WriterCon Podcast By William Bernhardt cover art

WriterCon

WriterCon

By: William Bernhardt
Listen for free

About this listen

 Bestselling authors William Bernhardt and Lara Bernhardt, with audiobook producer Jesse Ulrich, discuss the latest news from publishing, offer writing tips, and interview major authors, agents, editors, and other book-world professionals.Copyright Bernhardt Books Art Economics Literary History & Criticism Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • "Your Dream Will Arrive" with Bestselling Debut Novelist Laurie L. Dove

    "Your Dream Will Arrive" with Bestselling Debut Novelist Laurie L. Dove
    Jul 6 2025
    Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Laurie L. Dove, WriterCon keynote speaker and bestelling author who scored a huge success earlier this year with her debut novel, Mask of the Deer Woman, a thriller set on a Native America reservation with indigenous characters.

    00:00 Opening Thoughts
    Last Call for the WriterCon Retreat, a five-day immerisve writing workshop at Canebrake Resort, Wagoner OK, from July 16-20.

    05:39 News
    We take a deep dive into the ongoing controversies surrounding artificial intelligence and how it affects writers, talking about the recent Anthropic decision, the studio suit against Midjourney, and writers being accused of using AI—even though they didn't.

    18:36 Craft Corner
    Jon Meyers of Write Better Together discusses the importance of choosing your setting deliberately.

    23:18 Interview with Laurie L Dove
    In this compelling interview, we hear the bestselling debut author discuss her road of many years leading to Mask of the Deer Woman, her chart-topping breakout novel, now planned to launch a series. She talks about how the Murdered and Missing Indiginous Women crisis informed the book and how she devised the plot twists and turns that have led to stellar reviews and high sales.

    36:38 Parting Words
    Yes, the Retreat ia almost upon us...so let's start talking about the WriterCon Conference, Labor Day weekend (Aug 29-Sept 1) at the historic Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City. Come join us!

    Until next time, keep writing, and remember: You cannot fail, if you refuse to quit.

    William Bernhardt
    www.williambernhardt.com
    www.writercon.com
    Show more Show less
    39 mins
  • Reinventing Romance with Lauren Smith

    Reinventing Romance with Lauren Smith
    Jul 3 2025
    Note: This episode was delayed for technical reasons, so some may be confused by the opening when William teases his latest book sale. If you follow him on social media, you've already seen The Big Reveal. And if not—check out the next episode. Also, that is indeed William and Lara's dog, Baxter, expressing his enthusiasm for the new Amazon Kindle policy. We could've removed it—but why?

    Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Lauren Smith, the USA Today-bestselling author of many bestselling romance novels, including The Care and Feeding of Rogues—which involves not only romance, but Sherlock Holmes.

    00:00 Opening Thoughts
    All the latest news from Bill, Lara, and Jesse

    04:53 News
    1) Kindle Readers Can Now Purchase Books Within the App
    2) New Book Says "Bibliotherapy" Can Improve Your Health

    14:18 Craft Corner
    Jon Meyers of Write Better Together discusses the importance of choosing setting deliberately.

    20:23 Interview with Lauren Smith
    Lauren Smith has won multiple awards in several romance subgenres and was a 2018 RITA Finalist in the Romance Writers of America Contest. She was also a 2024 OK Book Awards nominee for The Care and Feeding of Rogues and she will be joining us at the WriterCon Retreat on July 16-20.

    36:44 Parting Words
    Don't forget about the WriterCon Retreat at Canebrake Resort on July 16-20. It's a five-day, small-group writing retreat at the 300-acre resort on Ft. Gibson Lake. Our retreat group will have the resort to ourselves with paths to hike, a pool to enjoy, bikes to ride and much more! Classes every day, small-group work, guest lectures, plus plenty of time to get some writing done in a gorgeous environment. This retreat will leave you inspired to move forward in your writing journey! www.writercon.com/retreat/

    Until next time, keep writing, and remember: You cannot fail, if you refuse to quit.
    William Bernhardt
    www.williambernhardt.com
    www.writercon.com
    Show more Show less
    39 mins
  • Crime and Baseball with Mark Stevens

    Crime and Baseball with Mark Stevens
    May 21 2025
    Bestselling authors William and Lara Bernhardt discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Mark Stevens, author of several crime novels, including Trapline. His new novel No Lie Lasts Forever involves a reporter investigating a cold-case serial killer who may have returned.

    00.00 Opening Thoughts
    Jesse has returned from Ireland with a new appreciation of books—especially illuminated ones.

    04:29 News
    1) MIllion Lives Book Festival Disaster
    2) Agatha Christie Rises to Teach Again

    15:31 Craft Corner
    Jon Meyers (Write Better Together) discusses the use of attachment theory when creating characters and character relationships.

    21:30 Interview with Mark Stevens

    42:20 Parting Words
    LAST CALL for the WriterCon Cruise (May31-July 7). Seven days at sea touring Alaska—with lots of writing instruction when the boat is at sea. Over 20 hours of talks, small-group work, plus private interviews with an onbaord literary agent. Register now!

    Until next time, keep writing, and remember: You cannot fail, if you refuse to quit.
    William Bernhardt
    www.williambernhardt.com
    www.writercon.com
    Show more Show less
    44 mins
All stars
Most relevant  
The Red Sneaker podcast series is a treasure trove of knowledge for published and unpublished authors alike. The series is hosted by NY Times best-selling author William Bernhardt. With over 50 books to his credit, he has embarked on a mission to educate all would be writers on the elements and business of the craft.

These episodes are an extension of his Red Sneaker Write Series with each containing writing tips , publishing news, and an interview with either an author, member of the publishing industry, or someone involved in some aspect of both.

One of the greatest things about the series is that all of the episodes contain info that never ages and becomes dated, other than the publishing news, I will return to the first episode and travel through them repeatedly, waiting eagerly for the next episode.

Just like his Red Sneaker Writing Series books, the podcasts are concise, focused, and serve as a cheerleader for you to take pencil to paper and tell a story.

Highly recommend. Take advantage of this gem from someone who has done it successfully.



Drink deep from the fountain of writing knowledge

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.