“Nothing guarantees anything. A breakout book doesn’t mean your next one won’t flop—and that’s just the reality.”—Andrea Bartz

Andrea Bartz is a reporter, consultant, and New York Times bestselling author. Her third novel, WE WERE NEVER HERE, was a Reese’s Book Club pick and an instant New York Times bestseller; it was optioned by Berlanti Productions and Netflix. Her most recent thriller, THE LAST FERRY OUT, was praised by NPR’s Fresh Air, Marie Claire, Publishers Weekly, and more. She is also a journalist whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, and many other outlets, and she’s held editorial positions at Glamour, Psychology Today, and Self.

Among other things, Andrea and Carter discuss thinking like a businessperson to make it as a writer, separating your emotions from feedback on your writing, and engaging with readers to show gratitude. At the end of their conversation, they make up a brilliant story using a line from Victoria Houson’s At the Edge of the Woods.

“I always say that both horror and romance are genres of hope.” —Lindy Ryan

Lindy Ryan is an award-winning author, anthologist, and short-film director whose books and anthologies have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist and Library Journal. She was named a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree in 2020, and in 2022, she was named one of horror's most masterful anthology curators. Ryan founded Black Spot Books, a specialty press focused on amplifying women's voices in horror. She is an award-winning professor at Rutgers University.

Among other things, Lindy and Carter discuss their love of Halloween, losing perspective of how dark their writing is, and emphasizing the importance of consequences in writing. At the end of their conversation, they make up a quick story using a line from Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects.

"The only way your journey ends is if you stop trying—and I wasn’t done." —Jeffrey Konvitz

Jeffrey Konvitz is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Sentinel. He also wrote its bestselling sequel, The Guardian, and a third bestselling novel Monster: A Tale of Loch Ness. Konvitz is an entertainment attorney, screenwriter and producer. In the 1980s and 90s, he became one of the top independent production executives in Hollywood, where he still resides to this day.

​Among other things, Jeffrey and Carter discuss changing career paths last minute, writing about the Irish mob, and Jeffrey creating his own publishing company to print the book he had been writing for 25 years. At the end of their conversation, they make up a supernatural story using a line from Greg Isles’s True Evil.

It is the 200th episode of Making It Up!

“Every huge risk I’ve ever taken has led to another step toward what I always wanted to do with my life.” – Michelle Jabès Corpora

Michelle Jabès Corpora received her Bachelor's Degree in English and Theatre from UMBC, then went on to earn a Master's degree in Children's Literature from Hollins University. She has been a wedding singer, has worked in a vet's office, and at a wildlife rehabilitation center. She moved to New York and worked as an assistant editor at Greenwillow Books, and then a concept creator for a book packaging company. She was a ghostwriter for a world-famous middle-grade mystery series, writing her first five novels in that series.

Among other things, Michelle and Carter discuss moving from ghost writing to writing your own novels, the benefits of taking time to earn your success, and balancing staying true to yourself while accepting criticism. At the end of their conversation, they make up a descriptive story using a line from Michelle’s newest novel His Face is the Sun.

“The best form of marketing is just producing more work—because you never know when the next idea will catch fire.” —Joe Hart

Joe Hart is the Edgar Award-winning and Wall Street Journal-bestselling author of seventeen novels, dozens of short stories, and several novellas. His work has been translated into eight languages and optioned for film. His latest novel, WYNDCLYFFE, was just released earlier this month.

Among other things, Joe and Carter discuss the importance of word-of-mouth for book sales, why dark thrillers have been so successful lately, and writing strong protagonists who aren’t boring. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from Karen Slaughter’s This Is Why We Lied.

“The desire was always there, but the drive wasn’t. I allowed other things to interfere instead of saying, ‘This is something you really want to do.’" —Dwayne Goetzel

Dwayne Goetzel is a lawyer who specializes in trademarks, domain names, copyrights, licensing, and litigation relating to those fields. He is an attorney, father, writer, and someone who’s navigated several career choices. He has written nine novels.

Among other things, Dwayne and Carter discuss continuing writing during publishing struggles, the value of being a part of the writing community before being published, and copyright as it relates to authors. At the end of their conversation, they make up an unpredictable story using a line from Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down.

“It was the craziest overnight five-year success story ever.” —Leigh Dunlap

Leigh Dunlap went to film school at the University of Southern California to study screenwriting, which led her to a job selling socks at Fred Segal and eventually to an assistant’s desk at a Hollywood talent agency. That’s where she really learned how to write—while reading hundreds of scripts sent in for actors. Her first screenplay, A Cinderella Story, with Hilary Duff, was made by Warner Brothers. Since then, Leigh has written two other movies (The Standoff and 16-Love) that were produced. Bless Your Heart is her debut novel.

Among other things, Leigh and Carter discuss gaining experience by working at a talent agency, changes in writing during the pandemic, and writing scripts versus novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a brief story using a line from Michelle Jabes Corpora’s His Face is the Sun.

“I don’t know what it’s about until it’s done—and sometimes it’s on a shelf before I realize what certain things mean.” – Lori Roy

Lori Roy’s debut novel, Bent Road, was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. Her work has been twice named a New York Times Notable Crime Book. Until She Comes Home was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Let Me Die in His Footsteps received the 2016 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, making Roy the first woman to receive an Edgar Award for both Best First Novel and Best Novel—and the third person to have done so. Gone Too Long was named a People magazine Book of the Week, and Lori was featured as an Inspired Woman by J Jill and Oprah Magazine.

Among other things, Carter and Lori discuss doing research to capture the accuracy of your setting, the benefits of maintaining social media presence, and interacting with readers in person. At the end of their conversation, they make up a great story using a line from Jess Lourey’s The Reaping.