Stephanie Duncan Smith is a senior editor for HarperOne. She has spent her career developing award-winning and bestselling authors. She is the creator of Slant Letter, a Substack email newsletter for writers who want to deepen their craft and do it in style. She is also the author of Even After Everything: The Spiritual Practice of Knowing the Risks and Loving Anyway.

In this episode, Stephanie Duncan Smith and Jonathan Rogers talk about creative risk as a way of "going first" for the reader—and giving the reader a little more courage.

Stephanie Duncan Smith is a senior editor for HarperOne. She has spent her career developing award-winning and bestselling authors. She is the creator of <a href="https://stephanieduncansmith.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search">Slant Letter</a>, a Substack email newsletter for writers who want to deepen their craft and do it in style. She is also the author of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/even-after-everything-the-spiritual-practice-of-knowing-the-risks-and-loving-anyway-stephanie-duncan-smith/21144574?ean=9780593727751">Even After Everything: The Spiritual Practice of Knowing the Risks and Loving Anyway</a>.
In this episode, Stephanie Duncan Smith and Jonathan Rogers talk about creative risk as a way of "going first" for the reader—and giving the reader a little more courage.

Conversations with writers about writing, hosted by Jonathan Rogers.

The Habit

The Habit Podcast

Stephanie Duncan Smith Takes Risks.

Steven James has written and published about twenty books in the last couple of decades. Most of his novels and been thrillers. But with his new novel, Rift, he’s doing something completely new: young adult Appalachian folktale horror. Steven has lived in the southern Appalachians since the 1990s.

The part of East Tennessee where Rift is set was hit really hard by Hurricane Helene a couple of weeks ago. Steven’s publisher, Rebecca Reynolds of Sky Turtle Books, also lives in the region. She is putting together a project to collect old stories from Appalachia, creating an anthology that can be used to raise funds for the area. 

She needs help finding the storytellers and their stories. Part 2 of this episode is a short conversation with Rebecca Reynholds about the Old Stories project.

Here's a video about The Old Stories: An Appalachian Anthology.

<a href="https://stevenjames.net/">Steven James</a> has written and published about twenty books in the last couple of decades. Most of his novels and been thrillers. But with his new novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rift-1-Trilogy-Steven-James/dp/1963559002/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23HU663D540PY&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bJ5RFAGiRe3SCg_WWKR5WhwJhWX4DyjE75bb9u3eTj5wU_Mmxhk-AgC9W5f9cWmWrtkQRzqZ2cVyPCgzYScRstCbwFh7BsuxNDoluIAZtyDvMJkn8eIb06e-RlmQXlHQuIhiCQf9jLFg3ur3yu73lMZgSVtBAMefRZxvmkhfihwqDfbEsakFNdQJPk_7x4VORSVI5B9wmm6VOvXTRsYF37kxH0l45dS8uaPxeNotHyA.bGtO2slcBSMEV7-fi1fFJeECw6qhk45sw1kzorzGDfQ&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=rift+steven+james&amp;qid=1728269782&amp;sprefix=rift+stev%2Caps%2C109&amp;sr=8-1">Rift</a>, he’s doing something completely new: young adult Appalachian folktale horror. Steven has lived in the southern Appalachians since the 1990s.
The part of East Tennessee where Rift is set was hit really hard by Hurricane Helene a couple of weeks ago. Steven’s publisher, Rebecca Reynolds of Sky Turtle Books, also lives in the region. She is putting together a project to collect old stories from Appalachia, creating an anthology that can be used to raise funds for the area. 
She needs help finding the storytellers and their stories. Part 2 of this episode is a short conversation with Rebecca Reynholds about the Old Stories project.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS1iKsfDCMM">Here's a video</a> about The Old Stories: An Appalachian Anthology.

Steven James Loves Appalachia. (So Does Rebecca Reynolds.)

Carolyn Leiloglou is the author of the middle grade fantasy series The Restorationists. Book Two of that series, Between Flowers and Bones, has been recently released. In this episode, Carolyn and I talk about writing about family, balancing motherhood with creative pursuits, and the ways that interacting with visual art enriches writing.

Here's a video of Carolyn in San Antonio's McNay Art Museum, referenced in the episode.

Carolyn Leiloglou is the author of the middle grade fantasy series The Restorationists. Book Two of that series, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/between-flowers-and-bones-carolyn-leiloglou/20984697?ean=9780593579558">Between Flowers and Bones</a>, has been recently released. In this episode, Carolyn and I talk about writing about family, balancing motherhood with creative pursuits, and the ways that interacting with visual art enriches writing.
Here's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_yRTwQvNe-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">a video of Carolyn in San Antonio's McNay Art Museum</a>, referenced in the episode.

Carolyn Leiloglou on Between Flowers and Bones

John Hendrix is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many books. His award-winning illustrations have also appeared on book jackets, newspapers, and magazines all over the world. The Society of Illustrators named John the Distinguished Educator in the Arts for 2024. He is the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art and the founding Chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at Washington University in St. Louis. John’s new graphic novel is The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. 

In this episode, John and Jonathan Rogers talk about the nature of myth, the creative power of friendship, the beginning of the Inklings, and the sad end of the Inklings.

<a href="https://www.johnhendrix.com/">John Hendrix</a> is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many books. His award-winning illustrations have also appeared on book jackets, newspapers, and magazines all over the world. The Society of Illustrators named John the Distinguished Educator in the Arts for 2024. He is the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art and the founding Chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at Washington University in St. Louis. John’s new graphic novel is T<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-mythmakers-the-remarkable-fellowship-of-c-s-lewis-j-r-r-tolkien-a-graphic-novel-john-hendrix/21169684?ean=9781419746345">he Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien</a>. 
In this episode, John and Jonathan Rogers talk about the nature of myth, the creative power of friendship, the beginning of the Inklings, and the sad end of the Inklings.

Stephanie Duncan Smith Takes Risks.

In 1 playlist(s)

The Habit Podcast

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips