In the spotlight is the author of “Bright Lights, Big City” — the explosively successful debut novel by Jay McInerney, selling 700,000 copies during its first year, and tens-of-thousands of copies annually for years running. Dubbed a member of the 1980s “brat pack” (along with Bret Easton Ellis and Tama Janowitz), McInerney followed his sensational rookie effort with titles including: “Story of My Life,” “Brightness Falls,” “The Last of the Savages,” “Model Behavior” and “The Last Bachelor,” and others.  We discuss:  >> Writing in second person >> The trappings of literary success >> His new projects >> Raymond Carver >> New York’s literati >> Contrasting the 1980s with the 2020s >> His passion for wine and writing columns about the fermented grape >> Etc.  Learn more about Jay McInerney here: https://jaymcinerney.com  Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program. 

In the spotlight is Sasha Vasilyuk, author of the debut novel YOUR PRESENCE IS MANDATORY, now available for pre-order and soon to be published in the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, France, Finland and Brazil. She is also a journalist who has written for The New York Times, TIME magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Bazaar, NBC, USA Today, and other media outlets.  We discuss:  >> The transition from journalist to novelist >> A key San Francisco writers’ group >> Multisensory writing >> The macrocosm versus the microcosm >> The invasion of Ukraine >> Alexie Navalny >> Russian POWs >> Etc.  Learn more about Sasha Vasilyuk here: www.sashavasilyuk.com   Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program. 

In the spotlight is Jonathan Eller, author of a three-volume biography of science fiction novelist and short story writer Ray Bradbury. Eller is also founding director of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at Indiana University. We discuss Ray Bradbury’s  >> writing lessons>> work ethic>> fear of the dark>> love of magic>> passion for ideas>> Los Angeles basement>> Favorite authors>> Etc. Learn more about Ray Bradbury here: https://raybradbury.com/  Learn more about Jonathan Eller here: https://liberalarts.iupui.edu/centers/iat/directory/jonathan-r-eller/ Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

In the spotlight is romance novelist Audrey Carlan, a No. 1 New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller. She writes stories that help readers “find themselves while falling in love.” Some of her works include the Calendar Girl serial, the Trinity series, the International Guy series, 1001 Dark Nights series, and the Marriage Auction series. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages. We discuss: >> Moving from self-published to traditional publisher>> The inspiration from Fifty Shades of Grey>> Reading three hours per night>> The temperamental muse>> Writing effective sex scenes>> Etc. Learn more about Audrey Carlan here: https://audreycarlan.com/ Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

In the spotlight is T.C. Boyle, the author of more than 30 books of fiction, including titles such as “Blue Skies,” “The Harder They Come,” “The Terranauts," “The Relive Box,” “Outside Looking In,” “Talk to Me” and “I Walk Between the Raindrops.” He was a longtime lit professor at USC, and his books have been translated into more than two dozen foreign languages.  We discuss:  >> Writing methods >> Narrative >> Teaching the craft >> Music >> Drugs >> The outdoors >> Optimism and pessimist >> Etc.  Learn more about T.C. Boyle here: https://www.tcboyle.com/  Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.  

In the spotlight is Joanna Penn, who teaches how to write, publish and market your book — and make a living with your writing. She is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author more than 35 books published and almost 1 million sold across 169 countries in five languages. She is also a podcaster, international speaker, and entrepreneur. But it hasn't always been this way for Joanna Penn. She was an IT consultant for 13 years for large corporations in Europe and Asia. Though well employed, she was determined to become a full-time novelist — and accomplished that feat in September 2011. In February 2011, she published her first thriller novel “Pentecost,” later republished as “Stone of Fire.” There are now 11 books in the ARKANE action-adventure thriller series, described by readers as “Dan Brown meets Lara Croft.” We discuss: >> Why she writes fiction under the name J.F. Penn >> Why she writes nonfiction under Joanna Penn >> The use of generative AI >> Selling books through an author’s Shopify store >> The Creative Penn podcast >> Traveling for research >> Her theological studies >> Etc. Learn more about Joanna Penn here: https://www.thecreativepenn.com Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program. 

In the spotlight is Cornell University professor of literature Robert Morgan, who will discuss the life, times and writings of famed novelist Thomas Wolfe. Morgan has a good deal in common with the author. Thomas Wolfe hails from Asheville, N.C., and Robert Morgan hails from Henderson County, just south of Asheville. They have the same birthday (Oct. 3), and both are graduates from the Chapel Hill campus of the University of North Carolina, an both lived most of their adult lives in the northern U.S.  Robert Morgan is himself a poet, short story writer, novelist and author of nonfiction books — 15 books of poetry, nine volumes of fiction, and three nonfiction books. His bestselling novel “Gap Creek” was an Oprah Book Club selection.  We discuss:  >> Being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey >> What people don’t get about poetry >> The sound and voice of poetry >> Learning to be reckless with one’s prose >> Aline Bernstein, Thomas Wolfe’s mistress and muse >> Southerners and storytelling? >> Etc.  Learn more about Robert Morgan’s writing and books here: https://www.robert-morgan.com/   Learn more about Robert Morgan’s professorship at Cornell University here: https://english.cornell.edu/robert-morgan  Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

In the spotlight is TV and movie writer/producer/executive producer and creator Dean Hargrove. He has been writing and creating television series since 1961 when he became a staff writer on the first “Bob Newhart Show.” He became the sole staff writer on “The Man from UNCLE” and wrote the screenplay for the pilot of “Columbo.” Thereafter, he created and produced “Matlock,” “Jake and the Fatman,” “The Father Dowling Mysteries,” “McBride,” “Jane Doe” and “Murder 101.” He also wrote and produced 33 Perry Mason movies, among many other programs — and he’s not done. Dean Hargrove is currently developing a radio podcast series titled “The Trials of Johnnie Cochran,” as well as a potential British TV series titled “The Trial of Joan of Arc.”  We discuss:  >> Breaking into the business >> How TV programs come into being >> UCLA Film School >> The career turning point >> The brilliance of producer Fred Silverman >> The “golden age of television” >> The lifestyle of a TV writer >> Etc.  Learn more about Dean Hargrove here: https://www.deanhargrove.com  Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

It took Carl Vonderau a long time to become a full-time author. He left his native Cleveland to study economics at Stanford, then spent more than 30 years as a banker in the United States, Latin America and North Africa — international settings that served as inspiration for his crime novels “Murderabilia” and “Saving Myles.” His work was honored with a Left Coast Crime award for Best Debut, and a San Diego Book award for Best Mystery.  We discuss:  >> Why behind every crime is a family >> The importance of setting and point of view. >> Focusing on “voice” >> The use of objects in character development and storytelling >> Writing 50,000 words in a month. >> Getting an agent through a one-sentence pitch >> Using a developmental editor >> Being raised a Christian Scientist >> Etc.  Learn more about Carl Vonderau here: https://carlvonderau.com  Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program. 

In the spotlight is Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV and film. His collaboration with legendary filmmaker George Romero (“The Living Dead”) was acclaimed by The New York Times and The Washington Post, and during his collaboration with Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored “The Shape of Water,” the Oscar-winning film. Kraus’s work has been translated into more than 20 languages. We discuss: >> Writing as obsession >> Combining plotted and freeform writing >> Genre hopping >> Hitting the cover of the New York Times Book Review >> His objective to “write beautifully about terrible things” >> The writer’s work ethic >> Etc.  Learn more about Daniel Krause here: https://www.danielkraus.com/ Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century” and “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play.” Buy them on any major bookselling site. Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.