Lori Brand is a lifting enthusiast, group fitness instructor, yoga teacher, and software quality engineer. She’s been a gymnast, dancer, Playboy model, and bodybuilder. Her time in the body wars trenches led to her realization that getting strong, rather than shrinking, is the way out. She’s published articles in STRONG Fitness Magazine, T-Nation, Inside Fitness Magazine, D’FYNE Fitness Magazine, and more. Bodies to Die For is her first novel.

Among other things, Lori and Carter discuss how controversial discussion about body image on social media sparked the idea for Lori’s novel, analyzing editorial letters, and killing off dogs in books. At the end of their conversation, they make up an eventful story using a line from Beverley McLachlin’s Proof.

Lisa Williamson Rosenberg is an author and psychotherapist specializing in depression, complex trauma and racial identity. She is also a former ballet dancer, with essays published in Longreads, Mamalode, The Common, and more, and fiction in Literary Mama and The Piltdown Review, where she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She graduated from Princeton University, got her Masters from Hunter College School of Social Work, and her post-masters certification in family therapy from the Ackerman Institute.

Among other things, Lisa and Carter discuss writing what you know, addressing racial themes in fiction, and unreliable narrators in Lisa’s second novel. At the end of their conversation, they make up a short story using a line from Jennifer Chase’s Count Their Graves.

Douglas Brunt attended The Haverford School and graduated from Duke University. He was formerly a management consultant for the information tech company, Booz Allen & Hamilton, and served as a director with Idealab. Until 2011, Brunt was CEO and president of the Florida-based security software company Authentium, Inc. His first novel, Ghosts of Manhattan, was a New York Times bestseller.

Among other things, Douglas and Carter discuss Douglas’s inspiration for his own podcast, the research that goes into writing a non-fiction book, and the reality of getting a movie/TV option for your novel. At the end of their conversation they make up an unpredictable story using a line from David Baldacci’s Simple Genius.

James L’Etoile uses his 29 years behind bars as an influence in his novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, facility captain, and director of California’s state parole system. He is a nationally recognized expert witness on prison and jail operations. He is a two-time Silver Falchion Award nominee and shortlisted for the Bill Crider Award for short fiction.

Among other things, James and Carter discuss writing being a form of therapy, how writing presentence reports evolved into writing crime fiction, and working with two different publishers. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from Kwei Quartey’s The Whitewashed Tombs.

Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen’s books have been translated into 40 languages, and more than 40 million copies have been sold around the world. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for VANISH) and the Rita Award (for THE SURGEON). Time Magazine named THE SURGEON one of the best mystery/thrillers ever written. Tess's first medical thriller, Harvest, marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Her novels have hit bestseller lists ever since.

Among other things, Tess and Carter discuss how thrillers really aren’t about the violence, how to differentiate your characters when writing from multiple POVs, and retiring from being an author. At the end of their conversation, they make up a beautiful story using a line from Araminta Hall’s One of the Good Guys.

Andrew DeYoung is the author of The Temps, a speculative novel about the end of the world. He works as an editor at a children's book publishing company, and he lives with his wife and two children in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. The Day He Never Came Home is his first domestic thriller. Stay Away From Him is coming out in July 2025.

Among other things, Andrew and Carter discuss initial fears of not being a good writer, balancing writing when you have children, and embracing variety in your writing style. At the end of their conversation, they make up a random story using a line from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.

Sydney Leigh spent several years running a seasonal business, working in the summer so she could spend cold months in cool places. Now she writes modern cozy mysteries and thinks about murder. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and served on the board of Crime Writers of Canada from 2018-2021.

Among other things, Sydney and Carter discuss how receiving feedback motivated Sydney to continue her writing journey, struggling to find an agent after having “failed” books, and the genre of cozies versus thrillers. At the end of their conversation, they make up a fascinating story using a line from Matt Goldman’s The Murder Show.

Meredith Lyons collected two degrees from Louisiana State University before running away to Chicago to be an actor. In between plays, she got her black belt and made martial arts and yoga her full-time day job. She fought in the Chicago Golden Gloves, ran the Chicago Marathon, and competed for team USA in the Savate World Championships in Paris. She's a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. A Dagger of Lightning is her second novel. Her debut, Ghost Tamer, a paranormal suspense, was published in 2023.

Among other things, Carter and Meredith discuss Meredith’s experience at her first writing conference, trusting your instincts when writing, and an author’s role in the marketing of their book. At the end of their conversation, they make up a gruesome story using a line from Stuart Turton’s The Last Murder at the End of the World.