Carter Wilson's Blog, page 2

My Life So Far

Well, hi!

This is Scully. Carter’s dog. I’ve been alive for two years and it’s awesome!

I’m in charge of the newsletter this month. Carter said he ran out of ideas, which is weird, because ideas are kinda his job. Does this mean we won’t be able to afford food? But anyway, I’m excited. It’s a big deal! The newsletter I mean. I’m not excited about running out of food. Carter said to write whatever I wanted. I reminded him I can’t write. He’s said to use AI. I said okay. Here we are!

He just yelled at me for using all these exclamation marks! I’m a Golden Retriever. We’re enthusiastic. It’s what we do.  Squirrel! Sorry.

Life is good so far. It started out kinda weird. I had all these brothers and sisters and then they were gone. My mom was gone, too. I was just taken away. I guess I have a dad, but he bailed before I was born. Men, right?

I came to Carter’s house and spent my first few months peeing. Also awesome. Now I have a special place for that. It’s called Pee Palace, and it’s kinda gross. I found out in a dog’s life, most things are gross. But gross is awesome.

Carter has a voice for me. It sounds like a mix between Billy Bob Thornton in Slingblade and Kevin from The Office. He does this voice all the time. I don’t think he realizes I can’t talk. I’m a dog.

There’s a cat here. I still don’t know his name. Sometimes he’s a jerk. Sometimes he cuddles. Mostly, he’s a jerk.

One time we drove all the way to Louisiana and back. I still don’t know why. The cat wasn’t part of it or anything.

That pretty much sums up my life so far. Funny, I thought it would take more space. Also, happy holidays. I found out I get presents for no reason. That kind of thing happens all the time around here. Also, food magically appears twice a day. It’s a pretty good deal.

This is me next to a snow bunny. I was scared of him at first, but then we became friends. He died. Rats!

This is Carter’s book. He told me it’s pretty cool. You know what’s cool? Snow bunnies! Until they’re dead. Then they’re wayyyy less fun. But still kinda fun.

This is a person from Instagram who wrote a nice thing about Carter’s book. Carter said to include it because if this book doesn’t sell a lot of copies, we’re going to run out of food. He talks about running out of food A LOT.  I kinda think he’s messing with me. But I’m not sure.

I said I wanted an Instagram account. He said no. I think he’s worried I’d have more followers than him by the end of the first week. I would!

Carter talks to people on his computer. Sometimes I lie in the chair behind him when he does. It’s funny when I fart during this.

He wants you to know new episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month he chatted with:

Jen Ruiz, author and travel blogger (she seems nice!)Libby Cudmore, mystery author (oooh…intriguing!)Edward Hamlin, fiction writer and composer of music for acoustic guitar (I had an idea for a song once but forgot it by the time I walked out of the room. All I remember is it started with “rowrowrooo, rowowo!”)Brad Parks, international bestselling author (that means he’s big in Liechtenstein).

All episodes are available on Carter’s website, his YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

This is where Carter’s going to be if you want to meet him and such. If you want to meet me, you have to come to my house or the dog park. That’s usually where I go. And sometimes, inexplicably, Louisiana.

REVIEWS AND STUFF

On the Page

Clifford

Ummmm…..I don’t read. But I can look at pictures, and I saw this book and it blew my mind. WHAT IS THAT????? Like, no one seems to think it’s weird he’s both big AND red.  If I were that big the cat would never be a jerk to me again.

His Pee Palace must be HUGE.

On the Screen

John Wick

WHATEVER YOU DO DON’T WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!!! NIGHTMARES FOR MONTHS!!!!!

Photo of the Month

It’s me! Ili took this photo. I love the snow, unless it’s made of dead snow bunny.

Update from my Kids
This is Ili and this is the boy. Sometimes they show up and sometimes they’re just gone. Did I mention I never knew my father?

Update from my Pets

This is the cat I was telling you about. Look at him. That face. That stupid jerk face. He clawed Carter’s crotch right after this.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

This is pretty stupid. I told my friend to send me better stuff next time. He said the dog looks like me. It doesn’t. This dog is also stupid.

Carter’s Next Unbound Writer Event! (another time I’ll be home alone. Sigh.)

THAT’S IT FOR NOW! SMELL YA LATER!

Halloween Scream Reel

All right, now that it’s November you probably don’t want to hear about Halloween. Too bad. You can go down to your local grocery store and immerse yourself in all the Christmas decor you want, but for now, we’re doing a Halloween debrief.

I’ve come to realize writing thrillers and enjoying Halloween have some major overlap, namely that it allows you to explore the dark side of mortality while still being safe. It’s all pretend, but you can make it pretty damn real. And just like in my books, I don’t go for cheap and easy gore with my Halloween themes. It should be about the mood. The threat of something happening. The “what if” of every moment.

Some years I throw myself more into my Halloween decorations than others, but I always make it a theme and not just a bunch of skeletons on my front lawn. This year’s theme was pirates, and as I’ve done for the last several years I’ve turned my garage into a staging ground of screams.

And it’s not just about the visuals. It’s about what’s hidden (due to heavy use of a fog machine), what you hear (music and voiceovers), and what you smell (the little kid crapping his pants next to you). And I usually employ some nice visuals aside from static props, including hologram-eque projections, motion sensors, and hand-built animatronic props.  

I will admit, life is full and I kept things as simple as possible this year for Halloween. But simple is good! You don’t need to be tricky to scare someone, and sometimes the most basic haunts are the most effective. I try to keep that in mind when I write.

By the end of the night, we had counted 293 trick or treaters, not including the hordes of parents who loved watching their kids freak out. So yeah, a good night.

Enjoy this  short and sweet scream reel.

New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:

Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling novelistKaren Dionne, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling suspense authorBarbara Feigin, memorist and advertising pioneerGina DeMillo Wagner, award-winning journalist and author

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

As far as I know, these are the places I’m supposed to be where you can meet me and stuff. Check my event calendar for the latest updates.November 16, 2024  3PM
“The Art of Thriller Writing”
Class
Standley Lake Library
Arvada, Colorado

January 29th, 2025 6PM
Joint Book-Launch Event
Carter Wilson & Barbara Nickless
Tattered Cover Colfax
Denver, Colorado

February 5, 2025
Totally Criminal Cocktail Hour
Stillwater, Minnesota
Details TBD

STAY TUNED FOR MORE EVENTS IN EARLY 2025! Lots of scheduling stuff currently in the works

What’s Entertaining Me

On the Page

The 13th Step (Lew McCreary, September 2024)

I was at the Bouchercon (Mystery Writers of America) conference in September and I ran into Marcy McCreary, a lovely suspense author. We were talking for a few minutes and then she pressed a book into my hands. “My husband wrote this,” she said, “and it’s amazing.” I gladly accepted, because who doesn’t love amazing books? But I also felt a little guilty holding it; my to-read pile is cascading and I wasn’t sure I would ever get to it. Then she told me something that struck me silent. She said right after her husband wrote the book, he was diagnosed with a form of dementia.  

My father passed from early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 69,  and once Marcy told me about her husband Lew, I knew I’d be reading the book. And lest you think I’m sharing a person’s secret medical history, Lew is very open about his struggles on the Kickstarter campaign page that he launch to get the book into the world.  I had no idea if the book would be amazing or not, but I felt compelled to crack it open.

And what about the book? In short, Lew is a hellua writer. The plot details a support group comprised of family members of violent-crime victims, and the “13th step” is the final step encouraged by the morally ambiguous group leader Candace, who softly encourages violent revenge as a coping mechanism to her members.

The plot, while gripping, takes second stage to Lew’s writing, which can most aptly be described as fiendishly clever. I fucking love clever writing, especially when it doesn’t get in the way of story flow, which is precisely the case here. You read this book and instantly recognize an author who just loves words. Loves and respects them. Promises to arrange them in just the right way, and does so with what seems like natural ease. The kind of writing that makes me jealous, in short.

My hat’s off to this fine, fine author. Please check his book out and see what it means to be a writer at the top of his game.

