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Read Me A Nightmare

Read Me A Nightmare

By: Angelique Fawns
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 Season 2 of "Read Me A Nightmare" shifts its focus to conversations with writers, editors, and creators working in and around dark fiction — about craft, career, and the realities of making stories in the world.Visit www.fawns.ca to learn more. Please --if you enjoy the episode, leave a review!

angeliquemfawns.substack.comAngelique Fawns Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • From Expertise to Authority

    From Expertise to Authority
    Feb 15 2026
    Learn more about Matty at The Indy AuthorPrefer to watch? I really enjoyed this conversation with Matty and though her new ventures focuses on helping entrepreneurs and those approaching retirement establish the next phase of their career, her advice works perfectly for authors hoping to grow their platforms.Like me! When I find an author who has managed to make this a full-time gig, I am all ears!!!If you’d rather focus on short stories— which is the main thrust of this platform, and where I am BUILDING authority — check out this podcast with my mentor, Mark Leslie Lefebvre and Matty Dalrymple where we talk about short story strategies.Now back to building authority from expertise!Here are some of the highlights from my chat with Matty:Angelique: Your project is called From Expertise to Authority. What’s the difference between those two?Matty: Expertise is what you know. Authority is when other people recognize you as someone to listen to on that topic. A lot of people—especially later-career professionals—have deep expertise, but they haven’t built the visibility, relationships, and platforms that turn that into authority. Authority isn’t just knowledge. It’s knowledge plus reach plus trust.Angelique: You work with a lot of experienced professionals, not just new writers. What are they usually trying to figure out?Matty: Many of them already have a book out. They’re retired or transitioning careers and want to stay engaged, share what they know, and be seen as leaders in a new or adjacent field. Their question isn’t “How do I publish?” It’s “How do I become known as a go-to voice in this space?” That’s the shift from simply having written something to building authority around a topic.Angelique: You emphasize starting simply. Why is that so important?Matty: Because it’s much easier to add than to take away. If you launch with a complicated system—paid tools, elaborate production, lots of deliverables—you can trap yourself in work that isn’t sustainable. I learned this with transcripts for my podcast. I started offering heavily edited transcripts, and when I had to stop for time reasons, it felt like I was taking something away from my audience. If I’d never offered them, no one would have missed them. Start lean. Build only what proves useful.Angelique: You talk about the three steps to building authority. Can you walk us through them?Matty: Sure.* Showing Expertise– This is where you share what you know. Written content is powerful here: newsletters, articles, posts that demonstrate your knowledge. You’re showing people your thinking.* Growing Connections and Trust – Now people get to know you. Your voice. Your perspective. This often happens through podcasts, interviews, and conversations where your human presence comes through.* Being an Authority – This is where people pay for access to your expertise. Courses, consulting, editorial services, coaching, client work. You’re not just sharing knowledge—you’re applying mastery to help others directly.Angelique: For someone with a strong niche—like mine in paid, no-fee short fiction markets—how do they grow without going broader?Matty: You don’t necessarily have to widen the niche. Instead, deepen your relationship layers. You’re already doing expertise-based work through written guidance. You’re building personality-based connections through conversations like this. The next step is exploring authority-based offerings—paid newsletters, consulting, editorial feedback, submission strategy help. That lets you be deeply meaningful to a specific audience rather than vaguely useful to a huge one.Angelique: You’re big on repurposing content. How does that fit into building authority?Matty: It’s essential. Every piece of content should do multiple jobs. An article can also be a podcast episode if you read it aloud. That article might become a chapter in a future book. An interview becomes both relationship-building and source material for your ideas. When you think holistically, you’re not creating ten separate things—you’re creating one idea that moves through multiple formats. That’s how you grow authority without burning out.Angelique: Let’s talk platforms. Why do you like newsletter ecosystems like Substack for this stage?Matty: Because you own the relationship. You have the email addresses. If a social platform changes or disappears, you can take your audience with you. It’s also low-cost, which matters when you’re in the building phase and not expecting immediate profit. It lets you experiment without heavy financial pressure.Angelique: How do in-person events factor into authority building?Matty: They’re powerful for two reasons. First, you observe your audience—what resonates, what doesn’t, what problems people actually talk about. Second, you build real relationships. You meet peers, speakers, organizers. Those connections lead to invitations, collaborations...
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    31 mins
  • Selling your Novel with Cherry Weiner

