With me on Writers at Work is Matthew Pearl, author of the novel THE AWARD. And I will say upfront that if you are a writer or want to be a writer or are curious at all about writers, this is a book for you.

Matthew Pearl is the author of many highly regarded and best-selling novels, including the historical fiction works THE DANTE CLUB and THE POE SHADOW, the latter about the death of Edgar Allan Poe. His THE TECHNOLOGISTS is an alternative history about the early days of MIT. In 2021, he published his first work of non-fiction, THE TAKING OF JEMIMA BOONE: COLONIAL SETTLERS, TRIBAL NATIONS, AND THE KIDNAP THAT SHAPED AMERICA – A TRUE STORY OF RESCUE AND REVENGE IN REVOLUTIONARY 1776. His journalism has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Slate.

Which brings us to THE AWARD. The New Yorker said it "revels in its wickedness," and Tom Perrotta called it "addictive" and "propulsive" in comparing it to a Patricia Highsmith thriller. Without giving too much away, in THE AWARD, struggling novelist David Trent moves into a building in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On the floor below lived Silas Hale, a very famous author who, despite his acclaim, is disdainful to many, David perhaps most of all.

But then David wins a major award for his novel. Or does he? And chaos ensues. Who knew writing was such a fraught and deadly occupation. I found THE AWARD to be a lot of fun, its characters all too familiar, yet surprising in their actions.

With me on this first episode of Writers at Work of the new year is Lauren Rothery, author of TELEVISION, her debut novel.

If you visit laurenrothery.net, you'll find links to a number of short films she wrote and directed. As for TELEVISION, it's an intriguing, cleverly told novel about Verity, a famous actor who, after appearing in a hit film he detests, announces he will hold a lottery to give away the $80 million he stands to make from the picture.

Another primary character is Helen, an insightful, often cynical woman on the periphery of the entertainment business, and who Verity wishes were his wife. Then comes Phoebe, an aspiring screenwriter who can't seem to stop fantasizing about writing in order to actually write. The novel has a lived-in feel, in which we, the readers, swim in the characters' thoughts that are often mundane, occasionally astute, and always revealing.

As we approach the end of 2025, a special edition of Writers at Work. I speak with four writers I've known for almost 25 years: Peter Blauner, Reed Farrel Coleman, S.J. Rozan, and Peter Spiegelman. They are much-admired authors of mystery and crime fiction, with whom I've consulted and commiserated, and who have consulted and commiserated with each other as our careers as novelists careen like cars on a roller coaster.

If Writers at Work is about the joys, heartaches, challenges, and satisfaction of the creative writing process, they can discuss those outcomes in great and intimate detail. Peter, Reed, S.J., and Peter have experienced the highs the life of a novelist can bring. Publication by admirable houses, rave reviews, awards, the attention of Hollywood, and most importantly, the loyalty of readers.

They've also experienced the lows of the writer's life. Being dropped by those admirable houses, an absence of review, no nominations for awards, and silence from the film community. Thank goodness for those readers who remain true. To be a novelist is to be a solitary figure beset by uncertainty and doubt. To paraphrase Nietzsche, when you stare into a blank screen, the blank screen stares into you.

Peter, Reed, S.J., and Peter possess what I consider to be the most essential traits of a successful novelist, willfulness, courage, and a belief in their work regardless of whatever obstacles they may face. Let's find out how they do what they do and what they've learned from their experiences.