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Kelton Reid

“Learn how acclaimed writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block.”
Each week, host Kelton Reid chats with guests like Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, on life after becoming a laureate; #1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry on her past life as a YA mid-lister; Celebrated author, Walter Mosley, on his conflicted feelings after winning a National Book Award; NY Times bestselling author, Lisa Scottoline, on what she learned from literary lion Philip Roth; #1 NY Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane on what he borrowed from Clint Eastwood; and bestselling author, Matt Haig, on the process behind his novel, The Midnight Library, and serial guest hosts: neuroscientist Michael Grybko, journalist Adam Skolnick, and short story writer Robert Bruce.

The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

Acclaimed debut novelist and English Professor Priscilla Morris spoke to me about finding her voice, and the germ of an idea that became her labor of love, acclaimed debut novel BLACK BUTTERFLIES.

Priscilla Morris is a British author and lecturer whose debut novel, Black Butterflies, was shortlisted for a number of major awards.

Critics described Black Butterflies as “a story of strife and hope set during the conflict in the Balkans in the early '90s,” and it was shortlisted in 2023 for: the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, among others, and chosen as an Indie Fiction Book of the Month.

Black Butterflies is a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize 2025 (winners to be announced in September).

Priscilla teaches creative writing in Ireland and studied Spanish, Italian and social anthropology at Cambridge University and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, where she earned her PhD.

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Priscilla Morris and I discussed:

How her Grandfather’s funeral planted the seed that became her novel

Why art helps overcome the tragedies of war

Writing a love letter to the place she spent a part of her formative childhood

How to cultivate a balanced disposition toward your work over time

Why writing is a long game

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

priscillamorris.org

Black Butterflies: A Novel by Priscilla Morris (Amazon)

Priscilla Morris on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Acclaimed Debut Novelist Priscilla Morris Writes

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, returned to chat about why bestsellers stick around for years, why fiction is perfectly geared for the human mind, and her latest YA thriller, THE GRANDEST GAME.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 acclaimed young adult novels, including The Inheritance Games series (over 3 million copies sold), Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals, The Lovely and the Lost, and The Naturals series.

Her latest is another #1 New York Times bestseller, The Grandest Game (Volume 1) “... a new series that brings readers deeper into the lush, romantic, and puzzle-filled world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series, set a year after we last saw Avery and the Hawthornes.”

Jen is a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science including a Ph.D. from Yale University, and “...is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination.”

[Discover ⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠writerfiles.fm⁠]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I discussed: 

 Juggling a book launch, edits, and revisions for three new books

 How to reboot a hit series to capture the same energy as the original

 Why she approaches writing as both a scientist and an author

 How she uses lists of her favorite tropes to unlock her scenes

 More theories on why readers love fiction

 And a lot more!

Show Notes: 

 ⁠How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes Writes: Part One⁠

 ⁠Jenniferlynnbarnes.com⁠

 
⁠The psychology of fiction with Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Re:Thinking with Adam Grant⁠ - TED Audio Collective

 
⁠The Grandest Game (Volume 1) (The Grandest Game, 1)⁠ By Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Amazon)⁠

 ⁠⁠Jennifer Lynn Barnes Amazon Author Page⁠

 ⁠⁠Jennifer Lynn Barnes on Twitter⁠⁠

 ⁠⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes Writes: Part Two - Redux

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, spoke to me about how to write seven novels in 18 months, the psychology of fiction and fandom, and her latest YA mystery, THE BROTHERS HAWTHORNE.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 acclaimed young adult novels, including The Inheritance Games trilogy, Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals, The Lovely and the Lost, and The Naturals series.

Her latest is The Brothers Hawthorne, described as “Knives Out-esque” by Publishers Weekly, it is a story of [two brothers] “Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, [who] —with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather’s fortune—must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.”

Jen is a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science including a Ph.D. from Yale University, and “...is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination.”

[Discover ⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠writerfiles.fm⁠]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I discussed: 

 Her study of autism and why neurodivergents rely so heavily on story

 How her bestselling trilogy went viral on TikTok

 Why she writes for reluctant readers

 How to write mysteries with intricate puzzles, twists, turns, and reveals

 Her theories on why readers love fiction

 And a lot more!

