Outliers Writing University Podcast Series

GET TO KNOW Best-selling author Celeste Connally

Outliers guest host Tracey Devlyn sat down with USA Today bestselling author Celeste Connally to chat about her new historical mystery—ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND TREACHERY.
Celeste Connally is the USA Today bestselling author of the Lady Petra Inquires series, a two-time Agatha Award nominee, and a former freelance writer and editor. Her historical mysteries are set in Regency-era England and feature a headstrong heroine, a feminist spin, and as many equestrian scenes as her plots and editor will allow. 
https://celesteconnally.com/

GET TO KNOW Author Eric Bishop

Outliers host Tracey Devlyn sat down with Eric P. Bishop to chat about his new thriller—BABYLON WILL RISE.
Eric grew up in Connecticut, and relocated to the South after college. After becoming restless moves to the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest occurred before finally heading back East to raise a family. The wanderlust has never left Eric and he's always yearning for the next adventure. Eric lives in the foothills of Western North Carolina with his kids. You can normally find him exploring the great outdoors most weekends, grilling out on his back deck, all the while dreaming up the next great novel.

GET TO KNOW Authors RG Belsky and Bonnie Traymore

Outliers Get to Know guest host Tracey Devlyn chats with coauthors R.G. Belsky and Bonnie Traymore about their new edgy, twist-filled, psychological thriller—SWIPE.
A serial predator. A vigilante dater. A deadly game of cat and mouse.
When a bold confrontation on a dating app turns fatal, a disgraced journalist sees a career-saving opportunity. But what begins as a clickbait story soon spirals into a manhunt neither he—nor the woman he’s chasing—can control. Justice, obsession, and survival collide in SWIPE.
R.G. BELSKY is a crime fiction author and a journalist in New York City. He has published 24 novels, most recently the Gil Malloy and Clare Carlson mystery series. He also writes thrillers under the pen name Dana Perry. As a journalist, Belsky has been managing editor of the New York Daily News; Metropolitan Editor of the New York Post; news editor of Star Magazine; and a managing editor at NBC News.
BONNIE TRAYMORE is a psychological thriller and crime writer. She has published eight novels featuring strong but relatable female protagonists who peel back the layers of suburban American life and give readers a peek inside. She’s also a historian with a doctorate in history. She’s from the New York City area, but resides in Honolulu with her family.

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Alex Finlay

Alex Finlay is the bestselling author of the 2021 breakout novel, Every Last Fear, the 2022 Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Mystery and Thriller, The Night Shift, the 2023 Library Reads Hall of Fame recipient, What Have We Done, and his latest release, the USA Today bestseller, If Something Happens to Me.  Alex’s novels are regularly on "best of the year" lists, have been translated into twenty-five languages, and have been optioned for film or television.  Every Last Fear is in development for a major limited series, and his upcoming May 2025 release, Parents Weekend has already been acquired for film.  Alex lives in Washington, DC and Virginia.
https://alexfinlaybooks.com/

GET TO KNOW Retired Detective and Author Michael Hearns

Michael Hearns is a Miami native and a former 27-year veteran South Florida police officer and detective. He spent a decade of his career undercover, investigating large-scale cocaine trafficking and high-volume money laundering cases. He was cross designated with multiple police and federal agencies, and he is a certified DEA instructor. He has a master’s degree in Investigative Criminal Psychology. He has worked and consulted on multiple serial offender homicide cases. Since retiring from law enforcement, his experience and knowledge are highly values as a technical advisor for motion pictures and television. He is a movie producer and an adjunct professor at multiple universities within the United States.
https://michaelhearns.com/

