The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, And Neuroscience

#1 New York Times bestselling author and TV producer, Tom Straw, spoke to me about breaking into television, the Gordian knot of ghostwriting, and his new “culinary, espionage, travel thriller” THE ACCIDENTAL JOE. Tom Straw is an Emmy and Writers Guild of America–nominated writer-producer, New York Times bestselling author, and former Mystery Writers of America board member. Writing as Richard Castle, Tom originated the hit Nikki Heat series, writing its first seven novels, all New York Times bestsellers, including Heat Rises, which reached number one. The first book in his latest series is The Accidental Joe: The Top-Secret Life of a Celebrity Chef (Regalo Press/May 14, 2024), described as the story of “...a maverick celebrity chef [who] reluctantly agrees to let the CIA use his hugely popular international food, culture, and travel TV series as cover for a dangerous espionage mission.” Bestselling author Walter Mosley said of the book, “Tom Straw's Sebastian Pike is a wonderful addition to the annals of ama