Show Notes:

 ⁠Jenniferlynnbarnes.com⁠

 
⁠The psychology of fiction with Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Re:Thinking with Adam Grant⁠ - TED Audio Collective

 
⁠The Brothers Hawthorne⁠ By Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Amazon)

 ⁠Jennifer Lynn Barnes Amazon Author Page⁠

 ⁠Jennifer Lynn Barnes on Twitter⁠

 ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes Writes: Part One - Redux

#1 New York Times bestselling author Josie Silver spoke to me about the laptop that changed her life, overcoming adversity early on, and her latest ghost-hunting rom-com CRAZY SPOOKY LOVE.

Josie Silver is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, One Night on the Island, and A Winter in New York, and her books have been published in over 25 languages.

Her latest novel, CRAZY SPOOKY LOVE (September 2, 2025), features a plucky medium, her fame-chasing ex, and an infuriatingly handsome skeptic reporter in a ghost-hunting series full of romance and humor.

Although Josie Silver burst onto the scene with her smash-hit debut romance, One Day in December in 2018, she had published books before—just under a different name, and never in the U.S. She tells me that story here.

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Josie Silver and I discussed:

How she wrote on maternity leave, won a contest, and got an agent

Why she couldn’t imagine doing anything else amidst multiple rejections

The need for authors to reinvent themselves often

How her latest protagonist strolled into her imagination fully formed

Rewriting a previously published work for a new set of editors

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

josiesilver.com

Crazy Spooky Love: A Melody Bittersweet Novel (Melody Bittersweet, 1) – September 2, 2025 – by Josie Silver (Amazon)

Josie Silver Amazon Author Page

Josie Silver on Twitter/X

Josie Silver on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Josie Silver Writes

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jim Butcher, spoke with me about how he outlined a hit 20-novel series (years before he had an agent), why all steampunks wear goggles, and the second book in his Cinder Spires series, THE OLYMPIAN AFFAIR.

Jim Butcher is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and the Cinder Spires novels.

The long-anticipated second novel in his Cinder Spires series is The Olympian Affair, described by the author as “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Sherlock meets Hornblower,” in a series “... about noble families, magic-wielding warriors, and airship battles.”

Library Journal called it “... an exciting epic fantasy, set in the sky and filled with airships, magic, and the connections of blood and found family." And New York Times bestselling author David Weber said of the book, “It’s steampunk meets magic with a dose of sci-fi for seasoning.”

[Discover ⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠writerfiles.fm⁠]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file, Jim Butcher and I discussed: 

 Why “breaking into print is an arduous and discouraging process”

 The Genre Fiction Novel class that changed his writing for good

 Keeping your writing time sacred

 When your fans become your boss

 How to write a “steam opera”

 His most important legacy as a writer

 And a lot more!

Show Notes:

 ⁠jim-butcher.com⁠

 
⁠The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spires Book 2)⁠ by Jim Butcher (Amazon) 

 ⁠Jim Butcher Amazon Author Page⁠

 ⁠Jim Butcher on Twitter⁠

 ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jim Butcher Writes: Redux

New York Times bestselling author Antony Johnston, spoke to me about falling backwards into video game writing, meeting Atomic Blonde’s Charlize Theron, and his new interactive whodunit Can You Solve the Murder?

Antony Johnston is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of over fifty books, graphic novels, and comic series, including the popular Dog Sitter Detective murder mysteries. He adapted his graphic novel, The Coldest City, into the multi-million-dollar blockbuster movie Atomic Blonde, which he also co-produced.

His latest novel, Can You Solve the Murder? (Penguin Books; On Sale: 7/1), is described as “An interactive whodunit where you choose which suspects to question, which leads to follow, and ultimately, who to accuse.”

Kirkus Reviews wrote of the book, “A Choose Your Own Adventure–style novel for willing and agile grownups….as interactive as readers who don’t play video games are likely to find.­”

Antony is also a celebrated video games writer, and is credited with many franchise-defining titles, and a former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association.

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Antony Johnston and I discussed:

How writing graphic novels and comics lead to a 20-year parallel career in video games

Why the Atomic Blonde adaptation gave him space to write novels

His love of storytelling and having never taken a creative writing course

Bringing the video games and crime writing worlds together

How to write and publish an interactive “game book”

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

antonyjohnston.com

Can You Solve the Murder?: An Interactive Crime Novel by Antony Johnston (Amazon)

Antony Johnston: Solving This Crime Is No Cakewalk - Writer’s Digest Interview

The Organized Writer

Antony Johnston on Bluesky

Antony Johnston on Threads

Antony Johnston on Twitter/X

Antony Johnston on Facebook

Antony Johnston on Mastodon

Antony Johnston on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How NY Times Bestselling Author Antony Johnston Writes

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Anne Lamott, spoke with me about 40 years of teaching writing, how to write more bravely, on sh*tty first drafts, and sharing hacks she’s learned over her career at the Writers Rising 2024 retreat.

Anne Lamott is the author of 20 books, including New York Times bestsellers Help, Thanks, Wow; Dusk, Night, Dawn; Traveling Mercies; and Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, as well as seven novels.

Her latest book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Publishers Weekly praised “…her ability to distill complex truths with a deceptive lightness” in their starred review.

Anne is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an inductee to the California Hall of Fame, and was recently a columnist for The Washington Post. She has taught at UC Davis, writing conferences across the country, and is currently an artist in residence at A Writing Room Collective.

[Discover ⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠writerfiles.fm⁠]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Anne Lamott and I discussed: 

The debt of honor that is the writing life

Why you don’t have to know everything to finish your book

What it was like getting inducted into the California Hall of Fame next to Mark Zuckerberg and Serena Williams

The importance of accountability for staying on track

Why you need to stop not writing and get your butt in the chair

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

⁠Writers Rising 2024⁠

⁠awritingroom.com⁠

⁠Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life⁠ by Anne Lamott (Amazon)

⁠Somehow: Thoughts on Love⁠ By Anne Lamott (Amazon)

⁠Anne Lamott Amazon Author Page⁠

⁠Anne Lamott on Twitter⁠

⁠Anne Lamott on Facebook⁠

⁠Anne Lamott on Instagram⁠

⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Anne Lamott Writes: Redux

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jodi Picoult, spoke with me about writing for Wonder Woman, adapting books for musical theater, and the question of Shakespeare's true authorship in her upcoming novel BY ANY OTHER NAME.

Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of 30 novels, including landmark titles such as Mad Honey – her most recent 1 million-copy bestseller – Wish You Were Here, A Spark of Light, and Small Great Things. 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide and have been translated into 34 languages.

Her forthcoming novel is BY ANY OTHER NAME (on sale 8/20; Ballantine), described as a novel about two women, centuries apart – one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays – who are both forced to hide behind another name.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah said of the book, “You’ll fall in love with Emilia Bassano, the unforgettable heroine based on a real woman that Picoult brings vividly to life in her brilliantly researched new novel.” Elle called it, “[An] inspiring work of feminist literature inspired by real historical accounts.”

Jodi was also co-librettist for the stage musical adaptation of her young adult novel Between the Lines (which premiered Off-Broadway in Summer 2022), the co-librettist of the musical BREATHE, the co-librettist of the musical adaptation of The Book Thief, and she is currently at work on an adaptation of Austenland.

[Discover ⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠writerfiles.fm⁠]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Jodi Picoult and I discussed: 

 What's changed and what hasn't for women (in theater) over 400+ years?

 The best time to break an arm for an author

 How she works in cycles for her books

 Why her kids made her write for Wonder Woman

 The conundrum of a famous playwright who didn’t own a single book

 And a lot more!

Show Notes:

 ⁠jodipicoult.com⁠

 
⁠By Any Other Name: A Novel⁠ By Jodi Picoult (Amazon)

 ⁠Jodi Picoult Amazon Author Page⁠

 
⁠WAS SHAKESPEARE A WOMAN?⁠ – Elizabeth Winkler for The Atlantic

 ⁠Jodi Picoult on Facebook⁠

 ⁠Jodi Picoult on Twitter⁠

 ⁠Jodi Picoult on Instagram⁠

 ⁠Jodi Picoult on TikTok⁠

 ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jodi Picoult Writes: Redux

Experts Nicole Meier and Gretchen Schaffer, the duo behind Book Works, spoke to me about how to build a meaningful author platform, and how they empower authors through book coaching and branding expertise.

