The Writing Table with Kris Clink

Tina Schwartz is an author, public speaker, and literary agent, and founder of The Purcell Agency. She has a B.A. in Marketing Communications with an Advertising Emphasis from Columbia College Chicago. Her big dream was to write Super Bowl ads for television. When that dream didn't come to fruition, she became a media buyer, and then a sales rep for over 500 radio stations, selling airtime to advertisers. After several years, she made a career pivot to stay home and raise her three children and began writing books. Seven years after her first publication, she opened The Purcell Agency...

Seth Fleisher is an American author whose work has appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, Pearl, the Journal of Anthropological Research, and elsewhere. Based in Berkeley, California, he has worked with the World Bank Group and other NGOs in South Africa, India, and more than 40 other countries, and co-founded a U.S.-based democracy initiative to counter the rising tide of authoritarianism. A former Fulbright scholar in Sri Lanka, Seth did Ph.D. work at Harvard in Buddhist social history, a fellowship at Harvard's Center for the Study of World Religions, and a B.A. in literature at Swarthmore...

Kathleen Fox is a former teacher, school librarian, and corporate trainer. She developed games, children’s books, and music for the school library market, and founded a local art school in her community. She also helped co-founder a digital platform to help

children elevate their innovative thinking. When she isn’t writing, Fox can usually be found cruising around the country in her Sprinter van with her husband and two dogs. She’s navigated her van “Grey” through most of the continental US, the Canadian providences, and Alaska. She prefers rural towns and scenic routes. Kathleen calls the coast...

Jonathan Edward Durham (@thisone0verhere) was born in Eastern Pennsylvania where he read voraciously through his youth and beyond. He studied literature at William and Mary while pursuing a degree in neuroscience, and now writes to bridge the wonder of his favorite childhood books with the pop sensibilities of the classic thrillers he grew up with. He still lives in the Lehigh Valley with his husband and a house full of animals. His debut novel is Winterset Hollow. 

Learn more at jonathanedwarddurham.com 

Follow him on social media at @thisone0verhere

In...

Sara Z. Carson is a public relations professional who lives with her family in Brooklyn. Dark Messiah is her first book. 

Learn more at sarahzcarsonauthor.com 

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Laleh Khadivi is the author of The Kurdish Trilogy. She is the recipient of a Whiting Award, a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Oakland, California with her family and teaches fiction at the University of San Francisco. Her latest novel is FEMALE LIFE ON PLANET EARTH. 

Learn more at LalehKhadivi.com

Thank you, NetGalley for an early copy of Female Life on Planet Earth. 

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Charlotte Lillie Balogh is an author, a screenwriter, and a comic book writer born and raised outside Boston. She self-published her first book at sixteen years old and later graduated as a Remembrance Scholar from Syracuse University. CLB is a lifelong superhero fanatic, and she launched into the television and film industry by working at DC Entertainment on projects including Wonder Woman 1984 and the CW’s Stargirl. When she’s not writing, CLB mentors young women through RowLA and WriteGirl, helping to create the next generation of real-life superheroes. She is the author of KILL THE LAX BRO (available now...

USA Today bestselling author HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the author of 17 thrillers, including her newest, the instant USA today bestseller ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS, which just won the coveted 2026 Mary Higgins Clark Award and has been nominated for the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Year. • Her books have won every major mystery award in the industry and have been translated into multiple languages throughout the world. • Her fiction is inspired by a lifetime of investigating true crime during her storied career as an on-air television reporter. She’s been awarded multiple honors for her groundbreaking journalism, includ...

Rebecca Stafford is a YA author, poet, and writing teacher. Her debut novel, Rabbit and Juliet, was named a Best YA Book of 2024 by both Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. Her second novel, The Ending You Deserve, is forthcoming from Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins in September 2026. She is also the author of four poetry collections — Fair Copy, Vow, Gloss, and Generic Husband — and a two-time Pushcart Prize winner whose poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, The New Yorker, and Best American Poetry. She holds an MFA from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD from Florida State Univ...

