-in-chief Patrick Ryan , who published his debut novel for adults, Buckeye , at 60 years old, and it became the runaway hit of last year.  We discussed (1) how novels have the unique ability to present audiences with the grand sweep of time; (2) what was different about Buckeye from the six or seven novels he wrote before it that didn't get publ...

My fab interview with the legendary Jenna Blum , who's written one of the most purely entertaining books I've read in ages, Murder Your Darlings . I was there for the whole life cycle of this book, from the moment she thought of it, all the way to launch. We discussed: (1) making a mid-career genre pivot, (2) the keys to a good sex scene, and (3) what it means to be writing popcorn-munching, fun-f...

My galvanizing 1:1 with one of the coolest writers out there, Ottessa Moshfegh . We discussed: (1) what happens when an artist is open about their world-sized ambitions; (2) the connection between the artist and the "god" (for lack of a better word) of creativity; and (3) how to create the kind of art that Mick Jagger himself recommends: the kind that "achieves madness." Order Mark's novel  Bunyan...

My talk with Oscar-nominated director (" Sugarcane ") and first time author Julian Brave NoiseCat , on his new memoir/"coyote story" We Survived The Night . We discussed (1) a father son saga so improbable, it almost requires a higher power to explain it, (2) the haunting legacy of indigenous genocide at mission schools, and (3) the healing power of myth...in particular, how the oral tradition of...

My electrifying interview with Elaine Castillo , author of Moderation , which the New Yorker called "one of the best books of the year." We discussed (1) the psychological hellscape of the content moderator, one of the worst jobs on earth; (2) the redemptive power of VR therapeutics, and (3) how the most interesting kinds of characters are often those who are certain they are right, but are absolu...

My chat with Jon Hickey, author of the timely debut novel Big Chief , a study of big egos, bad blood, and mudslinging reservation politics. We discussed: (1) the power of belonging, and how it drives power stuggles; (2) the sorrow of losing touch with your culture, and (3) the patient work of trying to make characters come alive on the page. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of Th...

My interview with one of the queens of Romantasy, Jennifer L. Armentrout , discussing her latest in the bestselling Blood And Ash series. We discussed (1) The psychological underpinnings of popular tropes (The Chosen One, Enemies To Lovers); (2) What she'd fix about publishing (hire editors outside of New York!); and (3) How, exactly, to publish 70 books in under 15 years (Answer: work 12 hour day...

My *utterly electric* convo with one of the great non-fiction writers and scholars of our time, Stephen Greenblatt. Stephen is the Pulitzer Prize winning/bestselling author of some of my favorite books EVER about literary history (including The Swerve), and he's out now with Dark Renaissance , about the troubled, complex genius of Shakespeare's top rival, Chris Marlowe. We discussed (1) how Marlow...

My chat with God And Sex author Jon Raymond , a book that The New York Times assures "lives up to its epic title." We covered: (1) writing a story that unites the worldviews of his Buddhist father and Jewish mother; (2) drawing inspiration from Graham Greene's classic The End Of The Affair , and (3) how curing writer despair is often a matter of just re-investing yourself in the writer community....