How Award-Winning & Bestselling Author A.M. Homes Writes: Redux
11/15/24 • 34 min
Note: I revisited a chat with the soothsayer A.M. Homes from 2022.
Bestselling, award-winning author A.M. Homes, spoke to me about getting sued by J.D. Salinger, the irony of winning the Women's Prize for Fiction, and her latest "The Unfolding."
A.M. Homes is a TV producer, art critic, and the author of 13 books, including the bestselling memoir The Mistress’s Daughter. Her last novel, May We Be Forgiven, was the winner of the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Her latest novel is The Unfolding, described as a "... darkly comedic alternative history that takes us into the heart of a fractured family living in a divided country."
New York Times bestselling author Salman Rushdie called the book, “A terrific black comedy, written almost entirely in pitch-perfect dialogue, that feels terrifyingly close to the unfunny truth.”
A.M. Homes was a Co-Executive Producer and Writer on David E. Kelly and Stephen King’s, Mr. Mercedes, and a writer/producer of the Showtime series The L Word.
Her work has been translated into 22 languages and appears frequently in Art Forum, Harpers, Granta, McSweeney's, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Zoetrope. She is a Contributing Editor to Vanity Fair, Bomb and Blind Spot, and she has taught in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton.
Stay calm and write on ...
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In this file A.M. Homes and I discussed:
- Her early struggles with dyslexia
- Why awards and votes of confidence are so important for writers
- How she helped hire Dennis Lehane to write for Mr. Mercedes
- Her strange obsession with George Washington and her claim to Capitol Hill
- How to write your way out of a jam
- And a lot more!
Show Notes:
- amhomesbooks.com
- The Unfolding: A Novel by A.M. Homes (Amazon)
- A.M. Homes on Facebook
- A.M. Homes on Twitter
- Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Note: I revisited a chat with the soothsayer A.M. Homes from 2022.
Bestselling, award-winning author A.M. Homes, spoke to me about getting sued by J.D. Salinger, the irony of winning the Women's Prize for Fiction, and her latest "The Unfolding."
A.M. Homes is a TV producer, art critic, and the author of 13 books, including the bestselling memoir The Mistress’s Daughter. Her last novel, May We Be Forgiven, was the winner of the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Her latest novel is The Unfolding, described as a "... darkly comedic alternative history that takes us into the heart of a fractured family living in a divided country."
New York Times bestselling author Salman Rushdie called the book, “A terrific black comedy, written almost entirely in pitch-perfect dialogue, that feels terrifyingly close to the unfunny truth.”
A.M. Homes was a Co-Executive Producer and Writer on David E. Kelly and Stephen King’s, Mr. Mercedes, and a writer/producer of the Showtime series The L Word.
Her work has been translated into 22 languages and appears frequently in Art Forum, Harpers, Granta, McSweeney's, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Zoetrope. She is a Contributing Editor to Vanity Fair, Bomb and Blind Spot, and she has taught in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton.
Stay calm and write on ...
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file A.M. Homes and I discussed:
- Her early struggles with dyslexia
- Why awards and votes of confidence are so important for writers
- How she helped hire Dennis Lehane to write for Mr. Mercedes
- Her strange obsession with George Washington and her claim to Capitol Hill
- How to write your way out of a jam
- And a lot more!
Show Notes:
- amhomesbooks.com
- The Unfolding: A Novel by A.M. Homes (Amazon)
- A.M. Homes on Facebook
- A.M. Homes on Twitter
- Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode
How 'It's Always Sunny' Creator and Star Rob McElhenney Writes: Redux
Note: I revisited a chat with multi-hyphenate Rob McElhenney from 2020.
The writer, producer, and actor best known for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Rob McElhenney, took a timeout during the apocalypse to rap with me about how he runs his writer's room, his humble beginnings and admiration for the great TV comedies, and his advice for aspiring TV producers.
"Everyone is going through the same things. At least, people who respect science are. That sense of loneliness and despair ... needs to be addressed in some way, but ultimately we want to leave people with a sense of optimism." – Rob McElhenney
FX recently renewed his irreverent "It’s Always Sunny..." for a 15th season, making it officially the longest-running live-action sitcom in US history.
The multihyphenate's latest, Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, is a comedy series "...that follows a team of video game developers as they navigate the challenges of running a popular video game,"
The Apple TV+ show was co-created with "Sunny" alums Charlie Day and Megan Ganz (executive produced by McElhenney and Day), and has been described as "... the travails of a boisterous video game studio – think Silicon Valley meets Veep."
*Note: Though I was lucky enough to catch Rob in his natural LA habitat, sadly the interview was cut short due to technical difficulties, our apologies for the abrupt ending.
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Rob McElhenney and I discussed:
How It's Alway Sunny in Philadelphia almost didn't make it to the fourth season
The inner-workings of a perpetual creativity engine
How little episodic and streaming models of TV differ from a sitcom producer's perspective
His relationships with Danny DeVito and F. Murray Abraham
The evolution of "It's Always Sunny..." and why it stays culturally relevant
And how the greatest indie production tool you own is in your pocket
Show Notes:
Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet – Apple TV+
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Next Episode
How NY Times Bestselling Author Christina Lynch Writes
New York Times bestselling author Christina Lynch spoke with me about working with Harvard pal Conan O’Brien, gang writing for TV, her nom de plume, and her new novel, PONY CONFIDENTIAL, featuring a grumpy pony.
Christina Lynch is the author of Sally Brady's Italian Adventure, The Italian Party, and – under the pen name Magnus Flyte – co-author of New York Times bestseller City of Dark Magic and City of Lost Dreams.
Her latest mystery, Pony Confidential (Berkley/PRH), is “... an epic saga, narrated by a pony, about the bond between animals and their humans.” It was named an NPR “Book of the Day,” Amazon Top 100 Books of 2024, an Indie Next Pick for November, and many other “most anticipated” lists.
Christina Lynch was an editor on the Harvard Lampoon, the Milan correspondent for W magazine, and wrote for TV on the writing staffs of Unhappily Ever After and Stephen King’s The Dead Zone among others. She teaches at College of the Sequoias.
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Christina Lynch and I discussed:
End-of-semester panic and counseling her students
Why she burned out on fashion and disappeared in Tuscany
How a game with a fellow writer turned into a bestseller
What her most recent success has meant to her
The crazy story behind her latest novel
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
Pony Confidential By Christina Lynch (Amazon)
In the new novel 'Pony Confidential,' a crime-solving pony seeks revenge - NPR
Christina Lynch Amazon Author Page
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