Bryan Davis

Are you looking for exciting, adventurous stories for your kids or grandkids to read? Bryan Davis has written dozens of fantasy and science-fiction novels for teens and adults. His books feature unlikely heroes who must rise to the occasion using courage, hope, and tenacity.

His books have sold over 700,000 copies and you’ll love hearing his insights in how he got started, why he’s not an outliner and the three novels he recommends everyone should read before they die…one of them for certain will surprise you! Give it a listen!

#thestoryblender #readstevenjames #bryandavis

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Megan Collins

Megan Collins is the author of Thicker Than Water, The Family Plot, Behind the Red Door, and The Winter Sister. She taught creative writing for many years at both the high school and college level and is the managing editor of 3Elements Literary Review. She lives in Connecticut, where she obsesses over dogs, miniatures, and cake.

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Wendy Walker

Wendy Walker is the author of the psychological suspense novels All Is Not Forgotten, Emma in the Night, The Night Before, Don’t Look for Me, and American Girl. Her novels have been translated into twenty-three foreign languages, topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad, and have been optioned for television and film. Wendy holds degrees from Brown University and Georgetown Law School. She is a former family law attorney with training in child advocacy and has worked in finance and several areas of the law.

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Isabella Maldonado

Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in the Fairfax County Police Department just outside DC, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. Her upcoming book A KILLER’S GAME (June 1, 2023; Thomas & Mercer) is the perfect combination of Squid Game meets  Criminal Minds.  

A KILLER’S GAME  is a high-octane thriller set in an escape room filled with lethal puzzles. The story, featuring a strong Latina main character, will have readers trying to crack codes and solve clues while on the edge of their seats.

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Nicole Baart

Nicole Baart is a bestselling author, collaborator, ghostwriter, and speaker. She is the author of eleven novels, including Everything We Didn’t Say and The Long Way Back. Her critically acclaimed novels have been featured in Southern Living, Country Woman, Book Page, Glam, and Yahoo! Lifestyle among several others.

Nicole’s the cofounder of a nonprofit and mother of five, she lives in Iowa with her family. Learn more at nicolebaart.com

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Buzzy Jackson

Buzzy Jackson is the award-winning author of three books of nonfiction as well as the novel TO DIE BEAUTIFUL (Dutton, May 2023). A recent fellow of the Edith Wharton Writing Residency, she has a Ph.D. in History from UC Berkeley and is a member of the National Book Critics’ Circle. 

Buzzy Jackson grew up in the mountains (Truckee CA and Montana), lived all over the place (Iowa City, Perth Australia, Los Angeles, Barcelona, NYC, Berkeley, Cambridge MA, San Francisco, Oakland, Cape Town South Africa), and then moved back to the mountains again (Colorado), where she lives with her family and Ralph (a dog). She is the proud daughter of Motor City legend Ruth J. Hall and beloved mystery writer Jon A. Jackson.

To Die Beautiful is Buzzy’s debut novel and fourth book. She has a Ph.D. in History from UC Berkeley and is a member of the National Book Critics’ Circle. She is currently working on a new novel based on a historical American true crime. 

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Tyler Merritt

Tyler Merritt is a Nashville-based actor, activist, cancer survivor, founder of The Tyler Merritt Project, and author of "I TAKE MY COFFEE BLACK: REFLECTIONS ON TUPAC, MUSICAL THEATER, FAITH AND BEING BLACK IN AMERICA." Over the course of his career, Tyler has gained recognition through notable acting projects including "Kevin Probably Saves The World," "Outer Banks," and "The Outsider," as well as serving as the face of the worldwide teaching curriculum for The Gospel Project for Kids.

In 2018 Tyler's viral video "Before You Call The Cops" (released by The Tyler Merritt Project) was viewed by over 100 million people worldwide and voted one of the Top 20 videos of the year by NowThisPolitics. In 2020, "Before You Call the Cops recirculated and has now been viewed by over 60 million people and has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, MSNBC Live, and Access Hollywood. Merritt has also been featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal, The New York Times, MSNBC, and the Huffington Post. His most recent viral video "The Playlist" is also stirring the much needed conversation of how we see and communicate with each other. Raised in Las Vegas, NV he has always had a passion for bringing laughter, grace and love into any community that he is able to be a part of.”

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David Corbett

David Corbett is the author of seven novels, which have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Edgar. His short fiction has twice been selected for Best American Mystery Stories, and a collaborative novel for which he contributed a chapter—Culprits—was adapted for TV by the producers of Killing Eve for Disney+ in the U.K. He’s also written the writing guides The Art of Character and The Compass of Character, and is a monthly contributor to Writer Unboxed, an award-winning blog dedicated to the craft and business of fiction.

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Meg Mitchell Moore

Meg Mitchell Moore released her debut novel, The Arrivals, in 2011 and her newest novel, her eighth, Summer Stage, releasing soon, is being called a “must-read” for the summer of 2023! (summer 2022), is her seventh. Before turning to fiction Meg worked as a freelance journalist for a variety of business and consumer magazines, where she often managed to pitch stories involving dogs. Before that she worked on the staff of a family of technology magazines.

Meg received a B.A. from Providence College and a master’s degree in English Literature from New York University.

In 2012 Meg, her husband, their daughters moved from Massachusetts to northern California. Despite California’s many charms, they lasted exactly one year and returned to the beautiful coastal town of Newburyport, Massachusetts, where their busy household now includes a golden retriever who is a certified therapy dog and three daughters who somehow turned into teenagers when nobody was looking.

Setting is an important aspect of her stories.

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Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is an Indian author currently based in Singapore. Her short fiction has been published at Smokelong, Ambit, Litro, Puerto del Sol, among others, and she's the coeditor of The Forge literary magazine.

She's the author of You Beneath Your Skin, an Amazon-bestselling crime novel, which has been optioned for screens by Endemol Shine. Her crime novel, The Blue Bar was published by Thomas & Mercer USA. It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and Goodreads named it one of 2023's Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers. The sequel, The Blue Monsoon, will be out in Oct 2023.

Her popular blog Daily (w)rite, where she speaks about the writing life and interviews publishing professionals, turned 15 this year.

Listen as Steven interviews Indian author, Damyanti, Biswas, and they have an incisive conversation about writing, about the importance of both hubris and humility in the writing process, respecting your readers, trusting your characters, and being honest with your stories. Also, they talk traffic in Hyderabad, India and capturing the essence and paradox of Mumbai for her novel THE BLUE BAR. Check it out!

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