New Author Podcast

This week, Jerry and Rich start out where all serious writing podcasts should: with World Cup fans losing their minds in America, Buc-ee’s getting the kind of free advertising money can’t buy, and the growing realization that half the internet is now just Europeans discovering that the United States is not, in fact, one long action-movie chase scene. So yes, before we get to books, there is a lot of joy, chaos, and international confusion. On the writing front, Jerry finally has some real progress to report. After what felt like endless plotting purgatory, he adds 1,744 new words to Book 3, Networking Murder, bringing his yearly total to 10,435. He talks about skipping Chapter 1 for the moment, writing Chapter 2 instead, and slowly getting this full rewrite to feel like an actual book instead of a giant outline glaring at him from across the room. There is still a mountain left to climb, but for the first time in a while, it sounds like forward motion instead of controlled panic. A big part of the episode is Jerry walking through the weird middle ground of rewriting Book 3 almost from scratch while also building tools to help himself do it faster. He talks about using AI inside VS Code to improve his writing app in real time, adding plotting features, fixing bugs, and generally trying to make the software match the mess in his head. So if you enjoy hearing an author say, “I’m under deadline, rewriting a novel, and naturally I decided this was also the time to improve my custom writing software,” this one is very on brand. Rich brings a very different kind of writing update, and honestly it is one of the more interesting conversations in the episode. He talks about hitting a wall with The Dark We Hide after a conversation with an old girlfriend who asked the most dangerous writer question possible: “Why are you writing this story?” That sends him into a spiral about theme, purpose, AI, literary fiction, and whether he is even working on the right kind of book. Throw in a papal document about artificial intelligence, and suddenly this episode becomes part writing update, part existential ambush. There is also plenty of regular-life chaos mixed in: Jerry dealing with dizziness, birthday celebrations, a golf schedule that finally looks normal again, a mystery plant gift called a red hot poker, football replay therapy for old Browns trauma, and Rich battling garden thieves that may or may not be possums eating his cantaloupes. In other words, the usual calm, dignified routine of two writers staying completely focused on their craft. Contact UsJerry EvanoffEmail: ⁠jerry@jerryevanoff.com⁠Website: ⁠https://jerryevanoff.com⁠⁠https://jerryevanoffauthor.substack.com/⁠Rich KacyEmail: ⁠rich@richkacy.com⁠BlueSky: @RichKacy⁠https://richkacy.substack.com/⁠Tagswriting podcastself-publishingindie authormystery writingbook rewritingAI for writersVS Codewriting appliterary fictionWorld Cup fansauthor lifegolfstory structureThe New Author Podcast

Jerry and Rich return for Episode 341 of the New Author Podcast, kicking things off with internet gremlins, podcast intros no one listens to, and the universal dream of someday having too many ads.From there, it’s a deep dive into the messy middle of writing life: Jerry walks through rebuilding a massive rewrite outline for Book 2, cutting chapters that didn’t work, fixing “plot conveniences,” and learning (again) why editors are both correct and emotionally devastating. He also shares how he’s using AI tools like ChatGPT and NotebookLM to summarize drafts, plan revisions, and even help build a custom writing app—with all the joy and chaos that comes with it.Rich talks about juggling multiple genres, recovering from a brutal cold, navigating real-life stress, and trying to restart a writing routine while library schedules are apparently designed by caffeinated wildlife. There’s discussion of writing goals, why routines matter, the danger of never closing Scrivener, and whether setting goals actually motivates anyone at all.It’s a long episode, but it’s honest, practical, and exactly what writing weeks really look like.📬 Contact InfoJerry EvanoffWebsite: https://jerryevanoff.comEmail: jerry@jerryevanoff.comInstagram: @JerryEvanoffAuthorRich KacyEmail: rich@richkacy.comBluesky: @KacyHimself

In Episode 339 of the New Author Podcast, Jerry Evanoff and Rich Kacy wrap up the year with a candid 2025 writing recap—what worked, what didn’t, and what surprised them along the way.Jerry breaks down finishing his series, sending Book 2 off for a developmental edit, hitting (and missing) yearly goals, and why he deliberately paused marketing until more books are ready. Rich looks back on a wildly productive year that didn’t follow the plan at all—genre hopping, first drafts piling up, and why 2026 needs to be about finishing, not starting.They also talk writers groups, book clubs, endings that don’t quite land, holiday slowdowns, financial goals, and the strange satisfaction of reviewing a year that didn’t go “right” but still went well.This episode closes out 2025 and sets the stage for a focused 2026.Jerry EvanoffWebsite: https://jerryevanoff.comEmail: jerry@jerryevanoff.comRich KacyEmail: rich@richkacy.comBluesky: @KacyHimself

