BookTrib is proud to present to our readers the Writers, Ink podcast, a show about the business of writing.
J.K. Rowling was nearly homeless when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Stephen King penned Carrie on a small desk wedged between a washer and dryer. James Patterson worked in advertising and famously wrote the Toys “R” Us theme song long before becoming an author.
Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business — editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.
Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.
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Tess Gerritsen has spent decades refining her craft. From handwritten first drafts to listening to her characters, she follows the Muse on her creative journey. Tess wasn’t sure she’d write another Rizzoli & Isles book until she became excited about the possibilities of another installment in the hugely successful series. That installment became Rizzoli & Isles: Listen to Me (Ballantine Books), published earlier this month. Whether it’s tending to her vegetable garden or her archive of handwritten manuscripts, Tess does so with care and creativity. Her characters are beloved worldwide, a testament to her enduring ability to master the craft of writing while being a keen observer of the world around her.
From Amazon.com:
Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.
While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. In 1987, her first novel was published. Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller, was followed by eight more romantic suspense novels. She also wrote a screenplay, Adrift, which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.
Tess’s first medical thriller, Harvest, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. She’s since gone on to write around 20 more popular novels. Her books have been published in 40 countries, and more than 30 million copies have been sold around the world. Her books have been among the top three bestsellers in the United States and number-one bestsellers abroad. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon). Critics around the world have praised her novels as “Pulse-pounding fun” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “Scary and brilliant” (Toronto Globe and Mail), and “Polished, riveting prose” (Chicago Tribune). Publisher Weekly has dubbed her the “medical suspense queen”.
Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the TNT television series Rizzoli & Isles starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- How getting your first paycheck changes everything
- Why you need to avoid monomouth
- Why a handwritten first draft can open new possibilities
- When to plant lettuce
LINKS
Show Credits
Host: J. D. Barker
Host: J. Thorn
Host: Zach Bohannon
Music: Nicorus
Voice Over: Rick Ganley (recorded at Mill Pond Studio)
Audio Production: Geoff Emberlyn
In This Episode
Tess Gerritsen
Rizzoli & Isles: Listen to Me: A Novel
Wonder Lodge
2022 Colorado Gold Writers Conference
Three Story Method: Writing Scenes
Best of BookTok
The Carbon Almanac
Story Rubric
Nonfic Rubric
Scene Rubric
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Kobo Writing Life
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