Nicole Meier is a certified book coach and the author of four novels, as well as the host of The Whole Writer podcast for emerging writers. Her books have been recognized by Booklist, Refinery29, BookBub, and Popsugar. 

Gretchen Schaffer, is a PR strategist with experience at Adobe, Microsoft, Meta, and Sony, who now helps authors build strong platforms and pitch strategies.

Together, they guide fiction writers in establishing their brand, connecting with readers, and confidently pitching their work in the literary world.

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Nicole Meier, Gretchen Schaffer, and I discussed:

Where the duo step in at the “deer in the headlights moment” for authors

The overwhelm from the contradictory and ever-changing path to publishing

Building a community one reader at a time

The intersection of creative practice and career sustainability

Why you need to go tell one person that you're a writer this week

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

bookworks.co

Book Works Substack Newsletter

The Whole Writer podcast

Book Works on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Build a Meaningful Author Platform with Nicole Meier and Gretchen Schaffer of Book Works

Bestselling, award-winning author, and founder of the LA Review of Books, Tom Lutz, returned to talk with me about life in the French countryside, his writer’s residency, and the greatest year in literary history, 1925.

He's a Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing at UC Riverside, and the author of multiple bestselling and award-winning titles – translated into dozens of languages – including Doing Nothing (American Book Award winner), Crying, American Nervousness, 1903 (both New York Times Notables), and Born Slippy, his first novel.

His latest, 1925: A Literary Encyclopedia, is described as an “… exploration of one of the richest moments in our literary and cultural history .… an explosion of literary innovation, from the rise of modernist masterpieces like Mrs. Dalloway and The Great Gatsby to a boom in pulp fiction.”

Besides founding the Los Angeles Review of Books, "... a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and disseminating ... engaging writing on every aspect of literature, culture, and the arts," Tom also founded The LARB Radio Hour, The LARB Quarterly Journal, The LARB/USC Publishing Workshop, and LARB Books.

He and his wife now run a residency for writers and artists in St. Chamassy, in France’s Dordogne region.

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In Part Two of this file Tom Lutz and I discussed:

Adjusting to the life of a country gentleman and all the great wines

Why he cares less than ever about what people think of his work

The legion of classic texts that came out of one of the most prolific years in history

How 1925 birthed so much progress for American culture

Why literature is the R&D wing of human enterprise, especially in 2025

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

1925: A Literary Encyclopedia by Tom Lutz

TomLutzWriter.com⁠

All things ⁠LARB⁠

French Presse - St.-Chamassy Writers’ Residency: A quiet place to live and work in the French countryside.

⁠Tom Lutz's Amazon Author Page⁠

⁠Tom Lutz on Facebook⁠

⁠Tom Lutz on Instagram⁠

⁠Tom Lutz on Twitter⁠

Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Founding Editor of the LA Review of Books Tom Lutz Writes: Part Two

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Ruta Sepetys, spoke to me about what she learned in the music industry, the secrets to strong, vivid writing, and her non-fiction debut YOU: THE STORY: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory.
Ruta Sepetys is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Her acclaimed “crossover” YA literature includes the Carnegie Medal-winning Salt to the Sea. 
Her latest is the creative guide to writing, You: The Story: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory (available May 16, 2023), which “... provides aspiring writers with a roadmap to crafting compelling stories by encouraging them to look inward and excavate their own memories in order to discover authentic voices and compelling details.”
In a starred review Booklist said of the book, “Part writing guide, part memoir, Sepetys’ fresh, fun handbook is all inspiration.”
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file, Ruta Sepetys and I discussed: 

What she learned about storytelling working in the music industry

Why she’s drawn to underrepresented stories and “history in hiding”

How to discover the Four Hs of the "excitement of life"

Her intensive research process for each book

Why writers need to examine their own lives for authenticity

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

rutasepetys.com

You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory by Ruta Sepetys (Amazon)

Ruta Sepetys Amazon Author Page

Ruta Sepetys on Instagram

Ruta Sepetys on Twitter

Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ruta Sepetys Writes

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