About this podcast
The Reality Writes Podcast stars bestselling mystery author Ellie Alexander and her Tech Guy husband as they reveal the ins and outs of writing. Ellie, who has written for big names like Macmillan and Simon & Schuster, and indie publishers like Storm, shares her journey from story ideas to publishing. Together, they dive into the highs, lows, and funny moments of creating captivating stories. With a blend of humor and honesty, Reality Writes offers a behind-the-scenes look at the writing world. So grab your coffee (or wine) and join Ellie and the Tech Guy for some story-spinning secrets.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 77 episodes
- Our Holiday TBR—From Cozy to Downright Creepy · 33 min · Season 3 Episode 35Send us a message! It's never too early to start your holiday reads, darlings, so The Tech Guy and I are each sharing six books on our respective holiday TBR stacks. A few are…
- Four Years of Mystery Fest—Highlights and What’s Next · 35 min · Season 3 Episode 34Send us a message! The Ashland Mystery Fest just wrapped its fourth year, and The Tech Guy and I are still riding high while we recap all of it for you. We talk through our…
- Inside A Murder at Midnight—A Spoiler-Free Sneak Peek · 31 min · Season 3 Episode 33Send us a message! This episode opens with an excerpt from A Murder at Midnight, book four in the Novel Detectives, releasing October 13th. Then The Tech Guy and I discuss the…
- How an Audiobook Gets Made—Inside Narration With Victoria Lynn Arbor · 41 min · Season 3 Episode 32Send us a message! Have you ever wondered what actually goes into making an audiobook? If so, you're in luck because this week I'm joined by my friend Victoria Lynn Arbor, a…
- Paths to Publication—Pros, Cons & Life Lessons · 45 min · Season 3 Episode 31Send us a message! "What's the best way to get published?" This is a question I get most from new writers and my answer is always the same: there are several options and it…
- Cozy Mystery Sneak Peek—The Pumpkin Vice Cafe · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 30Send us a message! We open this episode with an actual excerpt from The Pumpkin Vice Café, book 23 in my Bakeshop Mystery Series, releasing September 29th. Then The Tech Guy and…
- Author Talk—Writing a Book is Only Step One · 40 min · Season 3 Episode 29Send us a message! A Fall to Remember is out this week. YAY! So, it's the perfect time to talk marketing. Are you writing a book? Congrats! However, did you know that the real…
- To AI Or Not To AI—That is the Question (for Writers) · 36 min · Season 3 Episode 28Send us a message! To AI or not to AI? For me, it's not really a question and, in this episode of Reality Writes, I tell you why. The Tech Guy and I get behind the mics for an…
- Last Chance Summer Dance—End of Summer TBR Reveal! · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 27Send us a message! Summer is flying by, darlings, so I'm calling this one the Last Chance Summer Dance. The Tech Guy and I share what we've been reading plus the towering TBR…
- Writing My Fall Rom-Com—A Fall to Remember · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 26Send us a message! Fall is my favorite season, darlings, so of course I set a whole book there. With A Fall to Remember arriving September 1st, The Tech Guy and I sat down for a…
- You Asked, We Answered—A Reader and Writer Grab Bag · 37 min · Season 3 Episode 25Send us a message! We're back from our travels, darlings, and my inbox was overflowing, so we did the only sensible thing and turned your questions into an episode. This one is a…
- Ashland Mystery Fest 2026—Your Complete Guide to the 4th Annual Festival · 38 min · Season 3 Episode 24Send us a message! Picture yourself stepping into a real-life cozy mystery — stunning fall foliage, charming streets, and 14 authors who can't wait to meet you. That's the…
- A Murder at the Mansion—Inside Book Three of the Novel Detectives · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 23Send us a message! Book three in the Novel Detectives is almost here! I sit down with the Tech Guy to preview A Murder at the Mansion, out July 21st, and this one comes with a…
- The Cozy Contract—What Readers Expect and Why Authors Can't Break It · 34 min · Season 3 Episode 22Send us a message! There is an unspoken agreement between every cozy mystery author and her readers. Nobody signs it, but every cozy lover knows exactly what it says and can feel…
- Reader Confessions—Bookish Hills We'll Die On - Part 2 · 31 min · Season 3 Episode 21Send us a message! Five more bookish hills. One major disagreement. And The Tech Guy is confident he's going to win this one. In this reader-focused follow-up to our fan-favorite…
- Word Count Goals—How I Built a Process That Actually Works · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 20Send us a message! Every book I've ever written started the same way: one word at a time. In this episode of Reality Writes, I walk you through my complete writing process. From…
- Fall Cozy Energy—A Sneak Peek at Upcoming Books · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 19Send us a message! It's June, darlings, but we are diving headfirst into fall because that's just how publishing works, and also because fall is my favorite season and I refuse…
- Your Burning Writer Questions Answered—Scene Craft, Querying & More · 42 min · Season 3 Episode 18Send us a message! Got writing questions? We've got answers. In this episode, The Tech Guy and I dig into the questions that land most in our inbox, starting with a great one…
- Live From Leavenworth—Sloan Krause Mysteries Q&A · 24 min · Season 3 Episode 17Send us a message! We're coming to you live from Leavenworth, Washington—the real-life Bavarian village from the Sloan Krause Mystery series! While I was busy signing books at A…
- From Sprayed Edges to Box Sets—The Book Trends We're Obsessing Over · 25 min · Season 3 Episode 16Send us a message! In this episode of Reality Writes, I'm sitting down with The Tech Guy to talk about the book trends shaping what readers are buying, collecting, and obsessing…
