Podcast
Ledger: A Writing Podcast
Hosted by Austin R Wilson · EN
Ledger is a podcast about the craft of writing, from novels to non-fiction to computer code!
Stories are an essential part of life. We need them so we seek them out in every way possible. Ledger features interviews with writers across formats and genres to focus on the craft itself, the thoughts and actions that led to stories being written.
How do writers deliver the words from their heads and out into the world for others to find? Give the show a listen!
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
045: R.L. Maizes - "A Complete Fiction" author, NY Times, Oprah Magazine & more
4w ago01:03:27Tap to summarizeR.L. Maizes is the author of the novels "A Complete Fiction" and "Other People's Pets" as well as the short story collection "We Love Anderson Cooper." Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Oprah Magazine, Lit Hub, and more. She stopped by to talk about "A Complete Fiction," how she engages with her own ideas (and the how the world influences those ideas), and we have a candid and revealing conversation about mental health. She also discusses how "A Complete Fiction" was on submission for 18 months when she pulled it, made a storyline change, and sold it within two weeks! We discuss that and so much more! Thank you to Ms. Maizes for her time, honesty, and sense of humor. Visit https://www.rlmaizes.com/ to learn more about her and her work. - - - - I published two flash fiction pieces in April on https://substack.com/@austinrwilson, and have more coming in May, along with...three more interviews! Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson Follow the show through our Instagram account @MossHeartBooks and order books through our website or our Affiliate link on Bookshop.org. Thank you so much!
Transcribe →044: Juliette Lin - Screenwriter, Hillman Grad Foundation graduate, cancer survivor
Mar 2601:01:12Tap to summarizeJuliette Lin is a 2025 graduate of Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Foundation, a 2026 Writer's Guild Foundation Support Staff Trainee, and a cancer survivor. She stopped by Ledger to chat about submitting to competitions/fellowships (and how getting into one doesn't mean instant success), how she learned self-advocacy as a writer/creator, how improv helped her confront and accept failure and ultimately empowered her life and writing, and how reading other peoples' work helps you understand your own so much more! This episode is particularly helpful for any screenwriters out there who are pre-Writers Guild Association (WGA) because it lays out a path forward for refining your craft and intentionally molding your career as a writer. We also talk about how *external* deadlines help, meaning deadlines that someone other than you has set. So seek those out and get writing! Visit Juliette Lin online at www.juliettelinwrites.com and check out the Hillman Grad Foundation at www.hillmangradfoundation.com Thank you! - - - - I have an article called "The Big Lessons I Learned from Writing Short Stories" up at RemoteWritingJobs.org and an interview with Penguin Random House publicist Abigail Monti at MossHeartBooks.com and austinRwilson.substack.com. Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson Follow the show through our Instagram account @MossHeartBooks and order books through our website or our Affiliate link on Bookshop.org. Thank you so much!
Transcribe →043: Lincoln Michel - "Metallic Realms" and "The Body Scout", Author; Teacher
Mar 1301:06:21Tap to summarizeLincoln Michel is the author of the novels "Metallic Realms" and "The Body Scout" as well as co-editor of the flash fiction anthologies "Tiny Nightmares" and "Tiny Crimes." He also regularly publishes on Counter Craft, his Substack dedicated to the craft and enjoyment of writing and reading. His article "Turning Off the TV In Your Mind" is about writing that overly relies on visuals in a way that doesn't lean into the strengths of prose fiction. It's an interesting read and one that immediately made me afraid I was failing in that very specific way. We heavily discuss that article and also his piece called "Why Literature Needs a Punk Rock Mindset," along with the ways in which the internet may be affecting our reading/writing, why writing with intention can typically support almost any stylistic choice, and even how LLMs are almost certainly more of a problem in undergraduate college courses than anyone is actually reporting. Definitely check out his Substack, Counter Craft, and grab his books from your local bookstore or through the affiliate links to Moss Heart Books on Bookshop.org. Thank you! - - - - I have an article called "The Big Lessons I Learned from Writing Short Stories" up at RemoteWritingJobs.org and an interview with Penguin Random House publicist Abigail Monti at MossHeartBooks.com and austinRwilson.substack.com. Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson Follow the show through our Instagram account @MossHeartBooks and order books through our website or our Affiliate link on Bookshop.org. Thank you so much!
Transcribe →042: Kathy Fish - Flash fiction author, teacher; Ploughshares, Smokelong Quarterly & more!
Mar 300:51:19Tap to summarizeKathy Fish is a flash fiction author and teacher, with work published in Ploughshares, Copper Nickel, Washington Square Review, Waxwing Magazine, Electric Literature, Guernica, Smokelong Quarterly, F(r)riction and many more. She runs The Art of Flash Fiction Substack and is running a Flash Fiction Extravaganza from March 1st to 22nd, 2026 for paid subscribers. This isn't a sponsored show, I just love flash fiction and am having a blast there. We talk about how she starts writing a short-short story, how she came to teaching, how deadlines help, and the differences between vignettes and prose poems. Go to https://artofflashfiction.substack.com to see Kathy's work and join in on the flash fiction fun! Thank you! - - - - - I have an article called "The Big Lessons I Learned from Writing Short Stories" up at RemoteWritingJobs.org and an interview with Penguin Random House publicist Abigail Monti at MossHeartBooks.com and austinRwilson.substack.com. Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson Follow the show through our Instagram account @MossHeartBooks and order books through our website or our Affiliate link on Bookshop.org. Thank you so much!
Transcribe →041: Kyle Winkler - Author of "The Ship of Death", "Tone-Bone", "Grasshands" and more
Feb 1701:10:54Tap to summarizeKyle Winkler writes weird-horror and is the author of "The Ship of Death," which comes out from Harper Collins on September 29, 2026. He's also written "The Nothing That Is," "Tone-Bone," "Enter the Peerless" and more, all of which are either partially or completely set in Indiana. We chat about the publication of his first novel, his life inside academic and its influence on the genre he writes, where the word "necropotent" comes from, the ol' familiar specter of self doubt and its role in a writer's life, but also how community plays a role in each of our creative lives. It's an awesome chat that left me ready to get back to the keyboard! Read more about Kyle's work at KyleWinkler.net and go to Bookshop.org to preorder "The Ship of Death" which Wil Wheaton has already blurbed by saying, "You're giving me cosmic horror, literary found footage, and a tabletop game, all in the same novel? It's wickedly funny and weird? Sign me the f*ck up right now." You won't want to miss this one folks. Thank you! - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson Follow the show through our Instagram account @MossHeartBooks and order books through our website or our Affiliate link on Bookshop.org. Thank you so much!
Transcribe →040: Ira Rat - Filthy Loot Press publisher, graphic designer, and editor
Feb 200:51:36Tap to summarizeIra Rat is the owner/operator, publisher, editor, and graphic designer behind Filthy Loot Press, one of the best publishers for transgressive, weird, and underground fiction, both horror and otherwise. Is there such a thing as *too* weird for Filthy Loot? Should your poop-centric story have at least some artful storytelling? (Yes.) We also discuss why you should pay EXTRA SPECIAL ATTENTION (all caps, so you know it's legit) to a publisher's call for stories, rather than just submitting whatever the heck you have. And, finally, straight from a publisher and editor: how should you respond to having your work rejected? Find Filthy Loot on Instagram @filthyloot and head to FilthyLoot.com to buy books. Thank you! - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson Follow the show through our Instagram account @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →039: Joshua Hull - Screenwriter and Novelist, "Mouth," "Glorious," and "8114"
Aug 801:00:31Tap to summarizeJoshua Hull is a screenwriter and author from Indiana, which means he and I have a lot in common. His novel "8114" is out from Clash Books on August 26, 2025 and is intended to unsettle you in many ways. Are there rules to writing screenplays and prose stories? What's it feel like to have a book so close to publication? Is the setting you grew up in the one you *should* be writing in? We also chat about how important it is to hang onto fun and reject the faux anger and weird outrage people seem to love, nowadays. Find Joshua on Instagram and Facebook @joshuathehull and check out his work from Tenebrous Press, Clash Books, and on Shudder! Thank you! - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →038: Andre Dubus III - Author, "House of Sand and Fog," "Townie," "Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin"
Jun 1801:05:18Tap to summarizeAndre Dubus III is the author of HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, TOWNIE, DIRTY LOVE, SUCH KINDNESS, and more, along with his newest, GHOST DOGS: ON KILLERS AND KIN, a collection of essays. A previous episode, "The Most Important Question a Writer Can Ask," covers an appearance of Andre's at Politics & Prose when he gave some advice on writing that deeply affected me. This episode continues that trend. Andre discusses the impulse toward fiction versus non-fiction, and how his head does or doesn’t make that distinction; how he came to teaching and what it means to him; the important work of maintaining the carpentry of his brother, Jeb; poetry, beauty, love - and how feeling follows action. Find out more about Andre's work at https://www.andredubus.com/ - but never on Facebook ;) - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →037: Jamarcus Turner - Writer/Story Editor, "Bob Hearts Abishola"
Jun 601:07:19Tap to summarizeJamarcus Turner is a TV writer who wrote and story edited for the Chuck Lorre-produced Bob Hearts Abishola, and he also just so happens to live in Indiana. This is the VERY FIRST in-person interview for Ledger! Jamarcus stopped by to talk about when he started writing for TV - it is unlike anyone else's story, no doubt about it - how he got his 10,000 hours of *watching* TV in, what it's like to work in a writer's room, and what you should focus on when in a meeting for a potential writing job. If you're working toward becoming a TV writer, or *any kind* of professional writer, Jamarcus covers so much here that can help you now and far into your writing career. You can find him online on Instagram, @jtcomedyofficial, and on Twitter, @MrMarcus260. Thank you so much to Jamarcus for coming by and to you for listening! - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →Short Fiction - "Hate to Meet You" by Austin Wilson
May 30, 202500:13:25Tap to summarizeSHORT FICTION! This is the official audio release of my story "Hate to Meet You," which was originally published in Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Death, issue #06, by Ahoy Comics. Two high school coaches meet each other for the first time and realize immediately that they hate each other. They also realize they'll not be able to escape one another... Watch out for more featured short fiction right here on Ledger! - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
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