Edward Hamlin is a fiction writer and composer of music for acoustic guitar. Edward’s NIGHT IN ERG CHEBBI was selected by Karen Russell as winner of the 2015 Iowa Short Fiction Award and went on to win the Colorado Book Award. Other honors have included a Nelson Algren Award, a Nelligan Prize, an NCW Short Story Prize, a Top of the Mountain Novel Prize and a Hawthornden Fellowship. His compositions for solo acoustic guitar have appeared on three CDs and on film.

Among other things, Edward and Carter discuss being reviewed by professional book review magazines, the importance of getting readers vs sales, and distancing your writing from your own personal experiences. At the end of their conversation, they make up a clever science-fiction story using a line from Edward’s own novel, Sonata in Wax.

Libby Cudmore is the author of Negative Girl and The Big Rewind, as well as the Wade & Jacks P.I. series in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Tough. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous places including The Dark, Smokelong Quarterly, Shotgun Honey, and more. She is the 2018 recipient of the Oregon Writer’s Colony prize, the 2023 Shamus award for best P.I short story, and the 2023 Black Orchid Novella award. She is the current co-host of the OST Party and Misbehavin’ podcasts and the former co-host of The Shattered Shield podcast, and teaches short fiction through The Writer’s Circle.

Among other things, Libby and Carter discuss Libby’s ongoing book tour, treating writing as if it is your day-job, and the benefits of engaging socially in the writing community. At the end of their conversation, they make up a chilling story using a line from Clare Mackintosh’s A Game of Lies.

Jen Ruiz is a lawyer turned full-time travel blogger. A multiple bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and national award-winning travel journalist, she has been featured in The Washington Post, Forbes, and ABC News. Jen has been named a Latina Travel Expert by Mitu and Top 40 Under 40 by the Naples Herald. She is the solo female traveler behind Jen on a Jet Plane.

Among other things, Jen and Carter discuss Jen’s personal travel challenge she set for herself, how she utilizes “sensitivity readers” in her books, and the dark side of having a career in social media. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from J.N. Stroyar’s The Children’s War.