Hear that buzzing sound?

The air is electric with excitement over at ChapterBuzz, where the 365-Day Indie Author Challenge is kicking off today. These motivated writers are pulling out all the stops to finish their novels—and publish them—in the next 365 days.

Are you an aspiring novelist? There’s still time to join us! You can register for this month’s group, or choose to start on April 1st. There are few better ways to make this coming year more productive—and writing a novel is one of the most impressive achievements you can make.

In the meantime, whether you’re a writer or not, this month’s issue will light up your day, so let’s check it out:

On the cover is multiple Emmy–winning investigative reporter and award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan, who joins me for an interview where she reflects upon what her television and writing careers have in common: stories. “As a little girl,” Hank says, “I decided it might be more fun to be Sherlock Holmes than to write about Sherlock. So being an investigative reporter and a crime fiction author, I got a little of each.” As it turns out, though, digging up secrets others desperately don’t want you to have can be risky. “I’ve been stalked, followed, yelled at, threatened,” she says. Don’t miss our interview, in which Hank talks about the terrifying real-life incident that inspired her most recent thriller novel, the tightrope she walks every day as a reporter, and the one writing ritual she can’t start her day without.

Then, indie author and podcaster Freddy Cruz gets in the face of any writer who thinks he or she doesn’t have the time to write a book. “You have the time,” he insists. “You just don’t want to make the time,” and proceeds to tell you exactly where you can find the time. “Create a hard deadline,” he advises. “Start easy. Like one page—two if you’re adventurous. Set a timeline for hitting the deadline, too.” This pep talk by Freddy might just have you sitting down to write before you even get to the end of the article.

Next, Kevin N. Garrett, author, photographer, and travel writer, treats us to the story of the time he and the late Dick Francis sat down for drinks in a hotel bar on Grand Cayman and talked writing. “I was regularly down on the islands and thought I’d look him up,” Kevin writes. “Maybe we could sit a spell, and he would share some success secrets over lunch.” Share he did, and now Kevin passes that wisdom on to us, including the time-saving trick the jockey-turned-author used to write one bestselling book every year for decades.

Finally, author Cat Rambo talks literary heroes, and puts into words just why we feel the need to become invested in their lives. Take, for example, the characters Cat created: even though every crewmember aboard the bioship You Sexy Thing has an important role to play, one among them stands out as the hero. “That honor lies with the captain, Niko Larsen,” Cat writes. “Once a military hero, then a restaurateur, and now someone just trying to keep herself and her crew alive.” Cat lays out just what it is about certain characters that makes them our favorites.

Enjoy what’s left of the cool weather this season! Lounge out in your favorite set of flannels, sip a hot drink, and enjoy this month’s issue of Books & Buzz Magazine.

Happy reading,

Timothy Pike
Editor-in-chief, Books & Buzz Magazine