YOUR WRITING BESTIES
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YOUR WRITING BESTIES •
YOUR WRITING BESTIES
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YOUR WRITING BESTIES •
Hannah and Jess interview Denise Madre of Prose Without Thorns about her work in the field of sensitivity reading, and she provides practical ways to be more conscious when writing marginalized people. This episode is part two of a two part series.
A bibliophile with an English degree and a mild addiction to "Pride and Prejudice" variations, Denise Madre founded Prose without Thorns to help writers of all experience levels uncover their best work. She provides editing, sensitivity reads, and consultations for a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres. With more than 100,000 followers and 950,000 likes across all platforms, Denise is a trusted voice in the writing space, offering clarity, community, and compassion.
SHOW NOTES
Contact Denise (Make sure to select "Project Consultation" and mention The Fiction Lounge in your question!)
Writing an Identity Not Your Own by Alex Templador
Hannah and Jess interview Denise Madre of Prose Without Thorns about her work in the field of sensitivity reading, and she provides practical ways to be more conscious when writing marginalized people. This episode is part one of a two part series.
A bibliophile with an English degree and a mild addiction to "Pride and Prejudice" variations, Denise Madre founded Prose Without Thorns to help writers of all experience levels uncover their best work. She provides editing, sensitivity reads, and consultations for a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres. With more than 100,000 followers and 950,000 likes across all platforms, Denise is a trusted voice in the writing space, offering clarity, community, and compassion.
SHOW NOTES
Contact Denise (Make sure to select "Project Consultation" and mention The Fiction Lounge in your question!)
Hannah and Jess discuss their top reads of the year so far!
SHOW NOTES
HANNAH'S PICKS:
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Hannah's Honorable Mention: Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
JESS'S PICKS:
Hannah and Jess reveal an exciting announcement: The Fiction Lounge is now offering some author services! Jess shares the vision and process behind her editing consultation service, and Hannah shares the heart and process of her Plot Clarity Intensive.
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Guest author Laura Vogt talks historical fiction and her debut novel In the Great Quiet. From research and sensitivity readers to her drafting process, she provides amazing insight for new writers.
Laura Vogt is a historian, storyteller, and poet. She studied literature and history in undergrad and graduate school, focusing on Shakespeare, folk tales, and the History of Mentalities. Her poetry & prose is published in various journals, including Fourteen Hills, Pleiades, The Cimmaron Review, Enchanted Living Magazine, South Carolina Review, Chapter House, and Rust + Moth. She loves all things wild and beautiful. Laura lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband and three children. IN THE GREAT QUIET is her debut novel.
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Jess and Hannah talk about the challenges and demands of the "messy middle", and provide tips and tricks that might help you navigate this famously challenging portion of writing a novel.
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Stuck in the Messy Middle? Tips for Drafting | Karen Krossing
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!