Jerry opens this one by botching the intro, confessing to eating Cocoa Pebbles for dinner, and then casually announcing he’s trying to enjoy January in Ohio while snow buries his driveway. So yeah, the bar is high.In this episode of The New Author Podcast, Jerry and Rich catch up after 16 days and talk about:Writing & Editing ChaosJerry is in the home stretch on Book 2 of his murder mystery series, wrestling the climax chapters (40 & 41) into shape while Word reads the book back to him in a robot voice.He’s using read-aloud for line edits, then planning a full Grammarly + ProWritingAid pass before sending the manuscript to his editor by December 14th.Rich is 60k+ words into his Marlowe thriller, averaging huge 3k+ writing sessions on his good days, and accidentally turning his outline into a 100k monster. Dialogue bloat? Oh yes. Future-Rich will cut it.Process Talk: Word Count, Structure & Overwriting On PurposeJerry talks about hitting his yearly word-count goal and still pushing to draft at least one brand-new novel next year while primarily editing and publishing.Rich explains why he’s deliberately overwriting now (all those side trails and conversations) so he can trim later and keep the good stuff—settings, emotions, subtext—while hacking away the “two people sitting in a room talking forever” problem.Tech & Tools: Read-Aloud, Headphones, and 11Labs RegretJerry moves from earbuds to Beats headphones and falls in love with letting Word read the whole novel to him, catching all the missing little words the brain smooths over.He looks at 11Labs for text-to-speech, realizes the token system might not cover a full novel the way he wants, and backs away before his wallet cries harder than his characters.Marketing Panic: QR Codes, Reedsy & Cover CreditsJerry discovers the harsh truth that some QR codes can “expire” depending on the service, panics, and drops $140 to keep his codes alive for a year—after he already printed notebooks and bookmarks that point to /next.He dives into Reedsy looking for a legit, vetted marketing strategist who can help him plan a long-term launch strategy for his nine-book mystery series. So far? One partial hit, multiple declines, one ghosting.On the plus side, he remembers he bought cover credits from 100Covers… twice. Result: six full cover credits in the bank. Book 3, 0.5, 1.5, and more are covered (pun absolutely intended).Board Games, Bowling Leagues & Black Friday DamageJerry goes hard on the PLAAY.com Black Friday sale: horse racing, hockey, bowling, and extra components for golf and baseballRich reminisces about terrifying long-haul drives loaded on creatine + bad coffee, hallucinating Rod Serling on the hood of the car back in the day. Perfect thriller-writer origin story.Life Stuff: Travel, Snow, Fantasy Football & BureaucracyRich and his wife do a 17-hour overnight haul from Virginia to Louisiana towing a van, survive on stimulant coffee, and wake to DMV forms built on what appears to be the Ghost of Napoleon’s Civil Code.Jerry fights “heart attack snow” on his driveway in Ohio, tries not to rage at winter before Christmas.If you like hearing two working writers talk honestly about drafting too long, trimming too late, obsessing over word counts, buying way too many games, and trying to market an epic multi-book mystery series without losing their minds, this one’s for you.Keywords (Spotify / SEO)writing podcast, indie author podcast, self-publishing, mystery series, thriller writing, word count goals, editing process, read-aloud editing, Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Reedsy marketing, QR code mistake, 100Covers, Black Friday haul, PLAAY.com games, bowling league, fantasy football, long-haul road trip, library job, indie author lifeContact UsJerry EvanoffWebsite: jerryevanoff.comEmail: jerry@jerryevanoff.comFacebook: facebook.com/JerryEvanoffAuthorRich KacyWebsite: richkacy.comEmail: rich@richkacy.com

Jerry has officially entered the “reading out loud to himself in a conference room” stage of editing Book 2—also known as the part where co-workers start to worry. He’s doing a final pass, adding words he swears he’s cutting, and preparing to hand it to his editor like a child presenting macaroni art and saying, “Look. I made novel.”Meanwhile, Rich hit 200,000+ words for the year, which means he’s either writing a thriller or slowly typing the same sentence over and over like The Shining. ("All work and no ice cream makes Rich a dull boy" is on the table.)Other highlights of this episode of The New Author Podcast—still the best writing podcast hosted by two dudes who accidentally write during football games:• Fiverr designers: angels or chaos goblins?• The thrill of finishing a revision (until you remember the last chapter isn’t actually written)• Fantasy football pain• Ice cream as a lifestyle choice, not dessert• Marketing your author brand without becoming a TikTok cryptidIf you're a self-publishing author, mystery writer, thriller writer, or someone who likes to hear two grown adults justify their life choices—pull up a chair.Contact Us• Jerry: jerry@jerryevanoff.com — https://jerryevanoff.com• Rich: rich@richkacy.com — Bluesky: @kacyhimself

