Page One Podcast Holly Lynn Payne

In Episode 37, we discuss the art and science of storytelling with bestselling, award-winning author, Jason Roberts, whose latest feat of non-fiction, Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All of Life was just published by Random House. Known as “the rescuer of forgotten history,” Jason has deftly created a dual biography that brings to light the opposing scientific philosophies of the French savants Carl Linneaus and Georges-Louis de Buffon and their life-long mission to know the same thing: all living species on earth. What fascinates me most about Jason’s process with this book is that after three years writing it, he came to a dead end, but the story wasn’t over. In fact, it has only just begun. Much like the early scientists he was studying, Jason realized the story he had discovered was about how failures become stepping stones to greater understanding. I can’t think of a more potent parallel to the writing process and birthing a book.

In this special episode with my dear friend, we dive deep into the importance of the pursuit of ‘unknowing’ and how to seduce a reader from page one. If you’re curious how a master storyteller crafts vivid historical narratives, Jason Roberts shares insights and hard-won wisdom about making a daunting task appear easy and even more importantly, something that readers will find deeply meaningful. I hope you enjoy this conversation while you walk, hike, clean, drive or find yourself cozy on the couch! Jason is a gem.

In Episode 36, we interview the wonderful and engaging, award-winning author Ramona Ausubel about her latest novel, THE LAST ANIMAL, published by Riverhead, and named Best Book of The Year by Oprah Daily, NPR and Kirkus Reviews. Her debut novel, NO ONE IS HERE EXCEPT ALL OF US, was a New York Times Editor’s Choice, winner of both the PEN USA Fiction Award and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, and her two collections of short stories have also stacked up many well-deserved accolades. THE LAST ANIMAL is my first introduction to Ausubel’s work, and I have to be honest, I am blown away by her talent. What I enjoyed most in this conversation was her refreshing approach to finding the story through a ‘half draft’ technique that she discusses at length. I am going to try it myself! It might just help you start writing your book too.

This was such a fun conversation between two working moms, writing teachers, and destined ‘Book Sisters.’ I loved hearing Ausubel’s energy and learning about her passionate writing journey for all her works. She reminds us about the importance of curiosity, persistence and the sheer joy of bringing stories to life (and in the case of THE LAST ANIMAL, an extinct baby woolly mammoth). Maybe it’s the Colorado air of which she breathes, but this one is full of magic. Hope you enjoy it!

In EPISODE 35, we interview Robin Oliveira the award-winning NYT bestselling author of MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER, which won the prestigious Shaara Prize Winner for Civil War Fiction. Her latest historical novel, A WILD AND HEAVENLY PLACE, is a sweeping tale about the birth of Seattle and two star-crossed lovers that discover it. This is a poignant and lyrical book and love letter to the Pacific Northwest. I had no idea that Seattle was rooted in coal mining before I plunged into Robin’s latest saga. We had the delight of discussing the mystery of showing up to the page without a plot, the pleasure of deep research, navigating the inevitable toil of revision, and how to reconcile the very private act of writing with the public act of publishing. Robin is humble, full of heart and one of my new heroes in writing, who at the age of 70 is engaging with the craft more effortlessly than ever. This is a risk taker at her core, another badass woman writer who you will respect, admire and whose wisdom will benefit you immensely. Please enjoy this beautiful hour in her presence.

In episode 34 of the Page One Podcast, we speak with world-renowned bestselling author of suspense, Dean Koontz, about his most recent novel, The Bad Weather Friend, published by Thomas & Mercer Feb. 1. Rarely do I have the honor of talking with the most prolific writer of our lifetime once, let alone twice. Not surprising, Koontz wrote four books since we discussed his book Quicksilver in Episode 11, and he is close to beating Henry James’s historic achievement of writing 120 books in a lifetime. How does this superhuman create so much? Koontz keeps at it. Day after day. Week after week. For more than 50 years, he’s been at his desk from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.,and doesn’t stop for lunch while the words dance through him. I wish there was a Hall of Fame for Writers. Koontz would own it and in the most humble way, too. What’s his secret? Koontz chases the mystery of what might happen without overthinking. Unlike most writers, he embraces risk! He shows up to the page without plotting. Even more so, he might be the funniest suspense novelist of our time and he discusses the importance (and possibly the secret sauce) of vulnerability and humor in suspense novels. I laughed out loud at times reading The Bad Weather Friend which is being touted as a new kind of thriller, not only for its humor, but for breaking the fourth wall. This is Dean Koontz in his prime. Playing on the page. No longer seeking permission but owning his creative process with a kind of humility that just makes you love this masterful storyteller that much more. In this intimate conversation, Koontz touches upon aspects of his personal life, experiences as a teacher, and the role it played in shaping his understanding and portrayal of the human condition. No wonder he begins this book with a quote by James Thurber, “Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility.” If ever there was a tagline to describe Dean Koontz’s work, this is it.

I hope you enjoy this episode. And just a warning, I got teary once in our conversation, but in the spirit of vulnerability, I decided to keep it in the final edit. As always, this podcast is my love letter to the craft and the courage of the writers who show up to the page with their heart first. Dean Koontz brings the love.

