Creative, Inspired, ALIVE

Today we have a special holiday edition of the show for you. Our guests are Emily Stone , author of Yours for the Season, and Matthew Norman , author of Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon . Today, we talk about: * the ins and outs of writing books that are timed for a specific season or holiday, * balancing light and heavy topics in fiction, such as love and grief, * what to do when no one s...

Welcome back to Letters from the Creative Life . These occasional essays explore the quieter corners of living: small reflections on art, ambition, and the tender balancing act of building a meaningful life in a noisy world. Think of them as letters from my life to yours. If you’re listening to this on a podcasting platform rather than Substack, this will be the last episode of this podcast season...

My guest today is Simon & Schuster senior editor Lara Jones , who also happens to be my editor for The Incredible Kindness of Paper . Today, we talk about: * how she became an editor, * an explanation of Big 5 publisher structure and their imprints (like Atria and Emily Bestler Books, under the umbrella of Simon & Schuster) * the difference between women's fiction and romance genres, * what editor...

My guest today is New York Times bestselling author Clare Leslie Hall . Her novel, Broken Country , was also a Reese's Book Club pick earlier this year. Today, we talk about: * what stories draw Clare's attention, * the importance of backlist and how those books can come back to surprise you * pen names and their purpose in publishing, * how she harnesses ideas once they appear, * blending genres:...

Hello, Protagonists! My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Hattie Williams, a former book publicist whose debut novel, Bitter Sweet , is about... a book publicist who falls for a legendary author she's working for . Hattie has not only worked in publishing as a publicist but also in marketing and editorial, and before that, she was a musician and songwriter who has toured across Europe. T...

Welcome to another episode of the Creative. Inspired. Happy. podcast—where we go behind the scenes with the storytellers shaping our culture. My guest today is Nikki Erlick, New York Times Bestselling author of The Measure , which was a TODAY Show/Read with Jenna book pick. Nikki's work has been translated into 24 languages worldwide, and her newest novel, The Poppy Fields , is out now . Today, we...

Hello, Protagonists, Welcome back to Letters from the Creative Life . These occasional essays explore the quieter corners of living: small reflections on art, ambition, and the tender balancing act of building a meaningful life in a noisy world. Think of them as letters from my life to yours. Enjoy! The Invisible Thread: What Authors and Readers Offer Each Other Years ago, when I was still unpubli...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of 24 novels . Her latest psychological thriller, Don't Let Him In , is out now . Today, we talk about: * Lisa's preferred reading format—physical books, ebooks or audio books—and her “dark” secret as a reader, * Why she writes and what has kept her going in such a long and successful...

How changing my perspective of ordinary moments became my quiet rebellion. Welcome back to Letters from the Creative Life . These occasional essays explore the quieter corners of living: small reflections on art, ambition, and the tender balancing act of building a meaningful life in a noisy world. Think of them as letters from my life to yours. Enjoy! This is the audio version of an essay I wrote...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is V.E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 25 books, including The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue . Her latest novel, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil , is out now. Today, we talk about: * the curse of perfectionism and how Victoria copes with it, * fighting Imposter Syndrome, * why it's important to her to share both the victories and dis...

How I found balance between big dreams and small, personal moments. Welcome to Letters from the Creative Life , a new feature on my podcast and Substack. These occasional essays explore the quieter corners of living: small reflections on art, ambition, and the tender balancing act of building a meaningful life in a noisy world. Think of them as letters from my life to yours. Enjoy! (If you'd like...

Hello, Protagonists! My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Adam Met, multi-platinum recording artist (he's the A in the band AJR) . He is also a professor, and now author of a new book, AMPLIFY . Today, we talk about: * the kinds of books Adam likes to read * the process of co-authoring a book with another writer * how to outline a non-fiction book * breaking rules to build fanbases * sto...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Mike Sowden, the author behind the hugely popular Substack, “ Everything is Amazing .” He is also a former archaeologist and travel writer, and one of the humblest writers I know. (Don't be fooled when he starts out the interview by telling you he has no idea what he's doing.) Today, we talk about: * What is Substack, and is it too late to get started...

Hello, Protagonists! My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Katherine Center, New York Times Bestselling author and one of the reigning queens of hopeful, feel-good fiction. She’s also had two books adapted into hit movies on Netflix. Her latest novel, The Love Haters , is out now. Today, we talk about: * finding inspiration which Katherine describes catching butterflies * discovering your...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Andrea Bartz, New York Times Bestselling thriller author . Her books have been a Reese’s Book Club pick, a Good Morning America Bonus Buzz pick, and a Marie Claire book club pick; one of them was optioned by Mila Kunis and another is in production at Netflix . Andi’s latest thriller, The Last Ferry Out , is out next week. Today, we talk about: * who A...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Allegra Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of Sam and , more recently, Isola . Allegra's books have also been a National Book Award Finalist, a Reese's Book Club pick and a Read with Jenna/TODAY Show pick . Today, we talk about: * what Allegra would do if she won a book-shopping spree, * how reading has influenced the way she writes, * why wri...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Sarah Penner, New York Times Bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary , which has sold over 1 1/2 million copies . Her latest novel, The Amalfi Curse , is out now. Today, we talk about: * the books that influenced young Sarah as a reader, and later, as a writer, * behind-the-scenes of Collector's Editions—how an author finds out about special endpape...

Hello, Protagonists! My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Téa Obreht, winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, National Book Award Finalist, and international bestseller of The Tiger's Wife and other novels. Her latest book, The Morningside , is out in paperback now. Today, we talk about: * how being an immigrant influences her storytelling, * writing in English while sometimes translatin...

Hello, Protagonists! My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is author Gretchen Schreiber . She is also the Manager of Books at Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine . Gretchen's latest novel, All the Stars Align , is out now ! Today, we talk about: * how Gretchen landed the dream job at Hello Sunshine, * reading for Reese's taste versus reading for her own * what Gretchen has learned about the p...

Hello, Protagonists! My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is a E mma Pattee, a climate journalist, playwright, and author of novel Tilt . Today, we talk about: * tapping into a character's vulnerability and using your personal experiences to deepen your work, * using "writing containers" (like setting the story in one day) to structure your novel * writer's block--what it really is and how...

My guests today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY are Jennifer Acker and Emily Everett, the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of literary magazine The Common . Jennifer and Emily are also both accomplished novelists. Today, we talk about: * what an editor at a literary magazine does * how they find submissions and how they choose what to publish at The Common * what makes a great writing mentor * the...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Eowyn Ivey, Pulitzer Prize finalist and UK National Book Award winner for her novel, The Snow Child . Her latest book, Black Woods Blue Sky , is out now. Today, we talk about: * how her experience as a bookseller and a journalist helped when she began to tackle writing a novel, * whether the Pulitzer nomination put pressure on her for her next book, *...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Erin Crosby Eckstine, whose debut novel, JUNIE, is this month's Good Morning America book pick. Today, we talk about: * using family stories as inspiration for a novel * deciding when to insert real history and when to make it flexible in historical fiction * what happens behind the scenes on the set of Good Morning America for author interviews, * ho...

My guests today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY are three massively popular creators in the book space on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Bindery: Jaysen Headley (a.k.a. Ezeekat), Zoranne Host, and Marines (Mari) Alvarez. Today, we talk about: * how they discover books and how they choose which books they promote on their social media channels * weathering the changes that platforms like TikTok and ot...

My guest today on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY is Margarita Montimore, bestselling author of Oona Out of Order , which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her latest novel, The Dollhouse Academy , is out now! Today, we talk about: * pep talks for yourself to get through the ups and downs of publishing * how many rejections she weathered before landing a book deal * dealing with professional je...