Craft with Kat

Earlier this year I became a professional Dungeons & Dragons game master on Startplaying1. Several days a week players pay me to set their lives aside for three hours and pretend to be wizards. As a dungeon master (DM), I write all of my campaign stories (long-term adventure games that my players play through over the course of months) and one-shot stories (an adventure game completed in a single ~3 hour session) from scratch.

It’s time for another Writing Advice Remix, the interview series where we take common writing advice and remix it for practical application. This week, we’re sitting down with short story writer and Fulbright grantee Grace Spulak. Grace is another writer that I met during our Poets & Writers Get the Word Out Fellowship where we learned the best practices for book publicity.

I started writing my debut novel in January 2015. After eleven years of writing, revising, and searching for a publisher that would give this book a chance, I can finally say that Good People will be published by Simon & Schuster on April 27, 2027. With this announcement comes two wonderful things that I’m so excited to share with you all—the cover reveal and pre-order links. Good People is now available for pre-order.

Writing Advice Remix with LAKE EFFECT Author Hillary Behrman Welcome back to Writing Advice Remix, the interview series where we take common writing advice and remix it for practical application. This week, we’re chatting with Hillary Behrman about her debut short story collection, Lake Effect1. Selected by Lauren Groff, Lake Effect was the winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction.

Welcome back to Book Stack, the interview series where authors break down their deepest craft obsessions. This week, we’re chatting with the Managing Director of Chicago Review of Books, Rachel León. Rachel is another writer I met during Poets & Writers’ Get the Word Out Fellowship.

Learning Objective: By the end of this post, you will know how to ask craft-oriented questions about your work-in-progress and receive more actionable feedback from beta readers. Last year, in our Three-draft Process for Novels and Video Games series, we broke down best practices for drafting, revising, and asking for feedback on our work.

After living out of a suitcase for the past 18 months, I’m finally moving into a permanent place. I also received the final edit letter for my debut novel, Good People. Between moving and working on this revision, I’ve had to take a bit of a break from Substack. As I mentioned in our last update, our content will focus on interviews and author features until I turn in my manuscript at the end of May.

Welcome back to Book Stack, the interview series where authors break down their deepest craft obsessions. This week, we’re sitting down with Rachel Knox, the author of the essay collection, Anywhere Else. Rachel is another writer I met in the 2026 Debut Discord, and it has been such a pleasure to watch her book make its way into the world. Today, Rachel shares her thoughts on why the most compelling nonfiction books tell the stories behind transformative experiences.

It’s time for another Book Stack, the interview series where authors break down their deepest craft obsessions. Each author recommends an essential “Book Stack” of three books1 that have helped them master a specific craft concept. This week, we’re sitting down with Sara Maurer, the author of A Good Animal. I first met Sara in the 2026 Debut Authors Discord where we’ve been able to support each other’s journeys on the way to publishing our first books.

Welcome back to Book Stack, the interview series where authors break down their deepest craft obsessions. Today, we’re sitting down with Rachel Hochhauser, the brilliant author of Lady Tremaine1. A Reese’s Book Club Pick, Book of the Month Club Selection, IndieNext Pick, and March LibraryReads Pick, Lady Tremaine entered the world last week with a bang. I first met Rachel in the 2026 Debut Discord, and her novel was the first book I received in our advance reader copy exchange.