On the Screen

Woman of the Hour, (Netflix, 2024)

I love a good documentary, and the next best thing is a bang-up docudrama, especially if it’s true crime (The Staircase is a good example of this). So Jess and I were eager to dive into Woman of the Hour, a docudrama about a serial killer in the 70s who wound up as a contestant on The Dating Game.

Woman of the Hour both stars and is directed by Anna Kendrick, and though she excels in both roles, her acting is more sure-handed. She plays the poor struggling actress who lands a role as the Dating Game “girl”, and of course she selects the killer to go out with (this is the meat of the true story). The story goes back on forth in time, establishing the series of murders leading up to the killer’s appearance on the game show. It’s all highly compelling, but what’s lacking is a narrative thread tying everything together. This could easily be accomplished through fiction, but as a docudrama it hews more closely to the truth, which, as with all things in real life, is often jumbled, confusing, and without a satisfying conclusion.

Nonetheless, it a fascinating story and worth the watch. As a bonus, Daniel Zovatto plays an exceptional creep.

Photo of the Month

Had the great pleasure of signing 130 copies of my upcoming book for a luncheon with independent booksellers. I also got to emcee the event, which was a blast!

Update from my Kids
Sawyer’s Halloween costume was, inexplicably, a walrus. Ili and her boyfriend Yash went as Jokers. You decide who wins.

Update from my Pets

And of course Scully had to match my Halloween theme…

What’s in My Backyard?

It’s been some time since I’ve given a backyard update, simply because I haven’t seen many critters around. But a few weeks ago my camera caught something in my yard I’d never seen in the 23 years living in this house…a fox!

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

Wonderful journals spotted by my friend in The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles.

My Next Unbound Writer Event!

That’s it for now!

Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

How To Help a Writer

First things first: my Halloween theme this year is pirates. Usually my October newsletter is all about my Halloween theme, but I’m running late this year and it’s not even in good-enough shape to take pictures of my decorating progress. If I get some good screams, there will be a highlight reel next month.

So last month I told you how to piss off writers. This month I’m going the other direction, and letting you know how you can help us. Writers are delicate creatures, full of caffeine and insecurity. We need your help, more than you may think. It’s easy to think published authors have it made—and about .005% do—but for most of us getting published is just the start. It’s a grind. Years of building up a backlist. Decades of getting an audience. And nothing happens without you, the reader. So this is what you can do.

Consume the book. Yes, ideally you buy a copy, or maybe several.  But you can borrow one from the library. Listen on audible. Get an early free copy on NetGalley. Even borrow one from a friend or neighborhood little library. More important than sales—initially—is word of mouth. Yes, it’s on the author to write a book worth talking about, but if they do and you read it, spread the word.Don’t pirate. My one exception for ways to consume a book is pirating. Don’t get a free copy from some shady Russian website. And if you do, I hope the book stinks and your computer gets infected.Leave a review. So important. Take one minute out of your day to leave an honest review, even if it’s just one sentence. Good places for reviews are Amazon, BN.com, Goodreads, and anywhere on social media. Ideally, you’ll leave a good review, but if you didn’t like the book that’s okay to write about as well. Note: if you leave me a one-star review, make sure to include your address, phone number, and social-security number.Pre-order. Pre-orders make a difference when it comes to buyers like Barnes & Noble deciding how many copies they want for for their stores. So if there’s a book you’re looking forward to, don’t wait until it releases, pre-order as soon as you can. And you can pre-order from anywhere, not just the big booksellers. Oh, and did I mention my next thriller is available for pre-order?Support independent bookstores. So many of these stores are in a daily struggle for survival. Yes, of course, authors also want their books in B&N, Target, and Costco, but indie bookstores are the pillars supporting the entire publishing industry. Stop in, buy a book, get a latte.  You’ll be happy you did.Go to a book event. Events are great ways to support authors, and sales at those stores get reported for any potential bestseller lists. Remember how I said authors are insecure? Just think about when a book is launched and three people show up at the main launch event. Do your favorite author a favor and go see them when they’re in town—chances are there won’t be as many people there as you’d expect.Follow authors. Not literally, unless you want to give them a good stalker idea for a story. But if you have a favorite author, follow them on social media, share posts, and subscribe to their newsletter (thank you!)Be patient. We live in a short-attention-span world, and authors aren’t competing with each other as much as we are with everything else vying for your attention (phones, Netflix, Wordle, children, etc). When you crack a book open, reserve judgment for at least 50 pages.  Chances are you’re reading something that sold to a publisher from an agent, and went through months of edits and rewrites. Chances are that book took at least one-to-two years to write, rewrite, sell, and edit, and a lot of thought went into every page. It might not be the right book for you, but let it develop long enough to see if it surprises you. If it still stinks after 50 pages, chuck it against the wall and leave a crappy review.  Support free speech. This is really the most important thing you can do. Support libraries, donate to free-speech initiatives, fight back against anyone ignorant enough to think ANY book should be banned. And, of course, make sure to vote for folks who rightly think books change lives. After all, literacy is damn sexy.

New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:

Elka Ray, novelist, journalist, and travel writerLauren Thoman, novelist and pop-culture writerJ.D. Barker, international bestselling novelistErin E. Adams, novelist, actor, and award-winning playwright

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

What’s Entertaining Me

On the Page

What Remains of Teague House (Stacy Johns, Poisoned Pen Press, April 2025)

I was asked to take a look at this book for a possible blurb, so this title isn’t coming out until April 2025. But put it on your pre-order list!

An impressive first novel from Stacy Johns, What Remains of Teague House is a sinister mystery wrapped within layers of secrets harbored by the members of the dysfunctional Rawlins family. Effectively told from multiple points-of-view, the story follows a sombre gathering of three siblings for their mother’s funeral at their gloomy childhood home. The home has enough sordid history—including the father’s suicide—but nothing that compares to the chance unearthing of multiple corpses in the woods located on residence grounds. Every character is delightfully gray, each with their own secrets, and it’s up to private detective Maddie Reed to solve a mystery decades in the making. A powerful debut, and one that will keep you guessing. 

On the Screen

The Perfect Couple, (Netflix, 2024)

Summary review:

It sucked.

Full review:

This had so much potential. It’s based on a book I didn’t read, so I have no idea how true it was to the story, but Jess and I were pulled in by the premise and the cast (Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber are both excellent).  It’s a fairly basic murder mystery surrounding a very fancy wedding set in Nantucket. And the first few episodes were great, because we all got to watch rich white people be miserable and obnoxious until they get their collective comeuppances. You could tell the show was playing it a bit tongue-in-cheek, which was just right for a plot that might otherwise feel cliched.

But by the fourth episode, the show started taking itself seriously, which was a major problem. It suddenly wanted us to care about the characters and their relationships without bothering to lay the foundation for that to happen. If the writers had just played to the absurd—like in Knives Out—this show would have been great. But once they started trying to become a real, you know, drama, all the flaws became achingly obvious.

Anyway, if you like wealth porn, still could be worth a watch. But otherwise, I’d say skip this one. 

Photo(s) of the Month

I’ve discussed this before, but I’m a huge fan of the band James, an English alt-rock group  that’s been playing for 40 years and whose new album Yummy hit #1 on the UK charts earlier this year. I’ve gotten to know the lead singer and lyricist Tim Booth a bit over the past ten years as I’ve asked him for permission to use their lyrics in a number of my books. Tim recently released his debut novel When I Died For The First Time, and in September James came for a US/Canada tour for the first time in seven years.

Not only did they come to Denver, but I was able to set up a book event for Tim where I interviewed him about his novel, and the next night Jess and I went to the show. Then we decided to fly to New Orleans to catch another show a couple of weeks later, and I was able to bring my kids. We even got a chance to head backstage and spend some time chatting with Tim in his dressing room. So, yeah, it’s been all about James the past month, and that’s all right with me.

Update from my Kids
Sawyer goes to school just an hour and a half from New Orleans, and Ili flew from her school in Michigan for the concert-weekend. Which means we got to spend a day touring Sawyer’s campus and apartment, neither of which Ili had seen. She approved. 

Update from my Pets

Somebody’s ready for fall.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

That’s it for now!

Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

 me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

Untitled design – 1

How To Piss Off A Writer

So I’m interviewing Kyle Prue at an event later this month, and he’s written a book called How To Piss off Men. It’s a collection of a bunch of one-liners you can use to upset your special guy. Made me start thinking, what pisses me off? Not too much, unless I’m driving, in which case everyone and everything makes me homicidal. But in all other parts of life? I’m pretty chill.

But there are things you can say to a writer to piss them off, or at least annoy them. The writer won’t show their true feelings, because most of us just want to be liked. But things can really get under our skin, and here’s an incomplete guide of things to say to a writer to piss them off. Help yourself.

You say:

“You’re a writer? That’s cool. Have you written anything I would have read?”

I say:

“Probably not.”

I want to say:

“We just met. How the fuck do I know what you’ve read?”

____________________________________________________________________________

You say:

“Wow, I wish I had time to write.”

I say:

“Yeah.”

I want to say:

“It’s not racquetball, dude.  It’s my goddamn job.”

____________________________________________________________________________

You say:

“I’d love to read your book, but I get scared too easily.”

I say:

“Ha, not as scary as the news!”

I want to say:

“I don’t give a shit if you read it. Just buy it. In fact, buy a dozen copies and shove them into little libraries around town. Freak out your neighbors.”

____________________________________________________________________________

You say:

“Hey, I read your book. It was a light and easy read, finished it in a weekend at the beach.”

I say:

“Thanks for reading!”

I want to say:

“Light and easy read? Motherfucker, that took me a year to write and I broke down in tears during the ending.”

____________________________________________________________________________

You say:

“I’m guessing AI is really allowing you to write books faster now. Must be a huge help.”

I say:

“I don’t use AI to write, but I can see how it could be a good research tool.”

I want to say:

“Do you let your dog close your real-estate deals? I didn’t think so. Jesus Christ.”

____________________________________________________________________________

You say:

“What’s your favorite book you’ve written?”

I say:

“Oh, you know, it’s too hard to decide. It’s like choosing your favorite child.”

I want to say:

“I hate them all.”

____________________________________________________________________________

You say:

“I have a great idea for a book, but I don’t want to write it. Maybe you could write it? But I don’t want to tell you about it unless you’re in. No offense or anything, but it’s a really good idea.”

I say:

“I’m sorry, I have so much writing I’m already working on. But you should write it! Tell me your idea so I can help you refine it.”

I want to say:

“You really think I’m going to steal your idea about a ghost cat who helps a real cat find his way back to his owner?”

____________________________________________________________________________

You say:

“I have a thirteen-year-old who’s written a serial-killer novel. It’s so unique, it’s actually a scratch-and-sniff book. Can you spend a few weeks with him helping him edit it, and then maybe your agent can take a look?”

I say:

“Sorry, I’m traveling for the next nine months.”

I want to say:

“I’m absolutely stealing that idea.”

New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:

Erica Wright, poet and novelistKendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh, bestselling co-authorsLori Roy, award-winning novelistJohn DeDakis, award-winning novelist and a former editor on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer”

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

As far as I know, these are the places I’m supposed to be where you can meet me and stuff. Check my event calendar for the latest updates.September 28, 2024  6PM
In-conversation event with
TikTok personality Kyle Prue
Tattered Cover Colfax
Denver, Colorado

October 17-19, 2024
Unbound Writer Coaching Program & Retreat
Leader
Boulder, CO
Registration now open!

What’s Entertaining Me

On the Page

You Like It Darker (Short stories, Stephen King, 2024)

I’ve been reading a lot of fiction this year, some for pleasure, but mostly for work stuff. So when I see that a new Stephen King book is out, it’s a goddamn treat. Now I will admit I’ve only read the first two in this collection of short stories so far, but these are the kinds of tales that make you want to go to bed at 8pm just so you have extra reading time before sleep.  Like the title implies, these stories are indeed dark.

When I’m asked who some of my favorite writers are, I always say Stephen King. I hate answering that way because it seems so hack, but it’s the truth. Since reading It and Pet Sematary as a young teen, I’ve been hooked. If you’re a fan like me, don’t skip this book.

Oh, and it took me a while to figure out that’s an alligator on the cover.

On the Screen

Monsieur Spade, (AMC, 2024)

I watch a lot of TV, so I always have to decide which show to cover in my newsletter. This month I decided to choose Monsieur Spade, even though (like the Stephen King book) I haven’t finished it yet. From the producer: “Twenty years after the events of the novel “THE MALTESE FALCON”, Sam Spade has retired in the small town of Bozouls in the South of France. It’s 1963, the war has ended, and in a very short time, so, too, will Spade’s tranquility.”

I very much like this show, even though it’s confusing as hell. It’s gorgeous, gritty, and full of clever, rapid one-liners you would expect from private dick Sam Spade. Moreover, not only is Clive Owen a fantastic actor, they’ve made him look hauntingly like Bogart.

The downside (for me) is there are MANY characters and very little explanation of everyone’s relationship to one another. I’d rather be confused than patronized by a TV show, but I admit this one can be trying. Good thing I have Jessica to turn and seek explanations, even though she’s pretty lost as well.  But we’ll keep watching, because it’s a quality show that deserves our attention. It deserves yours, too. Check it out.

Favorite dialogue exchange so far:

Spade:  “You need to leave town.”

Villain: “Where do you want me to go?”

Spade: “I hear Norway needs some more assholes.”

Photo of the Month

My son and I drove from Colorado to Louisiana in August to drop him off at college. This was our view heading into a very stormy northern Texas.

Update from my Kids
Oh, did I mention we took the dog on the 19-hour road trip? Here’s Scully and Sawyer saying goodbye before she and I started heading back to Colorado.

Update from my Pets

And what road trip would be complete without several stops at Starbucks along the way for pup cups?

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

“How much for this stolen shit over here?”

Writing Retreats, Personal Coaching, & Online Writing Courses

Unbound Writer 2024 retreat – book now! There’s one in-person coaching program and writing retreat left this year. Come spend 2.5-days in Boulder, Colorado finding community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence in your writing.

October 17-19

All details and testimonials can be found here. Scholarships available. No more excuses, no more idle dreaming. Time to make your writing dreams happen.

I’m so happy to announce the first self-guided, online writing courses are now available!

At Unbound Writer, we’re so excited to help writers become authors.

That’s it for now!

Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

 me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

Tell Me What You Did

It’s August and I’m ready to tell you about my new book. It doesn’t come out until January 2025, but an author has to start promoting early. From Goodreads giveaways, to website refreshes, to social-media posts, it’s critical for every author to get the word out while trying not to be a broken record about it.

Let me tell you: I’m excited to talk about this book. It’s getting some amazing early buzz and several early reviewers are naming it the best thriller they’ve read all year, and the title is averaging 5-star reviews on Netgalley.  

When I begin a new book, I don’t think much about plot or even characters, at least not initially. I think about emotions. What emotions do I want to exist at the core of this book? In the case of Tell Me What You Did, those emotions were fear, rage, and, ultimately, peace.

Tell Me What You Did is a psychological thriller about the lengths a person will go to redeem themselves, revenge, and the power of confession—even if there’s no forgiveness, even if that confession does nothing to erase the past.

The heart of this story is Poe Webb. She runs the top ranked podcast in the country, and hers is unlike any other.  People come on air to tell her the truth. To confess. To confess their crimes.

It’s all working so well until Poe gets a caller into the show who knows way too much about her.

Tell Me What You Did is about peeling back layers, uncovering secrets, and choosing between revenge or letting go. And if you like a multi-media experience, you’ll find a peppering of QR codes throughout the book. Once you scan them, you’ll undercover some recovered video evidence that will put a chill down your spine.

I can’t wait until you meet Poe–I’m not sure a character ever flowed as naturally from my mind and onto the page as much as her. Poe embodies fear, rage, and peace. Just as I had hoped.

Happy reading.

New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:

Mary Adkins, novelist and writing coachMarc Guggenheim, Emmy-award winning screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelistInternational number-one bestselling author Jeffrey Deaver and his bestselling novelist writing partner Isabella Maldonado 

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

As far as I know, these are the places I’m supposed to be where you can meet me and stuff. Check my event calendar for the latest updates.

