Chris Riley lives near Sacramento, California, vowing one day to move back to the Pacific Northwest. In the meantime, he teaches special education, writes stories, and hides from the blasting heat for six months of the year. He has had over 100 short stories and essays published in various magazines and anthologies, and across multiple genres. He is the author of the literary suspense novels The Sinking of the Angie Piper and The Broken Pines. 

Among other things, Carter and Chris discuss the different approaches to the marketing side of writing, how Chris got into writing through short stories, and how important tenacity and patience are in the industry. At the end of their conversation, they make up creepy crime scene story starting with a sentence from The Mirror Man by Lars Kepler. 

It’s hard to believe but this is the 100TH EPISODE of Making It Up! Thanks to all of you for your support over the past 2 1/2 years, and I’m looking forward to producing many more episodes. And for this special centennial episode we have a guest who has been called the “Spanish Stephen King.” 

Javier Castillo grew up in Malaga, where he always dreamed about becoming a writer. On his daily 48-minute commute to his job in finance, he used to spend every moment of the train journey writing chapters to what would become his first novel, The Day Sanity Was Lost. Since he self-published that novel, his life has changed dramatically. After his first book was translated into 10 languages and published in more than 63 countries, Javier was signed up by Penguin Random House Spain who have since published six more novels. The Snow Girl, his fourth novel, has sold more than 2 million copies in Spain and become an international phenomenon. His subsequent novels, The Soul Game and The Crystal Cuckoo, have been instant no. 1 bestsellers, and will both be adapted for the screen by Netflix. 

Among other things, Carter and Javier discuss how Javier has always written and the success he had self-publishing, creating characters, and his experience with multiple languages. At the end of their conversation, they make up a hook for a story they just might need to write someday starting with a sentence from What Remains by Wendy Walker. 

M.P. Woodward is a veteran of both US intelligence ops and the entertainment industry. As a naval intelligence officer with the US Indo-Pacific Command, he scripted scenario moves and countermoves for US war game exercises in the Middle East. In multiple deployments to the Persian Gulf and Far East, he worked alongside US Special Forces, CIA, and NSA. His latest novel, Dead Drop, was released this May. 

Among other things, Carter and M.P. discuss connecting characters and readers with empathy, the valuable experience of turning technical writing into a story, and the power of reading your writing aloud. At the end of their conversation, they make up a story ripe with conflict starting with a sentence from The Children’s War by J. N. Stroyar. 

Eliza Knight is an award winning, USA Today and international bestselling author. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Novelists, Inc., the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, a co-host on the History, Books and Wine podcast and a co-host for the true crime podcast, Crime Feast. Her latest release is Starring Adele Astaire. 

Among other things, Carter and Eliza discuss how her journalism experience has helped her historical research habits, how she used to write books for fun before ever seeking publication, and how she likes to mix suspense and history in her novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a tale about complicated relationships beginning with a sentence from The Rainmaker by John Grisham. 

A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting and running internet companies before retiring to focus on his true passion: writing fiction. He is the author of ten novels that have sold nearly five million copies and have been translated into twenty languages worldwide. 

Among other things, A.G. and Carter discuss how A.G.’s reading science fiction was an escape that escalated to writing his own work, how deciding to self-publish his first book was a means to receive feedback, and what his marketing efforts look like. At the end of their conversation, they make up a story ripe with mayhem with a sentence from The Story of My Assassins by Tarun Tejpal. 

Rachael Herron is the bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including thrillers (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and she’s taught writing extension workshops at both UC Berkeley and Stanford.  

Among other things, Carter and Rachael discuss the struggle of getting a manuscript finished, the life of a career writer, how distilling sentences is an art form, and how important learning to be okay with imperfection is. At the end of their conversation, they make up a shocking story with a sentence from Tell No Lies by Julie Compton.  

Don Bentley is the New York Times bestselling author of the Matt Drake thriller series, including Hostile Intent, The Outside Man, and Without Sanction. Don also writes in the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. universe with Zero Hour, Target Acquired, and one forthcoming title. 

Don spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot; while deployed to Afghanistan as a Troop Commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VI, Don was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with “V” device for valor. Following his time in the military Don worked as an FBI Special Agent and was a member of the Dallas Office Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team. 

Among other things, Carter and Don discuss having an innate passion for storytelling, why Don decided to join the military, and Don’s advice to aspiring writers wanting to make a living from commercial fiction. At the end of their conversation, they make up a short comedy starting with a sentence from Panama by Eric Zencey. 

Tessa Wegert is the author of the Shana Merchant mysteries, including Death in the Family, The Dead Season, Dead Wind, and The Kind to Kill. A former freelance journalist, Tessa has contributed to such publications as Forbes, The Huffington Post, and The Economist.  

Among other things, Carter and Tessa discuss the control over situations and meditative qualities that writing grants, how authors have to surprise themselves to nail a twist, and the reality of working with multiple publishers over an author’s career. At the end of the conversation, they make up a scene of conflict that had been building for years from a sentence out of Carter Wilson’s own novel, The Comfort of Black. 

Rebecca Keller is a writer, an internationally exhibited artist, a college professor, a Fulbright Scholar, and recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her stories have been nominated for a Pushcart prize, and her debut novel You Should Have Known was released from Crooked Lane Books in April 2023. She is now working on stories about art and another novel. 

Among other things, Carter and Rebecca discuss the origins of and inspiration for her novel, how challenging it can be to make a character both interesting and believable, and how long chapters should be. At the end of their conversation, they make up a comedic story about an unwanted dinner guest starting with a sentence from S.F. Kosa’s novel, The Night We Burned. 

Ciera Horton McElroy is the author of the novel Atomic Family, which has received critical praise including a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Ciera holds a BA from Wheaton College and an MFA from the University of Central Florida. Her work has appeared in AGNI, Bridge Eight, Iron Horse Literary Review, the Crab Orchard Review, and Saw Palm, among others.  

Among other things, Ciera and Carter discuss her knowing from a young age that she wanted to be a writer, how trends in the industry work, and the dark side of MFA and literary programs. At the end of their conversation, they tell a a beautiful story beginning from The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy. 

Flash-fiction writer Nancy Stohlman is the author of six books including After the Rapture (2023), Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities (2018), and Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction (2020). Her work has been anthologized widely, appearing in the Norton anthology New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction and The Best Small Fictions 2019, as well as adapted for both stage and screen. She teaches at the University of Colorado Boulder and holds workshops and retreats around the world.   

Among other things. Carter and Nancy discuss how writers sometimes act as conduits, how to trust that the story is smarter than you, and she talks all about flash fiction. At the end of their conversation, they tell an invocative tale starting with a sentence from Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones.  

Hank Phillippi Ryan is USA Today bestselling and five-time Agatha Award-winning author of 14 thrillers, winning 37 EMMYs for television investigative reporting. Her newest novel is The House Guest—it’s Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise. The Publishers Weekly says, “Ryan is a master of suspense!” The Library Journal starred review calls it “Binge-worthy.” 

Among other things, Carter and Hank discuss riding ponies to the library growing up, Hank’s dual-career between writing and politics, and how they approach the editing process of their novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a story with an ending that may surprise you, using a sentence from The Good Guy by Dean Koontz 

Samantha M. Bailey is the author of Woman on the Edge, a USA Today and #1 national bestseller; her second novel, Watch Out for Her, was an instant #1 national bestseller. As a journalist and freelance editor, her writing has appeared in Now Magazine, The Village Post, The Thrill Begins, and The Crime Hub, among other publications.  

Among other things, Carter and Samantha discuss how she has been writing full novels since the age of ten, risk taking and the fear of failure among aspiring writers, and the experience of having a book published after years of hard work. At the end of their conversation, they tell a character driven story starting from a sentence from The Rainmaker by John Grisham. 

Kimberly Giarratano is an author of mysteries for teens and adults. Her debut novel, Grunge Gods and Graveyards, won the 2015 Silver Falchion Award for Best YA at Killer Nashville. A former librarian, she is currently an instructor at a SUNY Orange County Community College and a reviewer for BookPage.  

Among other things, Carter and Kimberly discuss the intricacies of describing characters, how they both find more inspiration from TV shows than reading at times, and how both like experimenting with their writing. At the end of their conversation, they conjure up a story full of mysteries starting with a sentence from Caroline B. Cooney’s novel, Before She Was Helen.