Host Sheridan Sharp is joined by bestselling author Jeff Zentner, known for his resonate and lyrical writing. Learn how he writes in small pockets of time, how to trust your creative instincts, and why filling your “creative well” matters just as much as drafting.

If you’re looking for advice on craft, glean wisdom about Jeff’s character-driven process, thoughts on voice and first chapters, and practical advice for navigating publishing without chasing trends. If you’re looking to grow with intention and confidence as a writer–because you will grow–this is the episode for you!

Resources

@jeffzentner (Instagram and Threads)

Jeff Zentner - Author on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jeffzentnerauthor/

Works By Jeff: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01CIKMRJ6

About Jeff

Jeff Zentner is the author of The Serpent King, which Kirkus Reviews named one of the best books of the 21st Century, as well as In the Wild Light, Goodbye Days, Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee, Colton Gentry's Third Act, and Sunrise Nights, coauthored with Brittany Cavallaro. He has two books—Wayfarers and Love, Like Apples—forthcoming in 2026

Among other honors, he has won the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the Muriel Becker Award, the International Literacy Association Award, been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal, and is a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist.

His books have been translated into fifteen languages and been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and in Vanity Fair and People Magazine. Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville.