Books Behind the Interviews: All the Books Steve has Read for StoryBeat!

Great conversations begin with great ideas. This growing reading list includes books by Storybeat guests on storytelling, creativity, writing, filmmaking, music, art, business, and personal development. Whether you’re a writer, artist, filmmaker, entrepreneur, or lifelong learner, these books offer valuable insights from some of the most creative minds working today.

If you’re wondering, yes, Steve has read all of these in preparation to interview each of the authors.

To listen to a guest’s episode, click on their name. To check out an individual book, click on its title.

• Ackerman, Hal — Smoke and Lather; Stein Stoned
• Arnoff, David — Shots in the Dark
• Arnold, Mark — Unconditionally Mad: Part 1; Unconditionally Mad: Part B
• Atkins, Joe — Casey’s Last Chance; Harry Dean Stanton
• August, Risa — The Road Unpaved
• Austin, Rusty — An Awesome Bird The Pelican
• Beaty, Naomi — Logline Shortcuts
• Bell, Art — What She’s Hiding
• Bethel, J. David — Mapping the Night; Squinting at Shadows; Thy Brothers Keeper
• Biswas, Damyanti — The Blue Bar; The Blue Monsoon
• Bodayle, Mike – A League of His Own
• Brunstetter, Wanda & Bolton, Martha — The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie’s Biscuits
• Boudreaux, Chad — Mob Justice
• Buzzelli, Michael — All I Want for Christmas
• Byrne, Mike — The Birth of the Beatles Story
• Byrne, Wayne — Walter Hill; Welcome to Elm Street
• Canedy, Carl & Harrington, Phillip “Doc” — Tales of a Wild Dog
• Carl, Dr. William J. — Assassin’s Manuscript
• Charles, Janet Skeslien — The Paris Library; The Parisian Chapter
• Chitlik, Paul — Lies All Lies; The Screenwriting Sensei
• Cole, Stephen — Camelton; Mary and Ethel and Mikey Who…?
• Conte, Andy — The Color of Sundays
• Conway, PS “Pat” — Life Sucks
• Coyle, Joe — Just Outside Lisbon
• Crane, Robert — Sex, Celebrity, and My Father’s Unsolved Murder
• Cranston, Bryan — A Life in Parts
• Cullen, Thomas — Charlie-Man
• Dahlin, Teddie — A Vicious Love Story
• Danziger, Maia — Relax and Write
• Davis, Dana L. — Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now
• DeLuca, Virginia — If You Must Go, I Wish You Triplets
• Destro, Ron — The Starre, The Moone, The Sunne
• Dilworth, Sharon — Two Sides, Three Rivers
• Domowitz, Ian — Initial Condition
• Driscoll, Ed — Cracking Up
• Drucker, Joel — Jimmy Connors Saved My Life
• Eckert, Lorie Kleiner — Chai on Life
• Edgewater, PK — Passages
• Elias, Michael — You Can Go Home Now; Bender’s L.A.
• Elwes, Cary — As You Wish
• Epps, Sheldon — My Own Directions
• Erish, Andrew — Selig; Vitagraph
• Filichia, Peter — Strippers, Showgirls, and Sharks
• Filloux, Catherine — Lemkin’s House
• Fritz, Jimi — The End of Everything
• Fryer, Christopher — Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father’s Unsolved Murder; Beyond Where the Buses Run: Stories
• Galloway, Stephen — Truly, Madly
• Games, Stephen — Frances Creighton: Found and Lost
• Gardella, Tricia — Mouse Visits Everglades National Park
• Greenfield, Barry — All You Need is Courage; My Journey to Blue Sky
• Gruen, Gabby — The Uniform; The Ride of a Lifetime
• Hall, Barbara — Letters from Hollywood
• Harris, Mark Jonathan — Misfits (Stories)
• Hartstone, Joey — The Local
• Herman, Shelley — My Peacock Tale: Secrets of an NBC Page
• Heschlag, Jane — When the Mouth Can’t Speak, The Body Will
• Hoffman, Scott — Inside
• Karlsson, Sören Sulo — Lennart Johansson
• Karson, Kit — Nefarious Intent
• Kearns, Burt — The Show Won’t Go On
