Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authors

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Authors Guild, Anthropic, literary video games, and Simon & Schuster. Then, stick around for a chat with Nicholas Russell!
Nicholas Russell: I’m a writer and editor from Las Vegas. My work has been featured in The Believer, McSweeney’s, The Yale Review, Reverse Shot,The Point, The Baffler, The Nation, and Dirt, among other publications. I’ve attended Short Fiction workshops at VQR and Tin House, as well as the Critics Academy for the New York Film Festival and the Press Inclusion Initiative at the Sundance Film Festival. I’ve also received support from MacDowell and the Nes Artist Residency. I’m a contributing writer at Defector (formerly at Gawker 2.0), managing editor at Still Alive Magazine, and a bookseller at The Writer’s Block. My debut novel Observer is out on September 15, 2026.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about murder, library eBook lending, and Bookshop.org. Then, stick around for a chat with Danielle McKechnie!
Danielle McKechnie: After studying at Circle in the Square Theatre School, Danielle McKechnie moved to Los Angeles and transitioned to a behind-the-scenes role in production, development, and writing across film, television, traditional radio, and live entertainment. As an author and creative producer, she now lives in her hometown of Vancouver with her husband and two daughters.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Dolly Parton, copyrights, and HarperCollins. Then, stick around for a chat with Lisa Gardner!

Lisa Gardner, a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist, began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and has made personal appearances on TruTV and CNN. Lisa lives in New Hampshire where she spends her time with an assortment of canine companions. When not writing, she loves to hike, garden, snowshoe and play cribbage.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Ingram, Sourcebooks, and a new book event platform. Then, stick around for a chat with J.T. Ellison!

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels of psychological suspense, including the Taylor Jackson series, the Samantha Owens series, and numerous acclaimed standalones. She is the Emmy Award–winning cohost of A Word on Words, the literary television series on PBS. Over a twenty-year career, her work has earned widespread critical recognition, with titles optioned for television and published in thirty countries, and millions of copies in print worldwide. A dedicated voice in the writing community, she also publishes The Creative Edge, a newsletter and blog for writers navigating the craft and business of fiction. She lives with her husband and twin kittens—one of whom is a ghost—in Nashville, Tennessee. 

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Anthropic's Claude, David Ellison, and authors selling straight to readers. Then, stick around for a chat with Alexandra Bracken!

Alexandra Bracken was born in Phoenix, Arizona. The daughter of a Star Wars collector, she grew up going to an endless string of Star Wars conventions and toy fairs, which helped spark her imagination and a deep love of reading. After graduating high school, she attended The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where she double majored in English and History. She sold her first book, Brightly Woven, as a senior in college, and later moved to New York City to work in children's book publishing, first as an editorial assistant, then in marketing. After six years, she took the plunge and decided to write full time. She now lives in Arizona with her tiny pup, Tennyson, in a house that's constantly overflowing with books. Alex is a #1 New York Times, USA TODAY, and internationally bestselling author. Her work has been adapted for feature film and is available across the world in over 20 languages.

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