Why I Write

We all have those special friends who, when they tell us that we are going to love something, we trust them without question. That is how Justin Dillon came to be a guest on this podcast. A friend of mine knows that my heart and soul is with making the world a better place in any way possible, and that is what Justin’s first book, A Selfish Plan to Change the World: Finding Big Purpose in Big Problems, is all about. Justin Dillon is an artist, entrepreneur, public speaker, and...

New York Times best-selling author Scott Sigler is the creator of fifteen novels, six novellas and dozens of short stories. Scott is the co-founder of Empty Set Entertainment, which publishes his Galactic Football League YA series. He lives in San Diego, CA, with his wee little dog Reesie. They’re both diehard Detroit Lions fans.

Young Bolaji O was a shy child in Nigeria when he fell in love with Spider-Man comic books and the hopeful power of storytelling. Fast forward to him having children of his own. In addition to reading them books, he also made up stories for them. His wife was always encouraging him to write them down, and after being laid off from his job, he began to do so. Bolaji O is the founder of Brave Little Heroes Media, a publisher of children's books and mobile games. He specializes in writing...

The very first sentence of Grant Faulkner’s bio reads “As a boy, I spent my allowance on all sorts of pens and paper, so there was never much question I would become a writer.” Reading that, I knew we were going to have a fun conversation on the podcast. Among many other things, Grant is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month. If you are not familiar with NaNoWriMo (as it is known by), every November tens of thousands of people from around the world take to their keyboards...

We all know that books make great gifts. When I fall head over heels in love with a book, I tend to buy copies for people I think will appreciate it and benefit from reading it. This is how Lynnda Pollio’s book Trusting the Currents came into my life—as a gift from a friend who thought it was needed. Lynnda was born in rural New Jersey and wandered through childhood feeling like she belonged somewhere else. As an adult, she moved to New York City and began experiencing life from many new...

Kevin Smokler is a dear friend who changed my world when he asked me to be part of his panel at South by Southwest (SXSW) years ago, and since then our paths continue to cross. His latest book, Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to ’80s Teen Movies, has him visiting the actual locations where many of our beloved movies were filmed. If you enjoy The Goonies, The Breakfast Club, or Back to the Future, this book needs to be added to your must-read list. During the podcast, we discuss his love of...

You may recognize Byron Pitts’s name and face because he has been part of the American landscape for a number of years. He is currently the co-anchor of Nightline and the chief national correspondent for ABC News. In the past, Byron has served as the chief national correspondent for CBS News and contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes. Byron’s newest book, Be the One: Six True Stories of Teens Overcoming Hardship with Hope, shares the heartbreaking and inspiring stories of six young...

Laurie Halse Anderson is a writer known to many of you, but she was unknown to me until I walked into a panel at the 2016 NCTE Annual Convention about censorship and instantly appreciated her frank and blunt manor. She explained to me on the podcast that “life is short. I don’t believe in hiding the truth.” When I discovered that she is a New Englander at heart, It all made sense. Laurie is a New York Times–bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough...

Several years ago, I was waiting to board a plane in Baltimore and passed the time reading a galley copy of Erika Napoletano’s soon-to-be-released book The Power of Unpopular: A Guide to Building Your Brand for the Audience Who Will Love You (and Why No One Else Matters). A few chapters in, I found myself having to stop because the writing was good enough that it made me a bit jealous. After texting her to congratulate her on making me feel this way, I dove back in and finished it before...

I first met author Jeff Goins in the back of a car on the way to the airport in Dallas. We had both spoken at a large event in Texas and yet somehow hadn’t crossed paths before. After the typical introductions and discussion of what we were working on, he reached into his bag and politely said, “I don’t usually do this, but I think you would really appreciate my latest book Wrecked based on what you just told me.” He was right. I loved the book; it was also the book I needed to read at...

Today we are excited to welcome award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson to the Why I Write podcast. Our Annual Convention will be happening this November in St. Louis, and we are excited to have Jacqueline as one of our Keynote Speakers. Register today so that you don’t miss out on any of the amazing content, meetings, and happenings. Jacqueline is the bestselling author of more than two dozen award-winning books for adults, young adults, middle graders, and children. Her New York Times...

From the moment I first watched A Pep Talk from Kid President to You and heard the classic line, “Not cool, Robert Frost!,” I was a fan of Brad Montague and his writing. Now, you may not have heard of Brad, but I’m betting/hoping you have heard of his most successful creation so far, Kid President. But Brad is about more than one amazing project, and we had the chance to talk about all of this on this episode of the Why I Write Podcast. We, of course, discussed the success of Kid...

I’m a self-admitted geek and love technology. So when the words of Daniel Suarez’s writing entered my world, I was better for it. Daniel writes thrillers that focus on near-future technology and how it may be abused. His stories target technology that you may have read about but haven’t experienced yet. Think about an autonomous Humvee attacking in Daemon, swarms of drones in Kill Decision, and genetically modified embryos in his newest book, Change Agent. Daniel Suarez is a New York...

In the days following the Inauguration, I read The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet and instantly knew that I had to have Carmen Agra Deedy as a guest on the podcast. Born in Havana, Cuba, she came to the US as a refugee in 1964. Carmen grew up in Decatur, Georgia, where she still lives today. She has been writing books for children for over two decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Over the course of her writing career, she has been nominated and won a variety of awards. She is...

Over the course of my life, I’ve crossed paths with a variety of amazing people and one of those is journalist Ellen McGirt. She is an award-winning business journalist specializing in long form profiles. Currently, she writes a daily column covering race, culture, and leadership for Fortune called raceAhead. Every day when it arrives in my inbox, I stop whatever I’m doing and immediately read it. During her time at Fast Company, she wrote a number of high profile cover stories about a...

Almost from the first moment of hitting record on this podcast, one name kept coming up as a must-have guest and that was Sharon M. Draper. Sharon is a professional educator as well as an accomplished writer. She has been honored as the National Teacher of the Year, is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Awards, and is a New York Times bestselling author, with Out of My Mind staying on the list for almost two years. On this episode, we talk about the importance of...

My path first crossed with David Moldawer’s when he hired my marketing agency to help with a social media push for a book he was working on at St. Martin’s Press. Since then our paths have continued to cross in a variety of fun ways and today I’m excited that those paths lead him to being a guest on the Why I Write Podcast. David is based in Brooklyn, New York, and he spent over a decade as a book editor at a slew of New York publishing houses acquiring and editing bestselling...

I need to make a confession to all of you before you listen to this episode. Before attending the NCTE Annual Convention last fall, I had never heard of Deborah Wiles or read any of her work. Shocking because I now know all the praise and awards her books have received over the years. Born in Alabama into an Air Force family and spending her growing-up summers in a small Mississippi town with an extended family full of Southern characters. Today they live on in her stories. The...

Welcome to 2017! I hope your holidays were full of smiles, time with loved ones and of course books! To get the new year off on the right foot, I’m excited to release our latest podcast episode with bestselling author Seth Godin. Seth’s writing includes talking about purple cows, meatball sundaes, the dip and tribes. He is considered by many to be one of the most inspiring writers in the business and marketing genre. He believes that words on paper go to a special place in our...