How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jodi Picoult Writes: Redux
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jodi Picoult, spoke with me about writing for Wonder Woman, adapting books for musical theater, and the question of Shakespeare's true authorship in her upcoming novel BY ANY OTHER NAME.
Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of 30 novels, including landmark titles such as Mad Honey – her most recent 1 million-copy bestseller – Wish You Were Here, A Spark of Light, and Small Great Things. 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide and have been translated into 34 languages.
Her forthcoming novel is BY ANY OTHER NAME (on sale 8/20; Ballantine), described as a novel about two women, centuries apart – one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays – who are both forced to hide behind another name.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah said of the book, “You’ll fall in love with Emilia Bassano, the unforgettable heroine based on a real woman that Picoult brings vividly to life in her brilliantly researched new novel.” Elle called it, “[An] inspiring work of feminist literature inspired by real historical accounts.”
Jodi was also co-librettist for the stage musical adaptation of her young adult novel Between the Lines (which premiered Off-Broadway in Summer 2022), the co-librettist of the musical BREATHE, the co-librettist of the musical adaptation of The Book Thief, and she is currently at work on an adaptation of Austenland.
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In this file Jodi Picoult and I discussed:
What's changed and what hasn't for women (in theater) over 400+ years?
The best time to break an arm for an author
How she works in cycles for her books
Why her kids made her write for Wonder Woman
The conundrum of a famous playwright who didn’t own a single book
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
jodipicoult.com
By Any Other Name: A Novel By Jodi Picoult (Amazon)
Jodi Picoult Amazon Author Page
WAS SHAKESPEARE A WOMAN? – Elizabeth Winkler for The Atlantic
Jodi Picoult on Facebook
Jodi Picoult on Twitter
Jodi Picoult on Instagram
Jodi Picoult on TikTok
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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How to Build a Meaningful Author Platform with Nicole Meier and Gretchen Schaffer of Book Works
Experts Nicole Meier and Gretchen Schaffer, the duo behind Book Works, spoke to me about how to build a meaningful author platform, and how they empower authors through book coaching and branding expertise.
Nicole Meier is a certified book coach and the author of four novels, as well as the host of The Whole Writer podcast for emerging writers. Her books have been recognized by Booklist, Refinery29, BookBub, and Popsugar.
Gretchen Schaffer, is a PR strategist with experience at Adobe, Microsoft, Meta, and Sony, who now helps authors build strong platforms and pitch strategies.
Together, they guide fiction writers in establishing their brand, connecting with readers, and confidently pitching their work in the literary world.
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In this file Nicole Meier, Gretchen Schaffer, and I discussed:
Where the duo step in at the “deer in the headlights moment” for authors
The overwhelm from the contradictory and ever-changing path to publishing
Building a community one reader at a time
The intersection of creative practice and career sustainability
Why you need to go tell one person that you're a writer this week
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
bookworks.co
Book Works Substack Newsletter
The Whole Writer podcast
Book Works on Instagram
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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How Founding Editor of the LA Review of Books Tom Lutz Writes: Part Two
Bestselling, award-winning author, and founder of the LA Review of Books, Tom Lutz, returned to talk with me about life in the French countryside, his writer’s residency, and the greatest year in literary history, 1925.
He's a Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing at UC Riverside, and the author of multiple bestselling and award-winning titles – translated into dozens of languages – including Doing Nothing (American Book Award winner), Crying, American Nervousness, 1903 (both New York Times Notables), and Born Slippy, his first novel.
His latest, 1925: A Literary Encyclopedia, is described as an “… exploration of one of the richest moments in our literary and cultural history .… an explosion of literary innovation, from the rise of modernist masterpieces like Mrs. Dalloway and The Great Gatsby to a boom in pulp fiction.”
Besides founding the Los Angeles Review of Books, "... a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and disseminating ... engaging writing on every aspect of literature, culture, and the arts," Tom also founded The LARB Radio Hour, The LARB Quarterly Journal, The LARB/USC Publishing Workshop, and LARB Books.
He and his wife now run a residency for writers and artists in St. Chamassy, in France’s Dordogne region.
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In Part Two of this file Tom Lutz and I discussed:
Adjusting to the life of a country gentleman and all the great wines
Why he cares less than ever about what people think of his work
The legion of classic texts that came out of one of the most prolific years in history
How 1925 birthed so much progress for American culture
Why literature is the R&D wing of human enterprise, especially in 2025
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
1925: A Literary Encyclopedia by Tom Lutz
TomLutzWriter.com
All things LARB
French Presse - St.-Chamassy Writers’ Residency: A quiet place to live and work in the French countryside.
Tom Lutz's Amazon Author Page
Tom Lutz on Facebook
Tom Lutz on Instagram
Tom Lutz on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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How Bestselling Author Rachel Slade Writes
Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Rachel Slade spoke to me about majoring in “New York,” killing her darlings, and the future of manufacturing in her latest book MAKING IT IN AMERICA.
Rachel Slade is an award-winning journalist and acclaimed author of Into the Raging Sea, a national bestseller, New York Times Notable Book, and winner of the Maine Literary Award for nonfiction.
Her latest work of nonfiction is Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (And How It Got That Way). It is described as “a deeply personal and eye-opening journey into the fight to bring ethical manufacturing back to the U.S.”
A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Pick in Business and Economics, The Washington Post called it “Persuasively argue[d] . . . Slade’s book gives a granular sense of just how hard it is for business owners, particularly those in manufacturing, to do the right thing by their workers in America today.”
Rachel also spent a decade in the city magazine trenches at Boston—first as the design editor, ultimately as executive editor. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Boston magazine.
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In this file Rachel Slade and I discussed:
Making a career transition from architecture to journalism
The intense research that went into her first book
Why she used Moby Dick as a story framework
Writing a Pandemic book
The two hats all writers wear
Smoking a cigar with Charles Dickens
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
rachelslade.net
Making It in America:The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (And How It Got That Way) By Rachel Slade (Amazon)
Rachel Slade on Instagram
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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How #1 Sunday Times Bestselling Ghostwriter Marie Ellis Writes
#1 Sunday Times Bestselling ghostwriter Marie Ellis spoke to me about her past lives in both acting and journalism, setting her ego aside as a ghost, and hacking the hero’s journey.
Marie Ellis is a Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter, freelance editor, and writer of literary fiction. She is a career journalist who walked away from a 15-year in-house gig to go rogue.
She combines her journalism and acting background with her writing skills to help businesses and individuals tell their stories.
Marie spoke to me from a recording studio in London just before an on-screen commercial audition.
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In this file Marie Ellis and I discussed:
How she landed a journalism job at a print science magazine with no experience
Why 10,000 hours and her Masters in Literature were well-suited for ghostwriting
The Impostor Syndrome that comes with each new book
Productive procrastination and improv
Why writers need to “Fail faster to succeed sooner”
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
musecontent.co.uk
Fabula Deck by Sefirot
Marie Ellis on Instagram
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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About The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
“Learn how acclaimed writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block.”
Each week, host Kelton Reid chats with guests like Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, on life after becoming a laureate; #1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry on her past life as a YA mid-lister; Celebrated author, Walter Mosley, on his conflicted feelings after winning a National Book Award; NY Times bestselling author, Lisa Scottoline, on what she learned from literary lion Philip Roth; #1 NY Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane on what he borrowed from Clint Eastwood; and bestselling author, Matt Haig, on the process behind his novel, The Midnight Library, and serial guest hosts: neuroscientist Michael Grybko, journalist Adam Skolnick, and short story writer Robert Bruce.
Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience, 岩中花述 and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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