The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

Critically acclaimed novelist and entertainment podcaster, Bobby Finger, returns to speak with us about his weekly word counts, wedding DJs, Who? Weekly, and his latest beach read WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY.

Bobby Finger is the author of The Old Place and Four Squares, and co-creator and cohost of the popular celebrity and entertainment podcast, Who? Weekly, "The podcast that tells you everything you need to know about celebrities you don’t."

His third novel, We Are Gathered Here Today, was named a New York Times Summer's Best Beach Read. It’s described as The Wedding People meets The Celebrants, and a “...sharp and tender story [that] follows a recently engaged gay man who begins to question the idea of marriage while attending his cousin’s chaotic Wild West-themed wedding weekend.”

Booklist called the book “… a perfect read for anyone confused by or suspicious of the wedding-industrial complex, which can leave happy celebrations feeling more like a second full-time job for young lovers.”

Bobby previously worked as a staff writer for the culture website Jezebel from 2015 to 2018 and has contributed extensively to outlets like Vulture and The New York Times.

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Bobby Finger, Milena, and I discussed:

How his latest originally featured a death until his editor suggested everyone live, transforming it into a beach read

Why he changed the book’s setting from fall to June at the`` publisher's request to position as summer release

How a scene from the book became a part of the cover design

The craziest thing he’s ever witnessed at a wedding IRL

His next book and upcoming essay collection written with his podcast co-host

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

⁠whoweekly.us⁠

We Are Gathered Here Today By Bobby Finger⁠ (Amazon)

Bobby Finger Amazon Author Page

Bobby Finger on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist, hit entertainment podcaster, and debut novelist, Bobby Finger, spoke to me about writing for Jezebel, turning a screenplay into a novel, and his debut, "The Old Place."

Bobby Finger is a writer and co-host of the popular celebrity and entertainment podcast, Who? Weekly, "The podcast that tells you everything you need to know about celebrities you don’t."

His debut novel is The Old Place, described as "A bighearted and moving debut about a wry retired schoolteacher whose decade-old secret threatens to come to light and send shockwaves through her small Texas town."

It has been named Washington Post‘s 10 Noteworthy Books for September, People‘s Best New Books, Town & Country’s 45 Must-Read Books of Fall, New York’s 25 Notable New Releases, Kirkus Review‘s 150 Most Anticipated Fall Books, LitHub‘s Most Anticipated Books of 2022, among many others.

New York Times bestselling author Emma Straub said of the book, “I loved being inside this skillful novel—at the planning parties for church fundraisers, learning to drive with a can of beer in the cupholder, and in the heads of some wonderfully tangy old Texan ladies. Bobby Finger has built a rich world in The Old Place, and I will think of it every time I make toast.”

Stay calm and write on ...

⁠Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox⁠

If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, ⁠please "Follow" us to automatically see new interviews⁠.

In this file Bobby Finger and I discussed:

Growing up in a small Texas town

His start in copywriting and freelance journalism

Writing screenplays in the margins

Becoming a full-time podcaster

How to write autofiction with a twist

What happens when people leave, and those left behind

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

⁠whoweekly.us⁠

⁠The Old Place By Bobby Finger⁠ (Amazon)

Bobby Finger on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Critically acclaimed debut novelist and food writer, Catherine Kurtz, spoke with us about art school, painting life, judging the International Chocolate Awards, and her delicious first book FEAST.

Catherine Kurtz is a multidisciplinarian known for her parallel careers in the visual arts, literature, and culinary criticism – including as a judge and educator in the field of chocolate tasting. She is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and a Grand Jury Member of the International Chocolate Awards.

Her debut is, Feast, “for fans of Chocolat (show-co-lot, haha, i need this 😂) and Like Water for Chocolate,” and described as a historical novel set at the turn of the 20th century as one young woman navigates the wonders and perils of her remarkable gift: an astonishing sense of taste and smell.

Alex Hay, author of The Housekeepers called it, “A beautiful book, vivid and delicious and alive—a story of escape and belonging and one woman's extraordinary gifts, unfolding its mysteries with care, brimming with feeling and stunning prose.”

Catherine Kurtz is also a painter represented by The Redfern Gallery in London. Her journalism has been published in a variety of publications including The Spectator’s Scoff, Harvest, ckbk and Celebrated Living.

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Catherine Kurtz, Milena, and I discussed:

How her debut ​​combines her backgrounds as a painter, food writer, and professional chocolate taster

Writing a book for The Great British Bake Off on Chocolate

Working with rock star turned chef Graham Garrett on his book Sex, Drugs, and Sausage Rolls 

Why she took an art school approach to writing

The editorial approach to her food-centric writing and debut cover design

Her writing philosophy

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

linktr.ee/catherinekurtzart

Feast by Catherine Kurtz (Amazon)

Catherine Kurtz on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author Meg Shaffer spoke with us about paying homage to fairy tales, defending libraries against censorship, and her latest cinematic, genre-bending bestseller, THE BOOK WITCH.

Meg Shaffer is the bestselling author of The Lost Story and The Wishing Game, which was a Book of the Month finalist for Book of the Year as well as a Reader’s Digest and Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and has been translated into 23 languages. Shaffer holds an MFA in TV and Screenwriting from Stephens College.

Her latest is the instant bestseller The Book Witch, described as a novel that’s part mystery, part love letter to libraries and booksellers, and a direct, timely meditation on book-banning.

Booklist called it a “whimsical tale of lost love, family secrets, and how books can change a reader's life” and Kirkus calls it “catnip for anyone who ever wished they could walk around in their favorite book.” 

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Meg Shaffer, Milena, and I discussed:

How she wrote a couple dozen romance novels under her real name

The rules set forth in her latest book about entering the worlds of beloved childrens’ series

Why the author’s writing is best when she’s having fun

Channeling the iconic sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury

Why "all books are kids' books if the kid can read"

How she aims to make readers appreciate the books they read as children

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

megshaffer.com

The Book Witch: A Novel By Meg Shaffer (Amazon)

Meg Shaffer Amazon Author Page

Meg Shaffer on Instagram

Meg Shaffer on Facebook

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Acclaimed debut author Darby Bozeman spoke with us about her journey from middle school English teacher to published author, and her debut thriller, SUMMER’S NEVER OVER.

Darby Bozeman, originally from Portland, Oregon, relocated to the American South for graduate school, earning a master's degree in teaching from the University of Georgia. Before pivoting to full-time writing, she spent five years as a middle school English teacher.

Her dual-timeline debut thriller, Summer’s Never Over (Berkley Trade Original; on sale June 9, 2026), is described as We Were Liars meets God of the Woods, and is set at a summer camp where a counselor died in a suspicious fire five years prior. The book was recently chosen as a June selection for the Book of the Month Club.

Publishers Weekly called it an “Impressive debut…an addictive thriller ideal for summer reading.” Bestselling author Ashley Winstead wrote, "Darby Bozeman has the perfect beach read in this sinister summer camp thriller, where the paradisical woods of Dread's Cove hide not only hot bodies and cold waters, but dark secrets.”

[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]

[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Darby Bozeman, Milena, and I discussed:

How she gleaned inspiration from her teaching

The science of narrative writing, including tension building and sentence-level craft

Why her book was pitched as “Carly Fortune writing a murder mystery”

How she secured an agent and got a two-book deal

Why she prefers the coffee shop to her own coffee

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

darbybozeman.com

Summer’s Never Over : A Novel By Darby Bozeman (Amazon)

Darby Bozeman on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices