The Premise

Chris Whitaker’s most recent novel, We Begin at the End , was actually conceived of very early in his writing journey. Like few other authors, Chris never imagined he’d become a writer, but a traumatic event changed that. He started writing as a form of therapy to deal with the aftermath of that event, and to tell his story and express parts of himself in a ways completely removed from the persona...

Olga Grushin wrote her first story at just seven years old, and it happens to have been a fairy tale. She discusses why she chose to write in English, though Russian is her first language, and how it shapes the way she tells stories while retaining a Russian sensibility. The Charmed Wife is her latest book and she and Jeniffer discuss why she was inspired to reimagine Cinderella as a divorcee. Olg...

Her memoir has been called harrowing, and her childhood was unimaginably traumatic. But today, Stephanie is a successful author, the CEO of Heritage School of Interior Design, and the founder of The Heritage Home Foundation. She tells you how through sheer will and resilience she came out on the other side, and how not taking no for an answer, plus her innate design skills landed her a book deal a...

Sally Collings is a Book Proposal Expert, Ghostwriter and former Assistant Editor at Harper Collins and she knows her stuff. Jeniffer and Chad talk with Sally about her six fundamental elements of a winning book proposal, including building your platform, proof of concept, and choosing your publishing path. There’s so much that goes into it. This episode is full of valuable information on the proc...

Today's guest, Derek Lewis, is a business ghostwriter and author in his own right. Contrary to popular belief, the ghostwriter doesn't just write a book under someone else's name. Derek compares the ghostwriter to a midwife. A facilitator of the text, but not the creator. And it's a lot harder than you'd think. It requires the ability to write in the voice of the "author". So you have to have writ...

This episode’s guests are Dan Smith, founder of Smith Publicity, and President, Sandy Smith. No, the last name isn’t a coincidence—they’re married.  Dan’s decision to start Smith Publicity in 1997 was a make-it-or-break-it plan, and his can-do attitude and dedication paid off.  Today Smith Publicity has served over 3,000 clients and Sandy and Dan are at full capacity representing traditional and s...

Both The Editor and A Star is Bored have young, gay, male protagonists who find mentors in older, more powerful, albeit very different women. Both books are based a bit in reality of some sort. Oh, and Byron and Steven just happen to be live-in partners who both happen to be writers. They tell Jeniffer what inspired them to write their novels, what it's like living with another writer, their respe...

In another partnership with San Diego’s Warwick’s Books, Jeniffer talks with Literary Agent and Author, Bill Clegg. In this episode, they discuss his latest book, The End of the Day, and do a deep dive into the philosophical questions raised about class, agency, privilege, and power through the eyes of his protagonist, Dana. It’s like a mini book club, and may help you see the book in a new light,...

Linda Olson was in her late twenties, newly married, and a doctor when she was in a horrible accident while on vacation with her family. The aftermath left her without her legs and her right arm. She thought she would lose her husband too. But it turns out, she adapted and so did he. In this episode Linda tells Jeniffer and Chad about her experience, and how she overcame what seems from her tellin...

Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. In this episode, Wall Street Journal reporter, Justin Scheck talks with Jeniffer about his experience covering the Saudi royal family and the wild reality behind its power hungry prince. Blood and Oil, is a fascinating glimpse into the politics of oil, and how staggering wealth and unchecked ambition created what most would consider a true monster....

Set My Heart To Five is a book that examines the oddities of human behavior by observing them from the outside, via an Android named Jared. It's set in 2054 in what Simon calls a Mistopia. He and Jeniffer talk about how he came up with the idea for the novel and the ways we may relate to Jared when we really start thinking about it. They discuss how he transitioned from Doctor to Writer, a bit abo...

Sigrid Nunez is what may be considered a writer's writer, and she references other writers and the art itself often in her newest book, What Are You Going Through. In this episode she tells Jeniffer about her writing process—which starts with just the all important first sentence and builds from there—weaving a whole world by answering the questions that first sentence asks. Sigrid also tells Jeni...

