Episode 66: Megan Nolan - Waterford To A Novel World

mmegannolan is a novelist and a journalist based in New York City.

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(00:00) Trying to move to New York in 2020

(03:18) Waterford roots and a theatrical family

(06:27) Small-town restlessness and artistic ambition

(09:42) Shy, anxious kid who loved to read

(12:56) Early poetry, contests, and taking feelings seriously

(16:10) Formative novels that changed her life

(19:25) Dropping out, Dublin struggles, and following an artist to London

(22:41) Keeping the identity of “writer” alive

(25:55) Learning to call herself a writer

(29:08) Freelance journalism, readings, and media Twitter days

(32:16) Writing for money versus writing for love

(35:22) Leaping from essays to a novel

(38:05) Three years, Athens, and building the book

(41:02) Domestic horror, obsession, and emotional claustrophobia

(44:10) Book deal, lockdown release, and sudden success

(46:47) Money, advances, and buying dinner for everyone

(49:55) Public life, avoiding fame, and the second novel

(53:20) Habits, community, and redefining success