Matty Dalrymple talks with Kristen Tate about INTERIORITY: THE SECRET SAUCE OF GOOD FICTION, including how to calibrate the depth of interiority across multiple point-of-view characters; the difference between overt and subtle interiority, and why the "she thought" tag is usually unnecessary; how interiority functions as the glue that connects plot events and reveals character motivation; how to use it strategically in action scenes to control pacing; and how it shapes reader experience in unreliable narrator stories and mysteries.

Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts

Show notes, including extensive summary and transcript, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all

If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!

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Kristen Tate has been a freelance editor for over a decade, helping authors transform their work from rough draft to finished book. She has a PhD in English from Columbia University, with a focus on publishing history. She is the author of Novel Study: Decoding the Secrets and Structures of Contemporary Fiction and writes a regular newsletter full of craft advice and encouragement for authors.

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Dale L. Roberts about SMART MARKETING OVER HOT GENRES, including why consistent promotion matters more than genre selection, how going wide on platforms like Kobo and direct sales tools like Curios and Payhip can boost profitability, what your Amazon product page must get right to convert readers, and how author community and tools like Booksprout can give your book a sustainable edge.

Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts

Show notes, including extensive summary and transcript, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all

If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!

https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor

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Dale L. Roberts is an award-winning author, YouTuber, and leading voice in self-publishing with over 50 titles and 40 book awards. As a trusted advisor to indie authors, he helps writers build their brands, grow their readership, and publish bestselling books.

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Rene Gutteridge about THE CHOREOGRAPHY OF A SCENE, including how to identify the purpose of every scene before you write it, where to enter a scene for maximum impact, how to balance propulsive moments with the quieter character-development scenes your story also needs, and why every element in a scene—from minor characters to setting—should be doing more than one job. We also talk about why so many manuscripts open with someone drinking coffee, and what to do about it.

Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts

Show notes, including extensive summary and transcript, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all

If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!

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Rene Gutteridge has been writing professionally for over twenty years, with projects spanning fiction, non-fiction, comedy sketches, novelizations and screenwriting. She is the multi-genre author of 24 novels plus several non-fiction titles. Her indie film Skid won deadCenter's Best Oklahoma Feature, and her novel My Life as a Doormat was adapted into the Hallmark movie Love's Complicated. She is co-writer on the feature film Family Camp, which was a Movieguide award winner and a Dove Award nominee. She is also a Screencraft finalist in true crime. Rene is co-director of WriterCon in Oklahoma City, senior contributor at Writing Momentum and is the head writer at 231 Collective.

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Carlo J. Emanuele about STORY FIRST, MARKETING SECOND, including why authors make the same mistake corporate executives do when they lead with features instead of value, how to move beyond genre labels to find the emotional core of your pitch, why comps should describe an experience rather than a category, why marketing tasks feel productive but often aren't, and how enthusiasm and vulnerability turn out to be the most effective marketing tools of all.

Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts

Show notes, including extensive summary and transcript, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all

If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!

https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple

Carlo J. Emanuele is an award-winning crime novelist and corporate executive from Milwaukee's South Side. Drawing from personal experience and a deep understanding of family, ambition, and adversity, he writes emotionally charged stories that explore the cost of power and the pursuit of redemption. His debut novel, The Sins We Inherit, has earned multiple national awards and critical acclaim for its gritty realism and heartfelt father-daughter core. The second installment, The Cost We Pay, launches this June. A former collegiate athlete and proud father of two, Carlo builds a cinematic crime saga rooted in legacy, identity, and transformation.

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Todd Fahnestock about THE ECONOMICS OF CON LIFE, including the real costs and revenue thresholds of selling books at cons, why five books is the minimum for a viable booth, how selling sets instead of singles and leaning into cover art and merch changed his income, the break-even math that determines whether a con is worth attending, how face-to-face interactions at cons became the foundation of a 4,000-person email list, and how that list became the launchpad for a Patreon that monetizes the work he's already doing.

Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts

Show notes, including extensive summary and transcript, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all

If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!

https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple

Todd Fahnestock is an award-winning, #1 bestselling author of fantasy for all ages and winner of the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age Award. Threadweavers and The Whisper Prince Trilogy are two of his bestselling epic fantasy series. He is a founder of Eldros Legacy—a multi-author, shared-world mega-epic fantasy series—three-time winner of the Colorado Authors League Award for Writing Excellence, and two-time finalist for the Colorado Book Award for Tower of the Four: The Champions Academy (2021) and Khyven the Unkillable (2022). His passions are great stories and his quirky, fun-loving family. When he's not writing, he travels the country meeting fans, talks philosophy with his son, plays board games with his wife, dissects movies with his daughter, and plays to the point of bruises with Galahad the Weimaraner. Visit Todd at toddfahnestock.com

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Elle Griffin about SUBSTACK FOR FICTION AND NONFICTION WRITERS, including why she chose Substack over social media, and how she built her audience through direct email outreach instead; how she serialized a gothic novel and earned $120,000 from roughly 150 paid subscribers; a Substack app issue that may be hiding your posts from thousands of your subscribers; and why she believes serialization is the future of publishing.

Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts

Show notes, including extensive summary and transcript, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all

If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!

https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor

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Elle Griffin writes The Elysian, a newsletter exploring utopian futures, and is the founder of the Elysian Collective, which publishes collaborative essay collections and print pamphlets on the important ideas of our time. She is the author of a forthcoming book titled "We Should Own the Economy" and also gave a talk at TEDxSaltLakeCity on "What if we release books episodically?"

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Jeniffer Thompson about YOUR HUMANITY IS YOUR BRAND, including how AI search actually rewards the content you've already created, the SEO fundamentals that still matter including the KDP keyword trick most authors miss, why your brand is your promise and not your logo, how to choose platforms based on your emotional bandwidth rather than what everyone else says you should do, and why the most discoverable thing about you is your humanity.

Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts

Show notes, including extensive summary and transcript, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all

If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!

https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple

Jeniffer Thompson is an author branding coach, book marketing strategist, and publishing consultant who helps authors clarify their message and build sustainable visibility. She co-founded Monkey C Media in 2004, an award-winning book cover and website design studio, and hosts The Premise podcast. Jeniffer is also a co-founder of the San Diego Writers Festival and a founding member of the International Memoir Writers Association.

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Melissa Addey about FROM DATA TO DISCOVERY: ALLi's INDIE AUTHOR BOOKSTORE, including what three years of income surveys reveal about indie versus traditional publishing earnings, how ALLi's new Indie Author Bookstore works as a curated shop window for thousands of indie books, what browsing thousands of listings has taught Melissa about cover quality and metadata mistakes, how AI search rewards books listed on multiple platforms, and why self-publishing is becoming plan A instead of plan B for a new generation of authors.

Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts

Show notes, including extensive summary and transcript, at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all

If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!

https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple

Melissa Addey is the Campaigns and Bookstore Lead for the Alliance of Independent Authors. She writes historical fiction and has her own website at melissaaddey.com but right now she's very excited about the ALLi Indie Author Bookstore and bringing it into the world! And she also has an update for us on the 2025 Indie Author Income Survey.

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.