September 16, 2024  6PM
In-conversation event with
novelist and singer Tim Booth
Tattered Cover Colfax
Denver, Colorado

September 28, 2024  6PM
In-conversation event with
TikTok personality Kyle Prue
Tattered Cover Colfax
Denver, Colorado

October 17-19, 2024 
Unbound Writer Coaching Program & Retreat
Leader
Boulder, CO

What’s Entertaining Me

On the Page

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession (Michael Finkel, 2024)

Yes, a book about art heists! I love art heists. Well, I don’t love them, but they fascinate me, and if there’s a book or a documentary about one, I’m all over it.

From the publisher: “Stéphane Bréitwieser is the most prolific art thief of all time. He pulled off more than 200 heists, often in crowded museums in broad daylight. His girlfriend served as his accomplice. His collection was worth an estimated $2 billion. He never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom. He felt like a king. Until everything came to a shocking end. “

Holy hell the guts on these two. Driving around Europe, visiting museum after museum, and literally plucking paintings off the walls during regular business hours. And all for the love of art—they never planned to sell a single item. Of course it was never going to end well for them, but the amazing thing is how long it took for them to be caught. A fascinating read.

On the Screen

Twisters, (Universal Pictures, 2024)

I went to the movies! Like, the actual movie theater! Hadn’t been since Oppenheimer last summer, and this time the kids and I were in the mood for a nice disaster flick. Now, mind you, the original Twister is as popular as it is bad, with some of the worst dialogue since Independence Day. But cows went flying and things got destroyed, so it was still a fun watch.

Well…Twisters decided to recreate the formula. There’s bad dialogue aplenty, plot holes bigger than the tornados, and gaps in logic so profound you don’t really care if every character gets sucked into the vortex. The saving graces are (in this order) Glen Powell and the tornados. Powell is the actor of the moment and has earned that title (watch The Hit Man); his easy-breezy nature and self-effacing charm work perfectly here. And the tornados are cool as shit!

So, yeah. Still a fun watch. But War of the Worlds it ain’t.

Photo of the Month

Flashback to 2011 and visiting the Tower of London. This little guy was about the size of a cat with the same amount of aloofness.

Update from my Kids
If you look closely that’s a hand-stitched replica of Scully’s face on a sweatshirt I got for my daughter. Now that’s a good dad.

Update from my Pets

Looking dumb and regal at the same time.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

In my books, the comma would be omitted

Writing Retreats, Personal Coaching, & Online Writing Courses

Unbound Writer 2024 retreat – registration now open! There’s one in-person coaching program and writing retreat left this year. Come spend 2.5-days in Boulder, Colorado finding community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence in your writing.

October 17-19

All details and testimonials can be found here. Scholarships available. No more excuses, no more idle dreaming. Time to make your writing dreams happen.

I’m so happy to announce the first self-guided, online writing courses are now available!

At Unbound Writer, we’re so excited to help writers become authors.

That’s it for now!

Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

Lessons From My Podcast

I launched my podcast Making It Up nearly three years ago with the goal of interviewing writers not for any particular work of theirs, but to talk to them about their lives. I didn’t want to ask them what famous author they want to have dinner with or what their top five favorite books are…yech. I wanted to know what their childhood was like, what inflection point made them want to write, and to hear about the years of glorious rejection letters. Most readers pick up a book and assume the author has always been an author, and they make gobs of money writing. I wanted the real, raw truth.

After nearly 150 conversations with writers of all backgrounds (from NYT bestselling thriller authors, to hopeful debuts, to historians, science writers, and poets), I’m still amazed how much connective tissue binds us writers together. A few commonalities I’ve evidenced throughout my interviews:

Most writers can name a specific person or event that happened in their teenage years that made them want to write.Writing is less a plan than it is a purpose. Despite all efforts to do anything but write, the act of writing will burrow its way to the surface at some point in a writer’s life.No one sets out to write because it’s a solid business decision.Nearly every writer has suffered (or continues to suffer) from impostor syndrome. We all feel like frauds, no matter how successful we may get.There is no linear progression to a writer’s career. Some become hugely successful with their first book, but struggle to repeat the magic with the next several. Others find their best sales after ten books. You can’t count on anything, but yet the best may always be yet to come.Writers can easily name a peer of whom they envy their success.Writing is hard. It gets easier as the muscle for it develops, but it’s never easy.Writing is meditation. It’s one of the few times in a person’s day they have to be fully focused and, more importantly, completely present.Most writers hate social media and eschew the idea of self-promotion, necessary as it may be.Writers view the publishing industry with a mixture curiosity and frustration. We all agree the industry is incredibly opaque, and there’s no formula for success within it.Writers in the same field or genre don’t view one another as competition, and are often generous with their time supporting and promoting each other’s work. They view the true competition as anything else that vies for a potential reader’s attention, namely smartphones and Netflix.Finally, from my experience, most writers are deeply kind, humble, and just happy to share their time and opinions with you.

That last one is a universal truth I’ve seen throughout my podcast career. I’ve never talked to a jerk. Sure, some are shy, awkward, and certainly technologically challenged, but always generous and honest. Moreover, these writers are fountains of wisdom, doling out indispensable truisms from which not only my listeners benefit, but I as well. My favorites include S.A. Cosby talking about the equitability of writing (all quotes slightly edited for clarity):

“I think writing, of all the creative arts–acting, singing, dancing–it’s the one where everybody has the best shot. You can be a 75-year-old first-time author, you can be a 35-year-old author that’s got six or seven books under your belt, or you can be a 21-year-old wunderkind. Everybody has that same shot because nobody knows what’s gonna click, what’s gonna break out. And so for me, writing is that thing where I just feel like it’s the most equitable creative art.”  ―S.A. Cosby on the Making It Up podcast

Or listening to Robert Dugoni tell me about taking advice from a friend, which led to him diving into learning the craft of writing:

“He said immerse yourself in the community in which you want be involved. So I started going to conferences, and I’d be sitting at tables with people that I had just met, and they’d be talking about these books that they read on story structure, or on character development, and I’d be like, what? So I took a step back, and I took about three years, and I gave myself an MFA. I have about forty binders, all full of different tabs, things like development, tension, what you’re trying to do. I had to learn, and, lo and behold, three years after I initially started, after I’d spent years and years studying, I started to have some success.”  ―Robert Dugoni on the Making It Up podcast

Or these wonderful words from Maureen Johnson, who reminds us writers there are no easy roads to publishing:

“Writing is mostly failure, It’s part of the process, so be very comfortable with it. If things don’t go well, that’s fine, because that’s what should be happening.” ―Maureen Johnson on the Making It Up podcast

I leave every interview energized and just a little bit smarter about the craft and industry I’ve been a part of for over two decades. And as I continue to write my novels, produce my podcast, and educate through my writing retreats and personalized coaching, I take comfort in the advice and wisdom of my peers, knowing everything I’ve learned from them only reinforces my belief that being a writer is the best job in the world. Just wish it paid a little more.

New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:

Victoria Helen Stone, USA Today bestselling suspense and romance author (Victoria Dahl)Novelist Matt ScottMystery author Kimberly Giarratano Author and playwright  Dean Monti

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

As far as I know, these are the places I’m supposed to be where you can meet me and stuff. Check my event calendar for the latest updates.

July 20, 2024
Writing Heights Conference
Instructor
Fort Collins, CO

August 28-September 4, 2024
Attending Author/Panelist
Bouchercon
Nashville, Tennessee

October 17-19, 2024
Unbound Writer Coaching Program & Retreat
Leader
Boulder, CO
Registration now open!

What’s Entertaining Me
On the Screen

Ren Faire (Max, 2024)

Billed as Succession meets Game of Thrones, this three-part Max documentary tracks the jockeying of Machiavellian underlings serving the king of the Texas Renaissance Festival as he contemplates retirement. At 86, King George Coulam is less interested in running the cosplay kingdom he’s ruled for 50 years and is more interested in popping Viagra and finding a woman. And his time is limited: King George has decided to go to Switzerland when he reaches 95 to be euthanized (if he doesn’t otherwise die sooner, likely from complications of a permanent erection).  So committed is he to finding the right match he even has a full-time employee (the Royal Scroller) whose job it is to literally scroll the dating sites on which George appears (including sugardaddy.com).

