In Episode 20, we interview Emmy award winning filmmaker, Kate Manning, about her most recent novel, GILDED MOUNTAIN, published by Scribner and named an Indie Book Pick for November 2022. If you’re a fan of meticulous research rendered in page-turning prose, you can bet on curling up to this captivating story, inspired by Manning’s family ties to a Colorado mining town in the 1910s. This is a story to savor this winter in your favorite reading chair by the fireplace or wherever you find yourself nesting with a book. Kate Manning is one of those rare talents, both remarkable in her craft and in the characters she renders. She’s a writer’s writer and a reader’s dream. She’ll transport and awaken you. And you can’t help but root for the women in this story, who no doubt, shaped Colorado’s tenacity of spirit. In this episode, Kate shares how she crafted this story over the course of ten years, and how she relies on her trusted early readers to identify what’s working or not. Humble, funny and insightful, Kate will inspire anyone who has the courage to tackle history with grace and grit.
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:
Kate Manning's most recent novel, GILDED MOUNTAIN, was named an Indie Book Pick for November 2022. Manning is also the author of the critically acclaimed novels My Notorious Life and Whitegirl. A former documentary television producer and winner of two Emmy Awards, she has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Time, Glamour, and The Guardian, among other publications. She has taught creative writing at Bard High School Early College in Manhattan, and lives with her family in New York City.
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. She is an internationally published author of four historical fiction novels. Her debut, The Virgin's Knot, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. She recently finished 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 books and private writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com or find her at Instagram and Twitter @hollylynnpayne.
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.
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Until then, be well and keep reading!