YOUR WRITING BESTIES
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YOUR WRITING BESTIES •
YOUR WRITING BESTIES
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YOUR WRITING BESTIES •
Three-peat guest and series author Carmela Dutra checks in on her author journey and shares valuable insights about plotting vs. pantsing, how she juggles multiple projects at once, and what she's learned during her time in the industry.
Carmela Dutra is a writer from the Bay Area who loves food trucks, family, and cozy mysteries. Her debut, A Murder Most Fowl, has been praised by Kirkus Reviews for its “serious set of crimes leavened by plenty of amusing moments,” by Criminal Element for the “juicy reasoning behind the sabotage that was almost as shocking as the murder itself,” and described as “the perfect escapist read, brimming with banter and an extra helping of fun” by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams. She has also been featured in CrimeReads Magazine.
A lover of humor, quirky characters, and all things geeky, Carmela spends her days sketching, sipping far too much coffee, and over-cuddling her allergy-inducing cats and dog. She lives with her husband and two dinosaur-obsessed sons, drawing inspiration from rainy afternoons, bustling farmers’ markets, and the unexpected moments that make life memorable.
SHOW NOTES
A Murder Most Fowl: Book 1 (available now)
Hot Wings and Homicide: Book 2 (available May 12, 2026)
Carmela's first episode with The Fiction Lounge
Jess and Hannah discuss endings: how to know what your genre expects of an ending, how to make sure your ending is strong, and some dos and don'ts when working on your ending.
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SHOW NOTES
The Do's and Don'ts of Novel Endings | Writer's Digest
How to Write the Perfect Ending for Your Novel | Masterclass
Exit Strategies: So How Are You Supposed to End a Story? | LitHub
Hannah and Jess talk about what makes a strong opening, what detracts from a good opening, and they both bring different genreexamples to examine together.
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SHOW NOTES
Guest author Michelle Maryk shares the keys to her writing journey, what she’s learned from her improv background that helps her as a writer, and shares about her debut novel, The Found Object Society.
Michelle Maryk graduated from Cornell University and also attended the Yale Writer’s Worskhop. She has been a full-time voiceover artist as well as a commercial and comedic actor for over 25 years. THE FOUND OBJECT SOCIETY is a novelof speculative suspense and her debut. She is also a dual citizen of Sweden and the US. Fun fact: Michelle starred in an atrocious horror movie with Oscar-winner Cliff Robertson written by…her dad.
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SHOW NOTES
Can I Get a Noun, Please? (Or, How Improv Made Me a Better Writer) | Michelle Maryk
Jess and Hannah talk about the purpose of prose, its pitfalls, how to develop your prose style, and Jess shares some literary examples of solid prose.
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SHOW NOTES
Hannah and Jess discuss the different (main) types of character arcs, why they matter, how to apply them, and how they can be useful for minor characters.
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SHOW NOTES
Positive Character Arcs | Write it Scared
Jess and Hannah interview new author, Leigh Shalloway, on her Hilltown series debut.
She shares important insights and valuable advice on resilience in the novel writing process, and shares how she was able to make setting almost like its own character within the narrative.
Leigh Shalloway has a psychology degree from Emory University and a master’s degree in counseling and school psychology from Seattle University. Following Graduation, she interned at the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change and worked as a lead psychologist for Sammamish schools.
She is also a holistic care practitioner who trained other practitioners and taught hospice volunteers’ various methodologies for helping their patients.
Leigh lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and has four grown children. Journey Back to You is the first novel in the Hilltown Trilogy.
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In this installment of The Fiction Lounge Q&A, Hannah and Jess answer another round of questions ranging from the necessity of editing, to what inspires our stories.
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Hannah and Jess explore villains and antagonists: the different types, the genre expectations for villains, and how to effectively build a villain your readers can love to hate.
With special guest and reiki teacher Molly Donlan, Hannah and Jess dive into the magic of creativity and how it can be fostered through ritual, while discussing Molly's upcoming release, Mundane Magic, available February 17.
Molly Donlan is a Reiki Master Teacher, crystal healing expert, yoga teacher, and co-host of the Demystify Magic podcast who has dedicated her life to helping others unlock the transformative power of energy work and alternative healing modalities. With a background as an advocate for survivors of sexual violence and as a former skeptic of all things woo, Molly emphasizes the importance of trauma-informed care while teaching Magic through a blend of science and spirituality.
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SHOW NOTES
Hannah and Jess spend some time sharing their friendship lore, provide practical writing exercises that contributed to their writing wins of the week, and share the essentials of how to structure and envision your character relationships to make a stronger story.
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Hannah and Jess interview debut author Jennifer van der Kleut about her upcoming debut novel, The Better Mother, available February 10.
Jennifer van der Kleut (née McBride) is an award-winning former journalist of both print and digital publications, including the D.C. affiliate of ABC7 News. A graduate of San Jose State University, she spent most of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to the Northern Virginia suburbs of D.C., where she currently lives with her husband and two sons. For nearly a decade, she was the lead singer of the Bay Area-based band SweetDuration, and performed with artists like Jason Mraz, Big Country, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Stabbing Westward. When she’s not writing, she loves going to the beach with her family, going to concerts with her girlfriends, and getting lost in the pages of a book.
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SHOW NOTES
Jess and Hannah discuss character backstory: what it is, what it does for your story, how to build it, how to utilize it, and more. If you’re struggling to figure out character motivations, or if you just want to make sure you’re doing strong character work, make sure to give this episode a listen!
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SHOW NOTES
Backstory is Essential to Story–Except When it's Not | Tiffany Yates Martin
Hannah and Jess break down the recent trends of artists who are signing traditional publishing deals after self-publishing, what this means for the industry, and how you can apply these trends to your responsibilities as a career writer.
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Hannah and Jess give advice on practical ways you can elevate your manuscript. Whether it's reading your book out loud, or learning how to ask for feedback, these tips are guaranteed to improve your current WIP.
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Hannah and Jess discuss their favorite books of the semester, including some horror, romance, historical fiction, and honorary mention memoir!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
HANNAH'S PICKS:
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir Of A Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
JESS'S PICKS:
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Hannah and Jess interview guest author Jade Gonzalez about her self-publishing journey ahead of the next release in her series. She gives advice on how to tackle insecurity as a writer with a dream and offers powerful perspective on how to navigate the self-publishing world.
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Jade Gonzalez is a New York–based author of young adult and contemporary romance. She is best knownfor her debut YA novel As The Sparrow Flies and her coming-of-age romance The Unhappiest Place on Earth. With more than a decade of writing experience, Jade specializes in stories about messy hearts, growing up, and the complicated relationships that shape us.
When she’s not buried in a manuscript, she’s usually spending time with her husband and two cats, listening to Taylor Swift on vinyl, or daydreaming her way into the next story.
SHOW NOTES
Hannah and Jess discuss the pros and cons along with the ethics of generative AI in
the writing industry, as well as guidelines for ethical use for those interested.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok,
and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Author's Guild Ethical AI Use Guidelines
ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study | TIME
How Creativity Survives in an AI Monoculture
In their first interview with a literary agent, Jess and Hannah discuss all things querying, publishing, and more. They talk about the agent/author relationship, how the business of writing a book can be the majority of an author's work, and Jessica even answers some rapid-fire literary agent questions!
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Jessica Berg is the founder of Rosecliff Literary. As a literary agent, she helps guide authors through every stage of the publishing journey. With an MFA, a roster of successful clients, and a role as a contributing editor at Writer’s Digest, she is known for her clear, approachable style. She speaks regularly at major conferences, teaching querying, comp titles, and the business of authorship with an emphasis on building sustainable, long-term careers. Her client list includes ZS Diamanti, Lisa Roe, Trisha Blanchett, Christa Innis, Katia Sinchenko, Vincent Zandri, Arizona Bell, and others.
SHOW NOTES
Hannah and Jess visited the 30th Texas Book Festival and share live insights from their time there!
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!