Pen Pals
Episodes
Rachael Maddux on Self-Publishing a Book You Can't Let Go
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin and Kelton sit down with writer Rachael Maddux (Life Expectancy: A Memoir, The Void, Third Person) to talk about what happens when a book yo...
Who Are We Writing For—And Who Are We Reading?
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin and Kelton barely make it to record — 15 minutes late despite trying to be 30 minutes early — and that kind of week sets the tone. Kelto...
Ramona Ausubel on Getting Unstuck
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kelton is on a record-breaking week — 5,563 words across three chapters — after ditching Scrivener for the freedom of a Google Doc. Krisserin fini...
Our First-Draft Summer Pact
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Spring break writing wins, a faux lip ring verdict, and the announcement of a big summer challenge: both hosts commit to finishing their first drafts ...
"No Agent Is Better Than a Bad Agent": Lauren Khan on Finding the Right Fit
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin attended Rachel Hochhauser's birthday book signing in Studio City and wrote 3,300 words on her middle grade love story. Kelton got a re...
Art Witch, Money B*tch: Courtney Maum on Writing Across Genres and Getting Paid
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kelton's launching the Rewilding Spring Almanac and kicking off the first night of the murmuration, while Krisserin just landed back from Ohio—...
Bad News at 5AM, Good News from New Mexico, and the Minimum Viable Writing Week
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin opens with a rollercoaster week: a 5 AM email from her agent pushing book submission to late spring, followed by the joyful news that she&ap...
The Co-Host Lore Episode
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin and Kelton finally answer the question listeners keep asking: who ARE these people? This week it's just the two of them — no guest, j...
From Dramatically Quitting Writing to a Major Two-Book Deal: Rachel Hochhauser on Lady Tremaine
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kelton wraps up her Rewilding winter class and launches something new—a free monthly writing practice called the Murmuration—while Krisserin confe...
Cait Flanders: From Blog Experiment to Bestseller (and Back Again)
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kelton gets her first agent rejection and refuses to sugarcoat it—while Krisserin shares what she learned about advances, deal structures, and edito...
Bonus Episode: Inside the Debut Author Survey with Emily Zipps
21 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We couldn't just talk about Emily Zipps' debut author survey — we had to talk to her. Krisserin and Kelton sit down with Emily herself —...
What Debut Authors Actually Get Paid (And Why We're Mad About It)
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does a debut author actually get paid? Krisserin and Kelton dig into Emily Zips' survey data and don't love what they find—average tw...
Mark Sarvas on Writing Novels That Can't Be Ignored
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin panics her way through a grad school application (wrong link, wrong deadline, wrong page numbers), while Kelton enters the querying trenches...
When a Miracle Slides Into Your DMs: On Agents, Advances, and Anxiety
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kelton's inbox delivers a dream: an agent from a respected agency slid into her DMs after discovering her writing on Substack. The excitement is ...
Paper Prototypes and Publishing: Vicki Tan's Non-Traditional Book Deal
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a designer walks into a Manhattan publishing office with paper prototypes that look like children's toys? In this episode, Kelt...
"Never Save the World": JT Ellison on 30 Books, Citrine Magic, and Writing Through the Darkness
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin and Kelton kick off 2026 by getting real about the challenge of creating art in turbulent times—from doom-scrolling to feeling like your w...
The Capricorn and the Libra: Our Year in Review
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In their final episode of 2025, Krisserin and Kelton reflect on a year that transformed them both—32 episodes of accountability, pivot points, and h...
Writing Through December Chaos
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton confront the reality of December's chaotic energy—where seasonal disruptions, holiday stress,...
Stop Tap Dancing in Your Query Letter: Ali Gordon's Path to Publication
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin and Kelton sit down with Ali Gordon, author of "We Have Reached the End of Our Show," to discuss her unconventional path to public...
Long-time Readers and Short-Lived Aunties: A Thanksgiving Gratitude Special
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you're chasing publication dreams and battling rejection, gratitude feels like a luxury. But Krisserin and Kelton argue it's actually a...
Emily Halnon's Couch-to-Marathon for Writers: From Proposal to Bestseller
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin's brain is scrambled from her massive Excel spreadsheet organizing her 24,000 remaining words, while Kelton is juggling unexpected clie...
Writing Through the Doldrums
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this candid episode of Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton get real about the challenging phases every writer faces—the doldrums. Between sleepless to...
