A humorist, a writer, and a jackalope walk into the bar - authors Mike Branch and William R. Hincy
"If Thoreau drank more whiskey and lived in the desert, he'd write like this."
And thus, Writers Drinking Whiskey presents author, humorist, father, desert rat, and blues harmonicaist Michael Branch. On tap, we've got a Nevada Manhattan recipe, tale of a drunk Mary Kay lady, an important public safety announcement on what to do if approached by the vicious but adorable jackalope, and the best doggone writing tips you're ever going to hear (along with a healthy dose on the power of humility).
And for our algo overlords (or "algolords", as I like to say):
Think of "Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books" but made for dads telling stories of their youth while chugging beer or for moms sneaking sangria out of coffee cups during soccer practice (or people who are single and drunk and loving it). Other corollaries include: "What Should I Read Next?" revamped to "What Should I Drink Next?" and "Smart PodCast Trashy Books" rebranded "Trashy Podcast Great Books." For your social media consideration, imagine #booktube and #booktok meeting their long-lost mother and learning that she is warm and insightful but has a naughty side a country mile wide and once you've seen it, you can never unsee it.
Come one, come all--your literary happy hour is open for business and you never know who you might meet inside.
Slouched along the bar this episode:
Mike Branch is a writer, humorist, environmentalist, father, and desert rat who lives with his wife and two young daughters in the western Great Basin Desert. His work includes ten published books, one of which is the Pulitzer Prize-nominated John Muir’s Last Journey: South to the Amazon and East to Africa (Island Press). His recent books include: Raising Wild: Dispatches from a Home in the Wilderness (Shambhala / Roost Books, 2016), Rants from the Hill: On Packrats, Bobcats, Wildfires, Curmudgeons, a Drunken Mary Kay Lady, and Other Encounters with the Wild in the High Desert (Shambhala / Roost Books, 2017), ‘The Best Read Naturalist’: Nature Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (co-edited with Clinton Mohs, University of Virginia Press, 2017), How to Cuss in Western (Shambhala / Roost Books, 2018), and On the Trail of the Jackalope (Pegasus Books, 2022).
...
Some people run from their demons; others sit down and have cocktails with theirs.”
William R. Hincy is a man who does and writes about the latter. Having become a writer after deciding it was the only sensible thing for a problem drinker to do, Hincy aspires to connect with readers by eschewing stock plots and generic formulas in favor of exploring characters who no longer create messes but have instead become the mess. This unflinching but empathetic eye and devil-may-care attitude helped him earn an American Fiction Award and be named a finalist for multiple International Book Awards for his anthology of short fiction, Without Expiration. His other full-length works include But the Ripping Apart, a novel about hoarding from whence the opening quote of this bio originates, and A Fire for Christmas, a satirical collection of stories set during the coronavirus pandemic (winner of the International Book Award and two American Fiction Awards).
William R. Hincy now hosts the popular podcast Writers Drinking Whiskey and lives outside Los Angeles with his wife and kids, having found solace in the notion that the only things sacred are self and whiskey-winged interludes.
Links:
Mike website: https://michaelbranchwriter.com/
Raising Wild Cocktail recipe: https://www.forewordreviews.com/articles/article/michael-branchs-raising-wild-cocktail/
High West Bourye: https://highwest.com/collections/all-products/products/high-west-bourye
Two Bitch whiskey: https://www.twobitchspirits.com/
Chapel tavern: https://www.chapeltavern.com/
Death and taxes bar: https://www.deathandtaxesreno.com/
Jackalope trailer video: https://vimeo.com/679257267
Hair donation for kids: https://childrenhairlossneeds.org/
Chapters:
00:00:00 Start
00:00:37 Introducing author Michael Branch
00:02:13 Michael Branch's author journey
00:03:32 Rye Manhattan cocktail recipe
00:11:06 Best place for cocktails in Reno NV (travel advice)
00:12:26 Rants from the Hill
00:37:25 Jackalope jackalope I saw a jackalope!
00:41:07 Did Jackalopes cause cancer?
00:45:17 Jackalope hunts
00:53:02 The moment the liquor kicked in
00:59:04 THE jackalope question
01:06:25 Writing process
01:20:20 Core of Mike's writing
01:34:33 Writing advice you wished you'd learned earlier
01:36:23 Dealing with failure
01:49:55 Shots rapid fire fun
02:00:54 Author Reading
02:14:26 Last Call life hack
#podcast #author #booktube
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Author James Grady
Stopping by the whiskey bar is the only author with the distinction of being compared to Bob Dylan and George Orwell, with his latest book being likened to To Kill a Mockingbird, award-winner James Grady. Best known for his novel SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR, which was famously adapted to film as THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR starring Robert Redford and directed by Sydney Pollack, James shares stories of his time helping to craft the Montana State Constitution, muckraking with investigative journalist Jack Anderson, and reads from his poignant new novel, THE SMOKE IN OUR EYES.
