The Fiction Lounge
Welcome to the Fiction Lounge, a podcast started by two writing besties with a passion to demystify the writing process together. Join us every Tuesday as we talk all things fiction writing, publishing, and all the possible topics in between.
Key Elements of Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, and Horror
Jess and Hannah discuss both the similarities and differences between the mystery, crime, thriller, and horror genres. They cover genre expectations, but also share what these genres all have in common. This episode helps clear up how to position your book within these specific areas of fiction.
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SHOW NOTES
Core Elements of a...
Exploring Identity with Alka Joshi
Hannah and Jess interview New York Times Bestselling author Alka Joshi about her new book Six Days in Bombay while discussing other topics such as identity and how great character work is born.
Born in India and raised in the U.S. since the age of nine. Alka Joshi has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. Joshi's debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a NYT bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and has been translated into 30 languages. The...
Key Elements of Genre: Women's Fiction vs. Romance
Hannah and Jess explain the similarities and differences between women's fiction and romance, provide practical ways to understand how to place your own novel, and three questions to ask yourself if you're looking for clarity.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Women’s Fiction vs. Romance: What’s The Difference? | Savannah Gilbo
Genre Guide | Lidia Hilj...
Moving Your Story Forward: Plot Devices
Hannah and Jess discuss why plot devices are one of the most important ways to move your story forward, what types of plot devices there are, and how you might already be using them without even realizing it.
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SHOW NOTES
Writers on the Move | Plot Devices
Exploring Dark Historical Fantasy with A.L. Sinclair
Hannah, Jess, and their guest A.L. Sinclair discuss her unique journey from pursuing self-publishing to being discovered by her now agent and going traditional publishing. They also discuss the work to write a dark historical fiction novel, finding the "why" behind your work, and how to build a solid, steady readership.
A. L. Sinclair is a debut adult dark fantasy author who enjoys weaving history, mythology, and complex, flawed characters into wonderfully subversive narratives. With a background in law, sustainability, and somatic healing, she loves exploring identity, trauma and power through a feminist lens. Her nonfiction...
Key Elements of Genre: Literary Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, and Commercial Fiction
Jess and Hannah introduce a new series on the key elements of writing in certain genres. In the first episode, they discuss the definitions and hallmarks of literary fiction, upmarket fiction, and commercial fiction. They explore case studies and even share ways that these genres can be markers within other genres as well (i.e., literary thrillers, upmarket romances, etc.).
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always...
Writing With Limitations
Hannah and Jess discuss their adaptations living life with chronic illness, discuss how mental health episodes can feel equally as limiting, and share their tips and mentalities for handling the difficult days.
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Myth, Lore, and First Love with John Glynn
Jess and Hannah talk about bringing mythology to life with editor and author John Glynn. They explore the idea of queer erasure within myth and lore, discuss the depth of writing about first love and how it changes you, and briefly geek out over Madeline Miller.
John Glynn is the Editorial Director of Hanover Square Press, an imprint of HarperCollins. His acclaimed nonfiction debut, Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer was an Indie Next pick, an Oprah, The Magazine "Best LGBTQ Book of 2019," a Cosmopolitan Best Book of 2019, a Refinery29 Outstanding LGBTQ+ Book of 2019, a Newsweek...
Writing A Country Rom-Com with Britt Middleton
Hannah and Jess talk with author Britt Middleton about her debut novel American Love Song, the importance of mental health representation in romance, and she provides practical advice and encouragement for new writers.
Britt Middleton is a romance and literary novelist passionate about tender love stories centering African-American women rediscovering their ambition.
Formerly a digital beauty producer at Popsugar and Black Entertainment Television (BET Networks), Britt’s journalism has been published by Refinery29, NYLON Magazine, and internationally with Nine Network Australia, among others.
She is an alum of Yale University’s Writers’ Workshop and a...
Navigating Sensitivity in Literature with Denise from Prose Without Thorns: Part 2
Hannah and Jess interview Denise Madre of Prose Without Thorns about her work in the field of sensitivity reading, and she provides practical ways to be more conscious when writing marginalized people. This episode is part two of a two part series.
A bibliophile with an English degree and a mild addiction to "Pride and Prejudice" variations, Denise Madre founded Prose without Thorns to help writers of all experience levels uncover their best work. She provides editing, sensitivity reads, and consultations for a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres. With more than 100,000 followers and 950,000 likes across all...
Navigating Sensitivity in Literature with Denise from Prose Without Thorns: Part 1
Hannah and Jess interview Denise Madre of Prose Without Thorns about her work in the field of sensitivity reading, and she provides practical ways to be more conscious when writing marginalized people. This episode is part one of a two part series.
A bibliophile with an English degree and a mild addiction to "Pride and Prejudice" variations, Denise Madre founded Prose without Thorns to help writers of all experience levels uncover their best work. She provides editing, sensitivity reads, and consultations for a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres. With more than 100,000 followers and 950,000 likes across all...
Favorite Books of 2026: Q1
Hannah and Jess discuss their top reads of the year so far!
SHOW NOTES
HANNAH'S PICKS:
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Hannah's Honorable Mention: Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
JESS'S PICKS:
The Trees by Percival Everett
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
Jazz by Toni Morrison
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
Jess's Honorable Me...
An Exciting Announcement
Hannah and Jess reveal an exciting announcement: The Fiction Lounge is now offering some author services! Jess shares the vision and process behind her editing consultation service, and Hannah shares the heart and process of her Plot Clarity Intensive.
SHOW NOTES
Jess's Editing Services
Hannah's Plot Clarity Intensive
Writing Historical Fiction with Laura Vogt
Guest author Laura Vogt talks historical fiction and her debut novel In the Great Quiet. From research and sensitivity readers to her drafting process, she provides amazing insight for new writers.
Laura Vogt is a historian, storyteller, and poet. She studied literature and history in undergrad and graduate school, focusing on Shakespeare, folk tales, and the History of Mentalities. Her poetry & prose is published in various journals, including Fourteen Hills, Pleiades, The Cimarron Review, Enchanted Living Magazine, South Carolina Review, Chapter House, and Rust + Moth. She loves all things wild and beautiful. Laura lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma...
How to Navigate the Messy Middle of Your Novel
Jess and Hannah talk about the challenges and demands of the "messy middle", and provide tips and tricks that might help you navigate this famously challenging portion of writing a novel.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Stuck in the Messy Middle? Tips for Drafting | Karen Krossing
The MIddle Third: Beats | Stephanie Danler
Writing a Series and Lessons from the Publishing Industry with Carmela Dutra
Three-peat guest and series author Carmela Dutra checks in on her author journey and shares valuable insights about plotting vs. pantsing, how she juggles multiple projects at once, and what she's learned during her time in the industry.
Carmela Dutra is a writer from the Bay Area who loves food trucks, family, and cozy mysteries. Her debut, A Murder Most Fowl, has been praised by Kirkus Reviews for its “serious set of crimes leavened by plenty of amusing moments,” by Criminal Element for the “juicy reasoning behind the sabotage that was almost as shocking as the murder itself...
When, How, and Where to End Your Novel
Jess and Hannah discuss endings: how to know what your genre expects of an ending, how to make sure your ending is strong, and some dos and don'ts when working on your ending.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
The Do's and Don'ts of Novel Endings | Writer's Digest
How to Write the Perfect Ending for...
How to Write Strong, Effective Openings
Hannah and Jess talk about what makes a strong opening, what detracts from a good opening, and they both bring different genre examples to examine together.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
How to Write a Killer Opening Scene | Write it Scared
Openings | Brandon Taylor
The Journey to Debut Author with Michelle Maryk
Guest author Michelle Maryk shares the keys to her writing journey, what she's learned from her improv background that helps her as a writer, and shares about her debut novel, The Found Object Society.
Michelle Maryk graduated from Cornell University and also attended the Yale Writer’s Worskhop. She has been a full-time voiceover artist as well as a commercial and comedic actor for over 25 years. THE FOUND OBJECT SOCIETY is a novel of speculative suspense and her debut. She is also a dual citizen of Sweden and the US. Fun fact: Michelle starred in an atrocious ho...
Writing Beautiful and Effective Prose
Jess and Hannah talk about the purpose of prose, its pitfalls, how to develop your prose style, and Jess shares some literary examples of solid prose.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Nikita Gill's Instagram
Kate Baer's Instagram
How to Write Strong Character Arcs
Hannah and Jess discuss the different (main) types of character arcs, why they matter, how to apply them, and how they can be useful for your secondary and minor characters.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Positive Character Arcs | Write it Scared
Negative Character Arcs | Write it Scared
Static Character Arcs | Write it...
Making Setting a Character with Leigh Shalloway
Jess and Hannah interview new author, Leigh Shalloway, on her Hilltown series debut. She shares important insights and valuable advice on resilience in the novel writing process, and shares how she was able to make setting almost like its own character within the narrative.
Leigh Shalloway has a psychology degree from Emory University and a master's degree in counseling and school psychology from Seattle University. Following graduation, she interned at the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change and worked as a lead psychologist for Sammamish schools.
She is also a holistic care practitioner...
Q&A Episode
In this installment of The Fiction Lounge Q&A, Hannah and Jess answer another round of questions ranging from the necessity of editing to what inspires our stories.
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Villains and Antagonists
Hannah and Jess explore villains and antagonists: the different types, the genre expectations for villains, and how to effectively build a villain your readers can love to hate.
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SHOW NOTES
Notes on Writing Character Relationships | Junot Diaz
How to Write Strong Characters | September C. Fawkes
How to Build Powerful...
