Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about novelists becoming video game writers, NetGalley, and Amazon. Then, stick around for a chat with Sarina Bowen!
Sarina Bowen is a #1 Amazon bestselling author, a 24-time USA Today bestseller, and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary novels. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a BA in economics.
A New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country in the 1760s, Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. She lives with her family on a few wooded acres in New Hampshire.
Sarina’s books are published in more than 15 languages with twenty or so international publishers.
She is a sitting council member on the Authors Guild, with committee work in finance and advocacy.
Check It Out!
Sarina Bowen – https://sarinabowen.com/
Dying to Meet You: https://sarinabowen.com/dying-to-meet-you
Playing with words: why novelists are becoming video game writers – and vice-versa – https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/apr/30/novelists-video-game-writers
NetGalley Fixes Kobo Downloads, Expands Relationship – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/04/netgalley-fixes-kobo-downloads-expands-relationship/
It’s Cynical, Manipulative, and Cruel’ – https://www.vulture.com/article/amazon-book-sale-on-independent-bookstore-day.html
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Sarina Bowen – https://sarinabowen.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Pizza Hut, folding e-readers, and The Great Gatsby. Then, stick around for a chat with Joanna Penn!
I’m Jo Frances (J.F.) Penn, Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, and crime. My stories blend my love of travel with adventure at the edge of the supernatural. They all deal with the theme of good vs evil.
I live in Bath, England with my husband and two British shorthair cats, Cashew and Noisette.
When I’m not traveling for book research, I enjoy walking by the canal, and a nice gin and tonic.
You can find me on Instagram @jfpennauthor and Facebook @jfpennauthor.
I share my travels and interview other authors about the places that inspire them on my Books And Travel Podcast.
I love reading, and my favorite authors include John Connolly, Jonathan Maberry, and Stephen King. I also read a lot of non-fiction for book research, which I share in the Author’s Note at the back of my books/stories.
If you want to hear about my latest book launches, or learn about special deals on my stories, or get behind the scenes research and photos — or if you’d like to be part of my Reader’s Group, the Pennfriends, then click here to sign up for my email list.
Check It Out!
Joanna Penn – https://jfpennbooks.com/
Death Valley: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thecreativepenn/death-valley-a-thriller
Scamming Pizza Hut Was My Family Tradition – https://www.foodandwine.com/pizza-hut-book-it-scam-6405471?
The first folding e-reader is smaller than a paperback – https://www.theverge.com/news/650922/readmoo-e-ink-mooink-v-color-folding-screen-ereader?
I’m Not a ‘Gatsby’ Scholar. I’m a ‘Gatsby’ Weirdo. – https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/12/opinion/great-gatsby-on-repeat.html?
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Joanna Penn – https://jfpennbooks.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about TV writing jobs, book subscription services, and Meta. Then, stick around for a chat with Nat Cassidy!
Nat Cassidy writes horror for the page, stage, and screen.
His acclaimed novels, including Mary: An Awakening of Terror,Nestlings, and Rest Stop (Bram Stoker Award nominee), have been featured in best-of lists from Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, NPR, the Chicago Review of Books, the NY Public Library, Amazon, and more, and he was named one of the “writers shaping horror’s next golden age” by Esquire.
His award-winning horror plays have been produced throughout New York City and across the United States. He won the NY Innovative Theatre Award for his one-man show about H. P. Lovecraft, another for his play about Caligula, and was commissioned by the Kennedy Center to write the libretto for a short opera (about the end of the world, of course).
From 2020 – 2023, Nat was the scriptwriter for Shakespeare Theatre of DC’s annual WILL ON THE HILL event, a comedy fundraiser about Shakespeare and politics featuring a star-studded cast of journalists, members of Congress, ambassadors, and veteran actors. With WILL ON THE HILL, Nat’s scripts helped raise over a million dollars for arts education.
You’ve also maybe seen Nat on your TV, playing various Bad Guys of the Week on shows such as Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Bull, Quantico, FBI, and many others. Additionally, Nat is commercial voiceover actor and a member of the audiodrama production company, Gideon Media, which produced hit sci-fi podcasts such as Steal the Stars and Give Me Away, as well as the authorized audiodrama adaptations of the Paramount Pictures classic, Witness, and Wallace Shawn’s The Designated Mourner. Nat authored the novelization of Steal the Stars, published by Tor Books and named one of the best books of 2017 by NPR.
He lives in New York City with his wife.
Check It Out!
Nat Cassidy – http://www.natcassidy.com/
When the Wolf Comes Home – http://www.natcassidy.com/up-next.html
TV Writing Jobs Fell by 42 Percent in 2023-24 Season, WGA Says – https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/tv-writer-jobs-down-wga-stats-1236188142
A new chapter for publishing? Book subscription services launch their own titles – https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/16/book-subscription-services-launch-their-own-books-publishing
This Is How Meta AI Staffers Deemed More Than 7 Million Books to Have No “Economic Value” – https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/meta-ai-lawsuit?
