Bestselling author Annie Hartnett channeled her real-life anxiety during a period of family disasters into the darkly humorous novel, 'The Road to Tender Hearts.' In this episode of Why Authors Write, Annie takes a deep dive into her techniques for combining improbable events, tragic conflicts, and magical realism to create a compelling, character-driven story. With unfailing candor and humor, she reveals that the deeply flawed hero who takes to the road in Tender Hearts is based on her own father. (And she shares her father’s unexpected and hilarious reaction - spoiler – he shows up at her book signings.) Annie talks about her process for creating difficult-to-like characters that can still appeal to readers. As a bonus, she discloses her own tripwires, including the unmitigated misery she feels when writing a first draft, and motivational tricks she uses to keep on writing in the face of self-doubts and distractions.

Evolutionary biologist Jonathan Losos​​ talks about ​his lifelong love affair with cats, and discoveries about the private language ​of meows that t​hey use to communicate with humans. He reflects on the challenges and rewards ​o​f writing popular science books, and how his research for The Cat's Meow actually changed his own perspective the future of feline evolution.​ 

Elizabeth Graver talks about why and how she transformed her family's own history of immigration, abandonment, remarriage, and survival into Kantika, a gripping, unforgettable novel. In conversation with Mary Cronin on @WhyAuthorsWrite Elizabeth shares the challenges of transforming painful sometimes dark, family episodes into a universal story of family secrets, survival, and abiding love. In Elizabeth's own words, learn how Kantika changed her understanding of her immigrant grandmother, Rebecca, her Jewish heritage, and her own identify as a writer.