The Story Blender

Jon Lindstrom

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve seen him on television on shows like BOSCH and TRUE DETECTIVE. Now, listen to Jon Lindstrom as he shares insights into the writing process an...

Amina Akhtar

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I talk with Amina Akhtar about her latest book, ALMOST SURELY DEAD, and her advice for overcoming self-doubt, the importance of persistence ...

Bob Saenz

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever thought about writing a screenplay and don’t know where to start, you’re going to love this week’s episode of The Story Blender...

Joe Castillo

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listen as I chat with world-renowned artist and motivational speaker, Joe Castillo. He has performed his sandart stories in front of Pope Francis, pre...

Emily Bleeker

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen as I chat with novelist Emily Bleeker as we talk about improv (and what writers can learn from it), honesty in fiction, slipping into the skin ...

Carol Van Den Hende

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I caught up with acclaimed author, Carol Van Den Hende. Carol’s mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, strategist, Boa...

Tess Gerritsen

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to my conversation with international bestselling author Tess Gerritsen as we discuss the weapons at our disposal (that you might include in a ...

Karen Dionne

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen as I chat with best-selling international best-selling author, Karen Dionne, about her breakout novel, The Marsh King’s Daughter, the differe...

Allison Brennan

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than 45 books, including the long-running Lucy Kincaid ...

Boyd & Beth Morrison

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Steven James as he talks with siblings Boyd and Beth Morrison on this episode of The Story Blender. They chat about the Black Plague, writing gri...

Clare Macintosh

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of New York Times bestseller I LET YOU GO, and Sunday Times bestsellers I SEE YOU, LET ME LIE, AFTE...

Martin Clark

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I had the chance to chat with Former judge and award-winning legal thriller author, Martin Clark, about writing legal thrillers, coming up with intrig...

Tim Lowry

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen as Steven James chats with award-winning nationally known storyteller, Tim Lowry. As one of the country’s premier storytellers, Tim has told ...

W. C. Ryan

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen as Steven James interviews award winning, critically-acclaimed crime novelist W.C. Ryan. W.C. shares his insights into writing historical myste...

Jess Lourey

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jess is an Amazon Charts bestselling, ITW, Anthony and 2023 Minnesota Book Award-winning author who's also been shortlisted for Edgar and Agatha a...

Will Dean

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to a fascinating conversation between Steven James and acclaimed novelist, Will Dean, as they talk about creativity (and how it can thrive in s...

Lee Goldberg

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wow! What a great conversation Steven James had with Lee Goldberg, a veteran TV writer and novelist. Get your pen ready to take notes as Lee talks ab...

Chris Pavone

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to the newest episode of The Story Blender as Steven James chats with Chris Pavone, the author of 5 international thrillers whose latest book T...

Kelly J. Ford

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly J. Ford has earned wide critical acclaim for her gritty novels of queer Southern suspense ever since the release of her award-winning debut, Cot...

Sara DiVello

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Acclaimed online personality and author Sara Divello shares her insights into writing “true crime fiction,” what it means, the challenges of captu...

Alice Hoffman

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Steven James for a new episode of The Story Blender featuring Alice Hoffman. As one of our country’s most distinguished novelist, Alice has wr...

Taylor Adams

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join me as a chat with Taylor Adams, the acclaimed novelist of the latest book title as we talk about the dynamics and mechanics of writing twists (wh...

Alli Frank & Asha Youmans

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alli Frank and Asha Youmans bring their very different cultural backgrounds and perspectives together to write in one seamless, cohesive voice, united...

Bill Harley

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recently I met up with Grammy-award-winning storyteller and family entertainer Bill Harley. We chat about the importance of rehearsing stories, of fin...

Bryan Davis

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you looking for exciting, adventurous stories for your kids or grandkids to read? Bryan Davis has written dozens of fantasy and science-fiction no...

Megan Collins

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Megan Collins is the author of Thicker Than Water, The Family Plot, Behind the Red Door, and The Winter Sister. She taught creative writing for man...

Wendy Walker

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen as Steven James chats with Wendy Walker, acclaimed author of new novel psychological thriller, What Remains. She talks about her journey as a ...

Isabella Maldonado

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode of The Story Blender podcast, join me as I talk with Isabella Maldonado whose book "The Cipher" is based becoming...

Nicole Baart

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to an encouraging conversation with Nicole Baart as she shares the inside scoop on her latest novel, THE LONG WAY BACK. We also discus her writ...

Buzzy Jackson

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in this week as I chat with critically- acclaimed novelist, Buzzy Jackson as we discuss her research about the incredible young woman featured ...

Tyler Merritt

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in to a powerful conversation with Tyler Merritt as we discuss the curse of being artistic, the importance of both passion and the pursuit of e...

David Corbett 2023

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

David Corbett is the author of seven novels, which have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Edgar. His short fiction has twice been sele...

Meg Mitchell Moore

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meg Mitchell Moore released her debut novel, The Arrivals, in 2011 and her newest novel, her eighth, Summer Stage, releasing soon, is being called a “...

Damyanti Biswas

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Damyanti’s Indian debut literary crime novel You Beneath Your Skin was an Amazon bestseller, and optioned for the screens by Endemol Shine.  Listen...

MP Woodward

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My guest his week on The Story Blender Podcast is MP Woodward, a veteran of both US intelligence ops and the entertainment industry. As a naval intell...

Bethany Jett

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bethany Jett is an author, as well as a literary agent and a book marketing expert. She co-founded Serious Writer, Inc. and recently completed an MFA ...

Elle Marr

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What an interesting conversation I had with Elle Marr, the author of the new tense, thriller, THE FAMILY BONES. We discussed the ideas of psychology t...

Don Bentley

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Don Bentley is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Matt Drake series  and two Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. novels. Don spent a decade as an Arm...

Vibhuti Jain

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Vibhuti (“Vib”) Jain lives with her husband and daughter in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she works in international development. She began he...

Kaleo Griffith, Steven James, and Bethany Jett

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steven James, host of The Story Blender, is a critically acclaimed author of eighteen novels and numerous nonfiction books that have sold more than 1...

Leopoldo Gout

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leopoldo Gout is a Mexican immigrant, award-winning producer and filmmaker, visual artist and author, who has written, packaged, published and develo...

Michael Sears

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Sears' first novel, the best-seller BLACK FRIDAYS, a financial thriller with heart, took the Shamus award and was short-listed for the Edgar a...

Eric Wilson

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Wilson is the author of over twenty books, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as five movie novelizations including Facing the Giants and Flywh...

Stephanie Landsem

11 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Stephanie Landsem writes historical fiction because she loves adventure in far-off times and places. In real life, she’s explored ancient ruins, med...

Fonda Lee

04 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fonda Lee is the World Fantasy Award-winning author of the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga, consisting of Jade City, Jade War, and Jade Legacy. She is...

Alaina Urquhart

25 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alaina Urquhart is the science-loving co-host of the podcast Morbid. As an autopsy technician by trade, paired with her degrees in Criminal Justice, P...

Carolyn Korsmeyer

18 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Carolyn Korsmeyer is both a novelist and a philosopher. She is especially interested in how the senses and emotions are engaged by works of art, theme...

Dolores Hydock

11 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dolores Hydock is an actress and story performer whose work has been featured at a variety of concerts, festivals, and special events throughout the U...

Maureen Johnson

04 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Maureen Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Stevie Bell YA mystery, Nine Liars, as well as more than a dozen young adult novels, i...

Gregg Hurwitz

28 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of 23 thrillers, including the ORPHAN X series. His novels have won nume...

Brad Taylor

21 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special ...

Janice Hallett

14 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Janice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist, and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among...

Jaime Jo Wright

07 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jaime Jo Wright is the author of eight novels, including Christy Award and Daphne Du Maurier award winner The House on Foster Hill and Carol Award ...

Edward Zuckerman

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Edward Zuckerman began his career as a journalist, writing about zombies, killer bees, talking apes and other subjects for Rolling Stone, Spy, the New...

Jamie Mason

03 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Mason was born in Oklahoma City and grew up all over the Washington, DC area. She’s most often reading and writing, but in the life left over,...

Cindy Callaghan

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cindy Callaghan is an award-winning middle-grade writer best known for Just Add Magic, which was developed into an Emmy-nominated Amazon original seri...

Lisa Unger

12 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels, including SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX, LAST GIRL GHOSTED, and ...

James Patterson

05 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

James Patterson is the world’s best-selling author. He has written some of the most popular series of the past two decades - Alex Cross, Women’s M...

Yasmin Angoe

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yasmin Angoe is the Anthony-nominated and first generation Ghanaian American author of the critically acclaimed Her Name Is Knight and the second of t...

Carol Van Den Hende

22 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join me for an engaging discussion with award-winning novelist Carol Van Den Hende as we discuss her latest book, Orchid Blooming, and explore the dyn...

Adam Hamdy

15 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Returning guest Adam Hamdy is a Sunday Times, Kindle, and international bestselling author and screenwriter. Adam writes the Scott Pearce series of co...

Mark Alpert

08 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dive into the world of science-based thrillers with international bestselling author Mark Alpert. As a former editor at Scientific American, Mark weav...

William Kent Krueger

01 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in as I chat with critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling novelist William Kent Krueger, who writes intriguing mysteries that occur in ...

DP Lyle

24 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

DP Lyle has consulted with some of the top crime shows in Hollywood, written extensively on forensics investigations, and is a stellar novelist, bring...

John Galligan

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Galligan is the author of many books including a standalone novel, Red Sky, Red Dragonfly, the Fly Fishing Mystery Series, and the Bad Axe Cou...

Julie Clark

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST FLIGHT, which earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Jour...

Kevin Maurer

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin Maurer is an award-winning journalist and the three-time New York Times bestselling co-author of No Easy Day, No Hero, and American Radical, amo...

Tom Morrisey

27 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Morrisey is deeply in demand as one of the world’s top speechwriters and executive-engagement specialists. A speaker on writing and storytelling...

Samantha Bailey

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Samantha Bailey has been called the Queen of the Domestic Thrillers. She is the USA TODAY and #1 national bestselling author of WOMAN ON THE EDGE, h...

Meg Gardiner

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Meg Gardiner is the author of fifteen acclaimed, award-winning novels. Her thrillers have been bestsellers both in the U.S. and internationally and ha...

Landon Beach and Scott Brick

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Landon Beach’s book Narrator has been described as “Misery meets Gone Girl” and he worked closely with Scott Brick, the audiobook’s narrator, ...

Alex Finlay

30 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Finlay is the author of the 2021 breakout novel, Every Last Fear, and one of Goodread’s most popular books of 2022, The Night Shift. His work ...

Lisa Phillips

23 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Phillips is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London. She is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author who is releasi...

Gabriela Pereira

16 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of D...

Ghosts in the Graveyard

09 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A special episode to celebrate Be A Kid Again Day. Remember to tell a story, listen to one, imagine the impossible… and maybe even venture out for a...

Donald Maass

02 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in as famed writing instructor, NY literary agent, and best-selling author Donald Maass unpacks some of the secrets to best-selling novels, the...

Nova McBee

25 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After spending half her life living in diverse cultures throughout the world, Nova McBee spent seven years studying writing before penning her first Y...

John Gilstrap

18 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Gilstrap’s first novel, Nathan’s Run, hit the market in 1996 and set the literary world on fire. Publication rights sold in 23 countries, the...

Danielle Girard

11 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Danielle Girard is the USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author of Chasing Darkness, the Rookie Club series, and Exhume, Excise, Expose, and Expire ...

Alma Katsu

04 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alma Katsu is the award-winning author of seven novels. She’s mostly known for historical horror, including her latest The Fervor (Putnam), and The ...

Bob Smiley

28 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian Bob Smiley has been doing standup for over 20 years all over the United States and Arkansas.  He’s written three books for Focus on the Fa...

Kim Weitkamp

21 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Weitkamp is an award-winning storyteller, author, singer-songwriter, and humorist. Kim used applied storytelling in her work with adjudicated and ...

Annette Simmons

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Annette Simmons is the CEO of Group Process Consulting and author of five books, including her bestselling book The Story Factor, which was named as o...

Artem Mushin-Makedonskiy

07 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Artem Mushin-Makedonskiy is a worldwide leader on using storytelling in organizations and has been studying the field for years, sharing his insights ...

Don Bentley

30 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some authors have lived incredible adventures that they can tap into in the stories they tell. That’s certainly true of this week’s guest. First, ...

Elizabethton High School - Part 1

23 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few weeks I've had the honor of working with the creative writing students at Elizabethton High School in Tennessee as an author in resi...

Elizabethton High School - Part 2

23 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few weeks I've had the honor of working with the creative writing students at Elizabethton High School in Tennessee as an author in resi...

Carol LaChapelle

16 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Carol LaChapelle is a writer, teacher, and the author of Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Stories from Marion Street Press. She received her B.A. in ...

Carter Wilson

09 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Carter Wilson is a USA Today bestselling author who has written eight critically acclaimed standalone psychological thrillers as well as numerous sho...

Eva Marie Everson

02 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eva Marie Everson is a multiple-award winning author and speaker who hails from the picturesque Southern town of Sylvania, Georgia. She is president o...

Christopher Riley

26 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Christopher Riley is a professional screenwriter who co-wrote the award-winning German language courtroom thriller After the Truth with his wife, Kath...

Eric Wilson

19 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Wilson is the author of over twenty books, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as five movie novelizations including Facing the Giants and F...

Will Storr

12 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Will Storr is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in the Guardian, Sunday Times, New Yorker, and The New York Times. He is the autho...

Jennifer Fawcett

05 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Playwright and debut novelist Jennifer Fawcett grew up in rural Eastern Ontario and spent many years in Canada making theatre before coming to the Uni...

Kate Elliott

26 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

New York Times bestselling novelist Kate Elliott has been making up stories about escape into worlds of adventure and transformative change since she ...

Jonathan Gottschall

19 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Gottschall is a distinguished research fellow in the English Department at Washington & Jefferson College and is the author of The Storytelli...

David Novak

12 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

David Novak is Artistic Director of A Telling Experience, telling stories to enrich discourse, entertain imagination, engage emotion, and discover our...

Jess Montgomery

05 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Having grown up within a rich storytelling tradition of hearing traditional ballads and stories, Jess Montgomery found herself pursuing writing at an ...

Tony Marr

29 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Marr has a master’s degree in storytelling and has won numerous awards for storytelling and well, for lying, being a championship liar from the...

Jeff Ayers

22 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Ayers has been a freelance writer and reviewer since 1999. He has reviewed for Library Journal, where he is a former Fiction Reviewer of the Yea...