    Selling your Novel with Cherry Weiner
    Feb 8 2026
    Join my chat with Cherry Weiner as we go over…📝 How our editing process works📖 What the big publishers are looking for🧭 How long it REALLY takes to go from book deal → bookstore shelf💡 Smart moves that help authors build lasting careersI finished my first novel, City Lights to Country Nights, last February and signed with Cherry Weiner at Superstars 2025 last year. (This year’s con starts Feb 4 in Colorado, but I am missing it this year.)The only way to query Cherry is to meet her in person, and she signed a few of us from last year’s convention! It’s been a year of trying to sell my book, and here’s your chance to eavesdrop on our conversation as Cherry talks about me through the realities of the publishing world and the best way forward to success for an author.Join the next tier and read my cold email to Cherry before the con and the winning query letter!AF: A lot of writers imagine you write a book, get an agent, sell it, and a few months later it’s in stores. What’s the real timeline from book sale to publication?CW: Much longer than people think. First, editors can take months just to read submissions — three, six, sometimes nine months. If they love it, they still have to take it to an acquisitions meeting where sales, legal, and other editors weigh in. If it passes, we negotiate the deal, which can take a week or even months. Then, contracts take weeks to process. After the manuscript is accepted, publication is often scheduled up to 24 months later because publishers buy books years in advance.AF: I didn’t know about the acquisitions meeting. Does this mean an editor can love your book and still reject it?CW: Absolutely. An editor can be passionate about a book, but if the acquisitions committee says no, the deal is dead. Publishing decisions are business decisions as much as creative ones.AF: How has publishing changed since you started?CW: It’s much harder now. I used to be able to sell a book on three chapters and an outline. Today, especially for new authors, I need a complete, polished manuscript before submitting. Publishers are taking fewer risks.AF: How many major publishers are we really talking about now?CW: Very few. There are about four or five major houses left, plus some big independents. And many imprints under the same umbrella consult together, so if one says no, that often closes doors within that house.AF: What does a manuscript need today for you to say yes?CW: I have to feel like I’m not reading — I’m there in the story. If I can put it down easily, it’s a no. It has to pull me in completely and make me want to turn the page.AF: What’s a common character mistake you see?CW: Weak protagonists. Today’s readers and editors want strong, capable main characters — especially women. Not “wet noodles.” Growth is great, but they need strength from the start. (Authorial note: Cherry originally thought the main character in my cowboy romance was a “wet noodle” and was going to say no. But I convinced her to let me take another crack at it. And hired Bruce McAllister to help me. DM me if you want to learn more about hiring Bruce.)AF: Do editors still buy series from new authors?CW: Not the way they used to. I try to pitch series, but most editors will buy one book first and wait to see how it performs before committing to more.AF: How long will you keep submitting a book before giving up?CW: I keep going as long as I believe in the author and we have options. Sometimes we pause and try another project. I once worked with an author for six years before selling the right book — but it was in the genre she truly loved writing.(Authorial note: This eased my mind greatly. I was panicking about my book not being sold after a year of being pitched to editors. Cherry won’t give up on me if I don’t give up on writing. I am considering creating book #2 in this world. After I complete a million other projects, of course. Squirrel anyone?)AF: How important is an author’s platform now?CW: Very. One of the first things editors ask is about social media and audience. Discoverability is a huge issue, and having a following helps prove there’s a readership.AF: When does it make sense to use a pen name?CW: If you’re switching genres and don’t want to confuse readers, or if previous sales were weak. Editors can see sales history, so sometimes a fresh start with a new name helps.AF: What makes a great agent–author relationship?CW: Trust, honesty, and communication. It’s like a business marriage. You’re trusting me with your work, so transparency is essential.AF: What’s your best advice for writers pitching agents or editors?CW: Be natural. Don’t read a script. Put your best foot forward — and ideally, have a complete manuscript ready.Curious how I found my agent? Read my cold email and the winning query letter.Cherry Weiner only takes queries from authors she meets in person. I knew she was going to be attending Superstars ...
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    37 mins
  • Writing for TV & Film with Chris Goldberg