Today’s drinking game: drink whenever we do!
Links:
For an ads-free version and loads of other free content, check out my website: https://williamrhincy.com/
For more about James Grady: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Grady_(author)
And for our algo-overlords (please introduce us to your friends!):
Welcome to your literary happy hour, Writers Drinking Whiskey, the show where you share a drink with writers from around the globe and you find more than your next read: you find the next AUTHOR you're going to love. Hosted by award-winning author William R. Hincy, the show takes booktube, authortube and booktok to another level with engaging, in-depth, and merrily irreverent conversations with today’s most interesting writers. And for our writers joining us, there's plenty of creative writing tips, fiction writing tricks, and poetry read by the poets.
Bios:
James Grady: James Grady is a longtime author of thrillers, police procedural and espionage novels. He graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in 1974. During college, he worked for United States Senator Lee Metcalf of Montana as a staff member.
From 1974 - 1978 he was an investigative journalist for the famous muckraker Jack Anderson. Best known as the author of Six Days of the Condor , which was adapted to film as Three Days of the Condor starring Robert Redford in 1975.
James Grady has gone on to write almost a dozen more novels in the thirty-eight years since Six Days of the Condor was published.
In the past James Grady has written under the pseudonyms of James Dalton and Brit Shelby.
William R. Hincy: “Some people run from their demons; others sit down and have cocktails with theirs.” William R. Hincy is a man who does and writes about the latter. Having become a writer after deciding it was the only sensible thing for a problem drinker to do, Hincy aspires to use literature to connect society on an emotional level through characters who no longer create messes but have instead become the mess. Between rounds, Hincy has won 3 American Fiction Awards, an International Book Award, and his personal anthology of short fiction WITHOUT EXPIRATION was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. He now lives outside Los Angeles with his wife and kids, having found solace in the notion that the only things sacred are self and whiskey-winged interludes.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Start
00:01:09 Introducing James Grady
00:09:54 What are we drinking
00:13:17 Where on earth is James Grady
00:17:21 Grady's writing journey
00:26:43 Investigative journalism
00:31:18 Haunting knowledge
00:40:51 What makes a good muckraker
00:45:12 Show don't tell
00:50:52 Writing the (Montana) constitution
00:59:06 Fictional towns
01:00:48 Truth in fiction
01:03:04 Setting as character
01:07:05 On character
01:11:14 Television evangelists
01:16:53 Writing process
01:23:45 Writers block
01:26:45 AI and writing
01:33:21 Six Nights of the Condor
01:40:29 Writing advice
01:42:47 SHOTS
01:53:33 THE SMOKE IN OUR EYES reading
02:01:16 Last Call
02:02:35 Learn more about James Grady
Interested in being a guest? Have a great cocktail recipe and story to share? Fantastic! Contact WRH at contact@williamrhincy.com. We’re currently booking for special episodes and season 2.
Brought to you by Whiskey-Winged Lit
Fiction for the modern reader. Life is the accumulation of scars—tell the stories!
#booktube #podcast #author
Here we go!
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Mystery, architecture, and writing tips - authors SJ Rozan & William R. Hincy
What do police stations, firehouses, and zoo have in common? Join bestselling author and Edgar Allen Poe Award-Winner SJ Rozan for a glass of vodka and a wide-ranging chat on your work, her travels, her time as an architect, and her books, The Murder of Mr. Ma and Mayors of New York. Oh, and she reads one of the most fantastic fight scenes you'll ever hear!
Today’s drinking game: drink whenever we do!
Links:
William R. Hincy’s books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/William-R.-Hincy/author/B07ZYB5FHZ
William R. Hincy’s website: https://williamrhincy.com/
SJ Rozan's website: http://sjrozan.net/
Mayors of New York: https://www.amazon.com/Mayors-New-York-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BV1CYL47/
The Murder of Mr. Ma: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mr-Ma-SJ-Rozan/dp/164129549X/
Bios:
William R. Hincy: “Some people run from their demons; others sit down and have cocktails with theirs.” William R. Hincy is a man who does and writes about the latter. Having become a writer after deciding it was the only sensible thing for a problem drinker to do, Hincy aspires to use literature to connect society on an emotional level through characters who no longer create messes but have instead become the mess. Between rounds, Hincy has won 3 American Fiction Awards, an International Book Award, and his personal anthology of short fiction WITHOUT EXPIRATION was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. He now lives outside Los Angeles with his wife and kids, having found solace in the notion that the only things sacred are self and whiskey-winged interludes.
