Mystery author Paul Austin Ardoin joins us on the podcast this week. After spending eight years writing the first few chapters of his novel, Paul signed up for NaNoWriMo, finished writing his debut in a matter of weeks, and the rest is history! Paul talks to us about kick starting his writing career through NaNoWriMo, how his writing process has changed throughout his career, and why he decided to self-publish and go wide. 

• Paul talks about his lifelong habit of writing the first half of books but never finishing them, and how NaNoWriMo helped him get over his penchant for rewrites and finally finish his first draft
• He explains his writing style, how he has evolved from a panster to a plotter, how he keeps his ideas fresh throughout his series, and what inspiration he draws from real life for his mysteries
• Paul discusses writing diverse characters who have lived experiences different from his own, and why research, sensitivity readers, and being willing to listen and open to criticism are vital in doing this successfully
• He explains why he decided to self-publish, and why, after starting out exclusive, he made the jump to going wide. 
• Paul talks about what marketing strategies he has found successful throughout his career, including Facebook ads, a cohesive cover and title strategy, and the Kobo promo tab

Useful Links
Paul’s Website
Fenway Stevenson Mysteries
Santa Lucia Series
NaNoWriMo
Wide for the Win
Faith Martin’s Hillary Greene Series
Encyclopedia Brown
Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot Mysteries
20 Books to 50k

Paul Austin Ardoin is a California native who is the author of the Fenway Stevenson mystery series. He has published short fiction and humorous essays in the anthologies Bottomfish and Sweet Fancy Moses, and articles about computer security in California Computer News and European Communications. When he’s not writing novels or trying to save the world through better computer security, Paul plays keyboards in a dance rock band. He lives in the Sacramento area with his wife, two teenagers, and a menagerie of animals.