Your backstage pass to the world’s most prolific authors
What does it take to succeed as a writer? Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson and Jena Brown as they pull back the curtain and gain rare insight from the household names found on bookshelves worldwide.
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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about AAP, OpenAI’s Sora, and Google Docs. Then, stick around for a chat with Marissa Eigenbrood!
Marissa Eigenbrood is Vice President of Smith Publicity, the most prolific book marketing agency in the publishing industry, with thousands of books promoted since 1997. From first-time, self-published authors to New York Times bestsellers, Smith Publicity promotes every genre, and has secured media coverage for authors and books with every top media outlet in the U.S. And Canada. The firm has offices in Cherry Hill, NJ, and Toronto. Contact Smith Publicity at info@smithpublicity.com.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about booming bookstores, Taylor Swift’s book, and Stephen King’s radio stations. Then, stick around for a chat with Melanie Herschorn!
Melanie Herschorn – Get ready to step into your spotlight as an authority. As a publisher and book marketing strategist for attorneys, wealth advisors and business owners, worldwide, I’m on a mission to empower authors to share your message with the world.
With my comprehensive background of over 20 years as a celebrity publicist, award-winning journalist in radio, print, and TV, as well as a clothing designer and entrepreneur, I am uniquely positioned to support authors to step into thought leadership and make a big impact with their book.
I earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California, where I graduated first in my class. I grew up in Canada, have lived on both US coasts, and now reside in Arizona with my husband, daughter and son, our Cavalier King Charles Marty McDog and our Siberian cat Phoebe.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and A.I. Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Esquire layoffs, Costco books, Spotify analytics, and PRH. Then, stick around for a chat with Katie Tallo!
Katie Tallo: For three decades, Katie has been an award-winning screenwriter and director, collaborating on projects in animation, television and motion pictures. After winning an international novel contest for women writers in 2013, Katie landed a publishing deal for her debut novel. The thriller Dark August is set in the Wellington West neighbourhood where she lives. The novel became an international bestseller and was chosen as an Apple Book of the Month and New York Times Editor’s Choice. It inspired a trilogy including the follow-up, Poison Lilies, which brings Augusta and Levi back for another cold case when a body emerges from a frozen pond, and the final installment, Buried Road, which tumbles forward more than a decade to find Gus and her daughter, Bly, on a precarious road trip to find a missing person. Katie is currently working on a new mystery thriller.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Dick Wybrow, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Harper’s new deal, Amazon’s response to Spotify’s free audiobooks, and NBN’s closing. Then, stick around for a chat with Dennis E. Taylor!
Dennis E. Taylor: My name is Dennis Taylor. I share that distinction with several other authors and a couple of musicians, unfortunately. Which is why I’m using Dennis E. Taylor. No, not Dennise Taylor, dangit 🙂. I am a retired computer programmer, snowboarder, mountain-biker, runner, and now author. I hope my novels will give you a few hours of entertainment and escape. I’m open to suggestions, comments, ideas, or whatever.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, James Blatch, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about renting shelves in bookstores, BQE Press Launches, the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards, and self-publishing’s growing influence. Then, stick around for live questions at Author Nation!
Author Ventures LLC is a Nevada limited liability company established to manage author networking and education events, as well as reader events. While a privately held company, we are advised by the indie author community. The community we serve helps select the content and the development of professional conduct at our events. Please review our Conduct of Code here. If you want to contact us, please reach out via email at hello@authorventuresllc.com.
Join hosts Christine Daigle and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about celebrity novels, Netflix, Kindle Colorsoft, and an AI-invented Halloween parade. Then, stick around for a chat with Leah Paulos!
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Kindle Vella, Penguin Random House, and midnight release parties. Then, stick around for a chat with J.T. Ellison!
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, Jena Brown, and James Blatch as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Spotify, John Grisham, and Kindle. Then, stick around for a chat with Nick Cutter!
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and James Blatch as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including: “James Patterson Plans to Take on Hollywood, and Cable News, on Substack,” “An Actual Taylor Swift Book Due November 29 As A Target Exclusive,” and “TikTok’s Owner Already Publishes Digital Books. Now It’s Moving Into Print.” Then, stick around for a chat with Andrew Child!
