The Story Blender

Join me for an engaging discussion with award-winning novelist Carol Van Den Hende as we discuss her latest book, Orchid Blooming, and explore the dynamics of a well-told story, humility, humanity, and why you should be the tiger.

Returning guest Adam Hamdy is a Sunday Times, Kindle, and international bestselling author and screenwriter. Adam writes the Scott Pearce series of contemporary espionage thrillers and has written two books with James Patterson, Private Moscow and Private Rogue. He is also the author of the Pendulum trilogy, a trilogy of conspiracy thriller novels. Patterson described Pendulum as "one of the best...

Dive into the world of science-based thrillers with international bestselling author Mark Alpert. As a former editor at Scientific American, Mark weaves together the curiosity of a scientist with the wordsmithing of a poet. Get a glimpse of his process as he asks “what if” and watches the stories unfold.

Listen in as I chat with critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling novelist William Kent Krueger, who writes intriguing mysteries that occur in the north woods of Minnesota. He shares how place leads to character, finding the stories that have found you, and getting to know your characters over time. He also explains how his latest book, Fox Creek, ties in with his other novels in a somewhat...

DP Lyle has consulted with some of the top crime shows in Hollywood, written extensively on forensics investigations, and is a stellar novelist, bringing his medical and technical expertise to the page. Join us as we discuss getting away with murder and writing mysteries that will snag and engage readers.

John Galligan is the author of many books including a standalone novel, Red Sky, Red Dragonfly, the Fly Fishing Mystery Series, and the Bad Axe County Series, which includes Bad Moon Rising, Dead Man Dancing, and his latest at the time of this interview, Bad Day Breaking. When he's not writing, John teaches college writing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST FLIGHT, which earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal. The New York Times called it “thoroughly absorbing” and it was named an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads Pick, and a Best Book of 2020 by Amazon Editors and Apple Books. Her debut, THE ONES WE CHOOSE, was published in 2018 and has been optioned...

Kevin Maurer is an award-winning journalist and the three-time New York Times bestselling co-author of No Easy Day, No Hero, and American Radical, among others. For the last eleven years, Maurer has also worked as a freelance writer covering war, politics, and general interest stories. His writing has been published in GQ, Men's Journal, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and numerous other pub...

Tom Morrisey is deeply in demand as one of the world’s top speechwriters and executive-engagement specialists. A speaker on writing and storytelling on both sides of the Atlantic, he has worked with leading executives from Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and The Walt Disney Company, and frequently writes articles and papers in the areas of executive engagement and coaching. He curren...

Samantha Bailey has been called the Queen of the Domestic Thrillers. She is the USA TODAY and #1 national bestselling author of WOMAN ON THE EDGE, her psychological thriller debut that received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was a PW Best Books Pick of the Week. In addition to her writing, Samantha also works as a journalist and freelance editor; her work has appeared in NOW Magazine,...

Meg Gardiner is the author of fifteen acclaimed, award-winning novels. Her thrillers have been bestsellers both in the U.S. and internationally and have been translated into more than twenty languages. China Lake won an Edgar Award and UNSUB, the first in her acclaimed UNSUB Series, won a Barry Award. Her third UNSUB novel, The Dark Corners of the Night, has been bought by Amazon Studios for devel...

Landon Beach’s book Narrator has been described as “Misery meets Gone Girl” and he worked closely with Scott Brick, the audiobook’s narrator, to blur the lines between the fictional world and the real one to deliver a story readers won’t soon forget. This lively discussion will take you into the sound booth as you learn the inside scoop behind this unique collaboration.

Alex Finlay is the author of the 2021 breakout novel, Every Last Fear, and one of Goodread’s most popular books of 2022, The Night Shift. His work has been an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, as well as a CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thrillers of the year. Alex’s nov...

Lisa Phillips is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London. She is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author who is releasing her 61st book this fall. In this interview on The Story Blender, she shares her strategy for publishing and writing, how she deals with upcoming deadlines, and her thoughts on character arcs. If you like romantic suspense, especially inspirational s...

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in writing from The New School and speaks at college campuses and nation...

A special episode to celebrate Be A Kid Again Day. Remember to tell a story, listen to one, imagine the impossible… and maybe even venture out for a little game in the twilight.

Listen in as famed writing instructor, NY literary agent, and best-selling author Donald Maass unpacks some of the secrets to best-selling novels, the important of an emotional journey (for the reader!) and why you should not follow storytelling or literary trends. While you listen, check out his latest book on the craft of writing, The Emotional Craft of Fiction. Grab a cup of coffee, settle back...

After spending half her life living in diverse cultures throughout the world, Nova McBee spent seven years studying writing before penning her first Young Adult novel, CALCULATED, which is now in development for film. In this interview she shares her passion for complex stories, the importance of fractals, and how to write young adult novels that also appeal to 80-year-olds! You’ll also be amazed...

John Gilstrap’s first novel, Nathan’s Run, hit the market in 1996 and set the literary world on fire. Publication rights sold in 23 countries, the movie rights were scooped up at auction by Warner Brothers, and John changed professions. A safety engineer by training and education, he specialized in explosives and hazardous materials, and also served 15 years in the fire and rescue service, rising...

Danielle Girard is the USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author of Chasing Darkness, the Rookie Club series, and Exhume, Excise, Expose, and Expire featuring San Francisco medical examiner Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman. Girard’s books have won the Barry Award and the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, and two of her titles have been optioned for movies. A graduate of Cornell University, Girard received her...

Alma Katsu is the award-winning author of seven novels. She’s mostly known for historical horror, including her latest The Fervor (Putnam), and The Hunger, which was recently named by Esquire as one of the top 50 horror novels of all time. She’s also written Red Widow, her first spy novel. She drew on 30+ years in intelligence with CIA and NSA to write this book, which was named a NYT Editors Choi...

Comedian Bob Smiley has been doing standup for over 20 years all over the United States and Arkansas.  He’s written three books for Focus on the Family in the series he created called “The Adventure’s of Average Boy.”  The books, as well as his “The Average Boy Podcast” is aimed at making kids laugh while encouraging them to be the best God created them to be.  Bob is also very good at mowing and...

Kim Weitkamp is an award-winning storyteller, author, singer-songwriter, and humorist. Kim used applied storytelling in her work with adjudicated and at-risk youth for 12 years and now tours full-time and performs regularly at festivals and theaters around the country. She has been a guest editor and contributor for various publications and her material gets regular airplay on Sirius XM and NPR Af...

Annette Simmons is the CEO of Group Process Consulting and author of five books, including her bestselling book The Story Factor, which was named as one of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. She has been featured on CNBC’s Power Lunch, NPR’s Market Watch, and on numerous talk radio programs. In this episode, she unpacks the six stories we all need to be able to tell as we share our messages...

Artem Mushin-Makedonskiy is a worldwide leader on using storytelling in organizations and has been studying the field for years, sharing his insights with others. Artem consults on the topics of communication and leadership and is the founder of the Academy Historia, which is dedicated to excellence in communication and storytelling. He also serves as a board member of the Storytelling In Organiza...