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

New York Times bestselling thriller writer Riley Sager, spoke to me about why he publishes under a pen name, how to write Hitchcockian suspense, and his latest "The House Across the Lake." Riley Sager is the bestselling author of six novels, most recently Home Before Dark and Survive the Night. His award-winning first novel, Final Girls, was a national and international bestseller that has been published in 30 countries. His latest novel, The House Across the Lake, has been named a most anticipated summer book by People, E! News, PureWow, CNN.com, CrimeReads, and many others.  It's been described by CrimeReads as "... a psychological thriller version of The Great Gatsby, featuring binoculars for more accurate across-the-lake spying, smaller gatherings for a shorter list of suspects, and a truly bat**** twist for more satisfying consumption." The House Across the Lake was inspired by Riley's "... own pandemic escapes to a cabin in rural Vermont [and] oozes with slow-burn Hitchcockian suspense before building to a finale that will leave readers reeling. " [Discover ⁠⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] Stay calm and write on ... * In this file Riley Sager and I discussed: * The albatross of bad sales early in your career * Why his process changes from book to book * How to turn common genre tropes on their head * What happens to his social life as deadlines loom * Taking inspiration from classic film * And a lot more! Show Notes: ⁠rileysagerbooks.com⁠ [https://www.rileysagerbooks.com/] ⁠The House Across the Lake: A Novel⁠ [https://amzn.to/3aT5Ill] by Riley Sager (Amazon Affiliate) ⁠Riley Sager Amazon Author Page⁠ [https://amzn.to/3tSKGtV] (Amazon Affiliate) ⁠Riley Sager on Facebook⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/rileysagerbooks/] ⁠Riley Sager on Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/riley.sager/] ⁠Riley Sager on TikTok⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@riley.sager] ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://twitter.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

New York Times bestselling and award-winning psychological thriller writer, Chevy Stevens, returns to speak with me about writing dark subjects, running out of scary humans, and her latest “home invasion on wheels,” THE HITCHHIKERS. Chevy's debut novel Still Missing became a New York Times bestseller and winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel in 2010. Her popular books, including Those Girls — which Stephen King called “Incredibly scary and suspenseful” — have been published in over thirty countries and optioned for film and TV.  New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter described her eighth novel, another standalone thriller titled THE HITCHHIKERS (available for pre-order and on-sale 10/7) as "A frightening and viscerally chilling road-trip-gone-wrong story." [Discover ⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In Part Two of this file Chevy Stevens and I discussed: How not all Canadians are friendly Starting books with something innocent that morphs into terror Why writing is like dating Her love of the nostalgia of ‘70s Hollywood Why Poltergeist is the scariest movie of all time And a lot more! Show Notes: chevystevens.com [https://chevystevens.com/]  The Hitchhikers: A Novel Hardcover – October 7, 2025 by Chevy Stevens [https://amzn.to/46taOz2] (Amazon) Chevy Stevens Amazon Author Page [https://amzn.to/4m7KmzB] Chevy Stevens on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/ChevyStevens] Chevy Stevens on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chevystevens/] Chevy Stevens on Twitter [https://x.com/chevystevens] Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://x.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Award-winning, New York Times bestselling psychological thriller writer, Chevy Stevens, spoke to me about her life as a recluse, dreaming in prose, scaring the King, and her latest, Dark Roads. Chevy's debut novel Still Missing went on to become a New York Times bestseller and winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel in 2010. Her popular books, including Those Girls – which Stephen King called “Incredibly scary and suspenseful,” – have been published in more than thirty countries and optioned for film. Her seventh novel, the standalone thriller, Dark Roads, has been described as an "instant classic" by #1 New York Times bestselling author C. J. Box. Author Gillian Flynn has called Chevy's work both "Gripping ... [and] unforgettable." Stay calm and write on ... Discover The Writer Files Extra ⁠⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra] You can now have The Writer Files podcast dropped right into your email inbox every time there’s a new show. No more shaking your podcast app! As a subscriber, Kelton will send you added insights, the chance to get TWF merch (like "Stay Calm and Write On" t-shirts anyone?), curated collections of shows like The Publishing Series and The Writer’s Brain, updates, and occasional special offers. Learn more at the link below and take our AuthorPods podcasting course survey. ⁠Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra] If you’re a fan of The Writer Files,  In this file Chevy Stevens and I discussed: * Why writers need to be protective of their (daydreaming) time * The romanticization of the writing life * Tossing novel drafts in the trash bin * The real-life "Highway of Tears" and a legacy of broken promises * How to write a proper prologue, your first 50 pages ... * And a lot more Show Notes: * ⁠ChevyStevens.com⁠ [https://chevystevens.com/] * ⁠Dark Roads: A Novel⁠ [https://amzn.to/3Fqf0A2] by Chevy Stevens (Amazon) * ⁠Chevy Stevens Amazon author page⁠ [https://amzn.to/3iGybMx] * ⁠Chevy Stevens on Facebook⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/ChevyStevens] * ⁠Chevy Stevens on Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/chevystevens/] * ⁠Chevy Stevens on Twitter⁠ [https://twitter.com/chevystevens] * ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://twitter.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Bonnie Garmus, spoke to me about the evolution of her craft, how her protagonist changed her life, getting blurbed by Stephen King, and the never-ending book tour for her lauded debut LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY. Bonnie Garmus is a copywriter, creative director, and author of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel, Lessons in Chemistry, named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, and Newsweek. The book introduced the main character, “Elizabeth Zott, a headstrong, gifted chemist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show.” BuzzFeed wrote of the book, “A kicky debut, this book tackles feminism, resilience, and rationalism in a fun and refreshing way.” And Stephen King called it, “witty, sometimes hilarious…the Catch-22 of early feminism.” [Discover ⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠writerfiles.fm⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Bonnie Garmus and I discussed:  * How her copywriting career supported her fiction writing * Why courses will never make you a writer * Plotters vs Pantsers and why she can't write from an outline * Overcoming a fear of the blank page * Why writing a synopsis is one of The Circles of Hell * Getting a phone call from Academy Award Winner Brie Larson * And a lot more! Show Notes: * ⁠BonnieGarmus.com⁠ [https://www.bonniegarmus.com/] * ⁠Lessons in Chemistry⁠ [https://amzn.to/3mvbVdq] By Bonnie Garmus (Amazon) * ⁠Bonnie Garmus on Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/bonnie_garmus_author/] * ⁠Bonnie Garmus on Twitter⁠ [https://twitter.com/bonniegarmus] * Kelton Reid Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/keltonreid/] * ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter [https://x.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

#1 New York Times bestselling author Josie Silver spoke to me about the laptop that changed her life, overcoming adversity early on, and her latest ghost-hunting rom-com CRAZY SPOOKY LOVE. Josie Silver is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, One Night on the Island, and A Winter in New York, and her books have been published in over 25 languages. Her latest novel, CRAZY SPOOKY LOVE (September 2, 2025), features a plucky medium, her fame-chasing ex, and an infuriatingly handsome skeptic reporter in a ghost-hunting series full of romance and humor. Although Josie Silver burst onto the scene with her smash-hit debut romance, One Day in December in 2018, she had published books before—just under a different name, and never in the U.S. She tells me that story here. [Discover⁠ The Writer Files Extra⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at⁠ writerfiles.fm⁠ [https://mailchi.mp/b93a5bdd9b99/writer-files-extra]] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please⁠ click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠ [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id984527862]. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Josie Silver and I discussed: How she wrote on maternity leave, won a contest, and got an agent Why she couldn’t imagine doing anything else amidst multiple rejections The need for authors to reinvent themselves often How her latest protagonist strolled into her imagination fully formed Rewriting a previously published work for a new set of editors And a lot more! Show Notes: ⁠josiesilver.com⁠ [https://josiesilver.com/] ⁠Crazy Spooky Love: A Melody Bittersweet Novel (Melody Bittersweet, 1)⁠ [https://amzn.to/45tN79o] – September 2, 2025 – by Josie Silver (Amazon) ⁠Josie Silver Amazon Author Page⁠ [https://amzn.to/4fcHTC2] ⁠Josie Silver on Twitter/X⁠ [https://x.com/josiesilver_?lang=en] ⁠Josie Silver on Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/josiesilverauthor/?hl=en] ⁠Kelton Reid Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/keltonreid/] ⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter⁠ [https://x.com/KeltonReid] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]