Andrew Grant was born in Birmingham, England in May 1968. He went to school in St Albans, Hertfordshire and later attended the University of Sheffield where he studied English Literature and Drama. After graduation Andrew set up and ran a small independent theatre company which showcased a range of original material to local, regional and national audiences. Following a critically successful but financially challenging appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Andrew moved into the telecommunications industry as a ‘temporary’ solution to a short-term cash crisis. Fifteen years later, after carrying out a variety of roles – including a number which were covered by the UK Official Secrets Act – Andrew escaped from corporate life, and established himself as the author of the critically-acclaimed novels Even, Die Twice, More Harm Than Good, RUN, False Positive, False Friend, False Witness, Invisible, and Too Close To Home. Andrew is married to novelist Tasha Alexander, and lives on a wildlife preserve in Wyoming, USA.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including: How Hollywood Is Battling Fans Who Are ‘Just Out for Blood’, Authors Guild to Promote Created by Humans, Hardcover Joins The “We Aren’t Goodreads” Rank. Then, stick around for a chat with Kate Christensen!
Kate Christensen – The Arizona Triangle comes out on 10/22 from HarperCollins under the pseudonym Sydney Graves. This is the first book of a projected mystery series featuring a private eye named Jo Bailen.
The Sacred and the Divine, the first book of a YA trilogy, co-written with Eliza Wolfe, comes out fall 2025 from Hyperion.
I’m currently at work on a new novel whose working title is Good Company.
I live in Taos, New Mexico with my husband and our two dogs.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including how Marvel and DC lost their Super Hero trademark, the elite college students that can’t read books, and publishing made perfect. Then, stick around for a chat with Richard Chizmar!
RICHARD CHIZMAR is a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author.
He is the co-author (with Stephen King) of the bestselling novella, Gwendy’s Button Box and the founder/publisher of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint. He has edited more than 35 anthologies and his short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including multiple editions of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustee’s award.
Chizmar (in collaboration with Johnathon Schaech) has also written screenplays and teleplays for United Artists, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, Showtime, NBC, and many other companies. He has adapted the works of many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Bentley Little.
Chizmar is also the creator/writer of the online website, Stephen King Revisited. His fourth short story collection, The Long Way Home, was published in 2019. With Brian Freeman, Chizmar is co-editor of the acclaimed Dark Screams horror anthology series published by Random House imprint, Hydra.
His latest book, The Girl on the Porch, was released in hardcover by Subterranean Press, and Widow’s Point, a chilling novella about a haunted lighthouse written with his son, W.H. Chizmar, was recently adapted into a feature film.
Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, guest speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.
Join hosts Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including Lauren Sánchez, Honey & Wax, Banned Books Week, and Kindle Vella. Then, stick around for a chat with Michelle Chouinard!
Michelle Chouinard is the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, andAmazon Charts bestselling author behind The Serial-Killer Guide to San Francisco (coming soon),The Vacation and the Detective Jo Fournier series (featuring The Dancing Girls, Taken to the Grave, Her Daughter’s Cry, and The Other Mothers).
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including why publishers try skinnier books, how the Authors Guild reached an agreement with TouchPoint Press, and Simon & Schuster Children’s new deal. Then, stick around for a chat with John Gaspard!
John Gaspard is author of the Eli Marks mystery series and the Como Lake Players mystery series. He also has several other stand-alone novels, including “The Greyhound of the Baskervilles,” “A Christmas Carl,” “The Sword & Mr. Stone” and “The Ripperologists.”
He hosts two podcasts: “Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast,” and “The Occasional Film Podcast.”
In real life, John’s not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less – that’s no small trick. He’s also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films.
John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including TikTok, Audible’s AI voice replica service, and James Blatch’s new podcast. Then, stick around for a chat with Taylor Moore!
Taylor Moore – “I’m often asked how I ended up at the CIA, a question to which there are more than a few answers. But what I think people really want to know is what edged a regular guy like me out of the light and into the shadows of the intelligence world: a what makes you tick kind of thing.
It’s a question I can answer in one single phrase—passion for adventure.
This is the same passion that drew me to childhood heroes like Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Jack Ryan. This quest for adventure propelled me on a solo journey at the age of twenty-four through the jungles of Bolivia, over the Andes, and across the raging Drake Passage on a Russian icebreaker to Antarctica.
And it’s the same passion I have now that spurs me to write thriller novels and action-adventure stories.
