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

Posted: 5On with Leora Skolkin-Smith

Leora Skolkin-Smith, author of Edges and Hystera and contributing editor to readysteadybook.com, answers five questions about writing and five questions about publishing at JaneFriedman.com. . What is failure? That it sells only a few copies and doesn’t get review coverage? . . . Kristen TsetsiKristen Tsetsi is the author of the post-Roe v. Wade novel … Read more

Gratitude for a shout-out

Michael Brookes, UK game developer and author of Sun Dragon, Faust 2.0, and several others (favorably reviewed by Amazon and Goodreads readers), regularly posts a “shout-out” to blogs on his website. That he’s regular about it doesn’t mean he isn’t selective, and I’m happy he selected mine to be among those he decides are worth … Read more

5 On Moving to Jane Friedman’s Blog

Not too long ago, I started 5 On because I wanted to find a way to connect people who have a certain amount of experience with people who might learn or benefit from that experience, and I wanted to do it in an informal, entertaining way. I sent an interview invitation and an explanation of … Read more

5 On: Kris Saknussemm

What does a successful writer have to worry about? How does someone with nearly constant creativity-on-the-brain manage a romantic relationship? Are male and female writers really that different? Kris Saknussemm answers these questions and more in this installment of 5 On. Kris Saknussemm is the author of eleven books, including the Philip K. Dick Award … Read more

5 On: Rick Shefchik

In this installment of 5 On, retired journalist Rick Shefchik, author of the novels Amen Corner, Green Monster, Frozen Tundra, and Rather See You Dead, talks about the everywriter fantasy of leaving a job to write novels, shares his mystery/thriller-writing technique, and discusses his choice of genres. He also explains why he crossed from traditional … Read more

About 5 On

I’ve been an MFA student, a writing instructor, and an author. I discovered as a student and as an instructor that the limitations of the teaching were that they focused heavily on the writing part of writing. There was little about getting published, and even less about the industry-specific failures and successes authors experience in … Read more

5 On: Russell Rowland

In this 5On interview, author Russell Rowland  on publishing horror stories, what keeps him writing through “why bother?” moments, marketing, and more. _____ Russell Rowland is the author of In Open Spaces, The Watershed Years, and High and Inside, and and editor with Lynn Stegner of the anthology, West of 98: Living and Writing the … Read more

kristen j. tsetsi