Behind the Book
Tess Thompson and Karen McQuestion
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Top 10 Behind the Book Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Behind the Book episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Behind the Book for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Behind the Book episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
04/04/22 • 39 min
Tess & Karen enjoyed interviewing New York Times bestselling thriller author Heather Gudenkauf. From writing her first novel longhand during summer break as a third-grade teacher, to landing on bestseller lists and becoming an award-winning novelist, Heather has plenty of stories to share. Listen in as she explains why she calls her first drafts "writing ugly" and how her characters tend to take over. The ladies also loved hearing why Iowa works so well as a setting for intrigue and suspense. All of this and more makes for a compelling episode!
Books mentioned:
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Elements of Fiction by Walter Mosely
https://heathergudenkauf.com/Follow & Review in Apple Podcasts
If you're already a follower and you enjoy Behind the Book, we’d be so grateful if you left a review over on Apple Podcasts. Leaving a review helps other listeners find the podcast and Tess & Karen love reading them as well!
Directions for leaving Ratings and Reviews:
1. Make sure you are on the landing page for the podcast & not an individual episode.
2. Scroll down to the bottom until you reach Ratings & Reviews.
3. Click all five stars under Tap to Rate to leave a rating.
4. Under the most recent review, tap the Write a Review button.
We’d love to hear what you enjoy most about the show. Thanks in advance!
1 Listener
Mike Chen Pens Science Fiction Novels with Heart
Behind the Book
04/11/22 • 51 min
Mike Chen is a critically acclaimed science fiction author based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. During the interview, Tess & Karen loved hearing about his creative process and how he manages to write while working a day job and home schooling his daughter. Listen in to find out which of his novels is the book of his heart, how he uses the three-act structure to outline his novels, and what it was like to write a Star Wars novel.
Enjoy!
Books mentioned:
A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
https://www.mikechenbooks.com/Follow & Review in Apple Podcasts
If you're already a follower and you enjoy Behind the Book, we’d be so grateful if you left a review over on Apple Podcasts. Leaving a review helps other listeners find the podcast and Tess & Karen love reading them as well!
Directions for leaving Ratings and Reviews:
1. Make sure you are on the landing page for the podcast & not an individual episode.
2. Scroll down to the bottom until you reach Ratings & Reviews.
3. Click all five stars under Tap to Rate to leave a rating.
4. Under the most recent review, tap the Write a Review button.
We’d love to hear what you enjoy most about the show. Thanks in advance!
1 Listener
Tess Thompson On Successfully Creating & Marketing a Series
Behind the Book
04/18/22 • 36 min
USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson (and co-host of this podcast) shares all she knows about writing and marketing a series. With six series under her belt, she's well versed on what readers respond to, and how to get visibility and sales for books in a series. Per usual, her co-host partner Karen, asks thought-provoking questions.
Enjoy!
https://tesswrites.com/Follow & Review in Apple Podcasts
If you're already a follower and you enjoy Behind the Book, we’d be so grateful if you left a review over on Apple Podcasts. Leaving a review helps other listeners find the podcast and Tess & Karen love reading them as well!
Directions for leaving Ratings and Reviews:
1. Make sure you are on the landing page for the podcast & not an individual episode.
2. Scroll down to the bottom until you reach Ratings & Reviews.
3. Click all five stars under Tap to Rate to leave a rating.
4. Under the most recent review, tap the Write a Review button.
We’d love to hear what you enjoy most about the show. Thanks in advance!
1 Listener
10/18/21 • 56 min
Tess and Karen loved talking to Gary Goldstein, an award-winning writer for film, TV, and the theatre with more than 30 produced screen and stage credits. He revealed what it's like to write for television and movies, how he came to write his first novel (THE LAST BIRTHDAY PARTY) and the importance of creating relatable characters.
Books mentioned on the podcast:
The Last Birthday Party by Gary Goldstein
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
How to Write a Movie in 21 Days by Viki King
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @GaryGoldsteinLA
How Barbara Hinske Got a Movie Deal Without an Agent
Behind the Book
09/27/21 • 48 min
Karen and Tess found attorney turned novelist Barbara Hinske's interview to be both entertaining and informative. During the talk Barbara discussed how her father's writing legacy served as her inspiration and how extensive research on guide dogs for the vision impaired led to her well-loved and encouraging novel, GUIDING EMILY. She also regaled us with the story of the party she threw to celebrate the airing of THE CHRISTMAS CLUB, a Hallmark Channel movie based on her novel of the same name.
