“There are no shortcuts, right? It doesn't matter what you're writing—you just have to do it.”  — Mailan Doquang  Mailan Doquang is an architectural historian turned thriller writer. Mailan received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She has published extensively on the art and architecture of medieval France, in addition to teaching at some of the top universities in North America. Her debut novel is BLOOD RUBIES. Among other things, Mailan and Carter d...

Making It Up with Robert Bailey, author of The Boomerang

Making It Up is an unscripted conversation series about the messy reality of being a writer.Each episode is a deep, unplanned conversation with writers at every stage of the journey. New York Times bestselling authors. Award winners. Debut novelists just getting started. No prepared questions. No talking points. Just two people following the conversation wherever it leads.We talk about where stories really come from. Childhood influences. Fear. Luck. Loss. Discipline. Doubt. The highs, the lows, and the long stretches in between that rarely get talked about.At the end of every episode, we put the philosophy into practice. We choose a random sentence from a random book and use it to create an impromptu short story. No prep. No outline. Just making something out of nothing.Because that is the job.And that is the point.&nbsp;Visit Carter at www.carterwilson.com.