How Acclaimed Debut Novelist Priscilla Morris Writes
Acclaimed debut novelist and English Professor Priscilla Morris spoke to me about finding her voice, and the germ of an idea that became her labor of love, acclaimed debut novel BLACK BUTTERFLIES.
Priscilla Morris is a British author and lecturer whose debut novel, Black Butterflies, was shortlisted for a number of major awards.
Critics described Black Butterflies as “a story of strife and hope set during the conflict in the Balkans in the early '90s,” and it was shortlisted in 2023 for: the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, among others, and chosen as an Indie Fiction Book of the Month.
Black Butterflies is a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize 2025 (winners to be announced in September).
Priscilla teaches creative writing in Ireland and studied Spanish, Italian and social anthropology at Cambridge University and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, where she earned her PhD.
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In this file Priscilla Morris and I discussed:
How her Grandfather’s funeral planted the seed that became her novel
Why art helps overcome the tragedies of war
Writing a love letter to the place she spent a part of her formative childhood
How to cultivate a balanced disposition toward your work over time
Why writing is a long game
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
priscillamorris.org
Black Butterflies: A Novel by Priscilla Morris (Amazon)
Priscilla Morris on Instagram
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes Writes: Part Two - Redux
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, returned to chat about why bestsellers stick around for years, why fiction is perfectly geared for the human mind, and her latest YA thriller, THE GRANDEST GAME.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 acclaimed young adult novels, including The Inheritance Games series (over 3 million copies sold), Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals, The Lovely and the Lost, and The Naturals series.
Her latest is another #1 New York Times bestseller, The Grandest Game (Volume 1) “... a new series that brings readers deeper into the lush, romantic, and puzzle-filled world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series, set a year after we last saw Avery and the Hawthornes.”
Jen is a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science including a Ph.D. from Yale University, and “...is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination.”
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In this file Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I discussed:
Juggling a book launch, edits, and revisions for three new books
How to reboot a hit series to capture the same energy as the original
Why she approaches writing as both a scientist and an author
How she uses lists of her favorite tropes to unlock her scenes
More theories on why readers love fiction
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes Writes: Part One
Jenniferlynnbarnes.com
The psychology of fiction with Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Re:Thinking with Adam Grant - TED Audio Collective
The Grandest Game (Volume 1) (The Grandest Game, 1) By Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Amazon)
Jennifer Lynn Barnes Amazon Author Page
Jennifer Lynn Barnes on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes Writes: Part One - Redux
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, spoke to me about how to write seven novels in 18 months, the psychology of fiction and fandom, and her latest YA mystery, THE BROTHERS HAWTHORNE.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 acclaimed young adult novels, including The Inheritance Games trilogy, Little White Lies, Deadly Little Scandals, The Lovely and the Lost, and The Naturals series.
Her latest is The Brothers Hawthorne, described as “Knives Out-esque” by Publishers Weekly, it is a story of [two brothers] “Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, [who] —with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather’s fortune—must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.”
Jen is a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science including a Ph.D. from Yale University, and “...is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination.”
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I discussed:
Her study of autism and why neurodivergents rely so heavily on story
How her bestselling trilogy went viral on TikTok
Why she writes for reluctant readers
How to write mysteries with intricate puzzles, twists, turns, and reveals
Her theories on why readers love fiction
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
Jenniferlynnbarnes.com
The psychology of fiction with Jennifer Lynn Barnes | Re:Thinking with Adam Grant - TED Audio Collective
The Brothers Hawthorne By Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Amazon)
Jennifer Lynn Barnes Amazon Author Page
Jennifer Lynn Barnes on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Josie Silver Writes
#1 New York Times bestselling author Josie Silver spoke to me about the laptop that changed her life, overcoming adversity early on, and her latest ghost-hunting rom-com CRAZY SPOOKY LOVE.
Josie Silver is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, One Night on the Island, and A Winter in New York, and her books have been published in over 25 languages.
Her latest novel, CRAZY SPOOKY LOVE (September 2, 2025), features a plucky medium, her fame-chasing ex, and an infuriatingly handsome skeptic reporter in a ghost-hunting series full of romance and humor.
Although Josie Silver burst onto the scene with her smash-hit debut romance, One Day in December in 2018, she had published books before—just under a different name, and never in the U.S. She tells me that story here.
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[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Josie Silver and I discussed:
How she wrote on maternity leave, won a contest, and got an agent
Why she couldn’t imagine doing anything else amidst multiple rejections
The need for authors to reinvent themselves often
How her latest protagonist strolled into her imagination fully formed
Rewriting a previously published work for a new set of editors
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
josiesilver.com
Crazy Spooky Love: A Melody Bittersweet Novel (Melody Bittersweet, 1) – September 2, 2025 – by Josie Silver (Amazon)
Josie Silver Amazon Author Page
Josie Silver on Twitter/X
Josie Silver on Instagram
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Jim Butcher Writes: Redux
#1 New York Times bestselling author, Jim Butcher, spoke with me about how he outlined a hit 20-novel series (years before he had an agent), why all steampunks wear goggles, and the second book in his Cinder Spires series, THE OLYMPIAN AFFAIR.
Jim Butcher is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and the Cinder Spires novels.
The long-anticipated second novel in his Cinder Spires series is The Olympian Affair, described by the author as “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Sherlock meets Hornblower,” in a series “... about noble families, magic-wielding warriors, and airship battles.”
Library Journal called it “... an exciting epic fantasy, set in the sky and filled with airships, magic, and the connections of blood and found family." And New York Times bestselling author David Weber said of the book, “It’s steampunk meets magic with a dose of sci-fi for seasoning.”
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In this file, Jim Butcher and I discussed:
Why “breaking into print is an arduous and discouraging process”
The Genre Fiction Novel class that changed his writing for good
Keeping your writing time sacred
When your fans become your boss
How to write a “steam opera”
His most important legacy as a writer
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
jim-butcher.com
The Olympian Affair (The Cinder Spires Book 2) by Jim Butcher (Amazon)
Jim Butcher Amazon Author Page
Jim Butcher on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
About The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
“Learn how acclaimed writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block.”
Each week, host Kelton Reid chats with guests like Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, on life after becoming a laureate; #1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry on her past life as a YA mid-lister; Celebrated author, Walter Mosley, on his conflicted feelings after winning a National Book Award; NY Times bestselling author, Lisa Scottoline, on what she learned from literary lion Philip Roth; #1 NY Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane on what he borrowed from Clint Eastwood; and bestselling author, Matt Haig, on the process behind his novel, The Midnight Library, and serial guest hosts: neuroscientist Michael Grybko, journalist Adam Skolnick, and short story writer Robert Bruce.
Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience, The Magnus Archives and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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