For Louise Penny, stories come from hurt episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 4, 2026 · 56 MIN

For Louise Penny, stories come from hurt

from Bookends with Mattea Roach

Louise Penny is one of the biggest mystery novelists alive today … but it didn’t start out that way. Her latest novel, The Black Wolf, is the 20th in her bestselling Armand Gamache series. So how did Louise go from empty book events to packed concert halls? This week, Bookends brings you on-stage at Toronto’s historic Massey Hall. Joined by nearly 2000 of her fans, Louise told Mattea Roach about her long journey to becoming an author, why she’ll never tire of her characters and how pain has made her a better writer. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Chris Hadfield — from astronaut to author  Kiran Desai’s novel is worth the 20-year wait

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 4, 2026

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For Louise Penny, stories come from hurt

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