Podcast Episodes

Writing Historical Fiction with Laura Vogt

Season 5 Episode 17

Guest author Laura Vogt talks historical fiction and her debut novel In the Great Quiet. From research and sensitivity readers to her drafting proces…

5 months ago

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How to Navigate the Messy Middle of Your Novel

Season 5 Episode 16

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 c…

5 months, 1 week ago

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Writing a Series and Lessons from the Publishing Industry with Carmela Dutra

Season 5 Episode 15

Three-peat guest and series author Carmela Dutra checks in on her author journey and shares valuable insights about plotting vs. pantsing, how she ju…

5 months, 2 weeks ago

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When, How, and Where to End Your Novel

Season 5 Episode 14

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 wh…

5 months, 3 weeks ago

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How to Write Strong, Effective Openings

Season 5 Episode 13

Hannah and Jess talk about what makes a strong opening, what detracts from a good opening, and they both bring different genre examples to examine to…

5 months, 4 weeks ago

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The Journey to Debut Author with Michelle Maryk

Season 5 Episode 12

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 sha…

6 months ago

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Writing Beautiful and Effective Prose

Season 5 Episode 11

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…

6 months, 1 week ago

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How to Write Strong Character Arcs

Season 5 Episode 10

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 your seconda…

6 months, 2 weeks ago

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Making Setting a Character with Leigh Shalloway

Season 5 Episode 9

Jess and Hannah interview new author, Leigh Shalloway, on her Hilltown series debut. She shares important insights and valuable advice on resilience …

6 months, 3 weeks ago

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Q&A Episode

Season 5 Episode 8

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 inspir…

7 months ago

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