But if George leaves the kingdom, who will succeed him? Thus the tale of the brainwashed sycophants (who literally view George as a deity) who are more than willing to stab each other in the back for a shot at the throne. If this were fiction, it would be ridiculous. But as a documentary, it’s captivating. Max has found the perfect cast of characters to make you question everything you thought you knew about climbing the corporate ladder.

On the Page

How to Solve Your Own Murder, Kristen Perrin (Dutton, 2024)

This book was included as a freebee at Thrillerfest. I rarely take books home from conferences, but I fell in love with the cover.  From the publisher: For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate…. Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer.

I quite enjoyed this mystery (and it’s about as classic as a mystery novel can be). Lots of characters, multiple red herrings, and a wonderful English manor in which the body is found. I will say it got a bit too complex at times, perhaps unnecessarily so, but if you’re in the mood for an Agatha Christie-esque plot and some lovely writing, check this book out.

Photo of the Month

My kids and I call these the “Father’s Day flowers” since that’s the time they fully bloom in front of my house.

Update from my Kids
My daughter is studying for seven weeks in Greece. Well, studying might be a bit strong of a word.

Update from my Pets

My son got me a Scully pillow for Father’s Day. Now it’s Scully’s pillow.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

Brilliant.

Unbound Writer 2024 retreat – registration now open! There’s one in-person coaching program and writing retreat left this year. Come spend 2.5-days in Boulder, Colorado finding community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence in your writing.

October 17-19

All details and testimonials can be found here:

www.unboundwriter.com

Early-bird discounts and scholarships available. No more excuses, no more idle dreaming. Time to make your writing dreams happen.

In addition to retreats, Unbound Writer also offers one-on-one writing coaching. I can work with you on projects of all sizes, from full-manuscript developmental editing down to weekly check-in and motivation calls. And coming very soon – online courses!

Thriller Thursday

I’m one of eight thriller authors involved in Thriller Thursday, a weekly newsletter on Substack. From book recs to interviews to reflections on writing, this newsletter is an inside look into the writing process, reading habits, and obsessions of your favorite thriller authors. Our team consists of Lauren Nossett, Wendy Walker, Lynne Constantine, Greg Wands, Katy Hays, Tessa Wegert, Danielle Girard, and myself. Get your thriller fix and subscribe here:

https://thrillerthursday.substack.com/subscribe

That’s it for now!

Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

My Point of View

Choosing which point-of-view to write from is one of the most fundamental decisions an author has to make, well before a single word is put to page. And like all rules a writer “has” to follow, the POV rules are made to be broken. The only thing that matters is the answer to this question: Does it work? For example, one steadfast “rule” we often hear is that you can never shift POVs in a single scene, yet I was revisiting a James Clavell novel the other day and he did just that. And you know what? It worked.

The POV choice can be an analytical one, a detailed consideration of how much the author wants both the character and reader to know, which bits of information best service the story, and what viewpoints create the most tension. Hitchcock’s bomb under the table device suggests an omniscient POV works best when you want the reader to see dangers the characters cannot, and it can be used to great effect. Others would argue that by staying only within the protagonist’s POV, the reader becomes much closer to the character, which, when done well, is a great way to up the stakes.

Yet I’ve learned over the course of thirteen novels (including the first three that didn’t sell) that POV should be less a practical decision than an empathetic one. I’d argue that finding the POV that works most naturally for you, the author, is synonymous with finding your voice. When I wrote my first book, I did it from a third-person, past-tense point-of-view, which just seemed like how authors wrote (I was exceptionally green at the time). And that worked fine, or at least well enough to get an agent. In fact, I wrote my first seven books from a third-person past, (mostly) singular-character POV.

But with my book Mister Tender’s Girl, I chose to write it from a first-person, present-tense singular POV. This wasn’t a long debate in my head; I had so much empathy for my character, Alice, that I couldn’t imagine writing it any other way. And when I completed the book–a novel that felt easier to write than all the others–I re-read it and thought, wow, I think that’s my voice. Eight books in, I’d finally found my fingerprints.

Since then, all my protagonists have been written from a first-person present POV, because that’s just what comes naturally to me. It’s what I’m good at, and for all the limitations inherent in that particular POV, my books are simply better because of that choice. How do I know? Because when I set out to write my 2024 release, The Father She Went To Find, I initially reverted to my old ways and told the entire story from a singular, third-person past POV. The problem was I overthought it. My protagonist, Penny Bly, was a 21-year-old female with acquired savant syndrome, and I reasoned that I couldn’t possibly get close enough to this character to write her from a first-person present perspective. Not only was I wrong in assuming that, but I actively chose a path that didn’t feel natural to me as a writer.

My editor, naturally, struggled with my initial draft of The Father She Went to Find, finding it difficult to connect with Penny. Therein I discovered the Catch-22 of my situation: I didn’t think I could get close enough to Penny to write her from an intimate POV, but by writing her from a distance I made her character that much more unrelatable to the reader. I suggested to my editor that I rewrite the first 25 pages from a first-person present POV, and on reading the revisions my editor said, “Ah, there’s Penny.” So I rewrote the 85,000-word manuscript, sentence by sentence, changing it from third-person past to first-person present. And in doing so not only did Penny fully come alive, but my voice showed up in that manuscript for the first time.

In my writing retreats and one-on-one coaching, my advice to novelists deciding on POV is to ask questions not of the story, but of themselves. Are you a person with deep wells of empathy? If so, consider choosing a POV that puts you directly inside your character at all times, because readers will gravitate to the emotion you can generate with that particular point-of-view. What POV comes most naturally to you? Perhaps take a chapter and write it a few different ways, then choose the one that feels like your voice. Most importantly, what POV do you enjoy writing? Writing is a novel is a Herculean task, so it’s critical to do it from a place of joy.

Yes, you must consider plot (to a certain extent) when choosing POV, because certain pieces of information might need to be conveyed to the reader that cannot be achieved through the preferred POV. But that might be an opportunity for a second, minor POV to be introduced, rather than bucking your natural POV choice and creating a manuscript that feels flat and disconnected. Though it may take years and many novels to do it, make no mistake: the moment you discover which POV comes most naturally to you, that’s the same moment you’ve found your voice.

New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:

Tim Booth, lyricist and lead signer of James, debut novelist, and my personal heroNovelist Danny Cherry, Jr.New York Times bestselling author Christopher Reich Acclaimed British crime writer Louise Doughty

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

As far as I know, these are the places I’m supposed to be where you can meet me and stuff. Check my event calendar for the latest updates.

July 20, 2024
Writing Heights Conference
Instructor
Fort Collins, CO

August 28-September 4, 2024
Attending Author/Panelist
Bouchercon
Nashville, Tennessee

October 17-19, 2024
Unbound Writer Coaching Program & Retreat
Leader
Boulder, CO
Registration now open!

What’s Entertaining Me
On the Screen

Ripley (Netflix, 2024)

I keep a list of shows I want to watch, and it’s pretty unmanageable at this point. Ripley was on the list and I almost decided to take it off. After all, I’d already seen the fantastic movie adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel. The movie was great and I knew the plot, so why bother with the show?

Oh man, I’m so glad I decided to give Ripley a try, as it’s now one of my top titles in the past two years.  The reasons not to watch end up being the most compelling parts of it. Andrew Scott is way too old to play Tom Ripley, but after seeing the series I can’t imagine a more perfect actor for the role. It’s extremely slow paced…until it isn’t. This is a show that gently lures you in and then smashes you in the jaw with a crowbar. And finally, the show is filmed in black and white. That seems like a waste for the gorgeous Italian locations, but this is one of the most visually stunning shows I’ve seen in a very long time. Watch Ripley. Watch it now.

On the Page

When I Died For the First Time, Tim Booth (Constable & Robinson, 2024)

If you’ve read any of my past five or six books, you’ve likely seen song lyrics as my epigraphs. These are all from James, a British band who has been performing for over 40 years and has sold more than 25 million albums globally. I fucking love this band, and I’ve had the wonderful fortune to spend some time with Tim Booth, the lead singer and lyricist (one of my fanboy highlights with having dinner with Tim in Denver when he was on tour, and I’ve also just recently interviewed him on Making It Up.)

Tim recently released his debut novel When I Died For the First Time, an edgy, hysterical, and very emotional story of the leader of a famous alt-rock band who’s spiraling through addiction issues, volatile relationships (both romantic and within the band), the brutality of the music industry, and efforts to remain relevant. It feels like a very personal book, which are often the best kind. This is a fast, compelling, and highly satisfying read.

Tim is having a hell of a couple of months. The latest James album Yummy is their first in 40 years to hit the U.K. #1 spot, beating out Beyoncé. And Tim’s book just broke into the top 10 of The Times bestseller list. Well done, Tim!

Photo of the Month

I just came back from Thrillerfest in NYC where I played the role of both author and founder of the Unbound Writer company. What a blast the conference was! Saw loads of my writer friends, had dinner with college roommates, got to spend some quality time with my agent, taught a class on writers’ psychology, worked with debut authors, and moderated a panel on different publishing paths. Next up: Bouchercon Nashville!

Update from my Kids
Every Memorial Day my daughter and I do the Murphy Challenge, which is horrible. Here are the ingredients of this workout:

One-mile run100 assisted pull-ups200 pushups300 bodyweight squatsA second, one-mile run.

Oh, and all this time you’re supposed to be wearing a weighted vest (mine was 12 lbs). We both very nearly puked at the end.

Update from my Pets

Someone’s very happy with her new swimming pool.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

Relatable

UNBOUND WRITER

Unbound Writer 2024 retreat – registration now open! There’s one in-person coaching program and writing retreat left this year. Come spend 2.5-days in Boulder, Colorado finding community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence in your writing.

October 17-19

All details and testimonials can be found here:

www.unboundwriter.com

Early-bird discounts and scholarships available. No more excuses, no more idle dreaming. Time to make your writing dreams happen.

In addition to retreats, Unbound Writer also offers one-on-one writing coaching. I can work with you on projects of all sizes, from full-manuscript developmental editing down to weekly check-in and motivation calls. And coming very soon – online courses!

That’s it for now!

Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

The Thing About Nostalgia

It was early 2021 and I couldn’t stop thinking about the eighties. For you maybe it was the seventies, or early 2000s, or whatever time it was that whisked you back to your youth, what we collectively call the good ole days, even if we can never all agree on when those days were. That period of time when things were easier, life was simple, people were less divided. Most of all, a time when there wasn’t a goddamn pandemic going on. In short, in 2021 I was feeling profoundly nostalgic.

Every writer I know–including myself–was getting the same question: how are you going to write the pandemic? People wanted to know how novelists were going to set books in modern-day and if we were going to have the pandemic serve as a backdrop, or even a character.

I got these questions and had no answers, because the pandemic made me want to write about anything BUT modern day. My books are dark enough, I didn’t want reality sending my readers into a depression-spiral. Moreover, I wanted to stick my head in the sand, ignore everything around me, and write about when I was living as teenager in the Los Angeles suburbs in the mid-to-late-1980’s. Funny thing is, a lot of my writing friends were feeling the same thing, and damn if we aren’t now seeing a slew of fiction coming out set in the past. My 2024 thriller The Father She Went to Find is my pandemic book, and it all takes place in 1987 (is that long enough ago to be considered historical fiction? Probably not).

Everyone needed an escape in 2020 and 2021, and for many authors that meant writing about their version of the good ole days. But the naked truth is there’s no such thing. All days are amazing, and all days are the stuff of nightmares. Everything is perspective, and the foundations of perspective are memory and ignorance. If you have fond memories of a certain decade, it’s usually a result of how long ago that decade was and how naïve you were at the time. In the 1980’s, I was exceptionally young and stupid.

But that’s good! I write thrillers, and no matter how Pollyannaish my memories of the 80s are (mall arcades! mix tapes! whitewash jeans! Cyndi Lauper!), there are haunting things about that decade that make it a delicious time period in which to set a novel.

Cocaine was killing people even though it was more common than Guess jeans. Crack was disproportionately destroying Black families while Nancy Reagan was blithely telling folks all you had to do was say no. Massive industry deregulation allowed Wall Street bankers do whatever the hell they wanted, and they did. Oliver North was the symbol of all the lies the government was desperately trying to hide. Smoking on airplanes was still allowed, chickenpox parties were a thing, hitting your kid was an accepted form of parenting, and if you had to murder someone to get that limited-edition Cabbage Patch Doll, well, we’ll just look the other way for a few minutes while you do it.

Oh, and nuclear war. That was going to happen at any moment. For pretty much the entire decade. At school, our nuclear-strike drills consisted of the (useless) actions of either cowering under our desks or running outside, because what school district can afford thousands of radiation suits?

We always think the current decade is the worst of all time, but all decades are sublime and terrible in the own ways. You tell me how the eighties were the decade of confidence and wealth, and I’ll point out how suicide rates were the highest since WWII (a rate not eclipsed until 2018). So even though I was feeling nostalgic and had a yearning to write about my good ole days, the national backdrop of my formative teen years was, in fact, one of paranoia, greed, self-harm, and fear.

Which is great if you’re a thriller writer, because, well, those four things can make for a terrific story. And while a first-person narrative with only a handful of characters may not encompass the full cultural zeitgeist, there are other things about the eighties that can be especially appealing to the thriller writer.

The top of that list is the absence of smartphones. Or even dumb phones. In the eighties, the freedom of being fully untethered while, say, out for a pleasant night drive came at a massive price. One wrong turn, one flat tire, one run-in with an unhinged driver–you were out of luck (the 1986 movie The Hitcher was a brilliant example of this). You had no way of checking your location on a map or calling for help, unless you could hoof it to the closest place with a landline (and who knew what horrors were waiting for you in that place). Writing crime fiction in an area before mobile phones is an unbridled delight, simply because it strips your characters of so many options. Simply put, the more fundamental the technology of an era, the greater ability for all sorts of nasty things to happen to you.

Yet my draw to write about the eighties still came from a place of nostalgia, because I remember those years as some of the best of my life. It was only when I started the process of putting words down that I remembered the cracks in the varnish, the not-so-great bits about the decade. But this ended up saving my manuscript, because as much as the pandemic made me want to write about shiny, happy things, in the end I’m still a writer of dark, psychological thrillers, and there’s nothing particularly fear-inducing about getting the high score in Galaga or moonwalking in front of a school assembly.

The good ole days? Now that I’m in my fifties, I can confidently state they don’t exist.

And for a crime writer, that’s a good thing.

New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past two months I chatted with:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L.R. Jones (Lisa Renee Jones)Father-daughter bestselling writing team, Joe and Kasey LansdaleCritically acclaimed crime writer Araminta HallNew York Times bestselling author Peg TyreAward-winning novelist Jeff HoffmannPoet and novelist Diego BáezLawyer-turned-crime writer Caroline ClevelandNew York Times bestselling novelist and TV writer Peter Blauner

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

As far as I know, these are the places I’m supposed to be where you can meet me and stuff. Check my event calendar for the latest updates.May 20, 2024, 6:30 PM
In conversation with Stuart Turton
Boulder Book Store
Boulder, CO
May 28-June 4, 2024
Attending Author/Panelist/Queryfest Author/Craftfest Instructor
Thrillerfest
New York, New York
July 20, 2024
Writing Heights Conference
Instructor
Fort Collins, COAugust 28-September 4, 2024
Attending Author/Panelist
Bouchercon
Nashville, Tennessee
October 17-19, 2024
Unbound Writer Coaching Program & Retreat
Leader
Boulder, CO
Registration now open!

What’s Entertaining Me
On the Screen

Since it’s been a couple months since my last newsletter, I’m going to do a rapid-fire run down of the shows and movies I’ve been watching, ranked from best to worst.

