Five Compelling Questions with Shawn

Shawn and Fabian chat about writing across mediums, anger & insecurity as motivating factors in careers, writing for yourself, doing your own thing, and the coffee habits of exhausted suburbanites.  About the Author: Fabian Nicieza is best known as a comic book writer for Marvel and DC, and as the co-creator of Deadpool. He has also written X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable, Thunderbolt...

Shawn chats with Debut Author Davida Breier about her new book SINKHOLE, surviving childhood in Florida during the 80s, power dynamics in friendships and in life, selfishness in younger years turning into malignant behavior when we get older, and unique aspects about Florida that tourists don't always see.  About the Author: Davida G. Breier was born in Miami, FL. She's spent the last two dec...

Shawn chats with Fiona Barton about her new novel LOCAL GONE MISSING. They also discuss fresh starts, the unique perspectives of household staff, not panicking while writing, what writing isn't always, and the benefits of allowing your writing self to think.  About the Author: Fiona Barton has been a journalist - senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief r...

Shawn chats with Annabel about her first adult fiction novel: Nora Goes off Script, their mutual love of Steve Martin, the humorous absurdity of domestic life, magical tea houses, great places to write great books, and how Hallmark Channel movies are both addictive and inspirational. 

Shawn and Lane chat about her new book The Collector, the first in The Big Picture trilogy, art heists, the art of leaving clues, how long it takes to drink a beer, cheap dates, and upcoming author events. Recorded live from ThrillerFest in New York City!

Shawn and M.A. discuss being a debut author, the importance of not giving up, General Hospital, the movie SOAPDISH, and international travel as an inspiration for mystery writing. 

Shawn and Annette chat about the words they can't say, writing a long running series, smelling gross things for work, random passwords, the honor of being nominated for awards, and Annette's big interview with James Patterson. 

Shawn and Teresa chat about women's roles throughout the years, writing a good series with believable characters, keeping things moving while writing that first draft, vomit drafts and Patrick Swayze, writing on the go, and transitioning from being a self pubbed author to being traditionally published.

Shawn and Tina discuss women's fiction and stories worth telling, being good enough to write, believing in your writing self, luxuriating in words and processes, memorable quotes from Shawn, their mutual love of film, and many random things they have in common. 

Shawn chats with Mark Levenson, author of THE HIDDEN SAINT, about colorful family history, being shot at in South Florida early on in Mark's journalism career, Jewish folklore, wanting to be an astronaut, grandma magic, and regional coffee drinking championships. 

Shawn and J.C. chat about what it's like to be from Indiana, surviving rejection, their love of music, High Fidelity, and J.C.'s new web series TheBookishHour.com 

Shawn and Sarah chat about writing multiple series, their mutual love of editing, celebrating progress, the art of the perfect witty comeback, a John Cena and Miranda Priestly character mashup, and Sarah's new venture TheBookishHour.com 

In the Season Two opener, Shawn chats with debut novelist Jeff Houlahan about the writing life, if in fact writers are different than other human beings, listening as an art form from a musical perspective, not being a sociopath, and baseball. 

In the season one finale, Shawn and Jen talk about Holiday Mysteries, Christmas music, Planet of the Apes, negative reviews, dealing with the jitters that come along with knowing others are reading your work.

Shawn and Libi chat about travel, finding time for creative pursuits, the joys of being an early riser, and the power of the word "cougar." 

Shawn and Clea talk about Clea's new book HOLD ME DOWN, their mutual love of Rock and Roll, the joys and challenges of writing a series and of writing as a career in general, believing in yourself, how being a reporter makes you very good at meeting deadlines, how reading and writing helped both Clea and Shawn "escape" tumultuous households growing up, and criticism as a conversation starter. The...

Shawn and Lynn chat about being from I states (Iowa and Indiana...not Idaho!), raising dogs, writing prequels and sequels, staying safe in crowds, maintaining creativity, and a good partner who supports your writing career. 

Lori and Shawn chat about writing, catering, what not to eat when you're a professional dancer or actor, spending time with characters, and maintaining a mystery series with an amateur sleuth who is not too stupid to live. 

Shawn and Paul chat about their shared love of music, wine, and books, and how the music of the sixties has influenced them both. 

Shawn and Cathi chat about things they have in common including writing radio commercials, living and working in New York City, working in the bar-restaurant world, and writing culinary mystery series. 

In a very spooky episode, Shawn and Carol chat about spirits, crazy exes, wine, how the French get it right, how different people process things in different ways, and the ghostly encounter that inspired Carol's time travel mystery series.  

Shawn and Greg chat about writing a mystery after writing over twenty non-fiction books about trains, how everyone has a book in them, the joys and challenges of being a night owl, and finding time to write while working other jobs. 

Shawn and Judy chat about real estate as a career and inspiration for murder mysteries, famous fictional detectives, sharing a name with a famous person, talking to ourselves, and the unique joy of seeing your books on library shelves. 

Shawn and Jennifer talk about big life changes, and dig into different types of mysteries and subgenres, figuring out what they write in the process, the business of writing and publishing, cows, and how to create fictional worlds and characters that are true to life.  

Shawn and Heather chat about growing up a cop's daughter, keeping a character bible (and remembering little details), finding inspiration for a new series, and the love of dogs.