The Story Blender

My guest his week on The Story Blender Podcast is MP Woodward, a veteran of both US intelligence ops and the entertainment industry. As a naval intelligence officer with the US Pacific Command, he scripted scenario moves and countermoves for US war game exercises in the Middle East. In multiple deployments to the Persian Gulf and Far East, he worked alongside US Special Forces, CIA, and NSA. Most...

Bethany Jett is an author, as well as a literary agent and a book marketing expert. She co-founded Serious Writer, Inc. and recently completed an MFA in Communication. When she’s not writing or speaking at events nationwide, she reads reads suspense-novel, manages a busty household with three boys and consults on teh business of writing. Listen as talk agenting, marketing, pitching your book, what...

What an interesting conversation I had with Elle Marr, the author of the new tense, thriller, THE FAMILY BONES. We discussed the ideas of psychology to develop characterization what makes a psychopath, a psychopath, and the most terrifying moment that I personally ever had writing one of my novels.

Don Bentley is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Matt Drake series  and two Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. novels. Don spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot, and while deployed in Afghanistan, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with “V” for valor. Following his time in the military, Don worked as an FBI special agent focusing on foreign intelligence and counterin...

Vibhuti (“Vib”) Jain lives with her husband and daughter in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she works in international development. She began her career as a corporate lawyer in New York City. She holds degrees from Yale University and Harvard Law School. She grew up in Guilford, Connecticut. Our Best Intentions is her first novel.

Steven James, host of The Story Blender, is a critically acclaimed author of eighteen novels and numerous nonfiction books that have sold more than 1 million copies. His books have won or been shortlisted for dozens of national and international awards. In addition, his stories and articles have appeared in more than eighty different publications, including the New York Times. He is also a popular...

Leopoldo Gout is a Mexican immigrant, award-winning producer and filmmaker, visual artist and author, who has written, packaged, published and developed books for more than a decade, both under his own name with several major publishers, and with other writers under his own imprint at Simon & Schuster: Leopoldo & Co. He was co-president of the James Patterson Entertainment company for many...

Michael Sears' first novel, the best-seller BLACK FRIDAYS, a financial thriller with heart, took the Shamus award and was short-listed for the Edgar and three other major awards. MORTAL BONDS, the critically-acclaimed second novel in the Jason Stafford series, won the Silver Falchion at Killer Nashville. Continuing the series, LONG WAY DOWN, was described as "one of the best thrillers of 2015." SA...

Eric Wilson is the author of over twenty books, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as five movie novelizations including Facing the Giants and Flywheel. His third novelization, Fireproof, earned him a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list for 13 weeks. Eric has released two suspense novels with Bay Forest Books, One Step Away and Two Seconds Late. His nonfiction includes Taming the Beast: T...

Stephanie Landsem writes historical fiction because she loves adventure in far-off times and places. In real life, she’s explored ancient ruins, medieval castles, and majestic cathedrals around the world. Stephanie is equally happy at home in Minnesota with her husband, four children, and three fat cats. When she’s not writing, she’s feeding the ravenous horde, avoiding housework, and dreaming abo...

Fonda Lee is the World Fantasy Award-winning author of the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga, consisting of Jade City, Jade War, and Jade Legacy. She is also the author of the acclaimed young adult science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo, and Cross Fire.  Fonda is a winner of the Locus Award, a four-time winner of the Aurora Award, and a finalist for the Nebula Award and Hugo Award. The Green Bone Saga h...

Alaina Urquhart is the science-loving co-host of the podcast Morbid. As an autopsy technician by trade, paired with her degrees in Criminal Justice, Psychology and Biology, she offers a unique perspective from deep inside the morgue.  Alaina hails from Boston where she lives with her wonderful husband, John, their three amazing daughters, and a ghost puggle named “Bailey.” She is about 75% coffee...

Carolyn Korsmeyer is both a novelist and a philosopher. She is especially interested in how the senses and emotions are engaged by works of art, themes prominent in three of her philosophy books: Things: In Touch with the Past, Savoring Disgust: The Foul and the Fair in Aesthetics, and Making Sense of Taste: Food and Philosophy. She is keen to explore the ways that fiction can revive lives from lo...

Dolores Hydock is an actress and story performer whose work has been featured at a variety of concerts, festivals, and special events throughout the U.S. She has been a featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, has been Teller-in-Residence at Jonesborough’s International Storytelling Center, and her twelve CDs of original stories have all received Resou...

Maureen Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Stevie Bell YA mystery, Nine Liars, as well as more than a dozen young adult novels, including the Truly Devious series, the Shades of London series, Suite Scarlett, and 13 Little Blue Envelopes. Her books have sold more than three million copies worldwide and have been published in more than thirty countries. She grew up in Philadelp...

Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of 23 thrillers, including the ORPHAN X series. His novels have won numerous literary awards and have been published in 33 languages. Gregg currently serves as the Co-President of International Thriller Writers (ITW). Additionally, he’s written screenplays and television scripts for many major studios and networks, comic...

Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, popularly known as Delta Force. Taylor retired in 2010 after serving more than two decades and participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as classified operations around the...

Janice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist, and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Department for International Development. Her enthusiasm for travel has taken her around the world several times, from Madagascar to the Galapagos, Guatemala to Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. A...

Jaime Jo Wright is the author of eight novels, including Christy Award and Daphne Du Maurier award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award winner The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond. She’s also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of two novellas. Jaime lives in Wisconsin with her cat, her husband, and their two children.

Edward Zuckerman began his career as a journalist, writing about zombies, killer bees, talking apes and other subjects for Rolling Stone, Spy, the New Yorker, Harper’s, Esquire, and many other magazines. He wrote two well-reviewed nonfiction books, The Day After World War III and Small Fortunes, and then moved into writing for television dramas, including “Law & Order” (50+ episodes), “Blue Bl...

Jamie Mason was born in Oklahoma City and grew up all over the Washington, DC area. She’s most often reading and writing, but in the life left over, she enjoys films, Formula 1 racing, football, traveling, and, conversely, staying at home. Jamie lives with her husband and two daughters in the mountains of western North Carolina. She writes more whydunnits than whodunnits because the why in stories...

Cindy Callaghan is an award-winning middle-grade writer best known for Just Add Magic, which was developed into an Emmy-nominated Amazon original series now distributed world-wide via Nickelodeon.  Her book Saltwater Secrets, which is pitched as “Big Little Lies for tweens,” has been acquired by a major studio. In addition to those, she has five well-loved “Lost in…” books, Sydney Mackenzie Knocks...

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels, including SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX, LAST GIRL GHOSTED, and CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45—now in development at Netflix, starring Jessica Alba. With books published in thirty-two languages and millions of copies sold worldwide, she is regarded as a master of suspense. Her critically acclaimed novels have been featu...

James Patterson is the world’s best-selling author. He has written some of the most popular series of the past two decades - Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels – and many other #1 bestsellers, including romance novels and standalone thrillers. James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he al...

Yasmin Angoe is the Anthony-nominated and first generation Ghanaian American author of the critically acclaimed Her Name Is Knight and the second of the series, They Come At Knight. She is the recipient of the 2020 Eleanor Taylor Bland Award from Sisters in Crime. Reviews of her work can be found in the New York Times, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly, to name a few, and was listed as Amazon’s “Best...