Show: Shōgun . Best show of 2024 so far. Demands focus and time but it’s hugely rich and engaging.  Also, the book is one of my all-time favorites.Show: Baby Reindeer . I almost stopped watching this multiple times because it can be highly uncomfortable, mostly because it’s based on a true story. But it’s one of the most emotional and fully realized shows I’ve seen in some time. Episode 4 will kill you.Movie: Being There . This came out in 1979 and I think I saw it as a teen and didn’t appreciate it. It holds up well, and Peter Sellers is stunning.  Movie: American Fiction . Hey, a movie about a writer! Loved this flick (which was also nominated for Best Picture). Funnier than I expected, though some scenes were pretty damn gut-twisting.Movies: Inception and Interstellar . I’ve seen both these Christopher Nolan films before, but a second viewing (with subtitles) let me in a little closer and answered some questions. Fantastic films to be enjoyed from an adrenaline and cerebral perspective.Show: Thank You, Good Night. The Bon Jovi Story . As a west-coaster growing up, I was never really into Bon Jovi. But give me a good rock-band documentary anytime and I’m hooked.Show: Three Body Problem . Man, was I excited for this limited series. But it quickly lost my attention due to the soap-operaesque dialogue and the totally bizarre, way-too-complicated solutions characters kept coming up with to their problems. What a disappointment.Movie: The Beekeeper . Sometimes I’m in the mood for a mindless, violent revenge story, and when I go down this path my expectations are already set low (I’m looking at you, Road House). But I watched The Beekeeper with my expectations set to zero and it was still a massive disappointment. What a terrible, terrible movie.Show: A Man in Full . Based on a 750-page Tom Wolfe novel, this series is simply shallow drivel with wasted talent, horrible accents, and cliche-forward writing. Made it through two episodes. Poor Jeff Daniels having to talk like Foghorn Leghorn.

On the Page

The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I, Douglas Brunt (Atria Books, 2023)

Man, I’m reading a lot of books right now, but I quickly took a fiction break and dove into this amazing story about the investor of the Diesel engine. I’ve learned more about internal combustion engines than I ever thought I needed to know, but Brunt writes like a mystery novelist, and to be fair, the book really is a murder mystery. Compelling, accessible, educational, and most of all, fascinating.

Photo of the Month

Speaking of the 80s, here I am in 1984. Check out those shorts! I call this Portrait of an Artist as a Young Douchebag.

Update from my Kids
My son is wrapping up his freshman year at LSU, and I think he’s starting to get into the swing of Southern culinary culture. He sent me this pic the other day. Yech.

Update from my Pets

Just by looking at them you can tell which one craves the most attention.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

Relatable.

Unbound Writer

Unbound Writer 2024 retreat – registration now open! There’s one in-person coaching program and writing retreat left this year. Come spend 2.5-days in Boulder, Colorado finding community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence in your writing.

October 17-19

All details and testimonials can be found here:

www.unboundwriter.com

Early-bird discounts and scholarships available. No more excuses, no more idle dreaming. Time to make your writing dreams happen.

In addition to retreats, Unbound Writer also offers one-on-one writing coaching. I can work with you on projects of all sizes, from full-manuscript developmental editing down to weekly check-in and motivation calls. And coming very soon – online courses!

That’s it for now! Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

Untitled design – 1

My Stupid Thing

Last month I promised to tell you a stupid thing I did. Time to make good on that.

I’ve had a handful of embarrassing moments in  my life, most notably the time I feel asleep on a plane, had a nightmare, then woke up mid-flight screaming and scaring the holy hell out of the entire cabin of fellow passengers. This one is better.

I was asked by a book festival to moderate an evening panel of authors. This panel consisted of the hugely talented writers David Heska Wanbli Weiden and Ramona Emerson, both of whom have written books that collected more awards than I can count (and I can count pretty high). My job was to show up at 6:30pm for a 7pm start at a brewery about an hour north of where I live.

I went up early, grabbed some dinner nearby, then headed to the event. Ever the punctual person, I timed it to arrive right at 6:30. Now, this is where I do my best to make excuses. IT WAS DARK OUT, the brewery was located tucked off a frontage road, and I was unfamiliar with the location. I will also note, for what it’s worth, I hadn’t been drinking, having given up booze a year ago.

So I see the brewery from a distance, turn right to head to the parking lot, and for some reason my mind convinced me I had to keep pulling to the right to get to where I needed to go. I don’t know why I thought this, and even though my headlights were on, I didn’t see that instead of a clear driving path there was a curb in front of me. I hit the curb, going maybe eight miles an hour. Jolting, sure. Stupid, yes. But really not that big of a deal.

Until seconds later, when suddenly my Honda CR-V was pointed downward at a 45-degree angle. Turns out this was no simple little sidewalk curb that I hit, but a barrier beyond which was a 15-foot drop off into a concrete culvert carrying rushing water. My front left tire thankfully wedged into a slope of earth, keeping me from flipping over into the ravine. I sat there for a few seconds, totally stunned, straining against my seatbelt, at which point I calmly muttered “oh my god” twice (yes, I have watched my dashcam video).

I then shame-climbed out of my car and onto the road, at which point I could step back and behold the horror of my car. Then, out of the darkness, I hear, “You okay?” To which I shouted back, “I think so.” I see two figures approaching, and then one of them days, “Carter?”

Yup. It was David and Ramona. I know David, who recognized me, but I’d never met Ramona. It was awkward. Like, yeah, hey, I’m the guy who’s interviewing you in less than thirty minutes, nice to meet you, and no, I’m not drunk, but I’m clearly stupid.

David and Ramona very nicely volunteered to do the event without me, but there was no way I was going to destroy my car and bail on the event. It was then I realized my script for the evening was on the front passenger-side floorboard. Which meant I had to fucking crawl back into my car and snatch the paper, all the while praying my weight didn’t plunge the CR-V into the water.

It worked, but now the clock was ticking. I was shaken but fine, but had to figure out how I was going to get my car back on earth before the event started. Oh, and mind you, every person who was coming to the event had to drive past my car, most of whom stopped and asked what the hell happened. There was a contagious shaking of heads.

I first called Jessica, because I just wanted to hear her voice. She told me I wasn’t an idiot and was happy I was okay (I believed one of those things). Then I called the first tow-truck company I could find on my phone. The very nice and helpful tow-truck driver arrived ten minutes before my event, then told me to go in and have a good time since he was “going to be there for a while.”

The event started, and I announced to the fifty or so in the crowd that yes, it was in fact my car teetering over the edge of a culvert out there. I got some laughs, which is all that really mattered. I was able to successfully interview David and Ramona, and toward the end of the event I saw the tow-truck driver saunter into the brewery. During Q&A I snuck back to talk to him, and he revealed he was able to get the car back on all four tires and, to both our surprise, it still ran. He then stayed for the remainder of the event, I gave him a huge shout out to the crowd, and he then purchased books from David and Ramona and got them signed.

In the end, I managed to get home, then took the car in the shop the next day to have the undercarriage looked at. It’s never a good sign when the mechanic simply shakes their head at you. I’m now in a rental car as my sweet little Honda is undergoing $6,500 in repairs, and to this day I have no idea why my brain thought it was a good idea to make a right-hand turn into a ravine.

All this to say The Father She Went To Find releases in a couple of weeks and you should buy it.

New episodes of Making It Up are out! This month I chatted with #1 NYT bestselling author Boyd Morrison and his sister Beth (The Last True Templar), NYT bestselling historian and novelist Katherine Howe (A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself), novelist Audrey Gale (The Human Trial), and bestselling crime author Matt Coyle (the Rick Cahill crime series).

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

What’s Entertaining Me

TV Show

The Night Agent (Netflix, 2023)

This shouldn’t really be filed under “what’s entertaining me”, because this show sucked. Well, I suppose pointing out the endless string of implausible scenarios was a bit entertaining, though I’m sure Jessica got sick of me pausing the show every two minutes to point them out.

I won’t bore you with the plot (Netflix took care of that), but this is basically a “bad people in the White House, FBI agent and sidekick have to save the world” kind of thing. And the setup was good enough that we remained captivated for the first couple of episodes. And then it all started to go sideways.

The key issue wasn’t the difficulty in suspending disbelief, but rather the flatness and lack of growth of the two main characters. That’s the thing, if your characters are boring, no one cares what happens to them, and then you’re bored, and then all those unbelievable scenarios become glaringly obvious. The trick in writing a semi-absurd plot is having the characters be so compelling that you’re willing to go anywhere with them.

