“I don’t know what it’s about until it’s done—and sometimes it’s on a shelf before I realize what certain things mean.” – Lori Roy

Lori Roy’s debut novel, Bent Road, was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. Her work has been twice named a New York Times Notable Crime Book. Until She Comes Home was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Let Me Die in His Footsteps received the 2016 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, making Roy the first woman to receive an Edgar Award for both Best First Novel and Best Novel—and the third person to have done so. Gone Too Long was named a People magazine Book of the Week, and Lori was featured as an Inspired Woman by J Jill and Oprah Magazine.

Among other things, Carter and Lori discuss doing research to capture the accuracy of your setting, the benefits of maintaining social media presence, and interacting with readers in person. At the end of their conversation, they make up a great story using a line from Jess Lourey’s The Reaping.

Robert Bailey is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of THE BOOMERANG, the Jason Rich series, the McMurtrie and Drake legal thrillers, the Bocephus Haynes series, and the inspirational novel, THE GOLFER’S CAROL. Robert’s novels draw inspiration from his decades as a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. Robert obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History from Davidson College in North Carolina, and went to law school at the University of Alabama.

Among other things, Robert and Carter discuss learning to trust your editor, working as a lawyer while writing full time, and publishing struggles even after having published several novels, . At the end of their conversation, they make up a creative story using a line from Karen Slaughter’s This Is Why We Lied.

“There are no shortcuts, right? It doesn't matter what you're writing—you just have to do it.” — Mailan Doquang

Mailan Doquang is an architectural historian turned thriller writer. Mailan received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She has published extensively on the art and architecture of medieval France, in addition to teaching at some of the top universities in North America. Her debut novel is BLOOD RUBIES.

Among other things, Mailan and Carter discuss Mailan’s transition from academia to writing fiction, learning to cut unnecessary words, and the imposter syndrome that emerges at writing conferences. At the end of their conversation, they make up a descriptive story using a line from Stephen King’s Desperation.