GET TO KNOW Desperate Deadly Widows

Outliers Get to Know guest host Tracey Devlyn sits down with Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan, and Vanessa Lillie to talk about their newest collaboration—DESPERATE DEADLY WIDOWS, an Amazon Audible Original bestseller, now in ebook and paperback.
High heels. High stakes. Higher body count.
In 1987 Providence, four unforgettable widows are back—and when a honey-pot scheme goes sideways, they’re thrust into a scandal involving the city's sleaziest mayor, buried secrets, and explosive betrayals. With loyalties fraying and revenge in the air, these women must decide if friendship is worth dying for.
Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of suspense novels including The Paris Widow, The Marriage Lie, a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Mystery & Thriller, and the co-authored #1 Audible Original, Young Rich Widows. Her books have been published in dozens of languages and optioned for film and television. https://www.kimberlybellebooks.com
Layne Fargo has a background in theater, women’s studies, and library science, so it’s only fitting that she now writes deliciously dramatic, unapologetically feminist stories for a living. Layne lives in Chicago with her partner, their pets, and an ever-expanding collection of books she’s definitely going to read before she dies. https://www.laynefargo.com
Cate Holahan is a USA Today Bestselling thriller/suspense author and screenwriter. A bi-racial Jamaican and Irish American writer, Cate is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, and The Authors Guild. She has an MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts ’23 and a BA from Princeton University. She lives in Tenafly, NJ, with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs, and spends many a break in Jamaica, where she’s also a citizen. https://www.cateholahan.com
Vanessa Lillie is the USA Today bestselling author of Blood Sisters, which was a Target Book Club pick and GMA Book Club Buzz Pick, as well as a best mystery of the year from the Washington Post and Reader’s Digest. Originally from Miami, Oklahoma, she is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She hosts a weekly Instagram Live show, ‘Twas the Night Before Book Launch, where she chats with authors the night before their book is out in the world. https://vanessalillie.com

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Shirley Jump

Shirley Jump is an award-winning, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and USA Today bestselling author who has published more than 80 books in 24 countries, selling a combined total of more than 8 million copies. She has been published in romantic suspense, romance, women’s fiction, and young adult horror, as well as nonfiction, and also works as a ghostwriter for NFL players, TV celebrities, and top CEOs.
Her YouTube channel, Writing Compelling Fiction, is in the top 7% of all YouTube channels worldwide. A former reporter, she has a background in all aspects of writing, from hard news to publicity to fiction. She has spoken all over the world about the power of narrative and how to create compelling books. 
 www.ShirleyJump.com 

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Nita Prose

Outliers Get to Know guest host Tracey Devlyn sits down with New York Times bestselling author Nita Prose to chat about her new release—THE MAID’S SECRET.A stolen treasure. A hidden past. When a priceless heirloom disappears during a bold hotel heist, Molly Gray must uncover long-buried family secrets to solve the mystery—before looming threats become deadly. With help from her friends and her gran’s forgotten love story, she races to protect both her future and her heart.
NITA PROSE is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid, which has sold more than two million copies worldwide, The Mystery Guest and The Mistletoe Mystery. A Good Morning America Book Club pick, The Maid won the Ned Kelly Award for International Crime Fiction, the Fingerprint Award for Debut Novel of the Year, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, and the Barry Award for Best First Mystery. The Maid was also an Edgar Award finalist for Best Novel. https://NitaProse.com 

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Alison Gaylin

Suspense Magazine’s Radio Podcast guest host Tracey Devlyn sat down with USA Today bestselling author Alison Gaylin to chat about her new thriller—WE WERE WATCHING.
USA Today and international bestselling author Alison Gaylin has won the Edgar and Shamus awards. Her work has been published in the US, UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Romania and Denmark, and she has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Macavity, Anthony, ITW Thriller and Strand Book Award.  In addition to her novels, she has published many short stories and collaborated with Megan Abbott on the graphic novel Normandy Gold (Titan/Hard Case Crime, 2018).

GET TO KNOW Best-selling Author Heather Graham

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham, majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, sci-fi, young adult, and Christmas family fare.
She has been published in approximately thirty languages and has written over 200 novels and has 70 million books in print. Heather has been honored with awards from booksellers and writers’ organizations for excellence in her work, and she is the proud to be a recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers and was awarded the prestigious Thriller Master Award in 2016. She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA. Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight, and local television.
Heather loves travel and anything that has to do with the water and is a certified scuba diver. She also loves ballroom dancing. She has hosted events to benefits to aid pediatric children’s hospital and 2006 she hosted the first Writers for New Orleans Workshop to benefit the stricken Gulf Region. She is also the founder of “The Slush Pile Players,” presenting something that’s “almost like entertainment” for various conferences and benefits. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.
https://www.theoriginalheathergraham.com/