Podcast - Maggie Smith

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If you’re an aspiring author and want insights into what’s involved in launching a book into the world, this is the podcast for you. Maggie Smith, author and blogger, interviews debut novelists from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association discussing not only the inspiration behind their book, but also their insights into the writing process, the best advice they ever got, and the joys and sometimes pitfalls they encountered on their path to publication.

Click episode titles for detailed show notes.

Today’s podcast features Leslie Kain (Secrets in the Mirror, Atmosphere Press, September 2022). We discuss how she writes out her action story first, in cinematic scenes, then goes back and adds in the emotional interiority and reactions later, making sure to not lose the magical voice which is crucial to bringing the reader into the story. Her background in psychology informs her tale of two identical twins caught up in a dysfunctional family dynamic that leaves them both scarred.

Leslie Kain writes “Psychological Fiction With Heart” ― Often dark stories about messed-up people whose greatest obstacles to happiness lie within them. Leslie was always writing something when she was a kid – fantasies, poems, secret plans; culminating in running away across country at fifteen, never looking back. But in her careers (psychology, Government Intelligence, nonprofits), her writing was limited to nonfiction: professional, research. Finally dabbling in fiction during spare moments above the clouds, her short stories found their way into literary journals and anthologies. She developed personal relationships with her characters, who relentlessly nagged her into longer stories. Her debut novel, ‘Secrets In The Mirror’ has been honored with many awards; its sequel, ‘What Lies Buried’, will be released May 2024. She also recently contributed to the anthology ‘A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood.’ Kain leverages her education, training and experience in psychology to write stories of inner conflict and emotional transformation. She earned degrees from Wellesley College and Boston University. She now lives in Mexico with her husband and 17-year old cat Sheba.

To learn more about Leslie, click here.