Christopher Reich is the New York Times bestselling author of The Take, Numbered Account, Rules of Deception, Rules of Vengeance, Rules of Betrayal, and many other thrillers. His novel The Patriots Club won the International Thriller Writers award for Best Novel in 2006. He is also the author of the Simon Riske series, an international spy thriller series, and his newest novel Matterhorn was just released in April 2024.

Among other things, Christopher and Carter discuss writing in first person present, quitting a day job to pursue a career in writing, and the pressure of writing accurate historical fiction. At the end of their conversation, they make up a chilling story using a line from John Grisham’s A Painted House.

Danny Cherry Jr., a Customer Service Representative with an MBA, and he writes political and personal essays; novels; narrative nonfiction; and short stories. He has written for Buzzfeed News, Politico, The Daily Beast, and more; and fiction for Apex Magazine, Fiyah Lit Mag, amongst others. His first novel, The Pike Boys, came out in January 2024 and is a 1920s organized crime drama set in New Orleans. His story “Brief Life Story of Lila” was added to the Locus Magazine recommended reading list for 2022, as well as the BEST AMERICAN SCI-FI & FANTASY 2023 notable stories list.

Among other things, Danny and Carter discuss how a business degree helps writers appreciate the craft of writing, how writers can take inspiration from television, and the process of self-publishing. At the end of their conversation, they make up a short story using a line from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.

Peter Blauner is the author of nine novels, including Slow Motion Riot, winner of an Edgar Allan Poe award for best first novel from Mystery Writers of America, and The Intruder, a New York Times bestseller and a bestseller overseas. He began his career as a journalist for New York magazine in the 1980s and segued into writing fiction in the 1990s. He has been a staff writer for several television shows, including Law & Order: SVU and Blue Bloods. His new novel, Picture in the Sand, which spans sixty years and the distance from Hollywood to Cairo, was published in January, 2023 and is his first work of historical fiction.

Among other things, Peter and Carter discuss writing for television and how it differs from writing novels, the transition from journalism to fiction, and complications when writing historical fiction. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from John Grisham’s The Rainmaker.