The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

New York Times bestselling author Jessica Knoll spoke with us about her career trajectory from magazine editor to novelist and screenwriter, the allure of dark romance, and her latest erotic thriller, HELPLESS.

Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of Bright Young Women, The Favorite Sister, and Luckiest Girl Alive — now a major motion picture on Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She adapted and executive-produced Luckiest Girl Alive for the screen.

In 2021, she was named a screenwriter to watch by Variety, and in 2019, her original script, ‘Til Death, sold to Amazon and made The Black List.

Her latest novel, Helpless, was named a New York Times, Oprah Daily, Crime Reads, Town & Country, and Bookpage Most Anticipated Book.

Booklist described Helpless as “[A] taut contemporary tale of the explosive reunion of two former lovers… Knoll's twisty tale of psychological suspense, with its exploration of a nuanced relationship with elements of submission and control, will get readers talking.” And the New York Times Book Review wrote, “Knoll is the author of really unsettling thrillers… [Helpless] is like Misery but with your ex.”

Before writing fiction, Knoll built a career in editorial journalism, serving as a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and as articles editor at Self magazine. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, and Vogue.

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In this file Jessica Knoll, Milena, and I discussed:

Writing her first novel in under ten months

How she taught herself the screenwriting craft

Why you need to write the book you want to read

How to write “low-fat” novels

The first time she understood that unlikable characters can anchor your fiction

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

ElevenReader is a new, award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, Web

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jessicaknoll.com

Helpless: A Novel by Jessica Knoll (Amazon)

Jessica Knoll Amazon Author Page⁠

Jessica Knoll on Facebook⁠

Jessica Knoll on TikTok

Jessica Knoll on Instagram⁠

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

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Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton returns to speak to me about the unknown nature of early spaceflight, watching The Right Stuff, the Artemis launch, and writing speculative fiction in her latest novel, AN INFINITE LOVE STORY.

Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana, as well as instant New York Times bestsellers When We Left Cuba, and The Last Train to Key West, among others.

Her new historical fiction novel, An Infinite Love Story, is described as Interstellar meets Daisy Jones & the Six: a sweeping dual-timeline novel set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race, perfect for readers of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kate Quinn, and Kristin Hannah.

Booklist called it "[A] charming exploration of romantic entanglements during the Space Race…,” and New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn said of the book, "Cleeton's most deeply personal and deeply moving book yet! As an Air Force spouse herself, Cleeton paints Vivian's agony for her husband's safety and her frustration with a system built on the unseen labor of its military wives with keen understanding and endless sympathy. Both a tender romantic drama and a fascinating deep dive into the 1960s space race, An Infinite Love Story soars as high as its astronauts."

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In Part Two of this file Chanel Cleeton and I discussed:

NASA’s unique use of squawk boxes during the Space Race

How her IR academic background shaped the Cold War framing throughout her novel

Why managing reveals in speculative fiction is similar to managing multiple timelines

How to write a tearjerker

What she’s cooking up for her next Cold War novel

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

ElevenReader is a new, award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, Web

Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/files! #squarepod

⁠ChanelCleeton.com⁠

An Infinite Love Story⁠ By Chanel Cleeton (Amazon)

⁠Chanel Cleeton Amazon Author Page⁠

⁠Chanel Cleeton on Instagram⁠

⁠Chanel Cleeton on Facebook⁠

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
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New York Times best selling author Dan Heath has a podcast called What It’s Like to Be... where he explores the world of work one profession at a time. It's a fascinating show for all those times when we've met someone with an interesting job and wondered what their day is actually like. We hope you enjoy What It's Like To Be... as much as we do!

New York Times bestselling author, Chanel Cleeton, spoke to me about her passion for exploring Cuban-American identity via women's perspectives throughout history, how she plots her popular historical fiction, and her latest novel THE CUBAN HEIRESS.

Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana, as well as instant New York Times bestsellers When We Left Cuba, and The Last Train to Key West.

Her most recent historical fiction entry is The Cuban Heiress, described as a novel inspired by true events that “ … follows two women whose lives become intertwined during a fateful journey upon the S.S. Morro Castle—a luxury cruise liner that caught fire and sank on its way from Havana to New York in September 1934”

Booklist wrote of the book, “Nothing is what it seems in Cleeton's latest gripping historical novel.... Handsome con men, clever thieves, desperate rebels, and our valiant heroines all convene on this elegant but doomed ocean liner. Cleeton includes vivid details about the mysterious final voyage of the Morro Castle and provides further reading about this historic disaster.”

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[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Chanel Cleeton and I discussed: 

How she turned a law degree into a writing career

Why every writer needs to write a terrible first book

The research process of a book-a-year writer

Exploring lesser known events shaping Cuban-American culture

How her characters speak to her in her daily life

Why writers need to dig deep to overcome rejection

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

⁠ChanelCleeton.com⁠

⁠The Cuban Heiress⁠ By Chanel Cleeton (Amazon)

⁠Chanel Cleeton Amazon Author Page⁠

⁠Chanel Cleeton on Instagram⁠

⁠Chanel Cleeton on Facebook⁠

⁠Kelton Reid on Twitter
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New York Times bestselling author and Shakespeare Professor Emeritus, Eloisa James, spoke with us about balancing literary scholarship with romance writing, leaving academia to write full-time, and her new “gothic adjacent” novel, THE LAST LADY B.

Eloisa James is a New York Times bestselling author who has lead a “double life” as both Mary Bly—a Harvard, Oxford, and Yale-educated Shakespeare professor—and Eloisa James—a powerhouse of historical romance (recognized for her Regency and Georgian-era romances).

Eloisa, called “a reigning queen of romance” by CBS Sunday Morning and a newly retired Shakespeare professor, continues to reinvent herself with her latest novel. THE LAST LADY B is a sharp, contemporary take on historical romance and her first foray into near-gothic storytelling—described as Jane Austen meets The White Lotus in the Scottish Highlands.

Publishers Weekly said of the book in a starred review, "As the intrigue ramps up—complete with death, scandalous revelations, criminal allegations, and the potential for supernatural interference—sparks fly …"

Eloisa James inherited a fascination with literature from her father, American Book Award-winning poet Robert Bly; her mother, short story author Carol Bly; and her godfather, Pulitzer Prize winner James Wright.

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[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]

In this file Eloisa James, Milena, and I discussed:

The burnout she experienced as a professor and former head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University

Why she decided to break the fourth wall and write her latest in first person

What the romance genre offers writers in creative freedom and experimentation

Her Popular course on writing genre fiction “Dragons, Daggers, and Dukes”

How she collaborated with co-author Julia Quinn

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

ElevenReader is a new, award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, Web

Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/files! #squarepod

eloisajames.com 

The Last Lady B: A Novel By Eloisa James (Author)

Eloisa James on Facebook

Eloisa James on TikTok

Eloisa James on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices