The 7am Novelist

Today we hear from Sarah Tomlinson whose novel, The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers , was released in February. Sarah and I will be talking about red herrings and how to make them work in a character-driven novel rather than letting them be a mere plot contrivance.  Watch a recording of our live webinar  here.  The audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast...

Today, another special bonus episode of our “Listener’s Roundup” with Alison Langley, Patricia Manuel Go, and Erica Ferencik. The Listener’s Roundup is when we get to hear from some of our listeners about they’ve learned from the past few episodes, what ideas they consider the most important, what questions or confusions they have, and their own advice and/or experience in dealing with the same is...

Today we get to hear from Steve Almond, whose latest book on the process of writing, TRUTH IS THE ARROW, MERCY IS THE BOW, was released in April. Steve and I will be talking about writer’s block, how to convey a character’s inner life, and what that heavy word, ART, might really mean. Watch a recording  here.  The audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast vers...

Today, we hear from Laura van den Berg whose latest novel, STATE OF PARADISE, will be released on July 9. We’re talking to Laura about writing a book that combines autofiction and speculative fiction and what to do when another novel you’re writing is asking for attention. Watch a recording here.  This audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast version above or...

Today we get to hear from Kate Woodworth whose novel, Little Great Island , will be released in May of 2025. Kate and I will be talking about managing multiple points of view—the book has eleven! —which she refers to “as playing three dimensional chess in the dark.” Watch a recording  here.  The audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast version above or on you...

Today, we hear from one of our most beloved Boston-area writers, Marjan Kamali, whose lates novel, THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN, will be released on July 2. We’re talking to Marjan about how she handled the passage of time in writing the book. Watch a recording here.  This audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast version above or on your favorite podcast platform...

Today, we get to hear from Maurice Carlos Ruffin whose novel, THE AMERICAN DAUGHTERS, was released in February. We’ll be talking about how to write politically charged topics.  Watch a recording here.  The audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast version above or on your favorite podcast platform. To find Ruffin’s latest novel and many other books by our auth...

Today we’re talking to three authors—Jean Duffy, Bev Boisseau Stohl, and Laura Beretsky—and the writing group that provided them with the support and encouragement to keep them going. What makes the Page Six Writing Group so special? While usually only 1-2% of writers get their books published, three of its six members published a book in the same year. The Page Six Writing Group also includes wri...

Today we get to hear from Patricia Park whose newest novel, WHAT’S EATING JACKIE OH?, was released in April. Patty and I will be talking about how culture and family influences who we are, what we love, the false expectations others place on us, and how to navigate ever-changing tastes, both that of others and (more importantly) our own. Watch a recording of our live webinar  here.  The audio/vide...

Today we get to hear from Kasey LeBlanc whose debut novel, FLYBOY, was released in May. Kasey and I will be talking about pacing and working with different kinds of dual narratives, in particular with how he dealt with moving between the day and night worlds his protagonist exists in. Watch a recording  here.  The audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast vers...

Today we get to hear from Emma Copley Eisenberg whose debut novel, HOUSEMATES, was released in May 2024. Emma and I will be talking about the ways in which dialogue allows the writer to convey higher truths. Watch a recording of our live webinar  here.  The audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast version above or on your favorite podcast platform. To find Ei...

Today, we hear from listeners Carol Folbre, Liesl Swogger, and Christine Murphy for a special bonus episode I’m calling our “Listener Roundup.” This is where we get to hear from some of our listeners about they’ve learned from the past few episodes, what ideas they consider the most important, what questions or confusions they have, and their own advice and/or experience in dealing with the same i...

Want to join the podcast? Come together with other listeners in a deep dive into this summer’s episodes, discussing ideas, asking questions, and sharing your experiences about issues brought up in our interviews. Perfect for writers at every level. Only a few spots available. Email 7amnovelist@substack.com for more info. Today we get to hear from Maria Hummel whose most recent novel, GOLDENSEAL, w...

