The Thoughtful Bro

My talk with my good friend Kimberly Hensle Lowrance on her debut novel What Remains Of You . We covered: (1) the architecture of planting a "phat hook" in the first few pages to snag a reader good; (2) why she didn't give up on the nine-year road to getting her first book released; and (3) what happens when an ardent and outspoken supporter of indie bookstores gets her debut novel published by Am...

My interview with Dane Bahr on his prohibition era thriller, one part David Mamet, one part Cormac McCarthy, The Dead Ringer . We discussed: (1) being a literary guy among diesel mechanics; (2) how he's activated to the highest expression by the darkest underbellies and hardest truths; and (3) being a typewriter guy in the age of the Interwebs. Order Mark's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All episodes o...

My one-on-one with Courtney Maum , re her latest novel Alan Opts Out . We covered: (1) The longing for the better aspects of the pandemic, when the whole world, for one brief moment, opted out, (2) her lifelong struggles with plot, and (3) the most important rule for a writer: don't be ruled by envy. Order Mark's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on...

My interview with ESPN/ The Ringer writer Jordan Ritter Conn about his new work of narrative non-fiction, American Men . We covered: (1) How men cope with the gap between who they truly are and their ideal of masculinity, (2) what the manosphere tells men they need, versus what they *actually* need to lead fulfilling lives, and (3) how the most important thing men need to realize is that they can'...

My talk with a true American Rambler , Isaac Fitzgerald , whose latest is about walking in the footsteps of folklore icon Johnny Appleseed. We chatted re: (1) the tradition of literary quests in search of the spirit of America, (2) how the *real* America ain't what's on your screens, and (3) why the book publishing industry is not in the danger people say—books still make lots of money and *no one...

My interview with Dr. Brennan Spiegel on his new book, Pull , about how to overthrow our oldest oppressor—gravity. We discussed: (1) how your relationship with gravity impacts your health—both mind and body; (2) how becoming gravity-resilient is a goal we all should shoot for, and (3) tips for writing lucid, compelling non-fiction, and making complicated scientific issues easy for the lay reader t...

My talk with National Book Award-nominee Andrew Krivak , discussing his latest novel, Mule Boy , a book that Publishers Weekly called "flawless." We covered (1) the importance of wrestling with the old, hard, elemental questions through words; (2) the pride of 20th century coal miners, who loved their treacherous work; and (3) how Andrew learned to tell stories from his grandmother, the one who re...

My probing discussion with Christopher Castellani re his brand-new literary/true crime novel Last Seen . We discussed (1) the Smiley Face Murder Theory, (2) how understanding the motives of your narrator is the key to any story, and (3) the real reason why some writers give up, and some keep going. Order Mark's novel  Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A...

My chat with "overnight success" and One Story editor-in-chief Patrick Ryan , who published his debut novel for adults, Buckeye , at 60 years old, and it became the runaway hit of last year.  We discussed (1) how novels have the unique ability to present audiences with the grand sweep of time; (2) what was different about Buckeye from the six or seven novels he wrote before it that didn't get publ...

My fab interview with the legendary Jenna Blum , who's written one of the most purely entertaining books I've read in ages, Murder Your Darlings . I was there for the whole life cycle of this book, from the moment she thought of it, all the way to launch. We discussed: (1) making a mid-career genre pivot, (2) the keys to a good sex scene, and (3) what it means to be writing popcorn-munching, fun-f...

My galvanizing 1:1 with one of the coolest writers out there, Ottessa Moshfegh . We discussed: (1) what happens when an artist is open about their world-sized ambitions; (2) the connection between the artist and the "god" (for lack of a better word) of creativity; and (3) how to create the kind of art that Mick Jagger himself recommends: the kind that "achieves madness." Order Mark's novel  Bunyan...

My talk with Oscar-nominated director (" Sugarcane ") and first time author Julian Brave NoiseCat , on his new memoir/"coyote story" We Survived The Night . We discussed (1) a father son saga so improbable, it almost requires a higher power to explain it, (2) the haunting legacy of indigenous genocide at mission schools, and (3) the healing power of myth...in particular, how the oral tradition of...

