The Secret Library Podcast

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#99 :: Creating a Writing Life in France | ML Longworth Apr 19, 2018

Show notes

ML Longworth has one of the greatest writing stories I've heard so far. After the tech company her husband worked for in Silicon Valley was sold in the last 1990s, ML Longworth tried something bold. Before leaving for a family vacation in France, she typed the following search term into a browser: computer-jobs-France. What followed was a series of incredible coincidences that lead to she and her husband and daughter moving to Aix-en-Provence. You'll want to listen in to hear her version. When she moved to France, ML Longworth was not a professional novelist. She began writing about food and culture in southern France and had a novel that she hid in a drawer for years. When she was offered the opportunity to teach writing at NYU's campus in Paris, the interviewer casually mentioned that she must have a book in the works. With the promise of a job as a writing professor, the novel came out of the drawer and on to publication. Now, the Verlaque and Bonnet mysteries are a much-loved series that features the region of Aix and its food and culture as much as the mysteries that unfold there. If you've ever dreamed of running off to another country, or wondered if you could build a career as a writer without the traditional MFA, here is a story that will fuel your wildest hopes. I know it did for me- I haven't been able to stop thinking about this conversation since we recorded.

#98 :: The Editing Adventure | Elaine Castillo Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

Elaine Castillo broke my brain with something she said on the show. The book she ended up publishing, her debut novel America is not the Heart, was not even close to the same length as the book she wrote. Let me say this again: Elaine Castillo sold her debut novel to a big 5 publisher and then got to spend a year and a half editing it because they believed in the book and wanted Elaine to feel satisfied by the end result. As someone who has always felt novels got sold only when there might be an errant semi-colon or two floating around, this was nothing short of a revelation. Elaine is incredibly open and forthright in this conversation. I was delighted to really get inside her writing process, how she explored point fo view, and the way the characters came together for her. It was a joy to dive into America is Not the Heart, a gorgeous book that is already making waves with the critics. You're in for a real treat this week. Happy listening! Show notes with links | This episode sponsored by the Secret Writeaway

#97 Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon on Being Boss Apr 05, 2018

Show notes

Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon wrote the book on Being Boss. Back in January 2015, Emily and Kathleen launched a podcast called Being Boss. It was for women business owners and creative entrepreneurs. The show quickly grew from a small posse of listeners into a sensation, and then a movement. The exploration of what it meant to be boss created in-person events and a vibrant online community of women, all ready to "do the work" as Emily and Kathleen put it. It was only a matter of time before they wrote a book. As soon as the book was ready to hit the presses, I was eager to speak to the two of them about what had allowed them to collaborate on a book from two different cities and in the midst of their shared business and the businesses they each run on their own. I knew they'd have systems and tips galore, and I wasn't disappointed. If you've ever thought about collaborating on a book, this is your episode. And even if you don't dream of co-authoring, the advice Emily and Kathleen share will help you get your book written better, faster, and saner. Happy listening!

#97 :: Co-Writing a Book | Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon Apr 05, 2018

Show notes

#96 :: Starting a Writing Career after 40 | Kit De Waal Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

Kit De Waal didn't start writing until she was 40.

I love a hot debut novel from a bright young thing as much as the next person, but there is something I love even more about a late-to-writing career trajectory. Now that I'm on the other side of 40, I feel particularly fired up whenever I read books by those who didn't start as writers the moment they finished school. If you feel like it's too late for you to write what you want to, it's not. If you feel like you aren't like the authors you see on the shelves, don't let that stop you. And I expect that listening to Kit De Waal discuss overcoming the obstacles writers face will help you stay focused on writing and publishing your book. This episode is magic.

#95 :: Translation and the Mystery of Swedish Crime Novels | Henning Koch + Lars Kepler Mar 22, 2018

Show notes

This week, we dive into the mysterious lure of Sweden and its literature. As a lover of languages, I have long been fascinated with the art of translation. I am delighted to have Henning Koch on this week, who has translated Fredik Backman's work including A Man Called Ove as well as the acclaimed Every Moment We Are Still Alive. In addition to working as a translator, he's also a writer himself and has published two books. We explore Henning's beginnings in translation, the relationship it gives him with language, and why he can't possibly write and translate at the same time. We also touched on something that has become a phenomenon recently: the worldwide obsession with Swedish crime fiction. In order to explore the topic of Swedish crime further, this week's episode continues with the couple that writes together under the pseudonym Lars Kepler: Alexandra Coehlo Ahndoril and Alexadner Ahndoril. Their book, The Sandman kept me up at night for days, furiously turning pages. We discussed how they came to write together as a couple, what they believe makes Sweden uniquely capable of writing dark crime stories, and their incredible method of writing together. I love these two conversations as a pair, because both of them center on finding connection with others through language and the love of books. If you've ever dreamed of seeing your work appear in another language or considered collaborating, this episode is for you.

#94 :: The Story of the 19th Amendment | Elaine Weiss Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

Elaine Weiss found the locus of action for her book deep in the library archives. I love this image because it is the stuff writing fantasies are made of: a writer, buried in the depths of newspapers that had been cataloged on microfilm. It was there that she discovered that a member of each of the critical political parties in her book arrived the very same night in Nashville, TN to fight the final battle around the 19th amendment in the US. Elaine and I talked about the politics of the 19th amendment and how she has managed to write a book that had me on the edge of my seat, even though I knew while reading it that the amendment would ultimately pass - I know I have voted in every election I've been able to since I was 18. But even so, the gift of a good writer is someone who is able to capture the suspense that those experiencing this historical period in real time in the present must have felt. History doesn't have to be dry or dull. In fact, I was as glued to The Woman's Hour as I have been to any suspense novel I've read. I hope you enjoy listening to us discuss how it came together just as much as I enjoyed diving into its creative backstory. Happy listening! Show notes with links | This Episode Sponsored by The NWBA forthcoming book, Women in the Literary Landscape

#93 :: The Magic of the Absurd | Lord Birthday Mar 08, 2018

Show notes

Chad Murphy is the genius behind Lord Birthday. He wasn't always out as Lord Birthday- in fact, he decided to start as an anonymous creator and kept up that goal even when he saw that his own sister was a fan and regularly sharing his posts. One of my favorite parts of this episode is the story of Chad having to tell his sister that he was Lord Birthday. Just a few years after starting Lord Birthday, Chad's little project has over 180,000 followers (!!!!) and a book in the pipeline. It could be easy to dismiss this as blind luck, but talking with Chad meant I got to learn all the behind-the-scenes story. Chad started out wanting to write fiction, and struggled along in that pursuit for years before a lucky trip to an art show convinced him it might be a good idea to try something new and see what happened. For anyone who has ever want to take a big leap, anyone who has laughed so hard they cried when reading the brilliance of Lord Birthday, and for anyone who has a dream of telling stories in a way that doesn't match up with the way things have always been done, I give you Lord Birthday. I promise you'll be smiling ear to ear after this episode, just like I was when we recorded it.

#92 :: How to Thrill Your Reader | Ben Percy Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

Ben Percy began Writing With a Love of (Fictional) Wooly Underpants I knew I had to have Ben Percy on the show because I kept mentioning his book, Thrill Me, and it's argument that genre fiction and literary fiction have a lot to learn from each other. Ben and I talk about how he began to study writing with a great love of fantasy and science fiction only to be told he wasn't allowed to write either in his degree program. As he studied literary fiction, he fell in love with character development and wanted more from the people he read about in books. But he still wanted to read about adventures and exciting things happening in his stories. So a thought began to grow: what if the best parts of genre fiction – the wooly underpants and the chases and the racing plot– were combined with the best parts of literary fiction – the love of language and the deeply developed characters? Ben has spent his writing life since trying to find out how to write from the best parts of all fiction. This conversation was equal parts hilarious and inspiring, an ideal combination in my mind. Also, Ben has one of the greatest voices for podcasting I have yet encountered. It's a true shame that he didn't enjoy recording the audio version of one of his books... enjoy this voice on this show - you may not get it anywhere else... happy listening.

#91 :: Writing About Iran | Jasmin Darznik Feb 22, 2018

Show notes

Jasmin Darznik knew she had to tell her mother's story first. On this episode, we discuss Jasmin's second book, and her first novel. After the smash success of The Good Daughter, Jasmin turned to fiction in order to tell the story of Iran's most famous woman poet. Forugh Farrokhzad's short life takes her through many of the same heartbreaking obstacles that Jasmin addressed in her memoir, along with many new ones. This book explores what it means to be a woman and an artist in a culture where women were shut behind closed doors and expected to stay there by the political and religious regime of her time. We discuss resilience, writing fiction about real people, fighting to live the creative life, and the importance of telling stories to bridge culture and time to build what we all long for: connection and beauty in the world. It is wonderful to discuss a book like this, one that takes a poet like Forugh Farrokhzad, a household name in Iran, and brings her story to a new country that has mostly never heard of her. Get ready to be inspired!

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