Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

Latest Episodes:

[Lori Gold, inner stuff]: On writing what you *don’t* know Ep1270 May 20, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to part two of my interview with Lori Gold, whose brand new novel is “Kiss, Marry, Kill,” a book about three friends who are sent into alternate universes after playing the classic sleepover game during a company trip.
Today, we’re getting into the psychology and mindset side of writing–the thoughts, ideas, and beliefs that play such a big part of this very interior profession.
We covered:
- Why “Kiss, Marry, Kill” took two years to revise
- How she determines when she’s done enough book promotion
- What she tells herself when the doubts start coming
- How getting older has changed what she writes about
- Infusing a fictional story with your real-life feelings
- Feeling your gravitational pull tilt away from ambition as you enter your 50s
- Why “write what you know” isn’t true
- A plug for the power of planning
Connect with Lori on Instagram @lorigoldsteinbooks or at her website, lorigoldsteinbooks.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Lori Gold, practical matters]: Listening to the voice that says “I want to do something different” Ep 1269 May 18, 2026

Show notes

This week my guest is Lori Gold, author of the just-released “Kiss, Marry, Kill” about three women who play a spin on the classic sleepover game and wake up the next day in an alternate universe, and last year’s winning breakthrough, “Romantic Friction” – a comedic look at a rivalry between two writers seasoned with a dash of AI that was an NPR Book of the Day.
Her other books, published under the name Lori Goldstein, include the adult historical novel, “Love, Theodosia”, a Romeo & Juliet for Hamilton fans, and four novels for young adults: “Sources Say,” “Screen Queens,” and the “Becoming Jinn” series.
Lori is also a creative writing instructor and founder of Think Write, which holds creative writing classes and writing retreats.
We covered:
- Making the leap to fiction from journalism
- The first manuscript she ever wrote that was 800 pages long
- The writing class that changed everything
- How the right encouragement at the right time–plus stubbornness–can fuel you
- The importance of having a cheerleader
- Why her husband was the only person who knew she was trying to write a book
- Her belief that no writing is wasted–even the complete manuscripts that don’t get picked up by a publisher
- Protecting your writing time amidst the side hustles
- Realizing when you need to get back to a more writing-centric routine
- The different tools she uses for different parts of the writing process
Connect with Lori on Instagram @lorigoldsteinbooks or at her website, lorigoldsteinbooks.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[John Glynn: what’s coming up]: Savoring the sensation of (finally) being on the right path Ep 1268 May 08, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to the final installment of my interview with John Glynn, author of the brand new novel “The Lost Book of Lancelot,” a queer retelling of the legend of Camelot–think Heated Rivalry set in King Arthur’s court.
John is also the author of “Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer” that oprah.com called "A moving account of the particular sort of loneliness that descends when you know you're unhappy but don't quite know why."
In addition to being an author and freelance writer, John is the editorial director of Hanover Square Press, an imprint of HarperCollins.
In today’s episode we’re talking about where John’s throughline may be leading him next and we’ll also talk about some lighter, yet still vitally important topics, like what he’s been watching, reading, listening to, and fantasizing about eating lately.
We covered:
- Toying with two different ideas on what book to work on next
- The memoir he reads a few pages of before he sits down to write
- How he’s navigating this really busy time of promoting a new book while also working full-time
- Why he drinks iced coffee year round
- The brand new memoir he stayed up too late to finish
Connect with John on Instagram at @glynner85.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[John Glynn, inner stuff]: Taking your doubts as a sign you’re on the right track Ep 1267 May 06, 2026

Show notes

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 the inner stuff involved in writing and the literary arts–the doubts, the beliefs, and personal development that writing both requires and delivers.
We covered:
- A peek into the process of how publishers sell and market books
- And a peek into why many would-be authors get a “no” from publishers
- Why feeling insecure and vulnerable are signs you’re on the right track
- The two times the inner critic is the loudest–and how he approaches it
- Feeling nostalgic for earlier times in his life when writing felt more urgent because it was a lifeline
- What RuPaul gets wrong about relationships
- The psychic parties his aunt used to throw (a genius idea that I totally want to steal!)
Connect with John on Instagram at @glynner85.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[John Glynn, practical matters]: Making time to write while working a full-time job Ep 1266 May 04, 2026

Show notes

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 Weekly, and Cosmopolitan. His writing has appeared in People, Oprah Daily and The Daily Beast.
In addition to being an author and freelance writer, John is the editorial director of Hanover Square Press, an imprint of HarperCollins. As an editor, his authors have won the Booker Prize, the Pulitzer, the National Book Award, Grammys, and an Olympic gold medal.
We covered:
- Formative memories of being read to by his mom when he was little
- His early start in publishing as an intern and editorial assistant, and the glamour of going to work everyday in Rockefeller Center for a kid from Western Massachusetts (even though he was photocopying and answering phones)
- The two novels he wrote that didn’t get published
- How working as an editor on other people’s books and writing his own books inform each other
- How he makes time to write while working a fulltime job
- The 13th century French folk tale that sparked the idea for “The Lost Book of Lancelot”
- How he started writing the book “just for fun” and “just for me”
- The one spot that provides the best chances of him getting some good writing done
Connect with John on Instagram at @glynner85.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Christopher Castellani, what’s coming up]: Finding inspiration in the midst of upsetting world events Ep 1265 Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

