In Episode 14, we interview award-winning author Erica Ferencik about the struggles and stories behind the first page of her latest thriller, Girl in Ice, published this spring by Scout Press and declared by the New York Times Book Review as “hauntingly beautiful.” Ferencik is known for taking readers on journeys to remote places and challenging herself with firsthand research in them—which she discusses in detail, admitting terror and a forced growth mindset. Those adventures inspired her other two novels, The River at Night and Into the Jungle which feature Erica’s hallmark badass women protagonists. Erica also discusses how doing standup comedy for ten years built her ‘courage muscles’ to write novels and how to identify good story ideas.
Page One, produced and hosted by author Holly Lynn Payne, celebrates the craft that goes into writing the first sentence, first paragraph and first page of your favorite books. The first page is often the most rewritten page of any book because it has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. We interview master storytellers on the struggles and stories behind the first page of their books.
About the guest author:
Erica Ferencik is the award-winning author of the acclaimed thrillers The River at Night and Into the Jungle. The New York Times Book Review declared her latest novel Girl in Ice, “hauntingly beautiful.” Ferencik is known for taking readers on journeys to remote places in her first two novels and creating hallmark badass women protagonists. Her latest book, Girl In Ice, takes readers to a remote field station in the Arctic Circle where a university linguist uncovers the mysterious death of her brother. In addition to writing novels, Ferencik’s writing career spans 35 years and includes short stories, essays, ghostwriting, screenplays, a brief stint in filmmaking and a decade of standup and sketch comedy. Her work has appeared in Salon magazine, The Boston Globe and on NPR. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Boston University. You can find her online at EricaFerencik.com and follow her on Twitter @EricaFerencik.
About the host:
Holly Lynn Payne is an award-winning novelist and writing coach, and the former CEO and founder of Booxby, a startup built to help authors succeed. Her debut novel, The Virgin's Knot, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. Her books have been published in eleven countries and translated into nine languages. Her most recent novel, Damascena:The Tale of Roses and Rumi, was optioned for a film series. She's recently completed her first YA crossover novel inspired by her nephew with Down syndrome. She lives in Marin County with her daughter and enjoys mountain biking, surfing and hiking with her dog. To learn more about her private writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com.
If you have a first page you’d like to submit to the Page One Podcast, please do so here.
As an author and writing coach, I know that the first page of any book has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. So I thought to ask your favorite master storytellers how they do their magic to hook YOU.
After the first few episodes, it occurred to me that maybe someone listening might be curious how their first page sits with an audience, so I’m opening up Page One to any writer who wants to submit the first page of a book they’re currently writing.
If your page is chosen, you’ll be invited onto the show to read it and get live feedback from one of Page One’s master storytellers. Page One exists to inspire, celebrate and promote the work of both well-known and unknown creative talent.
You can listen to Page One on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher and all your favorite podcast players.
Hear past episodes.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram