The Open Mic: Writers in Their Own Words

Paul Levine has ventured far from his days as a cub reporter for the Miami Herald: trial lawyer, TV writer and then finally one of the very best legal crime fiction writers on the scene today. The first in his bestselling series featuring Jake Lassiter - a former Miami Dolphin turned wisecracking lawyer with a penchant for treating his cases like a grudge match with the Raiders - came out all the...

Having read a number of Lisa de Nikolits's books now, I can almost hear Patrick Swayze saying "Nobody puts Lisa in a corner!" On this week's show I talk with the speculative fiction writer about her latest book, Everything You Dream is Real, a wild ride of imagination if ever there was one. How does she get away with not letting the publishing industry pigeon hole her into any...

My guest today is a longtime television writer with credits including Miami Vice, JAG, Star Trek: The Next Generation and, most notably his Emmy Award-winning work on Law and Order. He is a former journalist whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Spy, the New Yorker, Harper’s and Esquire among others, and he is also a two-time Edgar Award winner. Today he is here with me to talk about his fabul...

My guest today, Elise Atchison , is a fabulous award-winning author whose debut novel, Crazy Mountain, was one of my favorite books of 2022. Crazy Mountain has been called “a grand tale of the power of wilderness to heal wounds—scars on the land and the troubled humans who live in it” and an examination of a singular key question: “How do we live in paradise without destroying the very thing we lo...

My guest today is the fabulous Stephen Mack Jones, a published poet and playwright as well as being the man behind the outstanding August Snow crime fiction series. I had the great pleasure of meeting him recently at the Long Beach Men of Mystery conference, and have quickly become a huge fan of his work. He’s also a really interesting guy, so let’s get to it. 

On today's show host Rich Ehisen talks with the prolific thriller writer Eric Beetner, author of more than 25 novels. A master of pulse-pounding noir - including titles like "Two in the Head,"  "The Year I Died Seven Times" and "The Devil Doesn't Want Me"  - he has been nominated for countless awards, and described by Lit Reactor as “The 21st Century’s answe...

There is something to the art and craft of the short story that has always had my heart. I recently discovered the fantastic debut collection of short stories, Hunting Geese, from Montana-based author Sarah Rau Peterson. It is an absolute gem, so I'm thrilled to have her today on the Open Mic. https://youtu.be/icQoFv0F_lg  

Host Rich Ehisen talks to Connor Sullivan, author of Sleeping Bear, the novel that made him one of the hottest thriller writers in the world today. 

Author Jeff Pearlman has forged a reputation as one of the best sports biographers on the scene today. Several of his 11 books have landed on the NYT bestsellers list, including stellar tomes on the likes of Brett Favre, Walter Payton and the 1986 Mets. He has also written two bestselling books on the Lakers multiple dynasties, including Showtime, the story of the Magic, Kareem and Pat Riley Laker...

Historic British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a well-earned reputation as a man who liked his drink. To learn a bit more about that and the man himself, my guest today today is author, editor, and occasional literary tour guide Jennifer Sander, who tells us all about her great new book Churchill: A Drinking Life: Champagne, Cognac, and Cocktails, which she co-wrote with Roxanne Langer.

This episode of the Open Mic features my conversation with novelist Elisa Lorello, whose more than a dozen novels have sold over a half million units around the world. Elisa notes that while her books are marketed as women’s fiction, she prefers the term “Romance Rhetoric.” She discusses that as well as her new book "All of You" and her lifetime obsession with Duran Duran. You can learn...

Today's guest is one of the most successful writers working today, the extremely talented and versatile Peter Abrahams. He is joining us today to talk about, "Bark to the Future," the 13th and newest release in his fantastic and wildly popular Chet & Bernie mystery series, which he writes under his alter ego, Spencer Quinn.  For those not yet acquainted with the series, our hero...

Open Mic host Rich Ehisen welcomes crime fiction author Jim L'Etoile back to the show to talk about his new book Dead Drop, the first in a new series featuring Detective Nathan Parker. Like all of L'Etoile's work, it is a smart, well-written and exciting thrill ride from beginning to end.  While investigating the deaths of undocumented migrants in the Arizona desert, Detective Natha...

Author Tom Mead has made quite a name for himself in recent years as a short story writer in the crime fiction genre, with many of his stories having appeared in A-list mystery publications like Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. One of his stories, Heatwave, was included in the 2021 edition of Best Mystery Stories from New York City’s legendary Mysterious Bookshop.   And now, his...

Author Sarah Faxon's latest dark fantasy tale, The Blue Dragon Society: Origins, is now out to very nice reviews. She joined me on the Open Mic to talk about that book, what it means to be a creative warrior and to share some tips on excellent sippin' whiskeys. Sarah is also a co-founder of No Bad Books Press , a small hybrid publisher with a focus on dark fantasy, horror and other specu...

This episode of the Open Mic is a two-for-one: outstanding mystery writer John Carenen and his fabulous poet daughter, Rowena Carenen. John’s latest book, KEEPING TO HIMSELF, came out last year, while Rowe’s new book of poetry – FIRST DRAFTS FROM THE BREWERY – came out this April. They have each also had copious amounts of their work appear in numerous literary journals and magazines.

Regular listeners know the bulk of the authors on this show write gritty crime fiction or thrillers or horror. But today we’re taking on something scary for many parents – managing your child’s first cell phone experience. To that end, I’m joined today by Dr. Catherine Pearlman, a licensed clinical social worker whose new book FIRST PHONE comes out on July 26th. FIRST PHONE is described as “A fun...

Host Rich Ehisen is joined by multi-faceted author Alexandria Weis, whose works include mystery, crime fiction, suspense, thriller, romance and even YA. Her latest project, the St. Benedict series, drops book one on August 2nd.

Open Mic host Rich Ehisen talks with mystery and suspense author Tori Eldridge about her new book, Dance among the Flames, a tale steeped in Brazilian mysticism that marks a stark departure from her highly acclaimed Lily Wong mystery series. Dance is the story of Dance is the story of Serafina Olegario, a desperate mother who rises from the slums to embrace Quimbanda magic amid a quest for the ult...

On today's show I talk with former NBC national baseball writer Craig Calcaterra about his new book, Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports Industrial Complex At It's Own Game. We also get into Craig's daily baseball and culture newsletter, The Cup of Coffee, which is one of the best things you can find on Substack these days. The new Open Mic is here! 

For the new Open Mic I am joined by author Kerry Cox, the man behind the outstanding Nick Tanner crime thriller series. We talk about those books, the fine art of plotting out your stories and the state of the publishing industry.  If you prefer watching these interviews you can always check them out on the Open Mic YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/yMl7DHRB8UY.

On today's show Open Mic host Rich Ehisen welcomes the very versatile, eclectic and prolific award-winning author Bobby Nash , who writes novels, novellas, comic books, short stories, the occasional screenplay. More, when he’s not writing his own words, Bobby will occasionally appear in front of the camera to interpret someone else’s words as an actor.

On this week's show Open Mic host Rich Ehisen talks with authors Nicole Moleti and Krista Wells, who's  debut  novel, An Imperfect Plan , comes out in May under the pseudonym Addison McKnight.  They discuss the pros and cons of taking a team approach to novel writing, how they resolve conflict in the process and the reasons they choses to go the indie route with Lake Union Publishing. 

Open Mic host Rich Ehisen talks with former daily newspaper reporter turned filmmaker Ed Fletcher about his documentary project, Do the Dance. The story is focused on the obscenity trial of a group of exotic dancers in Orangevale, CA  in 1969 that became a national touchstone in how we interpret First Amendment freedoms in the modern world. 

For a long time, blogs were the hot thing for writers and aspiring writers to meet new readers and to build their audience and community. Blogs are still a thing, but these days they are hardly the only option. Writers these days have every form of social media  - Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, etc - as well as YouTube and now podcasts. But while all of these outlets offer great opportuniti...