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, been optioned for television, and has been published in 28 countries. J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, where she is hard at work on her next novel. Her latest novel is You Know Why. 

Learn more at...

Leslye Penelope has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She also writes award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance as L. Penelope. Equally left and right-brained, she studied filmmaking and computer science in college and sometimes dreams in HTML. She hosts the My Imaginary Friends podcast, co-hosts the Ink and Magic podcast, and lives in Maryland with her feline dependents. Her latest novel is: THE INEVITABLE UNDOING OF ZAHARA DOUGLASS.  

For more on Leslye Penelope, follow her on Instagram: @leslyepenelope

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Jess Row is the author of the novel Your Face in Mine, the essay collection White Flights: Race, Fiction, and the American Imagination, and two collections of short stories, The Train to Lo Wu and Nobody Ever Gets Lost. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Tin House, Conjunctions, Ploughshares, Granta, n+1, and elsewhere, has been anthologized three times in The Best American Short Stories, and has won two Pushcart Prizes and a PEN/O. Henry Award. He has received a Guggenheim fellowship, an NEA fellowship in fiction, a Whiting Writers Award, and a...

Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 26 books ranging from literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers, and (on occasion) ghost stories. His work has been translated into 35 languages and become three movies and an Emmy-winning TV series. He is a playwright and has two other novels in development for TV series as well. His books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, and more. His novel, MIDWIVES was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club, and his novel, HOUR OF THE WITCH, was a Ba...

Lisa Roe graduated from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and spent many years as an advertising creative director and copywriter in New York City before she accepted the tougher job of stay-at-home mom and turned to writing fiction —mostly to entertain her kids, but then to tell her own stories. A classic first born, reluctant empty nester, and Dr. Doolittle wannabe, Lisa lives in New Jersey with her husband, David and three incorrigible dogs. Her latest novel is Big & Lily. 

Learn more at lisaroe.com 

Special thanks to NetGalley for...

Victoria Lavine’s love of romance novels started in high school with a crate of old bodice rippers and a wink from her local librarian. Now, she writes her own Happily Ever Afters when she’s not enjoying the great state of Maine with her husband and daughter, taking orders from her two cats, or coming up with excellent reasons to make her next latte. Her latest novel is Not that Kind of Proposal. 

Learn more at victorialavine.com 

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Sarah Flocken is an upmarket fiction author. She is also a public relations professional, comedian, improviser, and pun contest host (yes, it’s a thing). Sarah’s poetry, essays, and short stories were published in school literary journals throughout her teen and early adult years. After that, she turned her attention to building a career in public relations, where she’s written millions of words for other people in the form of op-eds, speeches, press releases, whitepapers, sponsored articles, talking points, Senate floor remarks, and more. She is currently the owner and principal of SLH Communications, a PR consultancy in San...

David Ellis is a judge and an Edgar-award-winning author of ten novels of crime fiction, as well as eight bestselling books co-authored with James Patterson. His novels have been translated into more than ten languages worldwide. In December 2014, Dave was sworn in as the youngest-serving Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court for the First District. He lives outside Chicago with his wife and three children. 

Learn more at davidellis.com 

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Brianna Labuskes is the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Amazon Charts best-selling author of psychological thrillers and historical fiction. Her books have been translated into several languages worldwide. She grew up in Pennsylvania, lived in Washington D.C. for many years, and now lives in in Pennsylvania with her puppy, Jinx. 

Her latest novel is CLEAN SLATE. 

Learn more at Briannabwrites.com 

Special thanks to NetGalley for early previews. 

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Amy Archer is from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. She has loved writing since becoming her grandad’s pen-pal at the age of six. Growing up on the boundary of various cricket pitches across the north whilst her brother played, she took to carting a laptop around to scribble down stories, poetry and copious amounts of fanfiction. Since then, Amy had graduated from Faber Academy and was longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2022. She now spends her time writing about all things fantastical. Her debut novel is Nemesis Mine. 

Learn more by following Amy on Instagram at amy...