Please don’t confuse this with The Night Manager. That show is fantastic.

Book

The Last Murder at the End of the World: A Novel, Stuart Turton (Sourcebooks, 2024)

Fair disclosure, I’m only halfway into this book, but I’m loving it. Stuart is a fellow Sourcebooks author and I’ll be interviewing him at the Boulder Book Store as part of his 2024 U.S. tour, so I got a sneak peek at his upcoming (March 28) release. You might have read some of his earlier books, including The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water

The Last Murder at the End of the World is a high-concept murder mystery set sometime in the future as the entire world has been destroyed by a mysterious fog, leaving only 122 villagers and three scientists left to live out their days in peaceful harmony on a fog-protected island. Then one of the scientists is murdered, and the ensuring rush to find the truth of what happened is the only thing that may save the survivors when the fog finally breeches their protective barrier.

Stuart’s a great guy and a helluva writer, and most importantly he’s totally original. I highly recommend this outstanding book. Unless it turns out to have a crappy ending, which I don’t believe for a second it will.

Photo of the Month

What, the picture of my car wasn’t enough for you? Okay. Here’s my spooky house after receiving a fresh coat of paint in January.

Update from my Kids
My daughter (middle of the pic) went with her boyfriend and another schoolmate to Chicago for spring break. I don’t know how they afforded anything, but they had a good time.

Update from my Pets

She found a new place to nap.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

Ouch.

Unbound Writer 2024 retreats – registration now open! I’m offering two in-person retreats in Boulder, Colorado this year, each with a maximum of ten people. Come spend 2.5-days finding community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence in your writing.

May 2-4
October 17-19

All details and testimonials can be found here:
carterwilson.com/unbound-writer/retreats/
Early-bird discounts and scholarships available. No more excuses, no more idle dreaming. Time to make your writing dreams happen.

In addition to retreats, Unbound Writer also offers one-on-one writing coaching . I can work with you on projects of all sizes, from full-manuscript developmental editing down to weekly check-in and motivation calls.

That’s it for now! Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

Preparing for a Launch

It’s less than two months from the launch of The Father She Went to Find and things are stirring. It’s the same with every book launch, so why does it always feel so surprising? This will be my ninth published book, and with every launch I’m never quite sure what to expect.

The work begins at least six months before the on-sale date. The publisher starts pitching the book to major booksellers/libraries in order to drive interest and retail pre-orders. Then the marketing and PR teams start working their magic, angling for (hopefully favorable) coverage from trade magazines, national and local media, social-media influencers, etc. They also book events for me, including my launch event, podcasts, newspaper/radio/TV interviews, as well as pitch guest articles written by me to well-known periodicals like Writer’s Digest and CrimeReads.  

You never know what’s going to stick. Which outlet might be interested in covering your book, and which might not even know you exist. You hope the major trade magazines review your book, and if they do you pray they don’t give it a solid thrashing. You check the early Goodreads reviews from those who were able to get advance copies, praying they don’t give it a solid thrashing.  You check the galley one last time, checking for any typos that can be fixed before final printing. And you wait on pins and needles to see what the lovely folks who agreed to blurb your book write about it. You hope Barnes & Noble places a sizable pre-order, and you pray to have physical copies of your book in Target and Walmart, though real estate is tight there.

All of this is happening while you are knee-deep into a new novel. Not even the next one, because hopefully that one’s already completed and sold. So by the time you start doing interviews or events, you have to go back and remind yourself what actually happens in the book you’re launching. And you don’t re-read it, because every time you look at your own stuff you end up telling yourself what a lousy writer you are. Then you chastise yourself for this attitude, because for fuck’s sake you coach other writers on how to find confidence and how would that look?

And then an outlet asks for a selfie with you and the book, and that reminds you to shower, because maybe it’s been awhile. Then you take the picture and the cat and dog photobomb it.  

Finally, the book comes out, and most of the craziness is already over. Unless you’re planning a big tour (which, for most authors, is self-funded), you have a handful of events and then things quiet down. It’s like sending your kid off to college. You’ve done all you can and now you just have to let go.

Your book is in the wild. And you have absolutely zero control over what happens next.

That’s my favorite part of all.

New episodes of Making It Up are out! This month I chatted with debut novelist Emily Smith (You Always Come Back), author Kathleen Willett (Mother of All Secrets), Bram Stoker Award-winning novelist Hailey Piper (Cruel Angels Past Sundown), New York Times bestselling novelist Abbott Kahler (Where You End) and true-crime writer Sara DiVello (Broadway Butterfly: A Thriller).

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

As far as I know, these are the places I’m supposed to be where you can meet me and stuff. Check my event calendar for the latest updates.April 3, 2024, 6 PM
Workshop: A Writer’s Psychology
Parker Public Library
Parker, CO

April 6, 2024
Book Launch for The Father She Went to Find
Tattered Cover Colfax
Denver, CO

April 20, 2024, 6:30 PM
Author talk for The Father She Went to Find
Highlands Ranch Public Library
Highlands Ranch, CO

May 2-4, 2024
Unbound Writer Coaching Program & Retreat
Leader
Boulder, CO
Registration now open!May 28-June 4, 2024
Attending Author/Panelist/Queryfest Author
Thrillerfest
New York, New York

August 28-September 4, 2024
Attending Author/Panelist
Bouchercon
Nashville, Tennessee

October 17-19, 2024
Unbound Writer Coaching Program & Retreat
Leader
Boulder, CO
Registration now open!

What’s Entertaining Me

TV Show

A Murder at the End of the World (FX, 2023)

From FX’s website: “A Gen Z amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker named “Darby Hart” (Emma Corrin). Darby and eight other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire (Clive Owen) to participate in a retreat at a remote and dazzling location. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must use all of her skills to prove it was murder against a tide of competing interests and before the killer takes another life.”

Once I read “reclusive billionaire” and “remote location”, I was in.  Moreover, I’ve always been impressed by FX and the creative risks they take (season 5 of Fargo is especially good). This limited series is strong almost throughout, with dazzling interiors, foreboding exteriors, mostly good acting (Corrin is especially watchable, and you might recognize her as Lady Di from The Crown…I did not), and cool techy things abounding. Alas, that very same tech ultimately becomes the deus ex machina of the show, and the clever Agatha Christie setup ultimately results in more questions than answers. Beautiful, compelling, and ultimately flawed. Just like all of us.

Book

Opposable Thumbs, How Siskel and Ebert Changed the Movies Forever, Matt Singer (Penguin Random House, 2023)

I grew up watching Siskel and Ebert yell at each other—didn’t you? In fact, I love movie criticism, and I enjoy following critics as much as reading the reviews. Current favorites are Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott, but of course Siskel and Ebert started it all.

Opposable Thumbs gives a short biography of each man, but the bulk of the book records their rise at a power couple, from two cranky, antagonistic critics working at competing Chicago newspapers to two, cranky film critics working together on the set of a fake movie theater. Two things surprised me. One, how much real power and fame the men grew to acquire, to the point they alone could make or break a movie with a flick of their thumbs. And two, what whiny little bitches they could be to each other. An entertaining read, especially the bit how they would fight over who got which seat in first class.

Photo of the Month

View from my front porch on a snowy day.

Update from my Kids
My boy went to a Baton Rouge bar/club and was featured in a promo video. He’s gonna hate that I posted this.

Update from my Pets

It’s like Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner when they’re on one of their breaks.

Heartwarming Post of the Month sent to me by a friend

Rescue crow! (click to watch)

Unbound Writer 2024 retreats – registration now open! I’m offering two in-person retreats in Boulder, Colorado this year, each with a maximum of ten people. Come spend 2.5-days finding community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence in your writing.

May 2-4

October 17-19

All details and testimonials can be found here:

carterwilson.com/unbound-writer/retreats/

Early-bird discounts and scholarships available. No more excuses, no more idle dreaming. Time to make your writing dreams happen.

I’m knee-deep into the pre-launch for The Father She Went to Find, but I did want to share that my next thriller will be out in January 2025. The official title is Tell Me What You Did (formerly Confess to Me) and I’m so excited for it!

That’s it for now! Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…