“Readers are giving you such a huge gift—and the gift is their time. So I always feel like to be respectful of that time, I have to be providing them with the best quality book I can.” —Cynthia Swanson

Cynthia Swanson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the psychological suspense novels The Bookseller, The Glass Forest, and Anyone But Her. Cynthia was named 2025 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project, has received the Colorado Book Award and the WILLA Literary Award, and won the Indie Author Project contest. She is also the editor of the Colorado Book Award winning anthology Denver Noir.

Among other things, Cynthia and Carter discuss taking up writing later in life, Cynthia’s journey to self-publishing, and committing to writing a ghost story. At the end of their conversation, they make up a creepy story using a line from Jacqueline Winspear’s The Comfort of Ghosts.

“I got one life. What do I want to leave behind? And I decided a failed writer was better than a successful attorney.” —Elena Taylor

Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo. With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers much more serious and atmospheric novels. Elena is also a senior editor with Allegory Editing, where she works one-on-one with writers to shape and polish manuscripts, short stories, and plays.

Among other things, Elena and Carter discuss Elena’s path to becoming a playwright, the role of atmosphere in thrillers, and overcoming comparison within the writing community. At the end of their conversation, they make up an incredible story using a line from Mailan Doquan’s Ceylon Sapphires.

“I wrote 90 pages about the most boring man in the world. He drove around, got coffee, thought about life... and after six months, I killed him and buried him in a desk drawer.” —Harry Hunsicker

Harry Hunsicker spent his working career as a commercial real estate appraiser. His first novel was the Shamus Award nominated Still River, about a Dallas PI with the unfortunate name of Lee Henry Oswald. Hunsicker has since written and published eight more crime thrillers, including The Life and Death of Rose Doucette, which was recently nominated for a 2025 Thriller Award. Hunsicker also writes screenplays. His short script—the PG13 titled (S)hit Squad, was produced in 2022 and has garnered a number of awards including Best Screenplay by the Twin Lakes Film Festival.

Among other things, Harry and Carter discuss Harry getting inspiration from his own bookshelves, the art of sending query letters, and receiving Thriller award nominations. At the end of their conversation, they make up a gripping story using a line from Jennifer Chase’s Count Their Graves.