Writers at Work

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Jane Smiley, whose latest novel is LIDIE: THE FURTHER TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF LIDIE NEWTON. If that title rings a bit of a bell, it's because in 1998, Jane published THE ALL-TRUE TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF LIDIE NEWTON. That novel, set in the 1850s as our country crept toward a civil war, told of Lidie Harkness of Quincy, Illinois, a young, resolute woman who marries an abolitionist and takes up the cause. Surrounded by violence, she goes after her killer in enemy territory, disguising herself as a boy to do so. Now, Lidie returns. The country is moved even closer to civil war and Lidie, a widow and bereft, becomes close to her niece, Annie, an actress. When Annie's career takes off, Lidie, her armed protector, joins her. Thus, more travels, more adventure, and more delight. First published in 1980, Jane has written many novels, 18 I think, several of which are considered among the finest in modern American literature. A THOUSAND ACRES, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992. MOO, a five-part satire set largely in a Midwest agricultural college, a trilogy featuring an Iowa farming family that began with SOME LUCK, and others of note. Among her non-fiction works is CHARLES DICKENS: A LIFE. Jane was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and won the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a longtime professor of English at Iowa State University.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is author Chris Grabenstein. If you don't know Chris, I can assure you that your kids--and their kids--do. With his many series for young readers--Mr. Lemoncello, The Smartest Kid in the Universe, I Funny, Treasure Hunters, some of which were written with James Patterson--Chris has influenced thousands and thousands of young people to become enthusiastic readers. To visit Chris on social media and see photos of how kids respond to his books and characters is to put a smile on your face and have your faith in the future restored. Because of his popularity with young readers, it's easy to forget that Chris broke in as a mystery writer. His debut mystery, TILT-A-WHIRL, Won the Anthony Award in 2006 for Best First Novel. He was writing for kids and adults at the same time until 2013, I think. Chris travels extensively to meet young readers. In May, he'll return to Knoxville, he attended the University of Tennessee, to participate in a children's reading festival. He recently returned from Raleigh, North Carolina, where he witnessed the world premiere of his new stage play, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Reading Rooms.

On this episode of Writers at Work, I'm joined by Alex Lin, playwright and screenwriter, whose métier per Forbes magazine is the lives of, "complex women in power while also working to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and pop culture." I quote Forbes because its editors recently placed Alex on its 30 Under 30 list, naming her one of America's brightest young talents. Alex's achievements thus far include two plays premiering at major New York theaters in the same season, Lao Wang: A Chinatown King Lear at Primary Stages, and Chinese Republicans at the Roundabout Theater. Alex also wrote for the AMC series The Audacity, which premiered this past Sunday. A graduate of Juilliard, Alex is the winner of a Stavis Award presented by the National Theatre Conference, and two Kennedy Center awards. Her plays have been developed by countless regional theaters and workshops, and she's worked as an actor. As I understand it, she's now at work on a play about the first Cantonese language translator working at Angel Island in San Francisco, the primary immigration station on the West Coast in the early part of the 20th century.

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Mark Braude, author of THE TYPEWRITER AND THE GUILLOTINE: AN AMERICAN JOURNALIST, A GERMAN SERIAL KILLER, AND PARIS ON THE EVE OF WWII. The American journalist is Janet Flanner, best known for her work for The New Yorker. The German serial killer is a wormy, self-deluded, lifelong criminal, and the setting is, as stated, Paris during the build-up to the Second World War. THE TYPEWRITER AND THE GUILLOTINE is the third non-fiction work by Mark Brodie, whose previous KIKI MAN RAY: ART, LOVE, AND RIVALRY IN 1920s PARIS was named a notable book of 2022 by the New York Times, and a New Yorker Best Book of the Year. In 2018, he published THE INVISIBLE EMPEROR: NAPOLEON ON ELBA FROM EXILE TO ESCAPE, and two years earlier, MAKING MONTE CARLO: A HISTORY OF SPECULATION AND SPECTACLE. Mark holds a PhD in History from the University of Southern California, and a Master's in French Studies from New York University. An aside: I just returned from a writer's conference where I think I may have spoken more about THE TYPEWRITER AND THE GUILLOTINE than I did my own novels. I'm eager to find out how this book I admire so came to be.

I'm pleased to be joined today on Writers at Work by Ron Charles, the book critic best known for his reviews published in the Washington Post, his former employer. If you know Ron's work, it goes without saying that his unceremonious exit from the Post represents another blow to the relevance of books and literature in American mainstream media. On his Substack, Ron discussed his situation with characteristic self-deprecation. "I didn't start off as a journalist," he wrote. "Some might say I didn't end up one either. 30 years ago, I gave up a perfectly respectable job teaching English to write book reviews for the Christian Science Monitor." His aunt's huffy reaction? "'Surely, they're not gonna pay you to do that?' They did." Ron said he had some of the best years of his life at the Monitor, even if he toiled in relative obscurity. After a series of interviews, he was hired as a critic by the Washington Post. In time, he became editor of its Book World section. After two decades and having received a National Book Critics Circle Award and served as a Pulitzer Prize judge, Ron was let go by the Post and Book World was shut down. As the New Yorker's Becca Rothfeld summarized, "No one who has anything to do with books remains employed at the Post." Among US mainstream media, only the New York Times has a section dedicated to book reviews, though my former employer, the Wall Street Journal, regularly publishes book reviews. We can find publications and blogs dedicated to books, but as Becca points out, "They are produced for an audience that already knows or cares about literature. The books section of a newspaper plays an altogether different role. It does not cater to aficionados. It seeks new recruits." It's been reported that at Ernst Lubitsch's funeral in 1947, Billy Wilder said, "No more Lubitsch" and William Wyler replied, "Worse than that, no more Lubitsch films." We can find online book reviews Ron Charles wrote for the Post and his reviews for CBS Sunday Morning on YouTube, but are we at the point of no more new Ron Charles book reviews?

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Don Winslow. His latest, THE FINAL SCORE, marks his return following his announced retirement in 2022. It's a six-story crime collection Stephen King called, "The best crime fiction I've read in 20 years." Having read them as if I were starving for Don's style of storytelling, I will tell you that the collection will make you very glad he's back. Prior to his retirement to focus on his political activism, Don was at the peak of his popularity in a career that began in 1991 with his Neil Carey PI series. Next came several memorable stand-alones, THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE, SAVAGES, and if I may, a personal favorite, CALIFORNIA FIRE AND LIFE. THE POWER OF THE DOG, which explored America's war on drugs through the experiences of a range of characters, kicked off his Cartel Trilogy. Its third novel, THE BORDER, now considered a classic of its kind, was cited as the best book of 2019 by the Washington Post, National Public Radio, The Guardian, The Irish Times, Book List, and many others. Beginning in 2022, Don published in succession, CITY ON FIRE, CITY OF DREAMS, and CITY OF RUINS, his Organized Crime Trilogy. Several of his works have been made into feature films, including Crime 101, based on Don's novella of the same name. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry. It arrives in theaters on February 13th. Like many readers, I was disheartened when Don announced his retirement, though I was well aware that he was deeply troubled by the actions of the Trump administration. I want to start our conversation with that decision.

Elizabeth Chamblee Birch joins me today on Writers at Work. She is the author of THE PAIN BROKERS: HOW CON MEN, CALL CENTERS, AND ROGUE DOCTORS FUEL AMERICA'S LAWSUIT FACTORY. It's Elizabeth's first book, but not the first time she's written on legal matters in such a way that can fascinate laymen. Her thoughts on mass tort lawsuits have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and on National Public Radio. She is the Fuller E. Callaway Chair of Law at the University of Georgia School of Law. For the uninitiated, such as myself, a mass tort is a civil action involving numerous plaintiffs against one or a few defendants in a state or federal court. In THE PAIN BROKERS, Elizabeth writes of a scheme by the medical and legal industrial complex that exploits a view that women's bodies are commodities, and their pain not a major concern. She does so by telling us about Geri Plummer, Barb Shepherd, and Sharon Gore, who are among the thousands of women tempted by deceitful telemarketers, who flew to Florida to undergo surgical procedures, setting off a flood of millions of insurance dollars to white-shoe lawyers, doctors, and unscrupulous con artists. What became of Geri, Barb, and Sharon? Elizabeth tells us that and more.

Joining me on Writers at Work is Janice Page, author of YEAR OF THE WATER HORSE, a wise and often amusing memoir about her melting pot family, in particular its girls and women, for most of which are Janice's mom, Janice herself, her mother-in-law, and her adopted daughter, Zoe. Amazing how a well-told story about someone else's family can remind us of our own. With YEAR OF THE WATER HORSE, Janice continues a fruitful career in books and journalism. She's a cultural and arts editor at The Washington Post. She was a deputy managing editor at The Boston Globe, charged with publications of books that bore the Globe's brand, including several bestsellers. She was on the staff of the L.A. Times, the Providence Journal, and freelanced for The New York Times. Janice tells us much about herself in YEAR OF THE WATER HORSE. Let's see if there's more to discover.

With me on Writers at Work is Matthew Pearl, author of the novel THE AWARD. And I will say upfront that if you are a writer or want to be a writer or are curious at all about writers, this is a book for you. Matthew Pearl is the author of many highly regarded and best-selling novels, including the historical fiction works THE DANTE CLUB and THE POE SHADOW, the latter about the death of Edgar Allan Poe. His THE TECHNOLOGISTS is an alternative history about the early days of MIT. In 2021, he published his first work of non-fiction, THE TAKING OF JEMIMA BOONE: COLONIAL SETTLERS, TRIBAL NATIONS, AND THE KIDNAP THAT SHAPED AMERICA – A TRUE STORY OF RESCUE AND REVENGE IN REVOLUTIONARY 1776. His journalism has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Slate. Which brings us to THE AWARD. The New Yorker said it "revels in its wickedness," and Tom Perrotta called it "addictive" and "propulsive" in comparing it to a Patricia Highsmith thriller. Without giving too much away, in THE AWARD, struggling novelist David Trent moves into a building in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On the floor below lived Silas Hale, a very famous author who, despite his acclaim, is disdainful to many, David perhaps most of all. But then David wins a major award for his novel. Or does he? And chaos ensues. Who knew writing was such a fraught and deadly occupation. I found THE AWARD to be a lot of fun, its characters all too familiar, yet surprising in their actions.

With me on this first episode of Writers at Work of the new year is Lauren Rothery, author of TELEVISION, her debut novel. If you visit laurenrothery.net, you'll find links to a number of short films she wrote and directed. As for TELEVISION, it's an intriguing, cleverly told novel about Verity, a famous actor who, after appearing in a hit film he detests, announces he will hold a lottery to give away the $80 million he stands to make from the picture. Another primary character is Helen, an insightful, often cynical woman on the periphery of the entertainment business, and who Verity wishes were his wife. Then comes Phoebe, an aspiring screenwriter who can't seem to stop fantasizing about writing in order to actually write. The novel has a lived-in feel, in which we, the readers, swim in the characters' thoughts that are often mundane, occasionally astute, and always revealing.

As we approach the end of 2025, a special edition of Writers at Work. I speak with four writers I've known for almost 25 years: Peter Blauner, Reed Farrel Coleman, S.J. Rozan, and Peter Spiegelman. They are much-admired authors of mystery and crime fiction, with whom I've consulted and commiserated, and who have consulted and commiserated with each other as our careers as novelists careen like cars on a roller coaster. If Writers at Work is about the joys, heartaches, challenges, and satisfaction of the creative writing process, they can discuss those outcomes in great and intimate detail. Peter, Reed, S.J., and Peter have experienced the highs the life of a novelist can bring. Publication by admirable houses, rave reviews, awards, the attention of Hollywood, and most importantly, the loyalty of readers. They've also experienced the lows of the writer's life. Being dropped by those admirable houses, an absence of review, no nominations for awards, and silence from the film community. Thank goodness for those readers who remain true. To be a novelist is to be a solitary figure beset by uncertainty and doubt. To paraphrase Nietzsche, when you stare into a blank screen, the blank screen stares into you. Peter, Reed, S.J., and Peter possess what I consider to be the most essential traits of a successful novelist, willfulness, courage, and a belief in their work regardless of whatever obstacles they may face. Let's find out how they do what they do and what they've learned from their experiences.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Grammy winning music scholar, Rob Bowman, whose new book is LAND OF A THOUSAND SESSIONS: THE COMPLETE MUSCLE SHOALS STORY 1951-1985. If the role of Muscle Shoals, a town in Northwest Alabama, in modern music history doesn't immediately pop to mind, allow me to mention a few of the landmark tracks recorded there. When A Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge, Land of a Thousand Dances by Wilson Pickett, You Better Move On by Arthur Alexander, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin, I'll Take You There by the Staple Singers, I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James, If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right by Luther Ingram. And then came the 1970s. In pursuit of the earthy funk sound captured in those studios, the rock and pop world invaded and the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Jimmy Cliff, Paul Simon, and Bob Seger cut major hits there with members of the fame house band sitting in. Then country came calling. Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., Mac Davis, Jerry Reed, and so on. To say Rob captures it all doesn't quite get it. Clocking in at 762 pages, including essential indices and with its fluid narrative style, LAND OF A THOUSAND SESSIONS at times feels like a minute-by-minute history. Fortified with a generous supply of photography and printed on beautiful stock, the book is as appealing as it is essential. As a fan of the music made in Muscle Shoals, and as a music journalist, I loved it. In addition to his Grammy nominated liner notes that are worthy of independent publication, Rob is also the author of SOULSVILLE USA: THE STORY OF STAX RECORDS and THE LAST SOUL COMPANY: THE MALACO RECORDS STORY.

