Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author of the book “Welcome to the Writer’s Life,” Paulette Perhach. Paulett’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, and Slate, among many other places. She also hosts a virtual writing salon called A Very Important Meeting, teaches many online writing classes, and works with folks one-on-one as a writing coach.We talked about:- How being a Peace Corps volunteer is like being the village idiot, and why that’s a good thing- Acclimating yourself to the vulnerability of writing (sometimes very) personal stories- Thinking about the long tail of having your work findable on the Internet and the possible ramifications of that- The link between ADHD and financial (mis)management- Getting over the idea that if you don’t have a degree in English literature, you’re not qualified to be a writer- Getting more stuff done when you approach your work with self-love rather than self-flagellation- The website that’s like eBay for businesses that reminds her life could still go in a lot of different directions- Why she thinks the shows Californication and Sex and the City are harmful to wannabe writers- The wild story of how she figured out she had ADHD, and how that diagnosis has changed her reality- Her class for writers with ADHDConnect with Paulette at pauletteperhach.com or on Instagram @paulettejperhach.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author, Paulette Perhach. Paulett’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, and Slate, among other places, and she’s written two essays that have gone viral, including “A Story of a Fuck-Off Fund,” which was included in the anthology Freshman Year of Life.Paulette helps others make their way as writers, with her book about writing, called Welcome to the Writer’s Life; her five-time-a-week virtual writing salon that’s called A Very Important Meeting; various online writing classes; and as a one-on-one writing coach.Fun fact, Paulette keeps a running list of her rejections NOT receive her MFA from Iowa, Columbia or Syracuse.We covered:- Balancing being a writing teacher and coach with also being a working writer- The writer’s software she created as a direct response to having ADHD- How joining the Peace Corps shaped her as a writer- Continuing to dream bigger- What it’s like to have an essay go viral- The software she developed to help writers get organized- Her tips and tricks for making sure you do your writing–and more importantly, finish your writing- How she outsmarts her fear- The importance of tracking your writing metrics- The trick to setting deadlines for yourself that you’ll actually honor- Why Paulette might be the next Weird Al- The writer’s conference Paulette never misses (I had never heard of it! Meet you there?)- A rundown of all the writing tools she uses, from software to notebooksConnect with Paulette at pauletteperhach.com or on Instagram @paulettejperhach.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the final installment of my talk with historian Kenneth C. Davis, New York Times bestselling author of “America’s Hidden History,” “Don’t Know Much About History,” a whole series of “Don’t Know Much About” books. As part of his mission to get more people to read more books, Kenneth has just published THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction – a curated journey through fifty-two of the most significant short nonfiction works ever penned, from ancient times to the present day.We talked about:- What determines whether Ken has had a good day or a bad day- Learning Italian with his wife, and the many, many doors it has opened in their lives- The well-known historical author who taught Ken that history is about humanity, and not just dates and battles- Why Italy plays such a big role in his plans for the future- The HBO series he and his wife can’t stop binge watching- Ken’s recipe for the perfect cup of coffee (Italian roast, of course)Connect with Ken at https://dontknowmuch.com/.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to part 2 of my interview with Kenneth C. Davis, author of the brand new book THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction – a curated journey through fifty-two of the most significant short nonfiction works ever penned, from ancient times to the present day.Kenneth is also the author of Don’t Know Much About® History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the Don’t Know Much About® series of books and audios, which has a combined in-print total of some 4.7-million copies.We covered:- How the editing process reminds him of the myth of Sisyphus- Why his inner critic sounds a lot like Joseph Conrad and E.B. White- A chills-inducing pep talk for reading- The harm caused by the idea of American exceptionalism- Re-examining American’s history through a lens of equity- Comparing our current political climate to 1968 and drawing parallelsConnect with Ken at https://dontknowmuch.com/.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today my guest is historian Kenneth C. Davis, New York Times bestselling author of “America’s Hidden History,” “Don’t Know Much About History,” and a whole series of “Don’t Know Much About” books, proving that Americans don’t hate history — they just hate the dull version they slept through in class.As part of his mission to get more people to read more books, Kenneth has just published THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction – a curated journey through fifty-two of the most significant short nonfiction works ever penned, from ancient times to the present day.We covered:- A quick history of the paperback–how did I not know this??- The amazing line a bookstore co-worker told him that changed his life- The family roadtrips to historical places he took as a kid that made history come alive for him, and how he strives to do the same thing for others in her books- Great, succinct reason why books matter- The morning routine that launches him into writing each day- A peek at what it’s like for a writer to be married to an editorConnect with Ken at https://dontknowmuch.com/.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to part 3 of my interview with Jeremey Dauber, a processor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University and the author of the new book "American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond,” which chronicles the rise and enduring grip of fear and horror throughout American culture and American history.As “J.A. Dauber,” he is also the author of the YA novel "Mayhem and Madness: Chronicles of a Teenaged Supervillain," and his new middle grade novel, currently titled "Press 1 For 1nvasion," is coming out in 2025.In this final installment, we talked about:- The seminar he’s teaching in the spring that’s giving him a great excuse to watch shows and movies set in the 1980s (with lots of recommendations)- The two Stephens whose bodies of work inspire him- His thoughts on how to “re-enchant” students and the world on the humanities- The BBC show and his wife can’t stop watching once they start- The niche music genre he listens to when he wants to get psyched up- The gameshow mash-up he’d like to seeFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to my interview with cultural historian and Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber, author of the newly released book "American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond."As “J.A. Dauber,” he is also the author of the YA novel "Mayhem and Madness: Chronicles of a Teenaged Supervillain," and a new middle grade novel, currently titled "Press 1 For 1nvasion," that will come out next year.Today I’m talking with Jeremy about what I call inner stuff–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you’re not fully conscious of it.We covered:- Finding the right balance of being comprehensive and not overwhelming–or boring–the reader- The parts of publishing a book that get easier the more you do it- The privilege of working in a field where you can keep getting better and better (as opposed to, say, baseball, where your performance will peak)- Some frank talk about how parenting impacts your work (loved hearing this from a man!)- A plug for offering babysitting at conferences and not holding events during the dinner hour- Taking aim at the myth of the creative genius, and that good work just flows- And while we’re at it, debunking the myth of the difficult geniusFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Dauber, author of the newly released book "American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond” and professor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University.As “J.A. Dauber,” he is also the author of the YA novel "Mayhem and Madness: Chronicles of a Teenaged Supervillain," and his new middle grade novel, currently titled "Press 1 For 1nvasion," will be published next year.We covered:- The childhood obsession with aliens and ghost stories that never went away- The key career advice he got from the former head of DC Comics- Approaching your career as if you were cross-training at the gym- How teaching helps him as a writer- Why he loves writing YA more than contemporary adult fiction- How he’s come to embrace the revision process- Reframing failure as a lack of success- Why he’s in the “write every day” camp- The nicest compliment he got from an editor- Why he tries to stop writing for the day in the middle of a scene or a thought, and not at the endFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the Finding the Throughline interview with Vanessa Lillie, whose books include “Little Voices”, “For the Best,” and her newest book “Blood Sisters” and co-author Young Rich Widows as well as its sequel which is coming out next year, Desperate Deadly Widows.In this final installment of our interview, we talk about where her current throughline is leading her next.Why she’s so excited about Indigenous storytelling right nowMany recommendations for books, shows, and movies by Indigenous creatorsA preview of her sequel to “Blood Sisters”Her forays into screenwritingHow you get more rejection once you’re in the doorKeeping an open mind and being very open to failingThe Netflix feminist thriller she stayed up too late watchingA recipe for bomster scallops that I will be tryingConnect with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessalillieFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Finding the Throughline: Conversations about the Creative Process where today’s guest is thriller author Vanessa Lillie, whose books include “Little Voices”, “For the Best,” and her newest book “Blood Sisters,” a thriller about two missing Indigenous women and the Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is searching for them which was a Good Morning America Buzz Pick and USA Today national bestseller. She’s also the co-author of a fun 80s mystery romp “Young Rich Widows” as well as its sequel which is coming out next year, “Desperate Deadly Widows.”An Oklahoma native, Vanessa is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma living on Narragansett land in Rhode Island.Today I’m talking with Vanessa about the mindset side of writing, or what I call inner stuff–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you’re not fully conscious of it, including:- Fighting erasure by weaving her family’s story into her books- The thrill and the total fear of writing about your culture and worrying about getting it wrong- How Vanessa steadies herself when that anxiety crops up- Embracing the challenge of writing a page turner- Dealing with the fear that your current work isn’t as good as your previous work- Seeing ideas as a butterfly that come and sit on your shoulder (from Elizabeth Gilbert’s book “Big Magic”- Why it’s so vital to get clear on why you are the right person to tell this story- Why being in her 40s feels like such a relief- Some frank talk about early motherhood–and why it was a theme in her first novel- Letting go of the idea that your success is within your controlConnect with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessalillieFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening!And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices