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Jocelyn Carbonara 11/5/26 Jocelyn Carbonara 11/5/26

Author Joe Serio: “Write the Book You Want to Write…Follow Your Heart.”

Please enjoy this Q&A about the book writing process with memoir author Joe Serio.

JOE SERIO: My book, Vodka, Hookers, and the Russian Mafia: My Life in Moscow, is a telling of my time investigating the Russian mafia. I was the only American to work in the Organized Crime Control Department of the Soviet National Police and later was the director of the Moscow office of the world’s leading corporate investigation and business intelligence firm.

First and foremost, I wanted to capture those years of my life. It was a unique experience and uncertain time. Conditions in Russia were worse than those of the Great Depression in the U.S. Second, it was a way for me to interweave my personal life and experiences with the Russian experience.

Jocelyn Carbonara 10/30/26 Jocelyn Carbonara 10/30/26

How (Not) to Use AI to Write Your Book

A year ago, we published a post on using AI to write your book. Since then, much has happened with AI. As a book editor, I am seeing AI’s influence in many of the manuscripts I receive. More authors are treating generative AI almost like it’s their own personal ghostwriter.

I believe readers, too, are more savvy than authors may think. This is why it’s critical to learn the limitations (and strengths) of using AI in the book-writing process.

Here are some trends to watch out for in AI writing.

Scott Carbonara 10/22/26 Scott Carbonara 10/22/26

How to Communicate with Your Ghostwriter or Editor

My wife and I both have degrees in communications and work in the field full-time (doing book ghostwriting, editing, and coaching). A good day for us is when we understand each other 51% of the time, a feat we last achieved on October 13, 2017.

Communication is hard—even for professionals like us who love learning and sharing people’s stories and passions. And if you’re working with a ghostwriter or editor, you may have encountered this yourself, which is why I wrote this article to help both parties get the most from the process.

Scott Carbonara 10/15/26 Scott Carbonara 10/15/26

Facts Get Forgotten, But Stories Get Stuck: The Importance of Storytelling

When I worked as an internal HR consultant for a multi-billion-dollar company, I uncovered a $10 million/year turnover problem in one of our largest departments. I talked to the people who’d quit, and I used SAS (Statistical Analysis System) to track the reasons they gave me for quitting—which meant I had both the numbers and the stories.

Without going into detail, “Jon,” the senior vice president of the division that had been hemorrhaging employees quicker than we could replace them, needed to know the data I’d uncovered immediately.

For the next hour, I told him specific stories from some hundreds of former employees I’d spoken with. Data got Jon’s attention; stories kept Jon’s attention.

Later, I would preach a simple leadership lesson to others: facts get forgotten, but stories get stuck.

Jocelyn Carbonara 10/8/26 Jocelyn Carbonara 10/8/26

Historical Fiction Author Keith Smith: “Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help.”

Please enjoy this Q&A about the writing process with Keith Smith, author of An American Patriot: A Revolutionary War Soldier’s Fight for Liberty and Love.

SPIRITUS BOOKS: Tell us a little about your book and why you wrote it.

KEITH SMITH: My journey started out with a completely different goal: to join Sons of the American Revolution. While researching to prove direct descent from my fifth great-grandfather, I uncovered an incredible story. It’s the story of an ordinary man who answered an extraordinary call—one of service and sacrifice that helped bring forth a new nation. With this year being the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there was no better time to tell Thomas’ story.

Jocelyn Carbonara 10/1/26 Jocelyn Carbonara 10/1/26

How to Win Your Fight with Writer’s Block (and Other Obstacles)

“How can I motivate myself to actually write?”

“When will my book actually be done?”

“I’ve been busy lately and haven’t made progress. Should I just give up?”

These are common questions in my author coaching and developmental editing. I’ve noticed they usually appear around the same time: when an author is somewhere in the middle of their first draft, and they feel like they’re sailing alone in the open sea at 2 a.m. (which I’ve actually done, except for the alone part).

So how do you actually keep your sail inflated when the wind feels weak?

I can’t wrestle the breeze to fix this, but several methods will get you there. I’ll share a few.