Interviews

Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

For the third and final interview from SCBWI, Josh and Dietrich sit down with Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, a two-time winner of the Crystal Kite award, and the author of "Selling Hope", "The 13th Sign", and "Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different". Kristin demonstrates a wide range of writing skills, whether she's writing an historical fiction novel about a girl selling anti-comet pills to scam her neighbors, or crafting a thriller about the global upheaval following the discovery of a 13th sign of the Zodiac. A returning guest of the Library Police podcast, Kristin is always a wonderful interview with one of the most talented and recognized young adult authors working today, and it was a genuine pleasure to ramble about books with her once more.

You can visit Kristin's website at:
http://www.creativefreelancewriting.com/creativefreelancewriting/home.html

Katie McGarry

For their second interview at the SCBWI Mid-south conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Dietrich and Josh sat down with Katie McGarry, a young adult author working under the Harlequin Teen label. Josh and Dietrich took the chance to ask her about working with Harlequin, the deep and sometimes difficult subject matter that she tackles in her books, and the astonishing research she does (ranging from drag racing tracks to motorcycle gangs). It's a fascinating interview with an author who pushes herself to write books that genuinely speak to teenagers on a mature, intelligent level, and succeeds remarkably.

You can visit Katie's website at: http://www.katielmcgarry.com/

Gennifer Choldenko

For the fourth year in a row, Josh and Dietrich had the privilege of being invited to the 2014 Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference, or SCBWI. While there, they sat down with three young adult authors. The first of these interviews was with Gennifer Choldenko, the author of ten young adult novels, and best known for the critically acclaimed "Al Capone" series. These books follow the life of a young man in the early 20th century living on the island prison of Alcatraz, and his relationships and trials in this unusual environment. Gennifer discusses the extraordinary research that led her to write these books, the way her life experiences have bled over to her pages, and the way she looks at creating believable characters in such an unusual environment.

You can visit Gennifer's website at: http://www.gennifercholdenko.com/

Donald Bain

For the fourth and final interview from the 2014 Killer Nashville, Josh and Dietrich sit down with legendary ghost writer Donald Bain. From the "Murder, She Wrote" cozy novels to dark biographies with a victim of the infamous MKUltra CIA brainwashing program, Bain has spent decades demonstrating his astonishing range and writing ability. It's a wonderful interview with a remarkable author, and a great way to wind up our interviews for this conference. Our next release will be the panel recorded by the cast at the convention.

http://www.donaldbain.com/

Logan L. Masterson

One of the coolest things about meeting authors while doing this podcast is getting to know someone before they find themselves published, and sitting back down with them after their book has hit the shelves. Two years ago, we were introduced to horror writer Logan Masterson, who's Lovecraftian-style prose and sense of dry humor caught our attention immediately. Masterson now has multiple published short stories and a novella on the shelves, and was kind enough to sit down with us to discuss the challenges of bringing Lovecraft to a modern audience, the challenges of being a "pulp" author, and his plans for the future.

http://agonyzer.com/

Catriona McPherson

Want to get our attention? Cheerfully tell a story about a sex scene in your book which involves your mother's disapproving face. That was one of a dozen comments that had us sprinting to the table after Catriona McPherson's panel, eager to sit down with her. In the short time we were able to talk with her, she discusses what actually constitutes a bothersome number of corpses, the bizarre way she realized that her book might not be a "cozy", and much more. It's a wonderful talk with one of the most delightful people we've had a chance to meet. It doesn't hurt that she's an amazing and insightful author, too.

http://catrionamcpherson.com/

Graham Brown

It's that time of year again, as the Library Police descend upon Killer Nashville like a swarm of interview-hungry locusts. The first author unable to evade our grasping claws is Graham Brown, who was generous enough to sit down with two bizarre strangers and talk into a microphone. Brown talks about his risky leap into the world of publishing, the importance of taking your phone outside with you when waiting on a phone call from one of your literary idols, and the value that a few drinks can have when collaborating on a project. It's a fantastic interview, and a great way to kick off our Killer Nashville interviews for 2014.

www.grahambrownthrillers.com

F Paul Wilson

The author of the Repairman Jack series as well as dozens of other novels spanning a half dozen genres, F. Paul Wilson has indelibly left his mark on the publishing world. As part of our 100th episode celebrations, he sat down with Dietrich and talked about the books that helped him fall in love with reading as a child, and the books that still excited him about the future of this art form.

Will Lavender

Over and over again at Killer Nashville, we kept being told that we needed to sit down with an author that, while relatively new to the publishing game, had already established himself as the master of a new genre. Will Lavender had a remarkable presentation on the construction and presentation of mysteries, and he was kind enough to sit down with us and discuss his success in publishing, his path towards seeing his name on the spine of a pair of popular books, and his mixed feelings towards being referred to as the "Master of the Puzzle Genre".

Jeffery Deaver

More than a decade ago, I picked up a copy of Jeffery Deaver's The Coffin Dancer and became a fan for life. All these years later, Dietrich and I finally get a chance to talk to this crime fiction icon, and the conversation doesn't disappoint. From approaching writing as a job to the incredible work he puts into prepping his novels, Deaver is a consummate professional through and through, and he tells us about all of it while being charming, personable, and a joy to speak with.

Dr. Bill Bass

Our first interview at this year's Killer Nashville conference was a great way to kick things off; where else could you talk to a man who gleefully shoves needles through skulls and shows slides of the aftermath of a redneck firework factory explosion? That man is Dr. Bill Bass, eminent forensic anthropologist and founder of the Body Farm, a renowned facility dedicated to forensic anthropology and research. Dr. Bass is always a great speaker, and our interview was no exception; listen in as he talks about everything from how cattle rustling led to the creation of the Body Farm to how little he seems to think of the idea of "retirement".

Peter Straub

A true legend of the horror genre, Peter Straub burst onto the scene in the 1980's with Ghost Story, and hasn't looked back since. From Mystery to Koko, from lost boy lost girl to A Dark Matter, Straub has written books in a variety of genres and tones, all while creating rich and deeply complex characters that resonate long after you've finished the books. At this year's Killer Nashville, we got the privilege and honor to talk to Mr. Straub about the genres he's tackled, the way grief drives so many of his novels, and numerous other subjects.

Bruce DeSilva

Jumping from the tight restrictions of journalism to the freedom afforded by prose is a tough transition to make, one that a lot of authors struggle with. And yet, Bruce DeSilva seems to have made the jump pretty easily, winning a pair of highly coveted crime fiction awards as well as earning himself a devoted following. From talking with him, it's not hard to understand why; DeSilva is funny, personable, and massively entertaining - if you doubt it, check out his rendition of the Old Testament as written by a journalist. It's a great talk with a man who's managed to come out great with not one but two careers, and has lots to say about both.

D. Alan Lewis

Last year, author D. Alan Lewis gave us one of the most fascinating ideas we'd heard - a murder mystery set in Santa's village during the height of the Red Scare. That's a big act to follow, and yet Alan isn't the kind of author to rest on his laurels. We caught up with Alan at this year's Killer Nashville conference to find out about his new steampunk thriller, find out why he's moving to a new publisher, and the amount of research that goes into his unusual worlds.