My electrifying interview with Elaine Castillo , author of Moderation , which the New Yorker called "one of the best books of the year." We discussed (1) the psychological hellscape of the content moderator, one of the worst jobs on earth; (2) the redemptive power of VR therapeutics, and (3) how the most interesting kinds of characters are often those who are certain they are right, but are absolu...

My chat with Jon Hickey, author of the timely debut novel Big Chief , a study of big egos, bad blood, and mudslinging reservation politics. We discussed: (1) the power of belonging, and how it drives power stuggles; (2) the sorrow of losing touch with your culture, and (3) the patient work of trying to make characters come alive on the page. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of Th...

My interview with one of the queens of Romantasy, Jennifer L. Armentrout , discussing her latest in the bestselling Blood And Ash series. We discussed (1) The psychological underpinnings of popular tropes (The Chosen One, Enemies To Lovers); (2) What she'd fix about publishing (hire editors outside of New York!); and (3) How, exactly, to publish 70 books in under 15 years (Answer: work 12 hour day...

My *utterly electric* convo with one of the great non-fiction writers and scholars of our time, Stephen Greenblatt. Stephen is the Pulitzer Prize winning/bestselling author of some of my favorite books EVER about literary history (including The Swerve), and he's out now with Dark Renaissance , about the troubled, complex genius of Shakespeare's top rival, Chris Marlowe. We discussed (1) how Marlow...

My chat with God And Sex author Jon Raymond , a book that The New York Times assures "lives up to its epic title." We covered: (1) writing a story that unites the worldviews of his Buddhist father and Jewish mother; (2) drawing inspiration from Graham Greene's classic The End Of The Affair , and (3) how curing writer despair is often a matter of just re-investing yourself in the writer community....

My interview with bestselling Whalefall author Daniel Kraus, chatting about his new World War I novel (written entirely in one sentence!), Angel Down . We covered: (1) the Whalefall film adaptation, starring fellow actor (and writer), Josh Brolin; (2) His previous collabs with horror/fantasy legend Guillermo del Toro; and (3) why he never, ever, ever imitates himself, and how tackling new genres a...

My conversation with Bruce Holsinger , author of the bestseller/Oprah pick Culpability , in which a family is torn apart in the wake of a self-driving car accident. We discussed, (1) the rampant feeling of fear and malaise related to the ongoing AI culture takeover, (2) writing zeitgeisty novels, and (3) how using chatbots instead of learning to read and write for yourself dangerously cuts one off...

My interview with horror master Stephen Graham Jones discussing his latest, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter . Our talk covered (1) re-inventing the vampire for the American West, (2) writing for the fans v. writing for the critics, and (3) the ancient and visceral attributes of the horror genre (and how snobs like T.S. Eliot look down on it). Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Tho...

My interview with Phil Melanson re his bestselling debut Florenzer . Topics included: (1) the secret/suppressed details of Leonardo da Vinci's sex life, (2) the scandalous details surrounding the most expensive painting ever sold (Salvator Mundi), and (3) the mysterious/beguiling/restless nature of da Vinci's genius. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired li...

My convo with Brendan Slocumb re his latest thriller set in the world of classical music, The Dark Maestro . We covered (1) how people can't really hide the art that needs to come out of them; (2) musical prodigies from underprivileged backgrounds (there's more of them out there than you think); and (3) how a personal health scare can make the creation of art even more urgent than before. Order Ma...

My 1:1 with novelist + novel-structure-master Dana Spiotta . We discussed her latest novel, Wayward , as well as (1) midlife crises...the female version; (2) the risks of "challenging" the reader with innovative novel forms, and (3) her techniques for giving humane feedback. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry . All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze . The Thoug...

My interview with David Baldacci discussing his career selling over 150 million books, his MasterClass on writing , and his latest novel, Stranger in Time . We covered (1) the one skill he wishes he had, that some other writers do with ease, (2) how he is, in my estimation, the Tom Cruise of literature (you'll have to listen to the ep to find out how), and (3) the *one quality* that all his books...

My *everything* talk with Adam Ross, discussing his hit literary novel Playworld. Along with *everything* (we covered a lot of ground) we also chatted about (1) Safetyism v. Adventure in raising kids today, (2) the origin and theory behind his beautifully warm opening paragraph, and (3) his love/hate relationship with being compared to that other writer of precocious New York City kids, J.D. Salin...