• Kennedy, Theresa Griffin — Talionic Night in Portland; Beyond Where the Buses Run: Stories
• Kinnings, Max — Baptism
• Kirkpatrick, David Paul — The Address of Happiness
• Klinger, Leslie — The Annotated The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
• Kosberg., Bob — How to Sell Your Idea to Hollywood
• Krampner, Jon — Ernest Lehman: The Sweet Smell of Success
• Kremer, Jon — A Go! Go! Revisited; Chain Reaction
• Kroyer, Bill — Mr. In-Between
• Lang, Rocky — Growing Up Hollywood; Letters from Hollywood
• Lerman, Eleanor — King the Wonder Dog: And Other Stories
• Leisawitz, Jeff — The Magical Impact of Storytelling; Not F*ing Around
• Lex, Joe — All Bones Considered: 52 Laurel Hill Women
• Mailhot-Leichter, Pia — Welcome to the Creative Club
• Manning, Leslie Tall — Knock On Wood
• Marz, Leigh & Zorn, Justin — Golden
• Marx, Christy — Writing for Animation, Comics, and Games
• McGee, Scott — Danger on the Silver Screen
• McGiffert, David — Best Seat in the House
• McGinniss, Richie — Riot Diet
• Miller, Craig — Star Wars Memories
• Milo, Candi — Surviving the Odd
• Monroe, Robert — Bungalow Terrace
• Moriarty, Jay — Honky in the House
• Mujica, Barbara — Miss Del Rio
• Mumy, Bill — The Full Mumy
• Olson, Al — The History of the American Rennaissance Festival
• Orkin, Haris — You Only Live Once
• Parravani, Christa — Her
• Peck, Marcia — Water Music
• Penghlis, Thaao — The Great Escape (Podcast), 3 Eps
• Pollack, Amy — The Further Adventures of Jelly Bean
• Powers, Amy — No Degree Required
• Proctor, Phil — Where’s My Fortune Cookie?
• Quatro, Suzi — Grave Undertakings; Through My Heart
• Quinn, Tim — Bigger Than the Beatles; Jolly Bloodbath; ARGH
• Rasmussen, Leslie — When People Leave
• Rebello, Stephen — Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho
• Regan, Paige — Sin and Bones
• Roman, Ron — Of Ashes and Dust
• Rosenay, Charles — The Book of Top 10 Beatles Lists; The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists
• Rosenbaum, Adam — The Ghost Rules
• Rubin, Steven Jay — The James Bond Encyclopedia; The James Bond Films
• Ryan, Jimmy — California Dreaming and Primal Screaming; The Superstar Chronicles
• Sava, Scott Christian — Becoming an Artist
• Scarbrough, Marsha — Inside Breaking Bad; Marsha’s Blog,
• Schulman, Susan — Backstage Pass to Broadway
• Schulz, Monte — Metropolis
• Scott, Melody Thomas — Always Young and Restless
• Sears, Steven — Tales of the Aboveground/Underground
• Sharp, David — Power for Life; Annie Ruth’s Truths
• Shatner, William — Live Long and…
• Silverman, David — How to Be a Rock Star Screenwriter
• Singer, David — From Cab Driver to Carnegie Hall
• Smith, Peter & Smith, Laura — My Travels Through the Maelstrom of Punk Rock
• Staffa, Rosanna — The War Ends at Four
• Starks, L.A. — Winner’s Curse
• Stein, Tom — Gratitude Is Not Enough
• Stenn, David — Clara Bow: Runnin’ Wild
• Stevens, Jr., George — My Place in the Sun
• Stewart, RJ — Crazy Hawk
• Stubis, Qin Sun — Once Our Lives
• Suber, Howard — The Power of Film
• Sunberg, Danielle — The Atlas of Being
• Swofford, Anthony “Tony” — Jarhead; Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails
• Verlizzo, Frank — Fraver by Design
• Virts, Sharon — The Grays of Truth
• Vorhaus, John — The Book of Practice; The Little Book of Standup; The Comedy Writers Companion
• Wagner, Jeremy – Wretch
• Walter, Richard — Deadpan
• Wolff, Michael — On That Note
• Woodward, Megan — This Book is Definitely Not Cursed
• Ziegler, Lady Dhyana — Midnight Train From Georgia