In Episode 33, we interview Matt Sedillo, hailed as the best political poet in America. Sedillo shares his unique approach to poetry writing, and gives insights into his personal journey and the rich storytelling traditions that have influenced his work. He also shares a sneak peek into his next project 'Elon Musk Must Be Stopped' and reads from his works 'City on the Second Floor' and 'Mowing Leaves of Grass', demonstrating first hand the three-act structure that is central to his writing style and unique to poets who rarely discuss deliberate design. Hearing Matt perform his poetry is one of the many delights in this episode about a kid who dreamed of becoming President but instead becomes a poet who is unfettered in speaking his truth about the current political landscape. Enjoy this genius at work. His brilliance is breathtaking.

He reads from his poem PILGRIM and gave us permission to post it in the episode notes.
Pilgrim by Matt Sedillo

See, some were born to summer homes
And palatial groves
Where pain was only to ever unfold
From the pages of Secret Gardens
Where the Red Fern Grows
But not I
See, I come from the stock
Of starry-eyed astronauts
Who greet the night sky
With big dreams and wide eyes
Always Running
Down the Devil’s Highway
Through Occupied America
On the way back to
The House on Mango Street
And all those other books
You didn’t want us to read
Raised on handball
Off the back wall
Of a panaderia
Born
East the river
Post Mendez vs Westminster
One generation removed
From the redlines
And diplomas signed
That those dreams
In that skin
Need not apply
See, I come from struggle
And if my story offends you
That is only ‘cause you made the mistake of seeking your reflection
In my self-portrait
See, this
Well this may not be about you
Because while some were born
To the common core
Whose reflected faces
Graced the pages
Of doctrines to discover
And ages to be explored
Where old world hardships
Crashed against new shores
New England
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
For others pushed off
Turtle Island
Aztlan
Do not call this brown skin
Immigrant
Child of the sun
Son of the conquest
Mexicano blood
Running through the veins
Of the eastside of Los Angeles
Do not tell him
In what native tongue
His song would best be sung
Do not tell me
Who I am
‘Cause I was raised just like you
Miseducated in some of those
Very same schools
Off lessons and legends
Of honest injuns and Christian pilgrims
And a nation of immigrants
All united in freedom
That is until they pulled aside
My white friend
Pointed directly at me
And said Scott
I judge you by the company you keep
And you spend your time with this
And that’s the same old story since 1846
The adventures of Uncle Sam
The stick-up man
Hey wetback
Show me your papers
Now give me your labor
The Melting Pot
Was never meant for the hands
That clean it
The American dream
Has always come at the expense
Of those who tucked it in
And you don’t know that
‘Cause you don’t teach it
Could write you a book
But you won’t read it
So you know what
This is about you
And 1492
And the Treaty of Guadalupe
California Missions
And Arizona schools
And these racists
That try to erase us
As we raise their kids
In cities that bear our names
But you’re going to learn
Something today
‘Cause from Ferdinand
To minuteman
From Arpaio
To Alamo
From Popol Vuh
To Yo Soy Joaquin
To the Indian that still lives in me
From Mexico 68
To the missing 43
They tried to bury us
They didn’t know we were seeds
From Cananea mine
To Delano strike
From the Plan De Ayala
Emiliano Zapata
Joaquin Murrieta
Las Adelitas
Brown Berets
And Zapatistas
From Richard Nixon
To the Third Napoleon
From Peckinpah
To Houston
From Lone Star Republic
To Christopher Columbus
All the way down
To Donald f—g Trump
We didn’t cross the borders
The borders crossed us
Who you calling immigrant
Pilgrim?

In Episode 32, we interview PEN/Faulkner award-winning author, Kate Christensen, about her tenth book, Welcome Home, Stranger, a razor sharp novel about love and loss published by HarperCollins. It is rare for me to blow off deadlines because I am so immersed in the work of another writer, but the galley copy is tea-stained—and tear-stained. I loved talking with Kate about the intricacies of making the first page work and setting up the entire book. The timing of this conversation was serendipitous, too, because Kate is currently teaching a class on beginnings at the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop, where her wisdom comes to roost.

We had the chance to discuss everything from killing your darlings (as a writer), the evolution of a master storyteller, her mother’s influence on her mastery of human psychology, the joy of teaching and my favorite—”the upside of menopause.” I read a lot of Kate’s prior essays to prepare for this interview, and one that struck me as most poignant was how she describes liberating herself from the pressures of having to write like a man—which in her early years was not only encouraged but expected in the publishing industry. She summed up her dream in the 2011 article in Elle magazine, “I feel an urge to relinquish my inner d**k, at least for now, and fully ­inhabit a female narrator who is as free—as frank—and as fully herself as any man.” Kate Christensen has accomplished this and more with her memorable, hilarious, brilliant and broken-open heroine Rachel Calloway in Welcome Home, Stranger. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I loved co-creating it. You might feel you made a friend, too. Kate gets it.