What does a Navy journalist in Vietnam have in common with a corporate communications strategist for global brands? If you're Fred Yager, the answer is a lifetime of storytelling that spans war zones, Hollywood screening rooms, and the deep, silent forests of the mind. This week on In The Writer's Chair, host Lana McAra welcomes the award-winning writer and TV executive to discuss his multifaceted career and his latest leap into the "eco-thriller" genre.

Fred shares how a chance meeting with a Hollywood icon sparked a novel, the gritty reality of the "optioning" game in Los Angeles, and why he’s now rewriting his best screenplays into books.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• The Screenplay-to-Novel Pivot: Why Fred is digging into his Hollywood vault to turn unproduced scripts into "unputdownable" prose.
• The Seeds of The Asian Queen: How a real-life interview with actress Liv Ullmann and a blood-stained river boat in the Mekong Delta merged into a gripping historical novel.
• Writing Under Fire: Fred’s origins as a Navy journalist in the Vietnam War and how he learned to tell the truth when the military was accused of "smoke and mirrors."
• Psychology in Art: How a degree in psychology and NYU film training helped him "get into the mind of the killer" in collaborative works like Untimely Death.
• The "Wood-Wide Web": A deep dive into his latest book, Botanica, which explores how trees communicate through fungal networks to survive mass extinction.
• The Audio Revolution: Why Fred believes the growth of audiobooks is the best thing to happen to the modern attention span.

Instructive Insight: The "Wood-Wide Web"

In his novel Botanica, Fred relies on the fascinating science of mycorrhizal networks. This isn't just fiction; it's a real-world biological communication system.

• Communication: Large "Mother Trees" use this network to send excess sugar to smaller, shaded saplings.
• Defense: When a tree is attacked by insects, it can send chemical warning signals through the fungi to neighboring trees, allowing them to prep their immune responses.
• Mass Migration: As Fred discusses, these networks may play a role in how plant populations shift in response to environmental catastrophes.

About Fred Yager

Fred Yager is a veteran journalist (AP, CBS News), television executive, and screenwriter. He is the founder of the World News and Information Network and a prolific ghostwriter. Based in Tampa, Florida, Fred continues to explore the intersection of technology, nature, and human psychology through his fiction.

Connect with Fred:

• Books: Find Botanica, The Asian Queen, and Untimely Death on Amazon.
• Format Choice: Botanica is available in hardcover, softcover, e-book, and a high-fidelity audiobook narrated by the talented Smartwatch.

Connect with Lana McAra:

• Podcast: In The Writer's Chair
• Publisher: Vendela Publishing

Ready to hear what the trees are saying? Subscribe to hear more from writers who turn the world’s most complex issues into thrilling narratives!

80,000 Words in 3 Weeks: Johan Raubel on AI, Dictation, and Literary Restraint

Can technology actually make your writing more human? In this episode of The Writer's Chair, Lana McAra sits down with author Johan Raubel to discuss his character-driven novel, Hannah, and his unique approach to the "interior life" of fiction.

Johan shares how he broke free from the "exhausting" traditional advice of writing from beginning to end, instead discovering a liberating workflow that involves AI-powered dictation and cinematic thinking. If you’ve ever struggled with a slow first draft or found yourself over-explaining every detail to your reader, this conversation is a masterclass in trusting your muse—and your audience.

🎙️ In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The "Floodgate" of Dictation: How Johan used OpenAI’s Whisper to get 80,000 words down in just over three weeks.
• Voice vs. Hands: Why Johan believes the voice is the "creator" while the hands are the "editors."
• The Power of Restraint: Writing for a literary audience by favoring emotional truth over overt explanation.
• Cinematic Writing: How "camera positions" in your mind can help pace a slow-burn romance.
• Being Ruthless: The painful but necessary process of "killing your darlings"—even the scenes that make you cry.

📖 About Johan Raubel

Johan Raubel is the author of Hannah, a novel exploring intimacy, connection, and the risks of being seen. His writing focuses on quiet moments and the "reassembly" that follows grief. He is currently working on his next book, The Gentle Orbit.

✨ Connect with Johan:

• Website: [Insert Website Link Here]
• Book: Find Hannah on Amazon and Kindle.
• Mailing List: Join Johan’s list via his website to get the first chapter of Hannah for free!

This episode is sponsored by Vandela Publishing. Vandela Publishing is a collaborative, traditional publisher that acts as a strategic partner to build career authors. Visit them at VandellaPublishing.com.

#WritingCraft #AuthorsOfYouTube #LiteraryFiction #WritingWithAI #BookMarketing #TheWritersChair #JohanRaubel #PodcastForWriters

The Power of the Series - Building Worlds with Julie Robitaille

What’s the secret to keeping readers hooked for seven novels? According to Julie Robitaille, it’s all about creating a world so vibrant that it feels like home. This week on In The Writer's Chair, host Lana McAra welcomes the prolific author and former English professor to discuss the strategic and creative benefits of writing in series.

Julie, the architect of the Corey Marin Female Detective series, shares how her experience in the classroom and her background in screenwriting helped her craft a series that balances social issues with high-stakes crime—all set in the unique, moss-draped landscape of Gainesville, Florida.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• The "Economic" Writer: Why writing a series is a smart business move, allowing you to focus your advertising dollars on "Book One" while enjoying a high "sell-through" rate for subsequent titles.
• The Series Bible: Why you must keep a meticulous record of eye colors, minor characters, and setting details to avoid the dreaded "continuity error" that eagle-eyed readers love to point out.
• Standalones vs. Spoilers: How to write books that can be read independently while still rewarding long-term fans with deep character growth.
• The Setting as a Character: Why choosing a unique, real-world location like Gainesville allows you to skip the "reinventing the wheel" phase and get straight to the story.
• Amazon Ads & Algorithms: A peak behind the curtain of how Julie uses targeted keywords and Amazon’s "also-bought" feature to keep her series in front of the right eyes.
• The Audio Advantage: Why making your entire series available on Audible is essential for reaching modern readers who "read" while gardening, cooking, or driving.

Instructive Insight: The "Read-Through" Funnel

One of the most powerful reasons to write a series is the marketing funnel it creates. Instead of finding a new customer for every book, you find one customer for the series.

• Entry Point (Book 1): This is where you spend your marketing effort.
• The Hook: Once a reader connects with your protagonist (like Julie’s Corey Marin), they are statistically more likely to buy the next book without any additional advertising from you.
• Compound Value: By the time you reach Book 7, the lifetime value of a single reader is significantly higher than that of a standalone novel reader.

About Julie Robitaille

Julie Robitaille is an accomplished author with over 11 titles, including literary novels, psychological suspense, and short stories. She holds multiple degrees in English and Creative Writing and spent over 20 years teaching at Santa Fe College. Her Corey Marin series is celebrated for its strong female lead and its immersive Gainesville setting.

Connect with Julie:

• Website: jwrobitaille.com (Sign up for her mailing list to get a free download of her short story collection, Trust Me: Voices from the South!)
• Shop: Explore the Corey Marin series in paperback, e-book, and audiobook on Amazon.

Connect with Lana McAra:

• Podcast: In The Writer's Chair
• Publisher: Vendela Publishing

Ready to start your own literary legacy? Subscribe to hear more from authors who have mastered the art of the "unputdownable" series!