With me today on Writers at Work is Marilyn Fu, screenwriter, whose ROSEMEAD starring Lucy Liu will open in New York on December 5. Directed by Eric Lynn, ROSEMEAD had its premiere at this year's Tribeca Film Festival and has been nominated for a slew of awards at such festivals worldwide. I've seen ROSEMEAD and found it deeply affecting and disturbing. I want to tread lightly because it is a finely woven tale I don't want to spoil. I'll ask Marilyn how we should proceed in discussing it. Marilyn Fu is a graduate of Columbia University School of the Arts where she became the first recipient of the William Goldman Screenwriting Fellowship. As a reporter, she wrote for many Time Inc. publications. She wrote the screenplays for the 2014 thriller THE SISTERHOOD OF THE NIGHT, based on a Stephen Mullhauser short story, and the 2018 film THE HONOR LIST in which fourteen girls cope with the death of a friend. Moving forward, Marilyn wrote for the TV series THE BAXTERS and is a writer for THE COPENHAGEN TEST, a spy thriller to premiere in late December on Peacock. As for ROSEMEAD, Marilyn received a 2025 Golden Horse Award nomination for best adapted screenplay, one of Asia's highest honors in cinema. Rosemead is the story of a Chinese American mother and son in Los Angeles whose lives are unraveling, mostly in secret from each other. It is based on a series that appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Zorana Pringle, author of THE CREATIVE CHOICE: THE SCIENCE OF MAKING DECISIONS TO TURN IDEAS INTO ACTION. Zorana is a senior research scientist at the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence, where she currently serves as the director of the Creativity and Emotions Lab. She recently joined me at a live Writers at Work event in New Haven, and I wanted you to have an opportunity to hear her views on writing and creativity, and had a few questions for her that I didn't get to ask her on that night. As a writer, Zorana is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and Creativity Post. With more than 25 years as a scientist studying creativity, she brings insight into the nature of the creative process, from the first decision to engage with new ideas, to its culmination in creative performance and product. Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Artnet, US News, Education Week, Science Daily, and other publications. Of The Creativity Choice, one reviewer wrote, "I've never read a clearer, more thoroughly researched, or more thoughtful framework for how we can all nurture creativity as a skill set. In the age of AI, when the last thing that will set humanity apart from machines is our creativity, I cannot think of a timelier moment for this book."

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Todd Goddard, author of Devouring Time: Jim Harrison, A Writer's Life, the first biography of the protean American novelist, poet and screenwriter, Jim Harrison. Harrison's output indicates the magnitude of the task that confronted Todd, 21 novels and novellas, 20 volumes of poetry, essays, memoirs and other non-fiction works, and contributions to screenplays including the adaptation of his novella, Legends of the Fall. As Todd reveals, Harrison forged a unique, a uniquely American form of storytelling through his connection to the land, to spiritual matters, by a voracious appetite for reading that began in early childhood, and by friendships with many of his contemporaries in the arts. Perhaps fittingly, Harrison died at his writing desk, pen in hand, in 2016 at age 78. Todd Goddard earned his PhD in Literary Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his JD at the University of Connecticut Law School. He is an associate professor of Literary Studies at Utah Valley University. In Devouring Time, the scholarship is obvious and deftly distributed, but what's most wonderful about it is how Todd brings Harrison to such vivid life. As Carl Hiaasen, who was a friend of Harrison said, "The biography is raw and revealing, yet with a sensitive eye for both the pain and the talent that made Jim one of modern America's most intriguing poets and novelists."

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Robbie Arnott, whose latest novel is DUSK, the hypnotic tale of adult twins, Iris and Floyd, who are in pursuit of a deadly puma across the Tasmanian wilderness. That desperate pursuit is also an attempt to escape from the reputation of their outlaw parents and perhaps find a place where they can belong. DUSK is Robbie's fourth novel. His previous works have been acknowledged by nominations from many literary awards in Australia and beyond, including the Dylan Thomas Prize for Young Writers. His earlier novels, FLAMES, THE RAIN HERON, and LIMBERLOST are all available in the States. Last week, it was announced that Robbie was the winner of the ARA Historical Novel Prize, one of the richest literary awards in Australia, for DUSK. Of that novel, The Economist said, "This is a propulsive novel of survival and betrayal enriched by arresting depictions of nature." The Guardian added, "Arnott has an astonishing facility with language, and his prose imbues the Tasmanian wilderness with an extraordinary beauty." I fully agree with those assessments.

With me today on Writers at Work is Addie E. Citchens, author of the new novel DOMINION, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. A family drama set in Dominion, Mississippi, it unfolds through the eyes of two women, Priscilla, wife of an abusive and well-to-do preacher and mother to five talented sons, and Diamond, girlfriend to Wonder Boy, the youngest of those five young men. Though warm and witty, the story is infused with a sense of dread on every page. It is Addie E. Citchens’ debut novel. Addie's work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Paris Review, and Oxford America's Best of the South, among other publications. Her writing about the blues and its history appeared in Mississippi Folklife and on the Mississippi Arts Hour. Earlier this year, her short story “That Girl” won the O. Henry Prize. It was originally published in the New Yorker and can be found on that magazine's website. Calling it, “absolutely outstanding,” of DOMINION Roxane Gay said, “it captures church, community, the South, and the gulf between the haves and have-nots with precision.” As a stranger to Priscilla and Diamond's world, I found DOMINION both captivating and an education, and a wonderful read.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Steven C. Smith, author of HITCHCOCK AND HERRMANN: THE FRIENDSHIP & FILM SCORES THAT CHANGED CINEMA. Before we proceed, a little story. Back in 2011, I proposed to the Wall Street Journal a story on the centennial of the birth of Bernard Herrmann. Securing the assignment, I traveled to the University of Southern California in Santa Barbara to examine their Herrmann archives that includes almost all of his film scores, all written in Herrmann's own hand. I assumed an archivist would stay with me and help me see how Herrmann composed and orchestrated his great works. But the archivist left me alone among pages and pages of scores. I was lost. I come to music by rock and folk. My sight reading is limited to top line melodies and maybe the baseline. Herrmann wrote for a full orchestra or unusual combination of instruments. In one score, I recall, there were parts for seven organs to be played simultaneously. To help me understand what I had seen, I made two phone calls. One to John Williams, the composer and conductor, who earlier in his career played piano on Herrmann's sessions. The other was to Steven C. Smith, today's guest and author of A HEART AT FIRE’S CENTER: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF BERNARD HERRMANN, an extraordinary biography I had read years earlier. Steven was very patient when he explained to me what Herrmann had achieved with his masterworks. For his first Herrmann book, Steven C. Smith received the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award. Variety said that Herrmann book was responsible for, "A huge uptick of interest in that once neglected now practically deified film composer." Steven also produced some 200 documentaries about film and music, and is a four-time Emmy nominee.

With me today on Writers at Work is Catherine Conybeare, author and academic, who is widely acknowledged as an authority on Augustine of Hippo, known to many as St. Augustine. Katharine's new book is AUGUSTINE THE AFRICAN, which considers him in the context of his African heritage. He was born in Thagaste, a city in present-day Algeria in North Africa. After about five years in Milan and Rome, agitated years according to the author, and following the death of his mother and son, he returned to the family home and in his mid-30s was ordained in Hippo, also in present-day Algeria. That remained his base until his death at age 75. Catherine is the Lesley Clark Professor in the Humanities, and professor of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies at Bryn Mawr. Her research centers on late antiquity, especially the writings of St. Augustine. She's the author of four previous books, including THE IRRATIONAL AUGUSTINE, and more than 80 articles and reviews. As a lay reader, I found AUGUSTINE THE AFRICAN to be a marvel. One of the reasons is the quality of the prose. Though it is fortified with evidence that supports her conclusions, the story is never overburdened with gratuitous detail and it flows beautifully. What comes across is her delight in having discovered a new way to look at a man she describes as one of the most influential writers and thinkers in the history of humankind.