Jerry rushes home for a rare role-reversal Monday and reports a big week: he blew past the halfway mark on Book 2’s edit (now at 24/41 chapters, ~82.3k words), fixed a gnarly continuity slip in Ch. 23, and pushed his custom Story Bible + Plotting app into a usable groove—complete with highlight-to-add entries. He also tests Spotify as a podcast app, dreams up QR-code golf balls for book promos, and eyes a new (maybe too social?) writers’ group.Rich introduces Marlowe Bennett, lead of his new thriller (not mystery), and logs a strong run—8,202 words over four days, plus a 3,124-word morning sprint. There’s a candid craft/industry segment reacting to Richard Osman vs. social media discourse and James Blatch’s take, along with tools chatter (Scrivener, Wavemaker’s typewriter mode vs. backup woes) and light life notes (orchids, acrylics, wheelbarrow tire, Halloween candy math, and football blowouts).Recorded: Monday, October 27, 2025.Hosts: Jerry Evanoff & Rich Kacy.00:07 Theme00:21 Role reversal & date stamp (Ep 333)01:13 Jerry’s “can’t stand still” origin story02:06 Weather & quick banter02:37 Jerry’s goals: halfway edit target & app progress03:39 Marketing vs. promotion (ALLi mention)05:32 Book 2 stats (82,329 words; 24/41 chapters)06:10 Rich’s week: Marlowe Bennett thriller, outline to 38 chapters07:46 Condensing the outline & November plan08:42 Jerry’s edit run (Chs. 14–16) + SSS scene setup tip10:37 APBA setup nerd-out (’83 Eagles/Rams)11:21 Courses & tools: Dave Chesson’s Entrepreneur Academy, Launchpad, Amazon Ads 2.013:57 Story Bible UI polish; golf rained out15:18 Scrivener sync snag; Plotting tool built around ChatGPT + Google Docs20:00 New “highlight → Story Bible quick-add” flow21:27 Future test projects (romance idea; “A-Team in space”)22:26 Sunday edits (Chs. 21–22); spot the continuity bug in Ch. 2323:45 NFL blowouts → housekeeping montage26:17 Commute gripes & Android Automotive notes27:31 Work-from-home cadence & hitting the halfway line28:15 Library tales: Facebook account rescue attempt31:08 Wavemaker love/hate (typewriter sounds vs. backups)33:29 Donation triage & book landfill reality36:54 Insurance chat; high-deductible plans for the young38:11 Big writing day: 3,124 words (four and a half chapters total)39:55 Asics on sale, Moe’s Art Store, Yarnell acrylic course, orchids41:50 Hobby notes & Wingspan41:57 Jerry: timing the real marketing push (after Book 3)42:59 Spotify as a podcast app; discovery via recommendations43:58 Show promo ideas: bookmarks, notebooks, QR-code golf balls45:15 New Saturday writers’ group? (social vs. serious debate)48:52 Weekly schedules & word/edit goals (Jerry aims to Ch. 33)50:01 Rich’s short work week & Bingo master duty55:51 Osman/Blatch segment: trad vs. indie visibility, YouTube’s rising value1:09:30 Wrapping opinions & civility1:11:08 Contact info & sign-offJerry blasts past halfway on Book 2’s edit and patches a timeline error.His Story Bible + Plotting app now supports highlight-to-add entries.Rich launches a new thriller heroine: Marlowe Bennett, and stacks 8k+ words.Real talk: trad vs. indie visibility, social media fatigue, and where YouTube fits.Odd promo brainstorm: QR-code golf balls that lead to a landing page.ALLi’s updated marketing book (Alliance of Independent Authors)Self Publishing Formula “Launchpad” (James Blatch/Mark Dawson)Dave Chesson’s Entrepreneur Academy / Kindlepreneur resourcesScrivener • Wavemaker (typewriter mode)APBA Football (’83 season talk)writing podcast, indie authors, mystery writing, thriller writing, plotting, story bible, Scrivener, Wavemaker, self publishing, book marketing, ALLi, Launchpad, Kindlepreneur, Amazon ads, spatial sequence synesthesia, APBA football, author productivityJerry Evanoff — jerry@jerryevanoff.com • jerryevanoff.comRich Kacy — rich@richkacy.com • Bluesky: @KacyHimself