# Season 5 Ep 4 | Jenna Blum | Changing Genres, Creative Identity, & the Business of Writing

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/some-things-considered-with-sean-murphy-7026430/season-5-ep-4-jenna-blum-changing-genres-creative-identity-the-business-of-writing
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/some-things-considered-with-sean-murphy-7026430/season-5-ep-4-jenna-blum-changing-genres-creative-identity-the-business-of-writing.md
Podcast: [Some Things Considered with Sean Murphy](https://stenobird.com/podcast/some-things-considered-with-sean-murphy-7026430)
Published: 2026-01-13T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://murphlaw.substack.com/p/season-5-ep-4-jenna-blum-changing
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/183065981/1613bd9a72576f8931d4f632d0ad8aac.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/some-things-considered-with-sean-murphy-7026430/episodes/season-5-ep-4-jenna-blum-changing-genres-creative-identity-the-business-of-writing
Duration seconds: 3677

## Resource

This episode of Some Things Considered features the always-brilliant Jenna Blum, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of Those Who Save Us , The Stormchasers , The Lost Family , Woodrow on the Bench , and her forthcoming psychological thriller Murder Your Darlings (out January 2026). It’s a wide-ranging, candid conversation about writing across genres, the realities of literary success, and what it really means to build a sustainable creative life. Murder Your Darlings & Genre Shifts * Jenna’s first psychological thriller * Why she chose to tackle the genre now * Writing across historical fiction, memoir, contemporary fiction, and thriller * Following curiosity over market expectations * Using genre shifts as creative challenges (No spoilers — you’ll have to read the book.) Success, Industry & Change * Life as a New York Times bestseller — inspiration and envy * How publishing and promotion have changed since the early 2000s * The impact of social media on writers and careers Audience, Promotion & Showing Up * Jenna’s genuine love of touring, events, and reader engagement * Rewriting the rules early on for building an audience * Being present online and on the road — without losing balance * Letting go of what writers can’t control Community, Teaching & A Mighty Blaze * The ongoing work behind A Mighty Blaze * Why literary community matters (including micro-communities) * How Jenna’s approach to teaching has evolved over the past decade I hope this episode will encourage you to not only buy Jenna’s book, but get one for a friend, spread the word, and explore the remarkable work she’s been doing. I celebrate Jenna as the ideal literary citizen and a ceaseless source of knowledge and inspiration! ABOUT JENNA BLUM Instagram: @jenna_blum X: @Jenna_Blum Fa…

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