Authors on the Importance of Trusting Yourself (and writing what & how you want to write)

I interview a lot of writers for JaneFriedman.com, and I’ve also been listening to many interviews with writers, primarily on The VJ Books Podcast and The Thriller Zone. My favorite part of any interview is one in which the writer shares something illustrative of a determination to retain or honor an independent artistic spirit, to write what they want … Read more

Q&A: The Year of Dan Palace

This interview was originally published on the now-absent website Indie Bookworm, hosted/written by Cathy Murray. It’s short. Enjoy! P.S.  If you’re interested in receiving a copy of The Year of Dan Palace for review or interview purposes, let me know!  – Kristen   ∞ Why did you write The Year of Dan Palace? When we … Read more

A Hopeful Author Apologizes to a Literary Agent for an Email Error

From: JessicaSmith@mail.com To: JessicaVale@agentmail.com Sent: Saturday, 11:07 PM Dear Jessica Vale, In my recent email to you requesting representation for my literary novel Letters Lost, I neglected to include my telephone number. I apologize for the oversight. You’ll find the number in my signature below. I hope this minor error won’t tarnish your opion of my … Read more

Self-Publishing “Lacks the Cool Factor”? But, Hasn’t Independence Always Been Cool?

Note: This post was originally published at my old website location, but my opinions haven’t changed, so I moved it here. I don’t know whether Edan Lepucki’s opinions have changed.- K In “Kill the First Novel? Are You Insane?” I responded to author Edan Lepucki’s decision to semi-permanently put away her first novel after it … Read more

Writing for the readers: A short story

__________________ * __________________ “No ideas?” “Oh,” he thumbed his mug handle, “I have ideas.” “Well, then. There you go. Write them.” “Can’t.” “Why not?” “Because. What’s the point?” “What do you mean?” “I mean,” he said, “what’s the point? I start writing a paragraph, or I imagine a scene, and I just stop. I think, … Read more

Recently posted 5On interviews

If you’re not yet following 5On, you can keep track of newly published interviews by subscribing to my feed (bright red button over there –>) or Jane Friedman’s blog feed. Or both, because then you’ll receive more than interview updates, and “more” is almost always better. Recent interviews: Victoria Zackheim  Nothing is more humbling than … Read more

kristen j. tsetsi