Guest Interview with Molly Donlan
With special guest and reiki teacher Molly Donlan, Hannah and Jess dive into the magic of creativity and how it can be fostered through ritual, while discussing Molly's upcoming release, Mundane Magic, available February 17.
Molly Donlan is a Reiki Master Teacher, crystal healing expert, yoga teacher, and co-host of the Demystify Magic podcast who has dedicated her life to helping others unlock the transformative power of energy work and alternative healing modalities. With a background as an advocate for survivors of sexual violence and as a former skeptic of all things woo, Molly emphasizes the importance of...
Character Relationships
Hannah and Jess spend some time sharing their friendship lore, provide practical writing exercises that contributed to their writing wins of the week, and share the essentials of how to structure and envision your character relationships to make a stronger story.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
Guest Interview with Jennifer van der Kleut
Hannah and Jess interview debut author Jennifer van der Kleut about her upcoming debut novel, The Better Mother, available February 10.
Jennifer van der Kleut (née McBride) is an award-winning former journalist of both print and digital publications, including the D.C. affiliate of ABC7 News. A graduate of San Jose State University, she spent most of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to the Northern Virginia suburbs of D.C., where she currently lives with her husband and two sons. For nearly a decade, she was the lead singer of the Bay A...
Building Character Backstory
Jess and Hannah discuss character backstory: what it is, what it does for your story, how to build it, how to utilize it, and more. If you're struggling to figure out character motivations, or if you just want to make sure you're doing strong character work, make sure to give this episode a listen!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW...
From Self-Publishing to Traditional Publishing: What to Know
Hannah and Jess break down the recent trends of artists who are signing traditional publishing deals after self-publishing, what this means for the industry, and how you can apply these trends to your responsibilities as a career writer.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Easy Tips to Improve Your Manuscript
Hannah and Jess give advice on practical ways you can elevate your manuscript. Whether it's reading your book out loud, or learning how to ask for feedback, these tips are guaranteed to improve your current WIP.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
Favorite Books of 2025: Q4
Hannah and Jess discuss their favorite books of the semester, including some horror, romance, historical fiction, and honorary mention memoir!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
HANNAH'S PICKS:
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Alchemised by SenLinYu
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir Of A...
Guest Interview with Jade Gonzalez
Hannah and Jess interview guest author Jade Gonzalez about her self-publishing her journey ahead of her next release in her series. She gives advice on how to tackle insecurity as a writer with a dream and offers powerful perspective on how to navigate the self-publishing world.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
Jade Gonzalez is a New York–based author of yo...
A Conversation on AI
Hannah and Jess discuss the pros and cons along with the ethics of generative AI in the writing industry, as well as guidelines for ethical use for those interested.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Author's Guild Ethical AI Use Guidelines
ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study | TIME
How Creativity Survives in an AI Monoculture
Guest Interview with Literary Agent Jessica Berg
In their first interview with a literary agent, Jess and Hannah discuss all things querying, publishing, and more. They talk about the agent/author relationship, how the business of writing a book can be the majority of an author's work, and Jessica even answers some rapid fire literary agent questions!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
Jessica Berg is the founder of Rosecliff Literary. As a literary agent, she’s help guide authors through every stage ...
Hannah and Jess at the Texas Book Festival
Hannah and Jess visited the 30th Texas Book Festival and share live insights from their time there!
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
Guest Interview with Emily Soderberg
Emily Soderberg has always loved reading and writing mysteries. She was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, only moving away for college. She graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied Religious Studies and German, subjects that have come in handy exactly twice in her professional career. She's lived in St. Louis ever since, because moving seems like a huge hassle. These days, she spends her free time up in the air as a trapeze and aerial hoop coach. She might be tempted to run off and join the circus, but her cats prefer...
Let's Talk Tropes
Tropes have received a bad rep, but The Fiction Lounge is here to set the record straight! Jess and Hannah discuss what a trope is, how it is used, how it can benefit your work, and how you should embrace tropes in your work without compromising its literary value.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Tropes: The Good...
Your Book Pitch
Jess and Hannah process how to make a book pitch you can be proud of, while discussing all the aspects that need to go into making sure that pitch is solid.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
TFL Episode on Loglines and Elevator Pitches
The Basic Pitch Formula for Novelists | Jane Friedman
The Ulti...
The Ins and Outs of Hybrid Publishing
After a thoughtful question from the earlier Q&A episode, Jess and Hannah tackle the new industry of hybrid publishing: exploring the pros and cons, the expectations, and the standards that have been set for those interested in pursuing this hybrid path to publication.
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Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Hybr...
Q&A Episode
Hannah and Jess answer questions about editing, revising, genre, and hybrid publishing, the last of which is a new adventure our co-hosts will revisit in full in an upcoming episode!
Do you have feedback or episode requests for us? Fill out this form to let us know.
Don't forget to follow us on social media: @thefictionlounge on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads! And you can always visit our website!
SHOW NOTES
Jess's Editing Services