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is writer, director, producer and actor Anu Valia, whose debut feature film, WE STRANGERS, is now streaming, very likely on your favorite service. Anu has already accumulated a resume bursting with achievement. Her first mainstream success was LUCIA, BEFORE AND AFTER, the short film she wrote and directed that won the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award. She directed episodes of TV shows including NEVER HAVE I EVER, MIXED-ISH, LOVE LIFE, A.P. BIO, AND JUST LIKE THAT, THE BIG DOOR PRIZE, and THE AFTERPARTY. She became part of the Marvel cinematic universe as director of SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW, shown on Disney+. Now we have WE STRANGERS. Let me read to you the Rotten Tomatoes review. "Quick-witted cleaner Rayelle takes a strange new job that spirals into the surreal when she claims she can speak to the dead. We Strangers is a darkly funny, sharp slice-of-life story about identity, power, and the quiet lines that divide us." Any writer-director would be pleased with such a review. Let's find out what it means to Anu Valia.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is Charlie English, author of THE CIA BOOK CLUB. Its subtitle tells why I found, and I think you will find, Charlie's latest to be so fascinating: The Secret Mission to Win the Cold War with Forbidden Literature. From its headquarters in Manhattan, the CIA Book Club secretly sent millions of banned titles, pamphlets and other reading material into the East. By the 1980s, illicit literature was so pervasive in Poland that the state censorship machine was rendered all but useless. Soon the Iron Curtain fell. As Charlie confirms with his amazing tale, books really can set us free. Charlie is a former reporter and editor for the Guardian and a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. He's the author of three nonfiction books that demonstrate an open-minded curiosity. He'll be speaking with us from London.

You may have heard that Thomas Perry, the best-selling mystery writer, died this week at age 78. I was immediately saddened by the news, not just for the passing of a skilled, dependable, and imaginative author, but for the loss of someone who had become a friend. Though Tom and I were members of the mystery community, I hadn't had the pleasure of getting to know him and his wife, Jo, also an acclaimed writer, until fairly recently. They went quickly to the top of my list of people I would seek at conferences for companionship and counsel. In this interview, recorded in February, I trust you'll get a sense of why I so admired Thomas Perry.  My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is author Thomas Perry, whose latest thriller is PRO BONO. Thomas had a long, exemplary career as a mystery and thriller writer. His debut, THE BUTCHER'S BOY, in 1983 won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It was the first in a series in which three subsequent novels appeared three separate decades apart. His VANISHING ACT, featuring his recurring character Jane Whitefield, was named by Parade magazine as one of the 101 Best Mysteries of All Time. Tom was a PhD in literature, wrote and or produced for such TV shows as Star Trek, The Next Generation and Simon and Simon. He's enjoying well deserved attention these days, thanks to the FX series The Old Man, based on his 2017 novel of the same name. We of a certain vintage applaud Tom for creating a hearty protagonist who is AARP eligible but hardly in need of assistance. Since then, he's published eight more novels, including additions to the Butcher's Boy and Jane Whitefield series. Last year's HERO introduced readers to Justin Poole, a private security agent for Hollywood celebrities and the 1%. Booklist, Kirkus and Deadly Pleasures magazine called HERO the best thriller of the year. How lucky we would all be if we maintain such high standards across more than four decades and through 31 novels.

Before we begin, I want to tell you about an experience I had this week leading up to this Writers at Work interview. For the first time, I watched a movie as I was reading the short stories upon which it was based, not simultaneously, of course. I read the short stories in the evening, watched the film in the afternoon, read the short stories again, then watched the film one more time. The short stories, two in a collection of 12, and the film were written by the same author, Ben Shattuck, who is our guest today. THE HISTORY OF SOUND is the name of the collection and the film, and they share more than a title. I found Ben's interpretation of his prose to be uncanny, not just on plot points, but on its ambiance, its pacing, its color, and so on. I was deeply engaged in both, not quite hypnotized, but residing deeply within the words and images. Ben Shattuck is a writer and painter from coastal Massachusetts, a graduate and former teaching-writing fellow of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His writing has appeared in the Harvard Review, The New Republic, the Paris Review Daily, and other publications. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries in New York, Boston, and Williamstown, Massachusetts, and the New Bedford Art Museum. His debut short story, “Edwin Chase of Nantucket,” was selected to appear in the anthology PEN AMERICA BEST DEBUT SHORT STORIES 2017. It also appears in THE HISTORY OF SOUND collection. Ben's first book, SIX WALKS, was published by Tin House in 2022. That memoir tracks the author's retracing of six walks taken by Henry David Thoreau. His second book, THE HISTORY OF SOUND: STORIES, was published by Viking in 2024. The film THE HISTORY OF SOUND opens in the US on September 12.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is Susana M. Morris, author of the new POSITIVE OBSESSION: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF OCTAVIA E. BUTLER. For the uninitiated, Butler, who died suddenly in 2006 at age 58, was an American science fiction and speculative fiction writer who won the Hugo, Locus, and NEC Nebula awards for her work. In 1995, Butler became the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. An Associate professor of Literature, Media and Communications at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Susana Morris is a black feminist scholar and a cultural critic whose writing has appeared in Cosmo, Ebony, and Gawker, among other publications. She is the author of several works including CLOSE KIN AND DISTANT RELATIVES: THE PARADOX OF RESPECTABILITY IN BLACK WOMEN'S LITERATURE. She received her Ph.D. from Emory University. In its review of POSITIVE OBSESSION, the New York Times wrote, “Morris creates a rounded portrait of a working writer whose unrelenting discipline was complicated by her self-doubts, her financial instability, and her obsession with the craft of writing. It's a portrayal that helps illuminate the real person behind the mythical figure of our imagination.” I say it is all that and more. I found POSITIVE OBSESSION to be a virtual tutorial on the writing life, filled with invaluable counsel from Susana Morris and her formidable subject on what is required to make a career writing the kind of books one wants to write, regardless of perceived obstacles. For that, I'm most grateful to Susana, and I'm glad to have a chance to tell her so.

