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.
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:
Robin Oliveira is an award-winning NYT bestselling author of four books. 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. Her debut novel, MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER won the prestigious Shaara Prize Winner for Civil War Fiction and was an instant NYT bestseller about medicine and nursing in the civil war and inspired by her background as a nurse specializing in Critical Care and Bone Marrow Transplants, which we will get into a bit today. Robin holds a B.A. in Russian and studied at the Pushkin Language Institute in Moscow when Russia was still the USSR. In addition to a degree in nursing, she holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is known for her meticulous research which helps her create compelling and authentic story worlds as she does in her second novel, I Always Loved You, which traces the lives of the Impressionists in Paris, France. Her third novel, Winter Sisters, explores the disappearance of two little girls during an historic blizzard in Albany, N.Y., When she is not writing or reading - her favorite activity, she loves to travel, cycle and hike near her home outside Seattle.
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 recent novel, ROSE GIRL is an Amazon bestseller, earned a prestigious Kirkus starred Review and named Editors Choice from the Historical Novel Society. Her debut, The Virgin's Knot, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. She lives in Marin County with her daughter and enjoys mountain biking, surfing and hiking with her dog. She earned her MFA from USC, BA in journalism from University of Richmond and has served on the faculty of Stanford, San Francisco State University, California College of the Arts and the Academy of Art University. To contact her or learn more about her books and private writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com or find her at Instagram and Twitter @hollylynnpayne.
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The Page One Podcast is created at the base of a mountain in Marin County, California, and is a labor of love in service to writers and book lovers. My intention is to inspire, educate and celebrate. Thank you for being a part of this loving, creative community!
Be well and keep reading.
~Holly~