The Story Craft Cafe Podcast

KIMBERLY BELLE is the Edgar Award nominated, USA Today and internationally bestselling author with more than one million copies sold worldwide, with titles including The Paris Widow, The Marriage Lie, a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Mystery & Thriller, and the co-authored #1 Audible Original, Young Rich Widows. Kimberly’s novels have been optioned for film and television and selected by LibraryReads and Amazon a...

Linwood Barclay, a New York Times bestselling author with twenty novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers before turning full time to writing thrillers. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, sold millions of copies, and he counts Stephen King among his fans. Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay for the film bas...

Jenny Morris is a psychology researcher with a fascination in ethics, human behavior, and moral dilemmas. She writes high-concept crime novels that explore deep philosophical questions that started off as conversations with friends like, ‘How much would I have to pay you to eat a human toe?’ Jenny has completed the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel' six-month course, and has won short story contests in both Writing Magazine and Writer...

One of the world’s most prolific and successful writers, ANTHONY HOROWITZ may have committed more (fictional) murders than any other living author, working across all media formats, from books, to TV, film, plays, and journalism. In January 2022 he was awarded a CBE for his services to literature. He has written two highly acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novels, The House of Silk and Moriarty; three James Bond novels, Trigger Mortis, For...

What's a book coach? A book coach gives you editorial feedback, accountability, support, and marketplace intelligence while you write. We’re committed to helping you write the best book you can write — and to make it a little less lonely along the way. You know what a basketball coach does? A career coach? A leadership coach? Imagine that kind of oversight, nurturing, and guidance while you are writing a book.

Jennie Nash is the fo...

Michelle Hazen is a nomad with a writing problem. Years ago, she and her husband ducked out of the 9 to 5 world and moved into their truck to become desert tortoise biologists. She found her voice with the support of the online fanfiction community, and once she started typing, she never looked back.

As a result, she has written most of her books in odd places, including a bus in Thailand, an off-the-grid cabin in the Sawtooth Moun...

In a novel, pacing is everything. During this workshop, we’ll talk about story beats and how to use them correctly, followed by an introduction to the all-powerful micro-beat. Through video clips, I'll teach you how to identify the moments on screen that bring you to the edge of your seat and show you how to apply those techniques to your writing. Learn how to create killer action scenes, nail-biting drama, and romantic moments tha...

Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from county Mayo and has been praised for her unique fictional voice. Her debut, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016. She won the Costa Short Story Award the same year. Her second novel, The Hoarder (published as Mr. Flood’s Last Resort in the U.S.), was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2019. Both books were BBC Radio 2 Book C...

Molly Harper is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than forty paranormal romance, contemporary romance, young adult and mystery titles, most of them through Simon & Schuster, Audible and Sourcebooks Casablanca. Her first book, Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, came out in 2009. Her latest Audible Exclusive project, the Starfall Point series, launched recently with Witches Get Stuff Done. Most of her titles are available in pri...

James Blatch is a former BBC Defence Reporter and a former BBFC Film Examiner. He reported for the BBC on the UK military from, among other places, HMS Invincible (Operation Desert Fox build up), Kuwait (Ali Al Salem allied air base), the Arctic Circle as well as covering the UK air offensive during the Kosovo Conflict in 1999.

Blatch works in publishing, teaching authors at learnselfpublishing.com and publishing writers at vinci-b...

Complete your short story journey with this final session focused on polishing and celebration of your accomplishment. We will share insider techniques for effective line editing, crafting satisfying endings, and selecting titles that capture your story's essence. We will read from our work, reflect on our progress, and receive feedback. Beyond completing a publishable short story, we’ll leave with sustainable writing habits, revis...

Transform your rough draft into polished prose in this crucial third session. You'll learn to strengthen character arcs, develop thematic depth, and enhance your unique voice through strategic revision choices. We will share a key scene and receive targeted feedback from our fellow participants. These revision techniques will not only elevate your current story but become valuable tools for all your future writing projects.

-------...

Move from concept to creation in our second session. This week focuses on the architecture of effective scenes, the art of gripping openings, and dialogue that reveals character while advancing plot. We will share techniques for maintaining narrative momentum, balancing showing versus telling, and creating the emotional impact that distinguishes memorable short fiction. In week 2 you'll have transformed your story concept into a co...

Discover the foundations of compelling short fiction in our first session. Our panel will guide you through proven story generation techniques, character development essentials, and the key elements that make short stories resonate with readers. You'll learn to mine your experiences for authentic material, observe the world with a writer's eye, and transform simple prompts into story gold. From this session, you'll have a fully dev...

Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA Today bestselling writer, Dean Wesley Smith has published over two hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds and hundreds of short stories across many genres.

At the moment he produces novels in five major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the old west, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of...

Rosa Linda Román is an Emmy-nominated, William Randolph Hearst Award-winning reporter, anchor & podcaster. Rosa Linda’s broadcasting career includes WCTV Tallahassee, KVIA El Paso, KOAT-7 Albuquerque, KSAZ Fox 10 Phoenix, WTVT-13 Tampa & KION-46 Salinas/Monterey. She’s also a successful independent director & screenwriter.

In 2005, Rosa Linda left TV news to start her family. In 2007 she created New Mexicast, New Mexico...

Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. She used to game but with two little ones and a husband, she no longer has time for ...

Elly Griffiths has always written short stories to experiment with different voices and genres as well as to explore what some of her fictional creations such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur, and Max Mephisto might have done outside of the novels. The Man in Black gathers these bite-sized tales all together in one splendid volume.

There are ghost stories, cozy mysteries, tales of psychological suspense, and poignant vignettes of l...