This is an interview you won't want to miss!
The books Barbara recommended:
- Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence by Lane Shefter Bishop https://amzn.to/2YXsfHR
- Writers Helping Writers Series (Thesaurus) : https://amzn.to/3ka2ZpP
You can find Barbara here:
- https://barbarahinske.com
- https://www.facebook.com/bhinske
Say hi to Karen & Tess on the BTB Facebook page: https://bit.ly/3k5J8bC
Edwin Hill on How Playing "What If?" Leads to Story Ideas
Behind the Book
09/13/21 • 47 min
Tess and Karen interviewed the delightful Edwin Hill, the Edgar and Agatha-award nominated author of Little Comfort, The Missing Ones, and Watch Her.
He shared how a walk past the Widener Library on the Harvard campus gave him the idea for his mystery novel protagonist, and how he made connections in the writing community. He also told the story of the time he delivered a completely different book than the one previously promised to his editor.
The writing book Edwin recommended is Plot Perfect by Paula Munier: https://amzn.to/3z2XcXe
The essay referenced on the inevitability of writing terrible first drafts can be found in Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.
https://amzn.to/38URsV2
(If you get the Edith Ann reference in the interview, you might be a tad old. Karen can relate.)
Find Edwin here:
- https://www.edwin-hill.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/edwinhillauthor/
- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16513610.Edwin_Hill
Come over and say hi to Karen & Tess on the BTB Facebook page: https://bit.ly/3k5J8bC
Xio Axelrod on Her Internal Soundtrack
Behind the Book
10/04/21 • 50 min
Karen and Tess enjoyed talking to USA Today bestselling author Xio Axelrod. She told us how she became a novelist (quite by accident), and how her background as a composer of music informs her lyrical writing style. The ladies were fascinated to hear that as a melophile Xio literally has an internal soundtrack playing all the time. Her fiction is inclusive and will appeal to anyone who loves music and those who love to see influential women characters in rock band fiction. You heard it here first: their time has come.
An added bonus? Xio explained how it's possible to have "part-time" cats as pets.
Her newest book is: The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes: A story of love, loss, and rock-and-roll
https://xioaxelrod.com/
https://www.facebook.com/XioAxelrod
https://twitter.com/XioAxelrod
https://www.instagram.com/XioAxelrod/
Boyd Morrison Describes the Risks He Takes for Research
Behind the Book
08/30/21 • 52 min
Tess and Karen enjoyed talking to New York Times bestselling author Boyd Morrison about his unusual start in publishing, his co-writing partnership with the legendary author Clive Cussler, and the research that takes him to places most of us only dream of.
If you're a fan the Indiana Jones movies, chances are you'll love his novels. Enjoy the interview!
www.boydmorrison.com
Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/BoydMorrisonWriter/
Twitter—https://twitter.com/boydmorrison
Instagram—https://www.instagram.com/boydmorrisonwriter/
08/23/21 • 44 min
Join the ladies for this insightful interview with veteran romance writer and USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson. Despite all her success, Kelly has remained humble and kind. She gives some great advice for novice writers in addition to ideas about how to handle the ups and downs of the writing process.
https://www.kellyjamieson.com/
09/06/21 • 35 min
Tess and Karen enjoyed interviewing Elizabeth Bromke, who writes women's fiction and small-town romance. Across all of her books, you’ll find nostalgia for a bygone era, family values, heartwarming romance, mystery, and strong female friendships. Bromke's fictional settings include charming towns with quirky casts of locals.
During their talk, the ladies were amazed by Elizabeth's prodigious writing output (Karen took notes) and just had to ask why so many of her books have the word "house" in the title.
Beginning writers will find her method of checking a finished manuscript for story beats very informative.
Where you can find Elizabeth Bromke:
https://www.facebook.com/elizabethbromke
https://www.instagram.com/authorelizabethbromke/
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FAQ
How many episodes does Behind the Book have?
Behind the Book currently has 72 episodes available.
What topics does Behind the Book cover?
The podcast is about Fiction, Comedy Fiction, Podcasts, Books and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Behind the Book?
The episode title 'Heather Gudenkauf on Writing Stories of Intrigue and Suspense' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Behind the Book?
The average episode length on Behind the Book is 46 minutes.
How often are episodes of Behind the Book released?
Episodes of Behind the Book are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Behind the Book?
The first episode of Behind the Book was released on Jun 1, 2021.
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