This week I’m talking with author and journalist Mark Cecil. Mark’s debut novel BUNYAN AND HENRY, OR, THE BEAUTIFUL DESTINY, a retelling of the folk tales of Paul Bunyan and John Henry, has just come out. (The book was named one of the most anticipated books of 2024 from Goodreads, while Publishers Weekly called it “boisterous and a fun romp with plenty of substance.”) Mark’s articles have been published in LitHub and Writer’s Digest and he’s taught classes on writing and publishing for Grub Street and the Writer’s Loft.

Despite these accolades, Mark had a long, tough road to publishing and he’s learned some really valuable lessons along the way, which he generously shares in a very inspiring way.

We covered:

How Mark is inspired by trying to contribute to a mythology that is uniquely American, and what that means

The six other manuscripts Mark wrote that didn’t end up getting published, and how he dealt with that long road

How he knew he had stumbled on the right idea at last

The genius thing he told himself that helped him keep going despite multiple rejections

How a very frustrating question from an editor launched him on an odyssey of learning the art of storytelling that ultimately led him to the idea of his debut novel

Why he seeks to write every damn day, despite how he’s feeling about himself and his work

How he’ll write anywhere, despite the external–and internal!, conditions he finds himself in

How sports, whether he’s playing, coaching, or watching, helps keep him mentally healthy

Visit Mark at markcecilauthor.com.

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

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