Mary Kole is joined by writing expert John Matthew Fox to chat about his work helping authors and founding his company, Bookfox. Conversation topics include the different publishing paths available to writers, the benefits and drawbacks of traditional vs. self-publishing, the challenges of effectively marketing one's work, and going beyond commercial success.

Despite the challenges of balancing writing with a day job and parenting, middle grade and YA author Tracy Badua keeps churning out adventurous contemporary fantasy stories. Tracy’s books explore themes of cultural identity, family expectations, and folklore, even drawing inspiration from Filipino superstitions she grew up with.

Young adult author Farrah Penn details her publishing journey, from striking out on submission to her debut novel. Listen in to this conversation for thoughts on the young adult genre, using tropes, crafting stakes and curveballs for your characters, and how screenwriting may help when writing a novel.

Danielle Marietta joins the podcast to discuss Books & Things Publishing, the children’s book sphere, and the importance of promoting diverse authors. Tune in to learn more about Danielle’s writing journey, and her tips on self-publishing, social media marketing, and connecting with your target audience.

Romance author Allison Speka joins the pod to discuss her journey into writing and self-publishing. She talks about her love for the romance genre and shares her experience with self-publishing, including tips on cover design, book marketing, and the value of learning from other indie authors.

Book Marketer and PR Coach Emily Enger joins Mary to talk about some of the aspects of the writing process that might leave a yucky taste in our mouths. Tune in for actionable tips and insights into a publicist and marketer's side of the publishing world.

Approaching how to end a chapter is tricky territory. It’s very easy to lose your reader in the white space and page break there, unless you give them a reason to stay and turn the page. Distractions are always beckoning, and nowhere is your grasp on your audience more tenuous. Check out this video to learn how to end your chapters in a compelling way!

Young adult characters are incredibly dynamic. Their worlds are bigger, larger than life. There's always something behind any big feelings in middle grade and young adult that fosters a relationship between the character and the audience. And that is super crucial in the young adult genre.

In order to write, you have to WRITE! Spending time learning theory, taking classes, and reading books are beneficial, but ultimately it is practice that will make you a better writer. Learn how a million bad words can turn into a good story.

Benjamin Roesch joins us to talk about his debut novel—but not his first novel—published with LGBTQ+ young adult indie publisher Deep Hearts. We talk about turning short stories into a novel, coming of age fiction, and being an older debut writer.

Lisa Stringfellow, award-winning author and middle school teacher, discusses her debut novel about mermaids and mythology set in the Caribbean, “A Comb of Wishes.” She talks through her long journey from draft to finished book—plus plans for Book 2—and shares craft and industry tips she’s learned along the way.

Author and former assistant professor of creative writing Leslie C. Youngblood joins Mary Kole on the Good Story Podcast. She shares her journey through her MFA program, gives tips on crafting interesting character relationships, and weighs in on one of the hottest questions for authors today: traditional or self-publishing?

A conversation with debut science fiction and fantasy author Rebecca Coffindaffer (CROWNCHASERS, out now from HarperTeen) all about worldbuilding.

A discussion with middle grade author and Newbery medalist Erin Entrada Kelly about writing outside your lived experience.

Writer, writing teacher, ghost writer, and general literary icon Roz Morris joins Mary Kole for an interview on the Good Story Speaker Series. They dive into the mechanics of storytelling and discuss how to connect with your audience—whether you're writing someone else's story or your telling your own.

Mindy McGinnis—mystery, suspense, thriller author and dog haver—joins the Good Story Podcast to talk about her upcoming work with James Patterson, book snobbery, and showing characters' humanity.

NYT Bestselling young adult and middle-grade author Jonathan Auxier joins Mary Kole to discuss visual writing, worldbuilding, and how different media use dialogue to create action.

Books that teach life lessons are fine...as long as you don't clobber readers over the head with your theme. So how do you weave a message into your story without being too obvious?

Breaking writing rules might seem like a bold artistic statement, but it could also backfire. Here are some considerations for writers who are inclined to take their projects in a more experimental direction.

How long is a chapter? This is a question I get all the time from writers. In this video, I'll ask you some leading questions that will allow you to figure out that ideal chapter count or chapter-length for yourself in your particular project.

If you're wondering how many characters you should put in your novel, or how big your cast of characters should be (or how small), check out this video.

This video is all about how to write a good ending to a story. Whether you are looking to be traditionally published or are writing picture books, the main key to writing a good ending is to be familiar with what your audience wants. We’ve also got you covered on writing endings for various genres—from romance to fantasy.

Story Mastermind is a five-month small group workshop intensive. The deliverable is a fully workshopped novel draft and submission materials. We’ll give you a taste of how we discuss story in Novel Mastermind: from the premise, the elevator pitch, the logline; to theme, character objective, and stakes.

You do need to clear a pretty high bar to impress an agent, a publisher, or a reader once you get published. The opening pages are a really, really important part of this. Adding some character relatability and a little bit of conflict goes a long way in hooking a reader.

I would say, you can use the second-person direct address, but don't make it sloppy. Don't use it for generalizations. And there has to be a really strong reason for that choice. If you Do you hear me?

This is everybody's favorite fucking topic. It is swearing in children's books. Very controversial. Keep in mind the power gatekeepers have in children’s publishing.

Publishing loves its buckets. In children's books, there are several buckets that you need to fit into, with word count guidelines and all of that. There are buckets and tropes in adult publishing as well. Books that don't lend themselves easily to categorization can be a really difficult sell.

Pacing is the engine that keeps that story going and keeps your reader's interest level high. One of the most important things that I teach when it comes to pacing with writing is the balance of action and the information. Information is dense. It moves slowly. Action is fast. It moves quickly. It has nothing to do with page count, but everything to do with the balance of what's in those pages.

Today we are talking about starting a novel...it's hard. But the thing you must remember is: You don't have to nail it on the first try. You can—and should!—always go back, edit, revise. Beginnings are incredibly important. They're what agents and publishers consider before they decide whether they're going to spend the rest of their time with you and your story. But you have a lot of time to go back and nail it!