With me today on Writers at Work is Chris Lang, writer, creator and executive producer of UNFORGOTTEN, the beloved British crime drama broadcast in the States on PBS Masterpiece. It's now in its sixth season. Chris began his career in TV as an actor, but fairly early on he wrote episodes of THE BILL, the long-running UK police procedural. In short order he wrote episodes of a number of TV series, including THE TUNNEL, the British-French adaptation of the Danish-Swedish crime series THE BRIDGE. Then he began a run of shows he created, leading to UNFORGOTTEN that launched in the UK in 2015. The series, which blends the reexamination of cold cases and an intimate gaze into the complicated lives of the investigating police officers, proved immediately popular. It has survived the departure of its star, Nicola Walker. Chris, who co-founded the production company TXTV, has had many other successes at home with popular series, some of which are available here to stream. His latest, I, JACK WRIGHT, is a family drama during comparisons to SUCCESSION. You can find it on BritBox. I hope he and you will forgive me when I suggest you visit Chris Lang's Wiki page. He's won and been nominated for too many awards to list here. The New Statesman says Lang is such a good writer, plot, dialogue, juicy subtext, he can do them all. And quite often I'll add.

I'm joined today on Writers at Work by Paul Muldoon, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the T.S. Eliot Prize, and the Irish Literature Prize for Poetry, among other acknowledgments. Some 30 collections of his poems have been published. Paul taught at Princeton and Oxford and served as poetry editor of the New Yorker. Of his poetry, Clair Wills, author of Reading Paul Muldoon, wrote, “Muldoon stands by the entrance or rabbit hole and seems to invite us inside.” Critics, she reported, agree that Muldoon's poetry is playful, tricksy, erudite, given to complex rhyming structures, full of references to seemingly unconnected objects and events, that it mucks around with cliche and is often frustratingly obscure. Undeniable, in other words. But today we won't be discussing Paul Muldoon's poetry. At least I don't think so. I contacted Paul to talk about Visible from Space, the new album by Paul Muldoon and Rogue Oliphant. Each song on Visible from Space marries Paul's lyrics with music and vocals by different members of Rogue Oliphant, a collective featuring Cait O'Riordan of the Pogues, David Mansfield of Bob Dylan's band, Warren Zanes of the Del Fuegos, among others. Produced by Tony Visconti, Visible from Space arrives on September 12th. Until then, you can find a few videos on YouTube. It isn't Paul's first venture into rock. He wrote lyrics for The Handsome Family and co-wrote the title track of Warren Zevon's album My Ride’s Here. Paul also edited THE LYRICS: 1956 TO THE PRESENT by Paul McCartney. He's been in bands for years, including Wayside Shrines, whose members Chris Harford and Ray Kubian contribute to Visible from Space.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Denise Mina, the much admired and much honored writer from Scotland. Denise is best known for her crime novels. THE GOOD LIAR, available now, is her latest, but that is but a part of her impressive resume. Her first novel, GARNETHILL, was published in 1998 to spectacular reviews here in the States and. And leading to the Garnethill trilogy. Then came FIELD OF BLOOD, the first of Denise’s novels featuring journalist Patty Meehan. It led to a crime series broadcast on BBC. Established as a superior crime writer, Denise began to have her plays performed on radio and in theaters. Her short story, “Ida Tamson,” the tale of a grandmother trying to save her late daughter's child from her gangster's father, became her play of the same name. “Peter Manuel: Meet Me” reimagines the true story of a man who spent 11 hours carousing with a serial killer. She's written comedies and documentary for TV. One of the latter was the investigation of the life of Edgar Allan Poe. Denise adapted Stig Larson's Millennium trilogy for a series of graphic novels. All that while continuing to write more than a dozen novels of her own, set in different countries and different periods. She seems never to have shirked from a challenge. Denise was inducted into the Crime Writers' Association Hall of Fame.

With me on this episode of Writers at Work is writer and literary critic Heather Clark, whose latest is THE SCRAPBOOK, her fourth book and debut novel. Heather may be best known for RED COMET: THE SHORT LIFE AND BLAZING ART OF SYLVIA PLATH, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Prior to that, she published THE ULSTER RENAISSANCE: POETRY IN BELFAST 1962-1972 and THE GRIEF OF INFLUENCE: SYLVIA PLATH AND TED HUGHES. A recipient of a PhD from Oxford, Heather also published essays and criticisms in major media in the US and UK. THE SCRAPBOOK can be summarized as the story of an intense first love haunted by history and family memory, as it is on the dust jacket. I found it fascinating on several levels. Set in 1996, we indeed experience a tenuous love affair between two students, an American from Harvard and a visiting German, Anna. Anna, the American, follows Christoph to his home and he shows her his Germany, aware that her grandfather was among the GIs who witnessed the devastation at the Dachau concentration camp while his grandfather fought for the Wehrmacht, the Nazi armed forces. Thus we are treated to a subtly applied history lesson, one that deals with collective guilt and cultural divide even decades after the World War ended. What motivates Christoph and whether things will end well is a source of suspense as we accompany Anna venturing into worlds not her own.

With me today on Writers at Work is Adriana Trigiani, who has amid a remarkable career in the arts, primarily as a writer. Her current novel is THE VIEW FROM LAKE COMO, which she describes as a story of a woman who decides to build a life she can live in, and the house that goes along with it. The woman is an Italian-American from New Jersey. The house is in Carrera, Italy. And if you know anything about me and my work, you can pretty much guess that I love this novel. Adriana first drew notice as a playwright, then wrote for such TV programs as The Cosby Show. Her first screenplay, Three to Get Married, was produced in 1986. Almost 30 years later, she wrote and directed the major motion picture Big Stone Gap based on her novel of the same name. She adapted her novel Very Valentine for Lifetime and directed the feature film Then Came You. Adriana wrote and directed the award-winning documentary Queen of the Big Time, the story of her father's hometown of Rosetto, Pennsylvania. She hosts the podcast You Are What You Read and is the co-founder of the Origin Project, an in-school writing program in Appalachia that serves more than 1700 students in her home state of Virginia. As a bestselling novelist, Adriana may be best known for her Big Stone Gap series and also her Valentine trilogy. As I understand it, Adriana has published a novel in each of the past 20 years. Many of those books celebrate her Italian heritage and working women who are tireless in the pursuit of their ambitions. I should add here that Adriana is tireless in her commitment to her readers. I'm very eager to meet and converse with a writer after my own heart.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is Tom Mead, whose latest novel, THE HOUSE AT DEVIL'S NECK, confirms he is a new master of the locked-room mystery. For the uninitiated, a locked-room mystery is a tale in which the crime in question is committed in circumstances under which it appears impossible for the perpetrator to enter the scene, commit the crime, and then leave undetected. Or at least that's what Wiki tells me. Typically, there's a supernatural element or the appearance of a supernatural element. The likes of John Dickson Carr, Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe wrote locked-room mysteries in its golden age. More recently, Rachel Howzell Hall, Stieg Larsson, Adrian McKinty, and Ruth Ware, among others, have written well received locked-room tales. Perhaps it says more about me than the form itself, but frankly, I can never figure out how the crime is committed and by whom, and thus how to write a locked-room mystery is beyond me. THE HOUSE AT DEVIL'S NECK is Tom Mead's fourth novel featuring Joseph Spector, a retired magician and now an amateur investigator. The series is set in the late 1930s in and around London, and Tom fully exploits the atmosphere of the time and place. Nearby, and occasionally in opposition to Spector, is Inspector George Flint of Scotland Yard, a deliberate man unlikely to be swayed by anything other than facts. With a wink now and then, Tom taps into all the tropes and yet produces tales that drip with nostalgia, yet surprises and delights.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Marie Rutkoski, whose latest novel, ORDINARY LOVE, is a bit of a departure for her. Marie may be best known for her books for children and young adults, beginning with the Kronos Chronicles, a trio of novels that blended fantasy and historical fiction. Then came the standalone THE SHADOW SOCIETY, a supernatural romance set in Chicago in an alternate universe, then followed by her popular Winners trilogy. Her next two books, THE MIDNIGHT LIE and THE HOLLOW HEART, are romantic fantasies with LGBTQ characters and strikingly handsome and enticing covers, which is neither here nor there, but they suit well tales of identity, class loyalty, and sexual yearning. In January 2022, Marie published her first book intended for adults: REAL EASY, a thriller set in the seedy strip club populated by women who are more than their bodies on display. Now she returns with ORDINARY LOVE. Set in the tony world of New York's Upper East Side, it is a story of love gone wrong and of love that may have gotten away. Having earned an MA and PhD at Harvard, Marie is a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Shakespeare, Renaissance literature, and children's literature. Clearly, Marie follows a muse of her own and has enjoyed success doing so. Let's find out how she does what she does.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is C. M. Kushins, author of COOLER THAN COOL: THE LIFE AND WORK OF ELMORE LEONARD, a biography of the master of American crime writing, a journalist whose work appeared in the Daily Beast, among other publications. Chad's previous works include biographies of Warren Zevon and Led Zeppelin's John Bonham. He left the world of rock for COOLER THAN COOL, the first in-depth biography of Elmore Leonard, who revealed his mastery of concision, forward motion and memorable dialogue in his 45 screenplay-friendly novels and countless short stories. My friend Charles Ardai, editor at Hard Case Crime, called Leonard the most influential crime writer of the last half-century. And that seems right. Chad interviewed Elmore Leonard's family and friends and had access to his files and planned memoirs and shares with us previously unpublished excerpts from Leonard's unfinished final novel. His deep dive into Leonard's formative stages, at least to my mind, cast Leonard in a new light. More than once, Chad revealed a bit of information about Leonard's background and motivations that made me think. Of course, that makes perfect sense, which means he encouraged me to see someone whose work I admired as if he were brand new to me. And what more can we ask for in a biography of a contemporary?

My guest today on Writers at Work is Dennis Lehane, an exceptional novelist and screenwriter whose body of work reveals the tender heart of his characters as they yearn, even as the world explodes around them. His novels and short fiction and the films adapted from them, MYSTIC RIVER, SHUTTER ISLAND, GONE, BABY GONE, and THE DROP among them, are now part of the American cultural and artistic landscape. In addition, he's written for, consulted on, or was involved in the production of episodes of such programs as THE WIRE, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, MR. MERCEDES, and now SMOKE, premiering on June 27 on Apple TV+. That, my friends, is as fine a resume as you'll find for a writer in our time. Before we proceed, I should tell you that Dennis and I shared an agent, and he invited me to contribute to his short story anthology, BOSTON NOIR. But my admiration for his work is unencumbered by anything other than my admiration for his work.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Craig Thompson, author and graphic artist. His latest is the epic GINSENG ROOTS: A MEMOIR. Craig's first graphic novel, GOOD-BYE CHUNKY RICE, was published in 1999 and won high honors such as the Harvey and Ignatz Awards. That year he began his first masterwork, the 600-page BLANKETS, described as a memoir of first love and faith lost in rural Wisconsin. The Bloomsbury Review said it is a superb example of the art of cartooning, the blending of word and picture to achieve an effect that neither is capable of without the other. I disagree slightly, but okay. It won several awards and praise from the likes of Jules Pfeiffer, Alan Moore and Art Spiegelman. Now we have GINSENG ROOTS. It employs as its springboard the story of Craig's childhood, in which he and his siblings spent their summers harvesting ginseng. Ranging far in his tale, Craig conveys the history of agriculture In Wisconsin, the 300-year-old saga of the global Ginseng Trail, and the hardships faced and not always overcome by Ginseng farmers such as his parents and neighbors. Never far from the heart of Jensen ROOTS is his family story, informed by unforgiving labor, evangelical Christianity, and the conflicting need for home and escape as we meet the Thompsons as they are then and now. I found GINSENG ROOTS to be an astonishing work of storytelling, monumental in scope, yet never far from intimate. I don't think there was a page in which Craig didn't teach me about something I didn't know or made me rethink my opinions. I'm very eager to learn how he came to create a work I'll never forget.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is Sarah Lampert, writer, executive producer and creative force behind Ginny and Georgia, the smash hit now in its third season on Netflix. Sarah is a bit of a miracle in today's media landscape. As I understand it, Sarah wrote the pilot during a writing class. This is her first program. I'll ask her to tell us how Ginny and Georgia came to be. I said smash hit a few seconds ago. How smash? In its second season launched in 2023, Ginny and Georgia was the most watched show on Netflix from January into June of that year; one episode achieved 162 million hours viewed and was in the top 10 list in 88 countries. But popularity is one thing and quality is another. For the uninitiated, Ginny and Georgia is the story of a family trying to find its place. Ginny is a 15-year-old who is whip smart and sensitive. Her younger brother Austin is a sweet magnet for bullies. And Georgia, who had Ginny at 15, is rebuilding a life after suffering abuse by men. Her assets are a quick wit, bottomless resolve and sexy charm. All three leads are abetted by a large cast of complex characters, most of whom are at least as imperfect as we all are and beset with problems worthy of a daytime soap opera. But Ginny and Georgia is much more than a soapy pastime, especially when we are with Ginny, who is experiencing high school life and what appears to be a social and sexual minefield. Sarah and the writers room keep several always believable, if incredible, plots moving forward. I found myself deeply engaged during several heartbreak scenes. And I should add, there's ample humor and murder in the mix.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is Chris Pavone, author of THE DOORMAN. Described by the New York Times as a state of the city novel, a kaleidoscopic portrait of New York at a singularly strange moment, THE DOORMAN has drawn comparison to Tom Wolfe's THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES. Rightfully so, I'll add, as Chris displays a keen gift for ascetic satire but serves it without drawing attention to a flashy style. THE DOORMAN is Chris's sixth novel. Its predecessors include THE EXPATS, which won both the Edgar and Anthony Award, and the bestselling TWO NIGHTS IN LONDON. He's a veteran of the publishing and magazine industries, having worked as a copy editor, executive editor, deputy publisher and ghostwriter. As a journalist, his articles appeared in The Times and Salon, among other publications. Set in New York City, THE DOORMAN finds Chris on familiar terrain and new terrain. Familiar because he was raised here, new because he's known for his international thrillers with characters careening around Europe. As a longtime New Yorker, I found THE DOORMAN vivid and real, even when Chris placed me in situations I've yet to face, and entirely plausible. I'm happy to meet Chris and talk about his work and how he goes about it.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Julie Gilbert, author of GIANT LOVE: EDNA FERBER, HER BEST-SELLING NOVEL OF TEXAS, AND THE MAKING OF A CLASSIC AMERICAN FILM. Julie brings a special insight into her latest work. She is the great niece of Edna Ferber, author of the novel that was the Source for the 1956 George Stevens film starring James Dean, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. She is also the author of the biography of FERBER: EDNA FERBER AND HER CIRCLE published in 1976. That book was nominated for National Book Critics Circle Award and her OPPOSITE ATTRACTION: THE LIVES OF ERICH MARIA REMARQUE AND PAULETTE GODDARD was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. The New York Times praised GIANT LOVE as a tender and patient homage to a titan of American letters who has fallen most grievously out of fashion. That's so, but there's more. I found it a delight. Dishy, deeply affectionate, yet instructive, as Julie tells us tales of the film stars and how the picture came to be made. But more so how Ferber came to write a sprawling novel that entertained while it revealed the schisms in Texas society. Julie quotes Ferber's assessment of Texas as she did her initial research in and out of Texas towns, talking to scores of Texas people, amazed by their viewpoint, their braggadocio, their seeming unawareness of the world outside their own vast commonwealth, beguiled by their easy charm, grateful for their spontaneous hospitality, touched by their lavish giving of time, energy, thought to a tourist stranger. All that majesty of Texas was captured by Ferber in GIANT and by Stevens in his film version. Julie Gilbert tells us how in a beautifully crafted book that's part biography, part memoir and a full pleasure.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Michael Amherst, whose debut novel, THE BOYHOOD OF CAIN is available now. Set in rural England, it's a coming-of-age tale of Daniel, a boy who struggles to understand himself and his place in a small but growing world. Michael's storytelling skills put us inside Daniel's emotional turmoil, a place that isn't always comfortable, but is often all too recognizable. Michael is well regarded as a journalist, publishing in the Guardian, the Spectator, New Statesman, among others. His essay Go the Way Your Blood Beats won the 2019 Stonewall Nonfiction Prize. He also won the 2020 Hubert Butler Essay Prize and was shortlisted for the Observer Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts. His short fiction has been similarly acknowledged. As it is for many first-time novelists, Michael's journey to writing and publishing THE BOYHOOD OF CAIN was anything but linear. He joins us from London to discuss that journey, THE BOYHOOD OF CAIN, and whatever else crosses his mind.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is John W. Miller, author of THE LAST MANAGER: HOW EARL WEAVER TRICKED, TORMENTED, AND REINVENTED BASEBALL. John is a contributing writer to America magazine and prior to that was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. During his time at the Journal, John reported from more than two dozen countries and wrote stories on the Tour de France, the World Cup, uranium mines, Belgian beer brewing, monks, old geologists, a chicken that lays giant eggs, and a hippo on Death Row. In addition to his writing, John is a co-director of the film Moundsville, a documentary about a West Virginia city of the same name. Baseball is a great passion. In addition to his Weaver bio, John served as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles and coached two teams in Brussels, Belgium in the Little League World Series tournament. You can find online many stories about the greatest game written by John for various publications. Invariably, they are a delight.

On this episode of Writers at Work, I speak with Virginia Feito, author of VICTORIAN PSYCHO, a title that is ideal yet only hints at what lies between the book covers. VICTORIAN PSYCHO is Virginia's second novel. Her 2021 debut, MRS. MARCH, straddled the line between psychological thriller and social satire, said Vogue magazine, adding that it's as literary as it is pulpy. It was snapped up by Hollywood and is under development, with Elisabeth Moss attached as star and producer. I'll have to ask Virginia about its progress to screen. I'll also have to ask her about how she wrote a novel so keenly praised for its precision in depicting the foibles of New York's upwardly mobile despite her having never lived in New York. She was raised in Madrid and Paris and studied in London. She writes in English. I admit to a particular fascination with her latest, VICTORIAN PSYCHO. On the surface, it's a gruesome tale of a psychopathic governess, Winifred Notty, immune to fear, dismissive of pain, who carries within her a darkness. Capital D, Darkness. Much explicit violence ensues. If this is not your cup of tea, let me say that VICTORIAN PSYCHO contains some of the most perfectly constructed sentences I've ever read, each word carefully chosen to elicit a squeamish reaction. Yet they flow together with ease, the writing as much as the psychological terror oozed its way under my skin. I can't remember the last time I came across a novel that compelled me to tap my wife on the shoulder and read a few sentences aloud and then do the same thing a few minutes later. And then again. VICTORIAN PSYCHO has been optioned as well, and I'm told Margaret Qualley will play Miss Notty.

My guest today on Writers at Work is Christine Murphy, author of NOTES ON SURVIVING THE FIRE, a novel that's available now. Christine's debut novel, NOTES ON SURVIVING THE FIRE is well published by Knopf and enjoying enviable reviews. The Los Angeles Times wrote Murphy has certainly written a furious, fast paced, emotionally residential, memorable novel, and the New Yorker said the narrative is equally layered with a thriller's bone, a satire's glare and a comeuppance story's anarchic spirit. My review? How dare a first novel be so engaging, challenging and absorbing. What do we know about Christine Murphy? She has a PhD in religious studies, spent a year as a resident in a Buddhist nunnery and lived, worked and traveled in more than 100 countries. That's not much to go on and I'm quite eager to learn more about her and how NOTES ON SURVIVING THE FIRE came to be.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is playwright Larissa Fasthorse, whose timely comedy FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT is currently at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Larissa, who is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, was the first Native American woman to have a play produced on Broadway. That satirical comedy, THE THANKSGIVING PLAY, has been produced more than 300 times. Her revision of PETER PAN is currently on tour throughout the U.S. a member of the Sicangu Nation from South Dakota, she began her public career as a dancer and choreographer. After an injury, she began writing with an interest in Native American drama, both film and theater. She co-founded Indigenous Direction, a consulting firm that helps people and organizations who want to create accurate work by, for, and with Indigenous peoples. She is currently the vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of Playwrights Horizon, a not-for-profit off-Broadway theater in New York City. There's much to discuss with Larissa, including the plays she's developing for the Public, Second Stage and Yale Rep, among other theaters, and FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT, a slapstick comedy with a pointed social and political theme.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Sara Gran, author and screenwriter. Sara is the author of the series featuring Claire DeWitt, self-anointed as the world's greatest private investigator. But Sara isn't confined by theme or tradition. Her feel for urban grit is on abundant display in her novel DOPE, as is her ability to convey psychological terror and come closer and the insidious nature of the occult in THE BOOK OF MOST PRECIOUS SUBSTANCE, which she self-published in 2022. Her latest is LITTLE MYSTERIES, a short story collection cheerfully subtitled Nine Miniature Puzzles to Confuse Enthrall and Delight. Sara also wrote for the terrific TV series Southland. If quality alone were the determining factor, it would still be on air. She also wrote the Audible original audio drama MARIGOLD. There's much to talk about with Sarah, who I've admired from afar, but I wanted to at least begin with an article that ran recently in the New York Times in which Sarah recommended eight great noir thrillers. You can find the article via the Times website. It's a wonderful list with a few surprises, the kind that sent me running to the nearest bookstore. So now I'm not only grateful for her books, but also for her recommendations.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is Catriona McPherson, the author of three crime series, two of historical fiction, and standalone novels of psychological suspense. In 2024, she published thrice: THE WITCHING HOUR, the sixteenth book in her Dandy Gilver murder mystery series set in the 1920s and 30s, DEEP BENEATH US, a novel of suspense set in the Scottish Highlands, and SCOTZILLA, her seventh cozy featuring Lexy Campbell, whose wedding does not go according to plan. I’ll add here that Catriona contributed a very clever story with a twist to BRUTAL AND STRANGE, the anthology based on the songs of Elvis Costello that I edited in late 2023. For her efforts Catriona is the winner of the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty and Macavity Awards, high honors in the mystery and crime field. Born in South Queensferry, Scotland, Catriona earned her MA and PhD at the University of Edinburgh. She committed to writing full-time in 2000. Five years later, she relocated to Northern California. As I was reminded at the recent Left Coast Crime conference in Denver, I find Catriona to be a wonderful writer and a delightful presence. Though we worked together on the Costello anthology and run into each other at various industry events, I’ve never had a chance to talk with her about the writing life.

One guiding principle at “Writers at Work” is that good writing is worth savoring wherever one may find it. My guests have included novelists, journalists, playwrights and screenwriters. And I’ve extending invitations to poets and lyricists. All to discuss the joys, heartaches, challenges and satisfaction of the creative writing process. This episode is dedicated to what I consider a model of effective autobiographical storytelling, “Vulnicura,” an album by Björk. 

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is Dennis Mahoney, an author and artist with a particular interest in and flair for horror and the occult. His latest novel, OUR WINTER MONSTER, is available now. Dennis’ reputation has been growing since his debut novel, FELLOW MORTALS, was published in 2013. His third novel, 2020's GHOST LOVE, received rave reviews. Publishers Weekly called it a grave yet hilarious meditation on insanity, depression, companionship, and leaving everything behind. Which tells us how Dennis finds horror within his characters. Without giving too much away, I'll say that his new one put a knot in the pit of my stomach within the first few pages, not because of the monster, but because of the crisis faced by the main characters. Let me tell you a bit about OUR WINTER MONSTER to expedite my conversation with Dennis. Holly and Brian are unhappy in their relationship. They've decided to take a brief vacation to a ski village to rekindle, if possible, their passion. What appears to be a blizzard threatens their trip even before they reach their destination. And here comes a monster on a Godzilla-like rampage through the village. Sheriff Kendra Book has to save Holly, Brian, and the village, which is encumbered by problems of its own. It's all there, right in the wrong hands. The setup might have been cliched, but Dennis is a storyteller of the first degree, regardless of genre. Even if you're not a horror fan, and I confess, I'm not, OUR WINTER MONSTER will reward you for exploring his tale. Dennis is also the founder of the Equinox Society, a multimedia project I'm eager to learn more about.

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is writer, producer and showrunner John Wirth. John's current project is DARK WINDS, the series on AMC that draws its inspiration from the novels of Tony Hillerman. Its third season kicks off on March 9 and has already been renewed for a fourth season. John's been involved in well written and well-crafted TV for quite a while. He broke into the business in the 1980s as a writer for the detective series REMINGTON STEELE, then wrote for and was an executive producer for NASH BRIDGES. Other writing and producing credits include contributions to THE GHOST WHISPERER, PICKET FENCES, TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, and V. John was on the staff of HELL ON WHEELS, the AMC series pegged to the building of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s and was named its showrunner for the final three seasons. As for DARK WINDS, John became showrunner in its second season. He continues to write for the series, co contributing two scripts in season two and two more this season. I've watched the new season and found it fascinating. I'm eager to talk to John about his career in general, but also about DARK WINDS.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Lisa Unger, the bestselling author whose latest novel is CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10. The tale involves a high concept. Her protagonist, the physically fit Adele Crane, participates in a reality competition program called Extreme Hide and Seek that's held on a remote island. The show's founder and star, the deliciously named Maverick Dylan, is aging and increasingly unhinged. The last time around, one contestant was lost and never found. So what will happen now? I won't tell. CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10 is Lisa's 23rd book. She's moved back and forth between series and standalones. Her most recent series was HOUSE OF CROWS, a four-part serial released in 2021. Prior to the new one, her most recent novel was THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B, now available in paperback, in which an apartment in a sinister New York building is the setting for a psychological thriller that recalls Rosemary's Baby and The Shining, set 1700 miles to the east.

My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is author Thomas Perry, whose latest thriller is PRO BONO. Thomas had a long, exemplary career as a mystery and thriller writer. His debut, THE BUTCHER'S BOY, in 1983 won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It was the first in a series in which three subsequent novels appeared three separate decades apart. His VANISHING ACT, featuring his recurring character Jane Whitefield, was named by Parade magazine as one of the 101 Best Mysteries of All Time. Tom was a PhD in literature, wrote and or produced for such TV shows as Star Trek, The Next Generation and Simon and Simon. He's enjoying well deserved attention these days, thanks to the FX series The Old Man, based on his 2017 novel of the same name. We of a certain vintage applaud Tom for creating a hearty protagonist who is AARP eligible but hardly in need of assistance. Since then, he's published eight more novels, including additions to the Butcher's Boy and Jane Whitefield series. Last year's HERO introduced readers to Justin Poole, a private security agent for Hollywood celebrities and the 1%. Booklist, Kirkus and Deadly Pleasures magazine called HERO the best thriller of the year. How lucky we would all be if we maintain such high standards across more than four decades and through 31 novels.

Joining me today on Writers at Work is New York Times Enterprise reporter Christopher Maag. Recently, Chris wrote what I consider to be an extraordinary feature about a woman who, at age 17, survived a plane crash. I'll get back to that story in a minute. Chris is a veteran reporter, having written for national and local magazines including USA Today, The Record, and the Seattle Times. Before joining the New York Times staff, he freelanced for the paper for a decade, covering the Midwest. When you click on the links on his website or in the Times archive, you'll find that Chris has delved into the human side of some of the biggest stories of our lifetime, including the September 11 attacks and the impact of COVID. When he covers breaking news, he occasionally will reveal a sly sense of humor. In a recent piece about a man who filmed himself while breaking into the mayor's residence in New York, Chris disclosed that Mayor Adams believes the house is haunted. But some stories are absent humor, like his recent piece on the four-month-old who died from a cocaine overdose. As for the tale of the airline crash survivor, you can find his feature in the Times archives or via Google. The headline hints at what's to follow. The plane crash should have killed her. Sometimes she wishes it had, adding, survival has been its own ordeal. Chris tells us that, traveling by herself, Astrid Lopez was on her way from Bogota, Colombia, to Disney World via New York, the trip a reward for her good grades. Hours after takeoff, Flight 52 crashed into a tree on Long Island. 73 passengers were killed. Chris included this bit of memorable color in his piece: Rescue workers found a toddler dangling from a tree, cold but uninjured. Astrid, now 52, has endured 70 surgeries. Let me now pause to greet Chris, a writer whose work, to my eyes, has both the propulsion and flow of great storytelling, regardless of medium.