Carter Wilson's Making It Up

Lindsay Cameron worked as a corporate lawyer for many years in Vancouver and New York City before leaving the law behind to write books. She is the author of Biglaw and Just One Look . She lives in New York City and just released her latest book, No One Needs to Know , in May.  Among other things, Carter and Lindsay discuss the similarities between legal writing and writing fiction, the publishing...

It's hard to believe but this is the 100TH EPISODE of Making It Up! Thanks to all of you for your support over the past 2 1/2 years, and I'm looking forward to producing many more episodes. And for this special centennial episode we have a guest who has been called the "Spanish Stephen King."  Javier Castillo grew up in Malaga, where he always dreamed about becoming a writer. O...

Del Chatterson is an experienced writer, entrepreneur, business advisor, and cheerleader for entrepreneurs. He has over thirty years of successful business and consulting experience, he has written two business books, and is currently working on a series of crime thriller novels and a collection of short stories. His first novel in the Dale Hunter Series, No Easy Money , was published in August 20...

M.P. Woodward is a veteran of both US intelligence ops and the entertainment industry. As a naval intelligence officer with the US Indo-Pacific Command, he scripted scenario moves and countermoves for US war game exercises in the Middle East. In multiple deployments to the Persian Gulf and Far East, he worked alongside US Special Forces, CIA, and NSA. His latest novel, Dead Drop , was released thi...

Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a three-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year. Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. Her latest book, A Bakery in Paris was just released Aug...

Eliza Knight is an award winning, USA Today and international bestselling author. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Novelists, Inc., the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, a co-host on the History, Books and Wine podcast and a co-host for the true crime podcast, Crime Feast. Her latest release is Starring Adele Astaire .  Among other things, Carter and Eli...

Bryn Turnbull is a writer of historical fiction. Equipped with a master's of letters in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews, a master's of professional communication from Ryerson University and a bachelor's degree in English literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding stories of women lost within the cracks of the historical record.  Among other things...

A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting and running internet companies before retiring to focus on his true passion: writing fiction. He is the author of ten novels that have sold nearly five million copies and have been translated into twenty languages worldwide.  Among other things, A.G. and Carter discuss how A.G.’s reading science fiction was an escape that escalated to writing his own work, how...

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several novels. Published in 11 languages and with more than 1 million books in print, Alisa was named one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Time magazine. Alisa is a former staff writer for the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times, and holds a master's in journalism from Columbia Uni...

Rachael Herron is the bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including thrillers (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and she's taught writing extension workshops at both UC Berkeley and Stanford.   Among other things, Carter and Rachael discuss the struggle of ge...

Author Christopher Flory spent ten years with various correctional departments as a probation and parole officer, specializing in the supervision of sexually based offenders and criminal street gang members. Trust Misplaced: A Paul Dodge Novel was Chris' first published novel, though he's been featured in academic journals and professional conference papers while attending undergraduate...

Don Bentley is the New York Times bestselling author of the Matt Drake thriller series, including Hostile Intent, The Outside Man, and Without Sanction. Don also writes in the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. universe with Zero Hour, Target Acquired, and one forthcoming title.  Don spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot; while deployed to Afghanistan as a Troop Commander in support of Operatio...

Kara Thomas is the author of The Darkest Corners, Little Monsters, The Cheerleaders, and That Weekend, Barnes and Noble's YA Book Club Pick for July 2021. Kara's books have been sold in multiple languages and have been nominated for the International Thriller Writers Award. In 2013, she wrote and developed the pilot The Revengers with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack for The CW.   Among...

Tessa Wegert is the author of the Shana Merchant mysteries, including Death in the Family , The Dead Season , Dead Wind , and The Kind to Kill . A former freelance journalist, Tessa has contributed to such publications as Forbes , The Huffington Post , and The Economist .   Among other things, Carter and Tessa discuss the control over situations and meditative qualities that writing grants, how au...

Lauren Thoman’s pop-culture writing has appeared in numerous online outlets including Parade , Vulture , and Collider. In-between article deadlines, she managed to finish a book she’d started years before and then set aside. I’ll Stop the World is now out in the world, after Mindy Kaling decided to publish it.    Among other things, Carter and Lauren discuss switching up reading genres to cleanse...

Rebecca Keller is a writer, an internationally exhibited artist, a college professor, a Fulbright Scholar, and recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her stories have been nominated for a Pushcart prize, and her debut novel You Should Have Known was released from Crooked Lane Books in April 2023. She is now working on stories about art and another novel.  Among other things,...

Ciera Horton McElroy is the author of the novel Atomic Family , which has received critical praise including a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Ciera holds a BA from Wheaton College and an MFA from the University of Central Florida. Her work has appeared in AGNI, Bridge Eight, Iron Horse Literary Review, the Crab Orchard Review, and Saw Palm, among others.   Among other things, Ciera and Car...

An intimate, 2.5-day coaching program and retreat in Boulder, Colorado. Find community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence. Led by USA Today bestselling and award-winning novelist Carter Wilson. August 9-11, 2023. Limited to 10 participants; registration now open! www.carterwilson.com/gentle-novelist

Flash-fiction writer Nancy Stohlman is the author of six books including After the Rapture (2023), Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities (2018), and Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction (2020). Her work has been anthologized widely, appearing in the Norton anthology New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction and The Best Small Fictions 2019, as well as adapted for both stage and screen. She teache...

Hank Phillippi Ryan is USA Today bestselling and five-time Agatha Award-winning author of 14 thrillers, winning 37 EMMYs for television investigative reporting. Her newest novel is The House Guest —it’s Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise. The Publishers Weekly says, “Ryan is a master of suspense!” The Library Journal starred review calls it “Binge-worthy.”  Among other things, Carter and Hank disc...

Samantha M. Bailey is the author of Woman on the Edge , a USA Today and #1 national bestseller; her second novel, Watch Out for Her , was an instant #1 national bestseller. As a journalist and freelance editor, her writing has appeared in Now Magazine , The Village Post , The Thrill Begins , and The Crime Hub , among other publications.   Among other things, Carter and Samantha discuss how she has...

Kimberly Giarratano is an author of mysteries for teens and adults. Her debut novel, Grunge Gods and Graveyards, won the 2015 Silver Falchion Award for Best YA at Killer Nashville. A former librarian, she is currently an instructor at a SUNY Orange County Community College and a reviewer for BookPage.   Among other things, Carter and Kimberly discuss the intricacies of describing characters, how t...

Veronica G. Henry is the author of Bacchanal , The Quarter Storm , and The Foreign Exchange in the Mambo Reina series. Her work has debuted at #1 on multiple Amazon bestseller charts, was chosen as an editors’ pick for Best African American Fantasy and shortlisted for the Manly Wade Wellman Award.   Among other things, Carter and Veronica discuss how being a writer changes your reading habits, how...

Tracy Clark, a native Chicagoan, is the author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series, featuring ex-cop turned PaI Cassandra Raines. Her debut, BROKEN PLACES, made Library Journal’s list of the Best Crime Fiction of 2018 and CrimeReads named Cass Raines Best New PI of 2018. The novel was nominated for a Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel, an Anthony Award for Best Debut Novel and a Shamus Award f...

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of eight novels, including The Personal Assistant, The Marriage Lie , a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Mystery & Thriller, and the co-authored #1 Audible Original, Young Rich Widows . Her books have been published in dozens of languages and optioned for film and television.  Among other things, Carter and Kim...