We may grow up, but we don’t have to give in. No matter our age or what we do, a good passion for adventure never dies. And if you’re like me and you’re searching for the next one, then look no further. You’ve arrived.”
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including Canva, AI, and The Black List. Then, stick around for a chat with Stella Sands!
Stella Sands is the bestselling author of six true-crime books: Baby-Faced Butchers, The Dating Game Killer, Behind the Mask, Murder at Yale, Wealthy Men Only, and The Good Son. She is also the author of a children’s book, Odyssea, and many educational books, and served as the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning magazine Kids Discover for nineteen years. She has appeared on numerous television shows, including People Magazine Investigates, ABC’s 20/20, and several episodes of Investigation Discovery. Her plays, Lou Passin’ Through, Black-eyed Peas, and E-me, have been produced in Off-Off Broadway theaters in New York City.Sands lives in Sag Harbor, New York.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including Len Riggio, a new bookstore map, and Jack Ryan. Then, stick around for a chat with Ann Garvin!
Ann Garvin, Ph.D. is the USA Today Bestselling author and finalist for the Thomas Wolf Fiction Prize. She is the author of six funny and sad novels. She writes about people who do too much in a world that asks too much from them.
Ann worked as an RN and, after receiving her PhD, taught Exercise Physiology and Health Psychology for thirty years in the University of Wisconsin system. She currently teaches creative writing at Drexel University in their low residency Masters of Fine Arts program and has held positions at Miami University and Southern New Hampshire in their Masters of Fine Arts Creative Writing programs.
Ann is the founder of the multiple award-winning Tall Poppy Writers, a group of traditionally published authors committed to helping readers find wonderful books. She is a sought-after speaker on writing, leadership and health and has taught extensively in NY, San Francisco, LA, Boston, and at festivals across the country and in Europe.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including Sherryl Clark’s Amazon deal, Anthropic’s AI lawsuit, and ElevenLabs’ new app. Then, stick around for a chat with S.B. Caves!
Born and raised in North London, S.B. Caves is the international bestselling author of A Killer Came Knocking and I Know Where She Is, which The Sun described as ‘sinister, unsettling and gripping’. His new high concept thriller novel, Honeycomb, will be published by Datura Books on July 9, 2024. He now lives in South London with his wife and two sons.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news. Then, stick around for a chat with Karin Slaughter!
Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Sheis the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated Cop Townand standalone novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of Her. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Heris a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette, and WILL TRENT, based on her Will Trent series, is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally). False Witness and The Good Daughter are in development for television. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including identity verification for KDP authors and Spiracle’s ‘Audiobook in a Card.’ Then, stick around for a chat with L.S. Stratton!
L.S. Stratton is an NAACP Image Award-nominated author and former crime newspaper reporter who has written more than a dozen books under different pen names in just about every genre from thrillers to romance to historical fiction. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, their daughter and their tuxedo cat.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including SPF podcast shutting down, why X is under pressure from regulators, and how Instagram starts letting people create AI versions of themselves. Then, stick around for a chat with Sophie Brickman!
Sophie Brickman is a writer, reporter and editor based in New York City. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Saveur, The San Francisco Chronicle, the Best Food Writing compilation, and the Best American Science Writing compilation, among other places. She is currently a columnist at The Guardian.
She wrote a monthly column for Elle interviewing influential women—including Nancy Pelosi and Joyce Carol Oates—about their paths to success, served as Executive Editor of a travel publication launched jointly between Hearst and Airbnb, and was the Features Editor at Saveur. As a staff reporter at The San Francisco Chronicle, she won first place in the 2011 Association of Food Journalists’ feature writing category, for a piece about Napa’s French Laundry restaurant, and third place for best column.
In a previous life, after attending the French Culinary Institute, she worked the line at Gramercy Tavern, making risotto and lamb ragù for the lunch crowd. And before that, she graduated with honors from Harvard College, where her studies in social theory and philosophy prepared her for very few practical endeavors. Hence the desire to learn how to chop an onion correctly.
Her first book, Baby, Unplugged, about the intersection of parenting and technology, was published by HarperOne in Fall 2021, received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, and landed her a spot on Good Morning America. Her first novel, Plays Well With Others—a satirical epistolary romp through New York City, following the life of one mother as it begins to unravel in spectacular fashion—will be published by William Morrow in summer 2024.
