Today’s episode is extra-awesome because I’m speaking with not one, not two, but three fabulous ladies, who have had hand in bringing a truly buzz-worthy novel to life, on the show!

First we have author Samantha Downing, whose debut novel My Lovely Wife has been getting a lot of attention. When she was a kid, Samantha’s mom brought her to the library every two weeks, where she would check out a stack of new books that she couldn’t put it down. She walked around with a book in front of her face, often walking into walls and stubbing her toes because she never watched where she was going. In her adult life she decided she wanted to be the one telling stories that would make people walk into walls and My Lovely Wife, is one such book.

Next we have Samantha’s agent Barbara Poelle who began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in 2007. Barbara also did a brief stint as a standup comic in Los Angeles and if you’ve ever bumped into her at a conference or literary event, you know she is hilarious. Barbara has found success placing thrillers, suspense, young adult and upmarket fiction, She is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice.

Jen Monroe is the editor behind this fabulous book. She joined Berkley in November 2016 and edits psychological suspense, upmarket fiction, speculative fiction, and narrative nonfiction. Previously, Jen spent two years at HarperAudio where she handled all editorial needs, and produced the in-house podcast HarperAudio Presents. Jen also pursued journalism interning for places including The New York Times and The San Francisco Examiner.

So listen as Samantha, Barbara, Jen and I chat about the amazing novel MY LOVELY WIFE, and the teamwork involved between an author, agent, editor to bring a book into the world.

In this episode Samantha, Barbara, Jen and I discuss:

• The matchmaking experience of publishing.
• Why communication is vital to a successful author-agent-editor relationship.
• Crafting an unreliable narrator while still maintaining your readers’ trust.
• Advice to help navigate disagreements in the editorial process.
• The most important thing querying writers need to know.

Plus, each of these lovely ladies’ #1 tip for writers.

About Samantha Downing

Born in the Bay Area and now living in the Big Easy, Samantha Downing considers both to be home. When she was a kid, Samantha’s mom brought her to the library every two weeks, and she would check out a stack of new books and new worlds. The best thing to her was becoming so absorbed in a book that she couldn’t put it down. She walked around with the book in front of her face, took it to the bathroom, the kitchen, the book came with her wherever she went. She tripped, ran into walls and stubbed her toes because she never watched where she was going. So in her adult life she decided she wanted to be the one telling stories that would make people walk into walls.

Along the way to this discovery she went to school, worked a few jobs and learned a thing or two. Throughout it all, she wrote. She never studied writing, it was just a hobby that grew into a passion, and a dozen books later (eleven of which she declares were truly terrible), her first novel, My Lovely Wife, is now available.

To connect with Samantha check out her website at www.samanthadowning.com.

About Barbara Poelle

Barbara Poelle began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in 2007, but feels as if she truly prepared for the industry during her brief stint as a standup comic in Los Angeles. She has found success placing thrillers, suspense, young adult and upmarket fiction and is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice. Barbara also writes the column “Funny You Should Ask”, in Writer’s Digest.

To learn more about Barbara check out the Irene Goodman Literary Agency website at www.irenegoodman.com.

About Jen Monroe

Associate Editor Jen Monroe joined Berkley in November 2016. She edits psychological suspense, upmarket fiction, speculative fiction, and narrative nonfiction. Previously, Jen spent two years at HarperAudio where she handled all editorial needs, spearheaded original programming, and produced the in-house podcast HarperAudio Presents. Before publishing, she pursued journalism interning for The New York Times, Upfront and The San Francisco Examiner. Originally from San Francisco, she has an English & Creative Writing degree from Sarah Lawrence College.

My Lovely Wife

Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 245

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 245: The Author-Agent-Editor Collaboration — Interview with Samantha Downing, Barbara Poelle, and Jen Monroe appeared first on DIY MFA.