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Alan Lastufka – https://alanlastufka.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Inkitt, Publishers Weekly, and Eric Smith. Then, stick around for a chat with Alan Lastufka!
Alan Lastufka is a Hoffer Award-winning author and the owner of Shortwave, an independent small press. He writes horror, supernatural, and magical realism stories.
His debut novel, Face the Night, received a starred Kirkus review, was a finalist for Best New Horror Novel at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and won the 2022 Hoffer Award for Best Commercial Fiction. It was also listed as one of the 100 Best Indie Books of the Year by Kirkus.
When he’s not writing, or recording with his band, The Caulden Road, Alan enjoys walking through Oregon’s beautiful woods with his partner, Kris.
Check It Out!
Alan Lastufka – https://alanlastufka.com/
Face the Night – https://books2read.com/facethenight
Inside Inkitt – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/04/inside-inkitt/
Publishers Weekly is Now Charging for Review Submissions – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/corp/submissionfeeforpwreviewconsideration.html#:~:text=Beginning%20March%2024%2C%202025%2C%20Publishers,pay%20the%20per%20submission%20fee.
Eric Smith Launches Neighborhood Literary – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=5308&oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Alan Lastufka – https://alanlastufka.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about James Patterson and MrBeast, NaNoWriMo, and Ingram’s MediaScout. Then, stick around for a chat with DP Lyle!
DP Lyle, MD is the Amazon #1 Bestselling; Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award winning; and Edgar (2), Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, Scribe, Silver Falchion, USA Today Best Book Award (2), and Foreward INDIES Book of the Year nominated author of 25 books, both non-fiction and fiction, including the SAMANTHA CODY, DUB WALKER, JAKE LONGLY, and CAIN/HARPER thriller series, and the ROYAL PAINS media tie-in novels.
His forensic science books (FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES, HOWDUNNIT:FORENSICS) and his very popular Q&A Series (MURDER AND MAYHEM, FORENSICS AND FICTION, MORE FORENSICS AND FICTION) are published worldwide.
Check It Out!
DP Lyle – https://www.dplylemd.com/
Outliers Writing University – https://www.outlierswritinguniversity.com/
James Patterson & MrBeast Penning Thriller Novel; TV & Film Rights Attracting Serious Heat – https://deadline.com/2025/03/james-patterson-mr-beast-novel-1236352620
NaNoWriMo Nonprofit Shutters – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/97466-nanowrimo-nonprofit-shutters.html?oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Ingram’s MediaScout Goes Live – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/page-to-screen/article/97469-ingram-s-mediascout-goes-live.html?oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Stephen Graham Jones – https://www.demontheory.net/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Simon & Schuster, Bill Bryson, and The Hunger Games. Then, stick around for a chat with Adam Nevill!
ADAM L. G. NEVILL was born in Birmingham, England, in 1969 and grew up in England and New Zealand. He is an author of horror fiction. Of his novels, The Ritual, Last Days, No One Gets Out Alive and The Reddening were all winners of The August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel. He has also published three collections of short stories, with Some Will Not Sleep winning the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection, 2017.
Imaginarium adapted The Ritual and No One Gets Out Alive into feature films and more of his work is currently in development for the screen.
The author lives in Devon, England.
Check It Out!
Adam Nevill – https://adamlgnevill.com/
All the Fiends of Hell – https://adamlgnevill.com/products/all-the-fiends-of-hell-standard-hardback-book
Can Simon & Schuster Become the A24 of Books? The imprint’s new publisher is betting on it – https://www.thecut.com/article/simon-and-schuster-sean-manning-interview.html
Bill Bryson: Too many people publishing their own books – https://web.archive.org/web/20250310105002/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/arts/article/bill-bryson-too-many-people-publishing-their-own-books-wdrmf6g5c
Hunger Games Prequel Sells 1.5 Million Copies In First Week – https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/sunrise-on-the-reaping-book-hunger-games-sales-1236174203/
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Stephen Graham Jones – https://www.demontheory.net/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Oracle, TikTok, the Slush Pile, and LibGen. Then, stick around for a chat with John Scalzi!
John Michael Scalzi II is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Old Man’s War series, three novels of which have been nominated for the Hugo Award, and for his blog Whatever, where he has written on a number of topics since 1998.
Check It Out!
John Scalzi – https://whatever.scalzi.com/
When the Moon Hits Your Eye – https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765389091/whenthemoonhitsyoureye/
Looking Inside the Slush Pile – https://laurabmcgrath.substack.com/p/textcrunch-no-2-looking-inside-the
Oracle is reportedly in the lead to save TikTok from US ban – https://www.theverge.com/news/631999/oracle-tiktok-ban-deal-project-texas
Atlantic Allows You to Search Pirated Books on LibGen – https://societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/the-libgen-data-set-what-authors-can-do/#:~:text=Yesterday%20(20%20March%202025)%2C,systems%20by%20tech%20giant%20Meta.
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Stephen Graham Jones – https://www.demontheory.net/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.