Tag: On Writing

Author Interview

Author interview: Emma Tourtelot on motherhood, grief, and becoming a novelist

Mandy Webster

Emma Tourtelot brings a rare mix of cultural fluency, emotional candor, and lived experience to her work. In this interview, Tourtelot reflects on motherhood as a creative throughline, her early-morning writing life, and the surprising rewards of seeing readers truly live inside her words, as she discusses her debut novel, No One You Know.

Emma Tourtelot’s debut novel, No One You Know, released January 20, 2026.

Q: What’s a memory of a story or book that made you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: I grew up one town over from Roald Dahl–in Buckinghamshire, England–so I got to meet him at our local library when I was a kid. He was just as weird and wonderful as his stories. And so tall! (I just looked it up: He was 6’6”.) I read his books over and over, and I loved hearing about his little writing shed in his back garden. That was the first time I really thought about who was behind the stories I loved. My favorite was always James and the Giant Peach.

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Author Interview

Author interview with Becky Healy

Mandy Webster

From newspaper deadlines to creative freedom, writer Becky Healy has spent a lifetime chasing stories. Her nonfiction piece, The Bad Moon and Me, appears in Bad Moon on the Rise: An Anthology of the Unsettling, where she blends the sharp instincts of a journalist with the reflective tone of a storyteller exploring new terrain. In this interview, Becky shares how childhood mysteries sparked her love of writing, what keeps her inspired today, and how her definition of success has evolved from Oscar dreams to the quiet satisfaction of connecting with readers.

Becky Healy’s work appears in the recently released Bad Moon on the Rise: An Anthology of the Unsettling.

Q: What’s a memory of a story or book that made you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: When I was in the fourth grade, I remember walking into my classroom one day and deciding I wanted to be a writer. I loved reading, especially the Nancy Drew mystery series, and the idea of creating these kinds of stories appealed to me. I didn’t know what kind of writing I wanted to do or how I would make it a career, but my decision to be a writer was born that day.

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Author Interview

Author interview with Teri Polen, writer of horror, science fiction, and fantasy

Mandy Webster

My guest author today is another Louisville Book Festival participant. Meet Teri Polen!

Teri Polen is the author of young adult horror, science fiction, and fantasy novels. Sarah, her debut novel, was a horror finalist in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. ReadFREE.ly named Subject A36 one of the 50 Best Indie Books of 2020. An avid reader, movie watcher, and chocolate lover, Teri lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband and Feline Overlord, Bond.

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Author Interview

Author interview with writer Olivia J. Bennett

Mandy Webster

Olivia J. Bennett (she/they) is the award-winning author of the novel, Casually Homicidal. In 2018, her flash fiction “Clutching Roses” was awarded a National Gold Medal from Scholastic Art & Writing, and her creative nonfiction and short stories have been published in literary journals such as Euphemism and Outrageous Fortune. 

Their writing has been described as “visceral, honest, and evocative” and “gritty, yet poetic,” and their work often explores themes of mental health, being an eldest daughter, and overcoming past trauma. She loves to include morally-gray female heroines, atmospheric settings, and genre-bending horror in her contemporary, fantasy, and science fiction works.

When not creating, Olivia is most likely baking cookies, binge-watching Naruto or Lost with their partner, or cuddling their two cats, Baloo and Bagheera. She can be found somewhere between the corn and the big blue sky in Illinois.

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Finish Writing Your Novel Now!

Do you think you have a novel in you?

Mandy Webster

So, you think you have a novel in you, huh? The idea of having a novel inside oneself is a common sentiment among aspiring writers and creative individuals. Storytelling is an essential element of the human experience, and many people have a desire to tell their stories and share their ideas through writing. Writing a novel can be seen as a creative and fulfilling endeavor that allows individuals to express themselves and leave a lasting impact. Plus, it can be fun!

If you’re like many emerging authors though, you may have a novel manuscript that you have been writing for years with no end in sight. Or perhaps you’ve always thought you “had a novel in you” but haven’t gotten around to starting it. Once upon a time, this was me. I knew I had a novel in me, but for years I could never seem to get it out of my head and onto the page.

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