#105: Mystery Novels and Teaching Writing with John Copenhaver
John Copenhaver's latest book The Savage Kind has gotten something just about every author hopes for: a great review from The New York Times. That's just one small part of the writing process, though.
Beyond two books in the...uh...books, John teaches high school English for dyslexic kids and college courses on writing fiction. He's also a co-host of Mystery Radio Show and writes reviews of queer crime fiction for Lambda Literary. And yes, he's still got multiple books on the way.
We're chatting some of the best ways to market your writing, how to tie a mystery trilogy together, and why teaching students isn't SO different from completing a book.
Highlights of our conversation
How John ended up writing multiple books during a certain time period, despite not being a history buff. (3:46)
John’s book The Savage Kind received a kind review from The New York Times — he shares his initial reaction to seeing such lovely words, plus the power of reviews in general. (6:13)
Why it’s powerful to create something that can be interpreted in multiple ways. (10:40)
A look at some of the books John has coming up — that’s right, we’re getting a scoop! Plus, how to thread everything together in a mystery trilogy. (12:46)
What John learned from writing his first novel and his favorite outlining software and processes. Special shout out to Scrivener! (14:14)
Marketing techniques John has used to promote his books, and which ones have worked better than others. (18:47)
Why there’s no such thing as too much promotion for your writing. (25:40)
Diving into the House of Mystery radio show and how it especially highlights smaller and independent authors and filmmakers. (27:34)
How being a teacher inspires and informs what John writes. (30:18)
The top three ways to be a good member of the writing community. (33:05)
Where to find John Copenhaver
Check out John Copenhaver on his website.
Give him a follow on Instagram @johncope74.
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