Why Author Beth Castrodale Doesn’t Write Sequels and What She Writes Instead

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This week on Here's What We Know, join us for a captivating conversation with author Beth Castrodale to explore the creative life. Beth shares how her roots in journalism shaped her storytelling style, why ghost stories have always fascinated her, and what it really takes to finish a book.

Listen in as we go down the rabbit hole from haunted houses, World War I soldier journals, and audiobooks to cemetery lore and the bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to beloved characters. Tune in now; you’re gonna love it!

In This Episode:

• The Path to Writing
• The Relationship Between Reading and Writing
• Running, Audiobooks, and Podcasts: Creative Consumption
• Beth Castrodale’s Books and the Audiobook Experience
• Crafting Character Voices: Writing and Narrating Multiple Points of View
• The Writing Process: Plotting, Pantsing, and Outlining
• Finding Endings and Letting Go
• Receiving Critique and the Role of Ego
• The Solitary Nature of Novel Writing
• Literary Influences and Early Reading Memories
• The Allure of Standalone Novels and Avoiding Sequels
• Research in Writing: Bringing Authenticity to Fiction
• Ghost Stories, the Paranormal, and the Challenge of Creepy
• The Process of Writing "The Inhabitants"
• The Winchester Mystery House
• Publicity, Promotion, and the Writer’s Life

This episode is sponsored by:

Dignity Memorial

Bio:

Beth Castrodale worked as a newspaper reporter until her love of books led her to the publishing field. She was a senior editor at Bedford/St. Martin’s and is the founding editor of the book-review website Small Press Picks. Her most recent novel, The Inhabitants, won the Horror categories of the Independent Publisher Book Awards, the National Indie Excellence Awards, and the Best Book Awards. It was a finalist in the Horror category of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

An excerpt from her second novel, In This Ground, was a shortlist finalist for a William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Award. Her début novel, Marion Hatley, was a finalist for a Nilsen Prize for a First Novel from Southeast Missouri State University Press. Castrodale also received an artist grant from the Mass Cultural Council. Her stories and essays have appeared in multiple publications, including CrimeReads, Ars Medica, The Writing Disorder, and Writing and Wellness.

If you sign up for Beth’s monthly email newsletter, you’ll get a free copy of her novel Gold River.

Website: https://www.bethcastrodale.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-castrodale-a667b81/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethcastrodale/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beth.castrodale

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