Five Compelling Questions with Shawn

Shawn and Mary chat about wedding planning, being a debut author, personal drama, being tenatious in life, real life drama, changing the murderer, taking shady revenge, the weirdest wedding experiences, being nosy and also calm.

Shawn chats with one of her idols, Lisa Scottoline, about her new book LOYALTY, the concept of justice, being Italian American, the mafia, historical fiction and thrillers, what kinds of people pantsers are, how food is everything, and important advice for writers, especially women.

Shawn and Elizabeth chat about the Supreme Court, motherhood and career, the "inferior lives" of powerful women, legal studies as they relate to fiction, RBG and her legacy, hydrating your fiction, and surviving cancer.

Shawn and Marcy chat at about attention spans, fiction vs. memoirs, hurricanes, water as a metaphor, movies about writers, not being psychiatrists, and staying positive.

Shawn and Julia chat about mathing things out, reality TV, how we find ideas, mining our normal lives for entertainment content, statistics as it relates to fiction writing, social media and the role it has in our lives, and more math tips.

Shawn and Chanel chat about choosing fiction writing as a career, Chanel’s Cuban-American experience and intergenerational family stories and how that influences her writing, choosing favorite characters, and not persevering through rejection in your writing career.

Shawn and Kate chat about her new novel, writing multiple books a year in different genres, how long it takes to write, family dynamics, sisters, being on a cleanse, and going viral on TikTok.

Shawn and Ramona chat about the concept of de-extinction, writing realistic youthful voices, grief and loss as it relates to hope, taking a while to write a novel, writing short vs. long fiction, and inspiring words from an expert crafter of words.

Shawn and Rocky chat about books for younger readers, writing YA vs writing for adults, the importance of reading, how being derivative isn't always a bad thing, not wanting to practice violin, and writing into the future.

Shawn and Nick chat about musicians who become writers, the past its impact on the present, content warnings in novels, working closely with editors, and debut author excitement.

Shawn and Anissa chat about the concept of someone disappearing and the resulting emotions for those left behind, following up a blockbuster novel with the next book, having goals at a young age to write, having to pay for rent and food, and a joyful rapid-fire quiz where we learn so much more than we thought we knew about Anissa.

Shawn and Colleen chat about her newest novel, grandmothers, gender-neutral names, how far we've come as women and how far we still need to go, Thelma and Louise, and having family members live on in our memories forever.

Shawn and Becky chat about what it’s like to be a quadruplet married to a twin, beach reads, high school sweethearts, the work that goes into life, how film development work has influenced Becky’s writing, weddings and wedding drama, and being extroverts in the writing community who found each other.

Shawn and Jenny chat about her debut novel, plotting with Post-It notes, being on the other side of the editorial desk, not tracking serial killers, life in Brooklyn, living in someone else's home, thinking in different ways to solve problems, and kind stalking.

Shawn and Ling Ling chat about musicians turned writers, nameless main characters, Starbucks names, the concept of beauty as self-care, discovering love, and having a very busy creative schedule.

Shawn and Cindy chat about her legal background and how that influences her writing.

Shawn and Kristin chat about her debut novel, her dad and his martial arts skills, beautiful book covers, readers in Bulgaria, Russia and current affairs, and the sweetest answer given to a regular question asked on the show.

Shawn and Jill chat about Italy, Italian families, the power of love, how being an editor helps your own writing, how writing is always fun, even when it's hard, and having a chef pair a menu to your book.

Shawn and Lynn chat about being from Indiana, connections and being connected, the Polio crisis, the hard work of healthcare workers and those who work tirelessly to help save us all, what it was like for women in the past and today, kindness, the black plague, and pandemics.

Shawn and Cheryl chat about her novel that was inspired by a family tragedy, her grandfather's murder, social justice, racial reckoning in our country, George Floyd, writing for all audiences, standalones vs. an established series, editorial notes that make you LOL, seizing opportunities, and how writing what you know is BS.

Shawn and Gabriel chat about writing historical fiction in the iconic town of Boston, being compared to the greats, characters and how to define them, classic noir mysteries, upcoming projects, and Insta-famous writing partner kitty Munchkin.

Shawn and Rachel chat about her debut novel, screenwriting and writing novels, her movie TORN HEARTS, Katy Segal, being salespeople, dealing with the one percent, being drawn to a strong point of view, weird jobs, casting for Naked and Afraid, and loving writing.

Shawn and Greg chat about Greg's Shamus win, and getting to be a judge for the competition afterwards, teachers, plotting and dialogue, Wallander, Nordic crime fiction, keeping a series fresh, and writing characters that everyone loves.

Shawn and Deepti chat about Portugal, what being a human being feels like, working on screenplays, writing trilogies, being less anxious, and loving all of your characters, even the bad ones.

Shawn and Iris chat about her screenwriting experience, writing the 2006 film LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA for Clint Eastwood, Alice in Wonderland as inspiration, writing in different disciplines, great advice for beginning writers, and loving going to bed early.