Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

Welcome to part two of my interview with John Glynn, a novelist, memoirist, and the editorial director of Hanover Square Press, an imprint of HarperCollins. His brand new novel (out May 12!) is “The Lost Book of Lancelot,” a queer retelling of the legend of Camelot that Publisher’s Weekly called “a fresh, fun take on a classic” that’s “entertaining, vivid, and immersive.”Today we’re talking about...

This week my guest is John Glynn, author of the brand new novel (out May 12) “The Lost Book of Lancelot,” a queer retelling of the legend of Camelot that’s a great fit for fans of Heated Rivalry and for anyone interested in the legends surrounding the quest for the Holy Grail. Plus, dragons! John’s nonfiction debut “Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer” was named a best book by Time, Entertainment...

In this final installment of my interview with author and writing teacher Christopher Castellani, talked about how to stay connected to your creativity during turbulent times and then we got into some fun talk about the authors, books, morning beverages, and songs he’s currently loving.- What he learned about Tennessee Williams while researching a novel that continues to inspire him- Making his fi...

In part two of my interview with author and writing teacher Christopher Castellani, we talked about all the quirky psychology that goes into creating, including:- Why his books tend to get longer and longer the more he revises- The painful process of falling out of love with a book you’re writing- Sometimes it’s the timing of a project and not the quality of the idea that makes or breaks it- Bounc...

This week I’m delighted to be talking with five-time novelist Christopher Castellani. Christopher’s newest book is “Last Seen,” which combines suspense, true crime, and magical realism to take the reader on a journey through the psyches and preoccupations of young men coming of age in twenty-first-century America. Christopher’s first novel, “A Kiss from Maddalena,” chronicled the Italian-American...

Welcome to part three of my interview with Jenna Blum, author of the new psychological thriller “Murder Your Darlings,” which will keep you up and crack you up while also offering an inside peek at the writing life. Jenna's other books include the New York Times and internationally bestselling “Those Who Save Us,” “The Storm Chasers,” and “The Lost Family.” She's also written the memoir “Woodrow o...

In part two of my interview with Jenna Blum, the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of five books, including “Those Who Save Us” and “The Lost Family,” and “Murder Your Darlings” which is a psychological thriller and a peek inside the writing life. In today's interview, we're diving into what I call inner stuff, the squishier side of writing, dealing with resistance, doubts, the...

This week my guest is internationally bestselling author Jenna Blum. Jenna's books include “Those Who Save Us,” “The Storm Chasers,” and “The Lost Family.” Her newest book is a psychological thriller called “Murder Your Darlings,” which involves authors, book tours, deadlines, love, and stalkers. Jenna is the co-founder of A Mighty Blaze, an online author interview company, which if you're listeni...

In this final installment of my interview with Kate Broad, whose debut novel “Greenwich” was named a best new book by People Magazine, we get a peek at where Kate is headed next, as well as what she's been reading, watching, drinking and fantasizing about eating lately. We cover:- The good and the bad parts of always reading (or watching) like a writer- Why she’s mapped out the structure of other...

Welcome back to part two of my interview with Kate Broad, whose debut novel, “Greenwich,” was named a People Magazine best new book, an Amazon editor's pick, and a Publisher’s Weekly buzz book for summer 2025, and would be an excellent choice for your book club to read next. In today's interview, we're diving into the inner side of writing–dealing with resistance, doubts, the passage of time, and...

My guest this week is Kate Broad, author of “Greenwich,” a coming of age story set against a backdrop of wealth and privilege that explores how mistakes can have life-altering consequences and asks who is the first to be blamed and who gets to be believed and forgiven.“Greenwich” was named a People Magazine best new book, an Amazon editor's pick and a Publishers Weekly Buzz Book for summer 2025. I...

Welcome to the final installment of my interview with Cynthia Weiner, author of “A Gorgeous Excitement,” a coming of age novel set in 1980s New York City that was named a best book of 2025 by The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews, and Oprah Daily and is freshly out in paperback. Cynthia is also the assistant director of the writer's studio in New York City and her short fiction has been published in “Ope...