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 first forays into writing for television
- How he’s getting less snooty with age and more excited to try new, more commercial creative endeavors/genres
- The classic he recently read for the first time that knocked his socks off
- The breakfast ritual he is absolutely devoted to
- The Celine Dion song he loves that was originally written for Meatloaf!
- Why he loves Monday mornings
Connect with Christopher (and check if he’s doing an event near you!) at christophercastellani.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Christopher Castellani, inner stuff]: Tricking yourself into doing the work Ep 1264 Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

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
- Bouncing around between various works in progress
- The longest list of things his inner critic says of anyone I’ve ever talked to
- Scheduling when he’ll feel sorry for himself as a way to quiet those negative thoughts
- Finding the weird bits of your psychology to motivate yourself (Christopher’s is getting excited about working on two projects at the same time because then he gets to feel like he’s cheating whenever he stops working on one and starts working on the other)
- A really thoughtful reason why “show don’t tell” is overdone
- Why he had four separate legal pads for his last project, and how he used them to tap into his characters’ subconsciouses (and ultimately, his own)
- How he tricks himself into working
Connect with Christopher (and check if he’s doing an event near you!) at christophercastellani.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Christopher Castellani, practical matters]: Using your creative practice to make sense of the world Ep 1263 Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

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 immigrant experience and won the Massachusetts Book Award; its follow-up, “The Saint of Lost Things,” was a BookSense Notable Book; and the final novel in the trilogy, “All This Talk of Love,” was a New York Times Editors’ Choice.
His novel “Leading Men,” about the playwright Tennessee Williams and his longtime partner Frank Merlo, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and is being developed into a movie for Searchlight Pictures.
We covered:
- What happened in fifth grade that made him decide to be a writer
- Why he decided not to pursue the more stable path of becoming a writing professor
- How being an author is a little like being a one man band
- How he uses his books to make money–and it’s not by selling more copies
- The habit he started during the pandemic that he still does, and that has totally changed his relationship to reading
- The nerdy 80s magazine he’s still a subscriber to
Connect with Christopher (and check if he’s doing an event near you!) at christophercastellani.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Jenna Blum: what’s coming up]: Putting a long-term plan into action + the importance of choosing the right mug Ep 1262 Apr 10, 2026

Show notes

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 on the Beach” and produced the audio course, The Author at Work.
Today, we're going to get a peek at where Jenna is headed next, as well as what she's been reading, watching, drinking, and fantasizing about eating, including:
- A peek into her publishing process and how she’s figuring out which book she’ll write next
- Props to her parents for actually encouraging her to write for a living
- The things she does for fun–and the vision she has to bring them all together, which should make you very excited if you write, eat pie, enjoy water sports, and/or love dogs
- Some great shows about writing that are streaming now
- The collection of coffee mugs that are key accessories for her writing process
- The coffee maker she’s such a good customer of they sent her a free machine when hers broke
- The musical era she’s stuck in
- Why she never gets up early
- Her greasy death row meal that breaks all her food guidelines
Visit Jenna at JennaBlum.com, Substack (Writer Girl in the World), Facebook (Jenna Blum author), or Instagram (Jenna_Blum).
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Jenna Blum, inner stuff]: Getting over the fear that you’re wasting time Ep 1261 Apr 08, 2026

Show notes

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 passage of time, unhelpful beliefs, all that fun stuff. We're going to dive into it.
We covered:
- Working to get back to the joy and self-importance of writing she felt as a kid
- The part of writing she despises (that most writers claim to love)
- The part she’d do with glee even if a lawnmower ran over her foot
- How she talks herself out of feeling like she’s wasted time if she doesn’t end up liking what she wrote
- Trusting your inner encouragements even if your critical mind doesn’t quite believe them
- Why hitting her mid-fifties has prompted her to change genres (from historical fiction to psychological thrillers)
- How she’s had to face the fact that writing is hard on the body–and what she’s doing to take care of herself
- The question she asks herself when she’s figuring out which invitations she’ll say yes to and which she’ll decline
- How she’s racked up a four-year daily meditating streak
- All the things she’s doing to take care of herself as a woman in midlife with a sedentary career
Visit Jenna at JennaBlum.com, Substack (Writer Girl in the World), Facebook (Jenna Blum author), or Instagram (Jenna_Blum).
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected