Books We Loved in March 2023, by G.P. Gottlieb, Molly Greeley, and Joanna Lowell

When, how—and how not—to use weather to reveal character and setting in fiction

Books we loved in February 2023, by Sophie Cousens, Maggie O'Farrell, and Sheri Cobb South

Joan Schweighardt shines a spotlight on flash fiction writer Chelsea Stickle in this month's interview.

Books We Loved in January 2023, by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, Allison Winn Scotch, and Susan Stokes-Chapman

The importance of setting in a novel—so long as you don't overdo it.

Books We Loved in December 2022, by T. C. Boyle, Sam Lipsyte, and Anne Perry

Spotlight interview with A. E. Wasserman, author of the Lord Langsford Historical Mysteries

Books We Loved in November, by Nicola Cornick, Anthony Doerr, and Christopher M. Hood

Joan Schweighart discusses magical realism: what it is, and why you might want to use it in your writing.

Books We Loved in October, by Sophie Cousens, Maggie O'Farrell, and Darcie Wilde

Interview with Jen Michalski, whose new short story collection, The Company of Strangers, will appear in January 2023.

Books we loved in Sept. 2022, by Anthony Doerr, Melody Grace, and Rosemary Simpson

Tips for keeping background research from overwhelming a story.

Books We Loved in August 2022, by Christina Lauren, Nic Saint, and Phyllis M Skoy.

Interview with author K.B. Jensen, a successful self-published writer of short stories and novels

Books We Loved in July, with entries by Kirstin Chen, Madeleine E. Robins, and Richard Swan

As Five Directions Press winds down its anniversary months (ten years!), individual authors reminisce on their experiences.

Books We Loved in June, by Jen DeLuca, Damon Galgut, and Elles Lohuis. Summer reading, everyone!

Our spotlight beam roams far and wide, so that we can bring you interviews with all sorts of wonderful writers—from flash fiction/memoir...