Welcome to part two of my interview (a replay) with Cynthia Weiner, author of “A Gorgeous Excitement,” which, since these episodes first aired, has just come out in paperback and was named a best book of the year for 2025 by The New Yorker, Kirkus Reviews, and Oprah Daily. In today's episode, we unpack:- Learning how to tolerate the discomfort of sharing your work- And how to ignore the voice that...

This week I'm replaying my interview with Cynthia Weiner, whose amazing coming of age novel set in 1980s New York City, “A Gorgeous Excitement,” is just out in paperback.“A Gorgeous Excitement” is inspired by Cynthia's own 80s upbringing on the Upper East Side of New York, as well as the infamous Preppy Killer, a former prep school student who killed a girl in Central Park in the summer of 1986 an...

Welcome back to the final portion of my interview with Lauren Kessler an award-winning author of 15 books including her brand new and most personal by far, Everything Changes Everything, which covers how she moved forward after losing her husband and her daughter within eight months of each other by walking 500 miles across Spain on a solo pilgrimage along the famed Camino de Santiago. In addition...

In part two of my interview with award-winning author and (semi) fearless immersion reporter Lauren Kessler, who brand-new book "Everything Changes Everything" is getting great reviews for being an affective portrait of moving through the kinds of loss we all hope to avoid but few can avoid. In today’s interview we dive into the interior side of writing–dealing with resistance, doubts, aging, and...

My guest today is Lauren Kessler, a multi-award-winning author of eleven works of narrative nonfiction, three biographies, an oral history, and four books on writing and reporting. A gutsy immersion journalist, Lauren has explored life inside a maximum-security prison, the grueling world of professional ballet, the anti-aging movement, and the hidden world of Alzheimer’s sufferers. Her brand new b...

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Welcome back to part two of my interview with Elizabeth Gonzalez-James, screenwriter and bestselling author of the novels, “The Bullet Swallower” and “Mona at Sea,” as well as the chapbook, “Five Conversations About Peter Sellers.” Elizabeth was featured on the MSNBC documentary, “My Generation,” representing the millennials. And she has taught fiction writing at Grub Street, Pioneer Valley Writer...

Welcome back to the final installment of my interview with Crystal King, bestselling author of In the Garden of Monsters, Feast of Sorrow, The Chef's Secret, and the brand new The Happiness Collector. Crystal's writing is fueled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language, and culture of Italy. So if you're ever looking to take a mental escape to another culture, a delicious one and...

This week's guest is Elizabeth Gonzales James, screenwriter and bestselling author of the novels, “The Bullet Swallower” and “Mona at Sea,” as well as the chapbook, “Five Conversations About Peter Sellers.”“The Bullet Swallower” is based on mostly true events from her own family lore, a magical realism Western that was named a best book of 2024 by NPR and Esquire.“Mona at Sea,” is a darkly funny c...

Welcome back to part two of my interview with Crystal King, author of the bestselling food-laden novels, “In the Garden of Monsters,” “The Chef’s Secret,” and “Feast of Sorrow.” Her newest novel, “The Happiness Collector,” is a contemporary fantasy novel about an American historian who lands a dream job in Rome--and may or may not be an unwitting pawn in battle of the gods. In today’s interview we...

My guest this week is Crystal King, author of the novels “In the Garden of Monsters”--a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth–“Feast of Sorrow”--about an ancient Roman gourmand–”The Chef’s Secret”--about the pope’s private chef during the Renaissance--and the brand new “The Happiness Collector,” about a modern-day history professor who lands her dream job in Rome where it slowly becomes appar...

In this second part of my conversation with Lucas Mann, author of Attachments, Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances and co-owner (with his wife, Ottavia) of the fabulous Riff Raff Bookstore and Bar in Providence, Rhode Island, we really got into the evolution of his thinking about what it means–and what it takes–to be a ‘successful’ writer, and what the even means. Specifically, we talked a...

Welcome back to the final installment of my interview with Welcome back to part two of my interview with Susannah Cahalan, author of the books “Brain on Fire,” “The Great Pretender,” and most recently “The Acid Queen.” Susannah is also a mental health advocate, speaker, and founder of the Sob Sisters, a networking group for women who write nonfiction. We covered:- A peek at her next book, which is...