Want to join the podcast? Come together with other listeners in a deep dive into this summer’s episodes, discussing ideas, asking questions, and sharing your experiences about issues brought up in our interviews. Perfect for writers at every level. Only a few spots available. Email 7amnovelist@substack.com for more info. Today, we hear from Desmond Hall whose newest novel, BETTER MUST COME, was re...

Want to join the podcast? Come together with other listeners in a deep dive into this summer’s episodes, discussing ideas, asking questions, and sharing your experiences about issues brought up in our interviews. Perfect for writers at every level. Only a few spots available. Email 7amnovelist@substack.com for more info. Today, we hear from Dawn Tripp, whose latest novel, JACKIE, was released in J...

Want to join the podcast? Come together with other listeners in a deep dive into this summer’s episodes, discussing ideas, asking questions, and sharing your experiences about issues brought up in our interviews. Perfect for writers at every level. Only a few spots available. Email 7amnovelist@substack.com for more info. Today we get to hear from Adam White whose novel, THE MIDCOAST, was one of th...

Want to join the podcast? Come together with other listeners in a deep dive into this summer’s episodes, discussing ideas, asking questions, and sharing your experiences about issues brought up in our interviews. Perfect for writers at every level. Only a few spots available. Email 7amnovelist@substack.com for more info. Today, we hear from Sara Shukla, whose debut novel, PINK WHALES, will be rele...

To support the GALIOT PRESS kickstarter campaign, click here or go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/galiotpress/galiot-press Today, we’re talking to authors Anjali Mitter Duva and Henriette Lazaridis about a new publishing house they’re launching, Galiot Press, why they’re doing it, and how they hope to serve authors by changing the industry from the ground up.  And a special treat for list...

Today you get a sneak peak of what our summer interviews will like. Listeners will also get a chance to be a part of the summer podcast episodes, so listen for announcements about that opportunity in our SubStack notes and on our Facebook page. We’re going to start the summer off early (please, yes!) by hearing from Samantha Harvey, who latest novel, ORBITAL, was released in November. Samantha and...

We talk to Christine Byl after launching her debut novel, Lookout . A professional trail-builder in Alaska for 28-years, Byl knows the importance of quiet, patience, and spending the time that your book needs instead of allowing the outside world to muddle your instincts. How does she do it? Listen in. To watch a recording of our interview, click here. These recordings are only available for a few...

The last listener’s question in our January series is about joy. We’ve got authors Suzanne Berne, Shalene Gupta, and Christine Murphy to talk about the good that can be found in the writing process. Watch a recording of our live webinar  here.  The audio/video version is available for one week. Missed it? Check out the podcast version above or on your favorite podcast platform. Check out my interv...

We’ve got two very different questions today as we begin to wrap up our January series. The first asks about submitting shorter works to literary magazines and other venues. The second wonders how she can improve her use of subtext. Authors Mark Cecil, Erica Ferencik, and Whitney Scharer help us find the answers. Watch a recording of our live webinar  here.  The audio/video version is available fo...

Today, we talk about the trials and tribulations of writing from real life: Can I write a memoir if I don’t have concrete memories? Am I trying to stay too close to my original experience in turning that experience into a novel? And when does writing fiction based on real life become exploitive of others? Some tough questions, but we’ve got writers Anjali Mitter Duva, Alex Ferraro, and Ethan Gilsd...

We get to talk to Mary Carroll Moore who lays bare her own past writing challenges, how she dealt with them, and the kinds of issues she finds early writers struggle with most. To watch a recording of our interview, click here. These recordings are only available for a few days. Missed it? Check out the podcast version of the 7am Novelist on your fave podcast platform. To find Moore’s most recent...

We hear from a writer today who recently got some feedback that her “narrative structure” needed some work. She’s dealing with multiple POVs and timelines, so where should she go from here? The question opens up a slew of issues about choices in POV and handling time as well as structure. We’ve got authors Mark Cecil and Jane Roper to help her figure it all out. Watch a recording of our live webin...