How Acclaimed Debut Novelist and Podcaster Bobby Finger Writes

Journalist, hit entertainment podcaster, and debut novelist, Bobby Finger, spoke to me about writing for Jezebel, turning a screenplay into a novel, and his debut, "The Old Place."

Bobby Finger is a writer and co-host of the popular celebrity and entertainment podcast, Who? Weekly, "The podcast that tells you everything you need to know about celebrities you don’t."

His debut novel is The Old Place, described as "A bighearted and moving debut about a wry retired schoolteacher whose decade-old secret threatens to come to light and send shockwaves through her small Texas town."

It has been named Washington Post‘s 10 Noteworthy Books for September, People‘s Best New Books, Town & Country’s 45 Must-Read Books of Fall, New York’s 25 Notable New Releases, Kirkus Review‘s 150 Most Anticipated Fall Books, LitHub‘s Most Anticipated Books of 2022, among many others.

New York Times bestselling author Emma Straub said of the book, “I loved being inside this skillful novel—at the planning parties for church fundraisers, learning to drive with a can of beer in the cupholder, and in the heads of some wonderfully tangy old Texan ladies. Bobby Finger has built a rich world in The Old Place, and I will think of it every time I make toast.”

Stay calm and write on ...

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In this file Bobby Finger and I discussed:

• Growing up in a small Texas town
• His start in copywriting and freelance journalism
• Writing screenplays in the margins
• Becoming a full-time podcaster
• How to write autofiction with a twist
• What happens when people leave, and those left behind
• And a lot more!

Show Notes:

• whoweekly.us
• The Old Place By Bobby Finger (Amazon)
• Bobby Finger on Twitter
• Kelton Reid on Twitter

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