Brooke Fast is a lover of dystopian, fantasy, and all things romance. When she’s not writing new worlds, you can find her curled up on the couch with her husband and their pups in their self-built tiny house in the mountains of Maine. She’ll either be consuming copious amounts of coffee and thumbing through the latest romantasy release or sharing book reviews and writing snippets under her alter-ego, @librarybrookes. 

To Cage a Wild Bird is her first novel. 

Learn more at authorbrookefast.com 

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Writing domestic suspense under the pseudonym Cleo Ballard, Nan Fischer also writes young adult novels, such as When Elephants Fly and The Speed of Falling Objects. Additional author credits include Junior Jedi Knights, a middle grade Star Wars trilogy for LucasFilm, and co-authored sport autobiographies for elite athletes including #1 ranked tennis superstar Monica Seles, Triple Crown race winning jockey Julie Krone, Olympic gold medal speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, legendary gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, and Olympic gold medal gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Shannon Miller. A graduate of Cornell University and former Traveling Writer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey...

Stephanie Mack is an author, speaker, and podcast host with a passion for the art of great storytelling. Her novels blend women’s fiction and romantic elements with meaningful insights for readers navigating the complexities of modern life. Throughout her career, she has been trusted to craft language for individuals, publications, and Fortune 500 companies. As a podcast host, she has interviewed numerous New York Times bestselling authors and literary stars. Stephanie’s work has also appeared on Scary Mommy, Faithit, Coffee + Crumbs, and more. Stephanie lives in Orange County, California, with her husband and three daughters, balancing motherhood, creativity, and...

Kate Khavari is the USA Today bestselling author of fiction ranging from historical mysteries to high fantasy epics. She has her parents to thank for her fascination for historical mysteries, as she spent the majority of her childhood memorizing Sherlock Holmes’s and Poirot’s greatest quips. A former teacher, Kate has a deep appreciation for research and creativity, not to mention the multitasking ability she now relies on as an author and stay at home mom. She lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas with her husband, children, and a lovely garden that contains absolutely no poisonous plan...

What does it take to fold a lifelong career in cardiology into one as a successful thriller writer? 

Dr. Cristina LePort, accomplished cardiologist and Amazon bestselling author, captivates readers with her medical thrillers, which merge her rich medical background with gripping narratives. Cristina’s novels, including Dissection, Change of Heart, and Defrosted offer a unique blend of suspense, medical insight, and ethical exploration. Her journey from Italy to the U.S. and transition from medicine to writing highlights her resilience, intellectual curiosity, and dedication to storytelling. Cristina’s work stands at the crossroads of medicine and literature, engag...

Jasper Craven is an investigative journalist covering the military and veterans’ issues. His writing has appeared in Harper’s, Politico, The Intercept, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times. He is also a fellow at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute.  His latest book is God Forgives, Brothers Don't.

Learn more by following Jasper at @Jasper_Craven on X and @jaspercraving on Instagram. 

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Eloisa has published over 30 historical romances, many of which have hit the bestseller lists. She also wrote a bestselling memoir, Paris in Love, as well as a contemporary novel, Lizzie and Dante. Her books are published in 28 languages and 30 countries, from Slovakia to Sweden. Worldwide, she has approximately 7 million books published in print or electronically. She lives in New York City and Florence, Italy. After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Her "double life” as...

Debut novelist Andrew Forrester is a writer and former English teacher whose work has appeared in McSweeney's and Parents magazine. He holds a PhD in nineteenth-century British literature and lives in Austin, Texas, with his family. How the Story Goes is his first novel.

Learn more at andrewforresterbooks.com

Special thanks to NetGalley for early previews. 

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Kate Clark Stone’s fiction features strong and vulnerable heroines, a lot of heart, and endless love for flyover states. Kate attended her first Indianapolis 500 at six years old and wrote her first book at eleven. A former attorney, Kate relishes watching fast cars, swimming and paddling sports, the Oxford comma, and traveling here/there/everywhere.  Kate lives in southeastern Tennessee with her husband, children, and two very good dogs. While Kate has lived in the South for decades, she is and will forever be a Hoosier at heart.  Her debut novel is called THE LAST SUNDAY IN MAY...