SJ Rozan, a native New Yorker, is the author of eighteen novels and six dozen short stories. Her work has won the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Nero, and Macavity awards for Best Novel and the Edgar for Best Short Story. She’s also the recipient of the Japanese Maltese Falcon Award and recently received the Life Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America. BRONX NOIR, a short story anthology SJ edited, was chosen NAIBA “Notable Book of the Year.” She also co-edited, with Jonathan Santlofer, the anthology DARK END OF THE STREET. Spring 2022 will see CRIME HITS HOME, the Mystery Writers of America anthology, edited by SJ,
SJ has served on the National Boards of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and is ex-President of the Private Eye Writers of America. She speaks, lectures and teaches, and she runs a summer writing workshop at the Art Workshop International in Assisi, Italy.
In January 2003 SJ was an invited speaker at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The 2005 Left Coast Crime convention in El Paso, Texas made her its Guest of Honor and she was Toastmaster at Bouchercon 2009.
A former architect in a practice that focused on police stations, firehouses, and zoos, SJ Rozan lives in lower Manhattan. As you can probably tell, she loves to travel. Also, to play basketball, read, and walk.
About WDW:
And for our algo-overlords (please introduce us to your friends!)… Welcome to your literary happy hour, Writers Drinking Whiskey, the show where you share a drink with writers from around the globe and you find more than your next read: you find the next AUTHOR you're going to love. Hosted by award-winning author William R. Hincy, the show takes booktube, authortube and booktok to another level with engaging, in-depth, and merrily irreverent conversations with today’s most interesting writers. And for our writers joining us, there's plenty of creative writing tips, fiction writing tricks, and poetry read by the poets.
Interested in being a guest? Have a great cocktail recipe and story to share? Fantastic! Contact WRH at contact@williamrhincy.com. We’re currently booking for special episodes and season 2.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Start
00:00:30 Introducing SJ Rozan
00:02:17 Where to get a drink in lower Manhattan
00:03:57 Vodka talk
00:05:49 Writing as architecture
00:19:08 Travel advice
00:24:40 Writing Talk: writing like an architect
00:33:06 Collaborative writing
00:48:29 Biggest risk SJ Rozan has ever taken
00:50:10 Worst advice SJ Rozan ever received
00:53:49 What drew SJ Rozan to mystery and crime fiction
00:56:05 Writing tips_how to wrap up a mystery
00:59:03 Rapid fire questions
01:07:46 Author reading MAYORS OF NEW YORK
01:18:12 Last Call
Brought to you by Whiskey-Winged Lit
Fiction for the modern reader. Life is the accumulation of scars—tell the stories!
Here we go!
#booktube #books #author
31
views
Bestselling thriller author Stephen Hunter discusses his latest novel, movie criticism, guns, & more
Bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Stephen Hunter discusses his latest book, FRONT SIGHT: THREE SWAGGER NOVELS. We also discuss how film has changed through the years, what it was like to have on of his books adapted into the movie SHOOTER with Mark Wahlberg (as well as a TV series), and his time in the military. And we're calling this special episode: Writers on Zoom Drinking Coffee.
Links:
Front Sight ordering link: https://bookshop.org/p/books/front-sight-three-swagger-novels-stephen-hunter/20165460?ean=9781668030363
WRH's website: https://williamrhincy.com/
WRH's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/William-R.-Hincy/author/B07ZYB5FHZ
Bios:
Stephen Hunter: Stephen Hunter has written over twenty novels. The retired chief film critic for The Washington Post, where he won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism, he has also published two collections of film criticism and a nonfiction work, American Gunfight. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
William R. Hincy: “Some people run from their demons; others sit down and have cocktails with theirs.” William R. Hincy is a man who does and writes about the latter. Having become a writer after deciding it was the only sensible thing for a problem drinker to do, Hincy aspires to use literature to connect society on an emotional level through characters who no longer create messes but have instead become the mess. Between rounds, Hincy has won 3 American Fiction Awards, an International Book Award, and his personal anthology of short fiction WITHOUT EXPIRATION was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. He now lives outside Los Angeles with his wife and kids, having found solace in the notion that the only things sacred are self and whiskey-winged interludes.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Start
00:00:31 Introductions
00:02:48 Baltimore thrilling
00:07:14 Film criticism with Pulitzer Prize winner
00:09:11 How has cinema changed over the years
00:16:35 Film criticism changes over the years
00:24:20 Changed-mind reviews
00:28:53 Differences between film and literature
00:37:19 What is it like to have your novel adapted to film
00:42:03 Differences between the movie Shooter and the book
00:48:08 JFK Inspiration
00:54:49 How Hunt's time in the military informed his writing
01:01:02 On guns
01:06:36 Shots - rapid fire questions
01:15:59 FRONT SIGHT discussion
01:34:37 Last Call - avoid the bitter
21
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