Ann Gonzales is the creator and facilitator of Easel Does it-Art and Recovery workshops and author of the magnificent children's book, Beloved and the Pepper Tree. She Considers herself an artist and seeker. She talks with Jeniffer about how the idea for her book came about, the process of finding her illustrator, and how she's built her brand with clever ideas and creative projects. Beloved and t...

Jeniffer and Chad talk with John Vorhaus about what it takes to be a good comic writer and how some of those things may be inborn. They discuss everything from his writing process, and his experience teaching comedy writing all over the world, to ultimate frisbee, poker, and dumb jokes. And, yes, there really was a Russian version of Married with Children. John worked on that show and learned some...

Jan Eliasberg has written and directed for theater, film, and television, including shows like Miami Vice, Criminal Minds, and Nashville. In this episode Jeniffer and Chad speak with Jan about her novel, Hannah’s War. The novel was inspired by, and tells the story of, Hannah Weiss, a Jewish physicist working on splitting the atom. Hannah realizes the destructive potential of her work but as a woma...

Sara Schaefer is an Emmy winning stand up comedian and comedy writer who's been featured on too many comedy shows to mention. If you don't already know her work, you're missing out. This episode, in another partnership with Warwick's Books, goes deep into the process of how Sara wrote her memoir, what she learned from it, and covers topics everyone can relate to. You'll also get to hear Sara read...

Charles Rosenberg is not only the author of several novels based on imagined history, but a Law professor and script consultant for several Prime Time television shows, such as LA Law and Boston Legal. Charles gets his inspiration from examining history and observing the present to imagine how the past could have been vastly different just by a change in circumstance. Jeniffer talks with him about...

You might suspect Brad Thor's background hosting the TV series Traveling Lite had something to do with his interest in international espionage and adventure, and you'd be right. Brad tells Jeniffer about what got him started as a writer, how he created his series protagonist, Scot Harvath, and how that character has changed over the course of writing 20 books. You'll find out how Brad's path to su...

The San Diego Writers Festival was born out of a passion to unite our community through storytelling and to give a voice to those who often feel voiceless. We celebrate inclusivity and accessibility, creating a day that celebrates all races, genders, religions and abilities. If you missed our inaugural event, we’re pleased to announce that we will continue to offer year-round programming and resou...

Today’s episode goes into detail about how and why Ackerman wrote his latest novel, Red Dress in Black and White . You’ll hear how his work is informed by his experience living overseas and how his themes are born out of real world events. This episode is a detailed exploration of his creative process. Oh, and it turns out, Eliot was also in the CIA, and Jeniffer tries to get him to reveal what he...

In today’s episode Jeniffer and Chad talk with Carlos De Los Rios about Hollywood insider stuff, how he came into screenwriting, and some of the work he’s done. They get into some details of his first producer credit, the documentary, The Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs. They talk Hollywood film history, tropes, and speculate as to the future of filmmaking in a post-COVID world. Carlos also has som...

Today’s episode is a conversation in partnership with Warwick’s Books. Jeniffer talks with Jason Stanley about his latest book, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. Stanley is a Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and contributor to publications such as NYT and Boston Review. He also serves on the board of the Prison Policy Initiative. He explains how Fascism is insidious in that...

Mark Coker, founder of the ebook publishing and distribution platform, Smashwords talks with Jeniffer and Chad about the world of Indie publishing. He tells them about why and how he started Smashwords, the inner workings of the machine that is Amazon, how Smashwords is different, and they discuss what it really means to be an Indie author. And of course, there are some fun, off topic musings abou...

In this episode Author and Artist, Keith Rosson chats with Jeniffer and Chad about his latest novel, Road Seven; a genre-bending mix of character driven literary fiction and Sci-Fi/fantasy.  There's talk of everything from exploding whales, to unicorns, to how important consuming art is in relation to creating it. And of course, some excellent, practical advice on the writing process, query letter...

Marni Freedman, writing coach and co-founder of the San Diego Writer's Festival joins Jeniffer and Chad to discuss how physical distancing and Covid-19 challenges us and how we can respond. Marni discusses her new book, Writing to Heal, why she wrote it, and her process. She also explains how writing brings about mindfulness and ways we can use writing to cope and heal, now and always. There's als...