    Writing for TV & Film with Chris Goldberg
    Jan 22 2026
    Don’t miss this raw and authentic interview with Chris Goldberg. He tells the honest truth about optioning IP for film and the current state of the industry.He’s rarely interviewed, so I am so grateful he’s chosen to share his story with us.Prefer to watch your interviews? See it on YouTube.Chris Goldberg is veteran in the film industry and is heavily involved the book-to-film world. He’s the founder and force behind Winterlight Pictures and is working on over 25 projects at places like A24, Netflix, Sony, Plan B, 87Eleven, and Lionsgate to name a few. He’s been been involved in huge hits like The Martian, and The Fault in Our Stars. Some of his projects currently in development include The Maid with Universal Pictures, and Biter staring Zöe Kravitz.Here is a notice in deadline.com about one of his projects which involves Patrick Hoffman’s The White Van.Black Label Media’s Molly Smith, Rachel Smith, Thad Luckinbill and Trent Luckinbill will produce alongside Chris Goldberg at Winterlight Pictures, who brought the project to Singer and Black Label Media, with Black Label also financing. Seth Spector will executive produce.Here are some of the highlights from the interview:AF: Can you tell people a bit about who you are?CG: You were one of the very first people I met on Substack when I started, so it’s really great to be here talking with you. I’m a producer and a writer. I started my career in New York as a literary scout, finding books to turn into movies for Fox. I did that for about ten years, reading constantly and reporting back to executives on what might work as film or television. After that, I moved to Los Angeles and worked as a development executive.About five years ago, I started my own production company, Winterlight Pictures, and at the same time I began writing again for the first time in about twenty years. Substack has been a completely unexpected experience for me. I didn’t go there with a big plan, but it’s turned into a creative home and a place where I’ve met people—like you—who share similar interests in storytelling, film, and the business behind it all.AF: What is Winterlight Pictures, and how does it fit into your work as both an executive and a creator?CG: Winterlight Pictures is my production company, and it really allows me to combine all the different parts of my background. When I was coming up in the industry, there was very much an attitude that being an executive and being a creative had to be separate. If you were a producer or development executive, you weren’t supposed to be a writer.For a long time, that separation shaped my life. I always wanted to write, but I was deeply immersed in developing other people’s work. Now, having my own company gives me the freedom to wear multiple hats. I can develop projects, produce them, and also create my own material. That balance works for me in a way that it never could when I was under a studio contract.AF: You’ve mentioned before that you stopped writing for a long time. Why did that happen?CG: When I was coming out of NYU, I was very focused on being a writer. I met director Whit Stillman when I was about twenty-one, and I asked him for advice. I told him I was about to take a job as an assistant and reader at Fox, and I asked whether he thought that was a good idea.“If you want to be a writer, go work at a gas station. Don’t take that job.” Whit’s advice to ChrisHis reasoning was that I’d be reading five-hundred-page books for studios every weekend, and the last thing I’d want to do afterward was sit down and write my own work. He was completely right. I took the job anyway, and I didn’t write again for almost twenty years.AF: So, should you have taken that job at the gas station?CG: I don’t regret it exactly, but I do think about it a lot. For twenty years, I worked with writers, read constantly, gave notes, developed scripts, and helped shepherd projects forward—but I didn’t write myself. When I finally came back to it five years ago, it felt like rediscovering a part of myself that I’d put away.At the same time, I gained an incredible education. I saw how projects really get made, how many drafts it takes, how notes shape a script, and how ideas evolve. So while I lost time as a writer, I gained perspective that I wouldn’t trade.AF: How did that background shape you as a writer once you returned to it?CG: My version of the “10,000 hours” was working at Fox. (Authorial note: Malcolm Gladwell famously said it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve true expertise.)Writing loglines, reading submissions, and getting immediate feedback from executives rewired how my brain works. You learn very quickly what makes an idea pop, what feels urgent, and what feels commercial.I also learned by watching writers revise. Seeing draft after draft, watching how notes land, and how stories change in response—that’s an education you can’t really get anywhere else. All ...
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    33 mins
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