Matty Dalrymple talks with John DeDakis about TURNING LIFE'S PLOT TWISTS INTO A POWERFUL MEMOIR, including how a universal theme turns personal memories into a story readers can enter, how a life narrative and timeline reveal pivotal moments, and how beta readers help identify what does not serve the book. We also discuss balancing insight with entertainment, staying truthful when memory is imperfect, and respecting the people whose lives overlap with your own.

Interview video at https://tinyurl.com/TIA359YT2

Show notes at https://theindyauthor.substack.com/ (Substack subscribers get exclusive content)

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John DeDakis is a former editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." DeDakis, a former White House correspondent, is the author of six traditionally published novels in the award-winning Lark Chadwick mystery-suspense-thriller series. DeDakis is a motivational speaker, podcaster, one-on-one writing coach, manuscript editor, and regularly teaches novel and memoir writing at literary centers, bookstores, and writers' conferences nationwide and abroad. He is also a Grief Educator, certified by world-renowned grief expert David Kessler of Grief.com. John's newest book is Plot Twists: A Memoir on Writing and Living. Website: www.johndedakis.com

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.