Olivia Muenter on Book Deals, Big Five Rejections, and Why Success Doesn't Cure Imposter Syndrome
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin's fighting through the darkness of her 5 AM garage writing sessions while Kelton navigates competing feedback on her memoir proposal. B...
Ghost Stories and Good Luck: Lesley Bannatyne on Contests, Craft, and the Spirit of Halloween
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Krisserin and Kelton sit down with author and Halloween historian Lesley Bannatyne, whose short story collection Lake Song won the Gr...
Chelsea Hodson on Tumblr Fame, Cold Emails, and Writing at 2:30 AM
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin's broadcasting from Scottsdale, Arizona (after getting two speeding tickets in the same spot) while Kelton's racing to finish her ...
Keep Fishing: How to Build Confidence as a Writer
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin's fighting off sickness while crushing her revision goals, and Kelton's Rewilding class just sold out. So why do they both feel li...
Finding Your Voice (And Other Terrifying Feedback)
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kelton's exhausted from weeks of sleepless nights with a teething toddler, and Krisserin is deep in revision mode—235 pages edited and counting...
Speaking Success Into Existence (Plus Actual Magic)
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Big news drops in this episode: Krisserin has an agent! After manuscript consultations with longtime friend Kima Jones from Triangle House Literary, w...
Back to Work: The Autumn Novel Theory (And Other Excuses)
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin and Kelton are back for Season 2! They dive into their summer writing goals with the brutal honesty that only true accountability partners c...
The Final Chapter: Season One Finale
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the season one finale! We’re talking endings—what makes them work, what makes them fail, and how we’re both rethinking the ends of our ow...
How to Get a Literary Agent (Kind Of, Maybe)
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin and Kelton dive into the often soul-crushing world of querying literary agents, where finding representation feels like a high-stakes marria...
The Fool, the Villain, and the Wedgie: A Guide to Better Characters
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin and Kelton dive deep into the art of character creation, exploring what makes fictional people compelling, memorable, and real. From their s...
AI Is the Devil (And Other Light Topics)
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kelton and Krisserin dive into their complicated relationship with artificial intelligence—which they lovingly refer to as "the devil." Th...
Books That Raised Us (And Broke Us)
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remember that one book that made you cry in public? Or the series that basically raised you? In this episode, Kelton and Krisserin crack open their bo...
Embracing your weird & finding your readers
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kelton shares the tough news of losing a client to AI, leading to a powerful discussion about finding and embracing your unique voice as a writer. The...
Book Battles: Genres, Trends, and IP Theft
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Krisserin celebrates completing her manuscript while Kelton makes significant progress on her novel. They tackle the challenging questions of where yo...
Smash or Pass: Literary Edition
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Krisserin and Kelton catch up on their writing progress before diving into a spirited round of "Smash or Pass" with a liter...
The Outliner vs. The Pantser
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kelton and Krisserin flip the script on their expected writing styles, revealing that organized Krisserin is actually a passionate pa...
Literary Pathways: AWP Bonus Episode
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special bonus episode, Krisserin takes you on a journey through the 2025 AWP Conference in Los Angeles, where she sought out the voices on the...
Slump City: Population You (And Every Other Writer)
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this candid conversation, Kelton and Krisserin explore the inevitable writing slumps that all creators face. They share their personal experiences ...
The Imposter's Guide to Writing Anyway
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton confront the demons of self-doubt that haunt their writing lives. Between morning pages and late-nig...
The Financial Reality of Writing Dreams
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton strip away the taboo of talking money in the literary world, tallying up the true cost of chasing pu...
The Frodo Principle: Why No Writer Makes the Journey Alone
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton tackle the sometimes awkward, often necessary world of building community and platform as writers. F...
Literary Side Quests: When Distractions Derail Your Writing
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pen Pals, Kelton and Krisserin confront their greatest writing nemesis: distraction. While Kelton battles the twin challenges of a ...
The Assassin at the Dinner Table
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when writers turn their pen toward family and friends? Kelton and Krisserin dive deep into the ethics and artistry of writing about real ...
The Art of Taking a Punch
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton navigate the treacherous waters of writing workshops and editing, trading war stories about feedback...
Good Enough to Get Ghosted For a Year
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton unpack what it really means to "be published," trading stories from their own winding path...
Be My Disappointed Dad
01 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this debut episode of Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton launch their shared mission to support each other through the journey of publishing their firs...