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

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author John Kenney spoke with us about life as an ad-man, writing humor for The New Yorker, and the paperback release of his latest novel I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD.

John Kenney is the bestselling author of three novels and four books of poetry, including Love Poems (For Married People), a New York Times bestseller. His first novel, Truth In Advertising, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He is a longtime contributor to The New Yorker magazine’s Shouts & Murmurs column.

His most recent novel, I See You’ve Called In Dead (available in paperback June 2nd), is described as “The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy” and was an instant bestseller. The book follows Bud Stanley, an obituary writer who accidentally publishes his own obituary and begins attending strangers' funerals to find meaning of life.

In a starred review Booklist said of the book, “I See You’ve Called in Dead is a witty and heartwarming reminder of the bottomless despair, limitless absurdity, and undeniable joy of the human experience.”

John Kenney has worked as a copywriter for more than 25 years at Ogilvy, McGarry Bowen, and Publicis. He has created campaigns for American Express, Citi, Chevron, Heineken, and Cadillac, to name a few.

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In this file John Kenney, Milena, and I discussed:

His past life as a high profile copywriter 

10 years of rejections from the New Yorker

Why he still has impostor syndrome

The personal inspiration behind his latest novel

Writing self-deprecating poetry

Why he’s writing a memoir about rewriting his mother's obituary

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

byjohnkenney.com

I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney (Amazon)

John Kenney Amazon Author Page

John Kenney on Instagram

John Kenney for The New Yorker

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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#1 New York Times bestselling author, Ruta Sepetys, returns to speak with us about her 12 years of research, ragtime music, and the “fortune and facade” of 1920s Detroit in her adult historical fiction debut, A FORTUNE OF SAND. 

Ruta Sepetys is the award-winning and internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Her acclaimed “crossover” YA literature includes the Carnegie Medal-winning Salt to the Sea. 

Her latest, A Fortune of Sand (available May 26th), is described as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby and Amor Towles’ Rules Of Civility meets Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums. The novel follows a wealthy, eccentric family in Detroit’s booming automobile industry and includes a plot twist around stolen jewels.  

A Booklist starred review called the book, “A richly detailed portrait of the glittering city and [Detroit’s] dark underbelly. . . . This will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety and Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach.”

Ruta’s books have won or been shortlisted for more than 50 book prizes, and are currently in development for film and television.

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In this file Ruta Sepetys, Milena, and I discussed:

Why she still gets nervous before every book release

Finding a writing structure to mimic the volatile energy of The Roaring ‘20s

Why she filed FOIA requests and worked with former FBI agents to interpret her research

How she co-authored a YA historical mystery with Steve Sheinkin

Why she prefers the term "investigation" over "research"

Her creative fuel

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

rutasepetys.com

A Fortune of Sand: A Novel by Ruta Sepetys (Amazon)

Ruta Sepetys Amazon Author Page

Ruta Sepetys on Facebook 

Ruta Sepetys on Instagram

Ruta Sepetys on Twitter

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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#1 New York Times bestselling author, Ruta Sepetys, spoke to me about what she learned in the music industry, the secrets to strong, vivid writing, and her non-fiction debut YOU: THE STORY: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory.

Ruta Sepetys is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Her acclaimed “crossover” YA literature includes the Carnegie Medal-winning Salt to the Sea. 

Her latest is the creative guide to writing, You: The Story: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory (available May 16, 2023), which “... provides aspiring writers with a roadmap to crafting compelling stories by encouraging them to look inward and excavate their own memories in order to discover authentic voices and compelling details.”

In a starred review Booklist said of the book, “Part writing guide, part memoir, Sepetys’ fresh, fun handbook is all inspiration.”

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[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, Ruta Sepetys and I discussed: 

What she learned about storytelling working in the music industry

Why she’s drawn to underrepresented stories and “history in hiding”

How to discover the Four Hs of the "excitement of life"

Her intensive research process for each book

Why writers need to examine their own lives for authenticity

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

⁠rutasepetys.com⁠


⁠You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory⁠ by Ruta Sepetys (Amazon)

⁠Ruta Sepetys Amazon Author Page⁠


⁠Ruta Sepetys on Facebook⁠

⁠Ruta Sepetys on Instagram⁠

⁠Ruta Sepetys on Twitter⁠

⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter

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New York Times bestselling author, Rosie Walsh, returns to speak with us about the power of the writing community, her "work wife" Ashley Audrain, and her latest novel THE ONE DAY YOU WERE MY HUSBAND.

Rosie Walsh has lived and traveled all over the world, working as a documentary producer and writer. Her two previous novels, Ghosted and The Love of My Life, were New York Times bestsellers and have sold nearly two million copies worldwide.

Her third novel is The One Day You Were My Husband (available May 19th) “asks readers what—and whom—they would give up to return to a first love and to the people they once were.”

New York Times bestselling author Clare Leslie Hall called the book “...a heart-wrenching love story and a mystery that shocks and surprises until the very end. A wonderful novel.”

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[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 Rosie Walsh, Milena, and I discussed:

The ongoing "bum fight" that is the writer's life

How to create addictive plots that keep readers up at night

Why sometimes you have to kill your darlings for that outstanding ending

What it was like to do research in Thailand

Why no one understands you like another writer

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

⁠RosieWalsh.com⁠

The One Day You Were My Husband By Rosie Walsh (Amazon)

Rosie Walsh Amazon Author Page

⁠Rosie Walsh on Facebook⁠

⁠Rosie Walsh 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

New York Times bestselling author, Rosie Walsh, talked with me about finding her voice, transitioning from romcom to "emotional thriller," and her latest, The Love of My Life.

Rosie Walsh has lived and traveled all over the world, working as a documentary producer and writer. Her American debut, Ghosted, was a New York Times bestseller and has sold more than one million copies worldwide.

Her second novel is The Love of My Life, described as a "...stay-up-all-night page-turner. It’s a love story wrapped in a mystery that ... [taps] into our darkest fears about motherhood, family, and trust."

Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push, said of the book, “Walsh’s hugely compelling THE LOVE OF MY LIFE instantly pulls you deep into the interior of a marriage. Part thriller, part mystery, part heart-wrenching love story, this is a treasure...”

Stay calm and write on ...

[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 Rosie Walsh and I discussed:

Writing upmarket fiction under a pseudonym

Why she starts all of her books with plot

How to write a "book that breathes"

What it's like to hang out at death cafes

The "bum fight" that is the writer's life

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

⁠RosieWalsh.com⁠

⁠The Love of My Life: A Novel by Rosie Walsh⁠ (Amazon)

⁠Rosie Walsh on Facebook⁠

⁠Rosie Walsh on Instagram⁠

⁠Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer⁠⁠

⁠⁠diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram⁠⁠

⁠⁠Kelton Reid Instagram⁠⁠

⁠⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter
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