In today’s episode, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Eva Lesko Natiello discusses the writing class that changed her life.

Before becoming a novelist, Eva enjoyed a successful career as Vice President of Global Communications for Estee Lauder Inc. When she pivoted to raise her children, she sought a creative outlet. After reading a chilling news article, she was inspired to try her hand at writing. Eager to learn more about the craft of storytelling, Eva enrolled in a writing course at The New School where she encountered a professor whose unexpected advice inspired her to keep going.

After years of hard work, the early drafts her professor found "riveting" turned into her debut, The Memory Box, a psychological thriller about a woman who Googles herself and discovers the shocking details of a past she doesn’t remember. After querying dozens of literary agents without receiving an offer of representation, Eva harnessed her communication and marketing expertise to self-publish and, ultimately, sell 200,000 copies of her novel.

She followed it up with Following You, a thriller about a stalked celebrity who goes missing.

In addition to penning bestselling novels, Eva also teaches book marketing classes—both in-person and online. She offers one-on-one consultations designed to help authors decide which publishing path best suits their work.

To learn more about Eva, visit her website, follow her on social media, and don’t miss her essay, How a Professor’s One Piece of Advice Influenced My Entire Writing Career.

Liz Alterman's latest guest is novelist and publicist Andrea J. Stein. Andrea is the author of Typecast, which came out in 2022 and was named A Buzzfeed Pick of The Best Main Characters We've Gotten To Know in 2022 and A Scary Mommy Pick of New Books We Can’t Wait to Cozy Up with This Fall. She is also the author of the soon-to-be-released novel Dear Eliza.

In this episode, Andrea shares the inspiration behind her books' unique hooks as well as how she creates multi-dimensional characters. A professional publicist with three decades of experience, the Summit-based author offers solid advice for writers to consider when pitching their projects to the media. Andrea recommended some highlights from her own recent reading list.

Today’s guest is Jennifer Shirk, the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of sweet and funny romance novels. Jennifer’s latest, Resorting to Romance, was released on July 2. Though she's now penned a dozen novels, the South Jersey author actually got her bachelor's degree in pharmacy and was considering continuing on to get her doctorate before turning to fiction.

In this episode, Jennifer talks about the authors who inspired her to make this sharp turn along her career track. She also shares how her seaside town provided plenty of fodder for the fictional setting in her latest book.

Resorting to Romance follows L.A. attorney Loni Wingate whose perfect day at the office gets ruined by chaos and heartbreak. Her fiancé stole her promotion and ended their engagement, leaving her career and her future dangling by a thread. Then when Loni tries to go to her safe place, her family’s quaint North Carolina resort, she finds it’s up for sale.

Jennifer also shared good news for readers who fall in love with these characters--she's working on a sequel that will focus on Loni's sister.