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

New York Times bestselling author Alma Katsu spoke with us about her 30-plus-year career in intelligence, her deep expertise in AI and social media disinformation, and her new techno-horror novel INCARNATE.

Alma Katsu’s books have won and been nominated for multiple prestigious awards, including the Stoker, Goodreads Readers Choice, and International Thriller Writers, and have appeared on numerous Best Books lists, including NPR, the Observer, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Prior to becoming a full-time novelist, she spent 35 years working as a senior intelligence analyst for several U.S. agencies, including the CIA and NSA.

Her latest is Incarnate, described as a terrifying reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray for the internet age. Library Journal wrote of the book, “A deal with the devil is reworked for the online age, with a healthy dose of body horror joining AI. The combination makes the story uniquely terrifying.”

Author of Japanese Gothic, Kylie Lee Baker called it, “A deliciously addictive techno-horror that you can’t look away from.”

Alma’s debut novel, The Taker, was selected by Booklist as one of the top 10 debut novels of 2011. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Writing Program and Brandeis University, where she studied with novelist John Irving.

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In this file Alma Katsu, Milena, and I discussed:

Why intelligence work provided strong preparation for fiction

Her evolution as a writer and path to horror

How she chose Dorian Gray as a framework for her latest

Her concerns with recent developments in social media and generative AI

How she got a Stephen King blurb

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

almakatsubooks.com

Incarnate by Alma Katsu [Amazon]

Alma Katsu Amazon Author Page⁠

Alma Katsu on Facebook

Alma Katsu on Substack

Alma Katsu 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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Bestselling author and historian Isabel Cañas returned to speak with us about the influence of Latin American history and family lore on her writing, the stakes of historical fiction, and her YA debut, THE HOUSE OF GARDENIAS.

Isabel Cañas is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of The Hacienda, Vampires of El Norte, and The Possession of Alba Díaz.

Her fourth novel is The House of Gardenias, and her YA debut. “Set in revolutionary-era Mexico, the novel follows sixteen-year-old Minerva Treviño as she escapes an abusive home and begins a new life as a lady's maid to a wealthy widow.”

#1 NY Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer said of the book, "This is gothic storytelling with teeth: a lyrical and devastating tale of one maid caught in a spiderweb of loyalty, courage, revolution, and monsters both dead and alive."

Isabel holds a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and writes fiction inspired by her research and heritage.

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In Part Two of this file Isabel Cañas, Milena, and I discussed:

“The existential dread” of the week before pub date

How she came of age as a writer during the YA fantasy boom

Why she pivoted to adult horror early in her career

The familial inspiration behind her latest novel

How she walked away from her very first YA offer

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

⁠⁠isabelcanas.com⁠⁠

The House of Gardenias by Isabel Cañas [Amazon]

⁠Isabel Cañas Amazon Author Page⁠

⁠⁠Isabel Cañas on TikTok⁠

⁠⁠Isabel Cañas 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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New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo spoke with us about her journey from National Poetry Slam champion to winning the the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and her new YA novel, ANGER IS ONLY A SHADOW.

Elizabeth Acevedo is a renowned poet and New York Times-bestselling author of Clap When You Land, With the Fire on High and The Poet X, which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpré Award, among many others.

Her first YA novel in six years, Anger Is Only a Shadow, is her most personal offering yet. Inspired by her experience leading poetry workshops for girls awaiting adjudication at the Youth Services Center in D.C., as well as loving and caring for someone with schizophrenia.

Publishers Weekly, in a Starred Review called the book “...a striking and nuanced portrait of the realities of juvenile detention and mental illness.”

Elizabeth is a National Poetry Slam champion and holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland.

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In this file Elizabeth Acevedo, Milena, and I discussed:

How she performed in ~100 poetry shows/year, visiting nearly every U.S. state over 2 years

The impostor syndrome she felt during her MFA in poetry

What it felt like to go from “slinging chapbooks” to having a publisher

Why she still reads every novel aloud to herself before submission

How she alternates between the two manuscripts in 2–3 week blocks to maintain perspective

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

acevedowrites.com

Anger Is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo (Amazon)

Elizabeth Acevedo Amazon Author Page

Elizabeth Acevedo 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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Mexican-American writer and historian, Isabel Cañas, spoke to me about how to binge-write a novel, her fear of the dark, and swinging for the fences with her gothic debut "The Hacienda."

Isabel is a speculative fiction writer, and world traveler – currently working on her Ph.D. dissertation in medieval Islamic literature – who writes fiction inspired by her research and heritage.

Her debut novel is the highly-anticipated gothic, The Hacienda, "... a haunted house story with a Latinx refresh .... partly inspired by a home Isabel lived in when she was a child — one she still believes to this day is haunted."

Described by The Washington Post as, “[A] gothic tale of doomed love and vengeful spirits." NY Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi called the book, “A hypnotic, sinister tale that is equal parts terrifying and luxurious ... a nightmare lined with velvet.”

In this file Isabel Cañas and I discussed:

Writing fantasy fan fiction and her convoluted juvenilia

Why horror demands vulnerability from the author

On haunted houses and ghosts of colonialism and diaspora

Zero-drafting

How to write 4000 words a day

And a lot more!

Stay calm and write on ...

Show Notes:

⁠isabelcanas.com⁠

⁠The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas⁠ [Amazon]

Isabel Cañas Amazon Author Page

⁠Isabel Cañas on TikTok

⁠Isabel Cañas 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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Bestselling crime novelist and former NFL running back Andre Hardy spoke with us about the slim odds of going from professional athlete to published novelist, writing through therapy, and his debut, TEAR THE CITY DOWN.

Andre Hardy is a critically acclaimed debut crime novelist, former NFL running back, and a member of the International Thriller Writers.

Described as a novel for fans of S.A. Cosby and Walter Mosley, TEAR THE CITY DOWN follows Coltrane Davis, a fixer for a crooked political kingmaker who wants out of the life and a chance to be present for his daughter.

New York Times bestselling author Ace Atkins called it, “A kickass debut from a bold new voice in crime fiction…. This novel is the stuff of lean, mean, California dreams."

Andre’s essays, interviews, and critical analysis have been published in L.A. Tribe Magazine, Lunch Ticket, and The Los Angeles Review of Books.

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In this file Andre Hardy, Milena, and I discussed:

How he found writing after his NFL career

Channeling the spirit of John Coltrane

Why writers need to subdue the inner critic

What he learned chasing his debut novel

The thick skin needed to pursue greatness

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

andrehardy.com

Tear the City Down by Andre Hardy (Amazon)

Andre Hardy 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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