Ann Napolitano’s latest novel, Hello Beautiful, was an instant New York Times bestseller and Oprah’s 100th Book Club pick. Her last novel, Dear Edward, was published by Dial Press in January 2020 and was also a New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and was released on February 3rd as an Apple TV+ series. You can find an interview with Ann about that novel in our archives.

Ann is also the author of A Good Hard Look and Within Arm’s Reach. She was the Associate Editor of One Story literary magazine from 2014-2020.

Ann joins Marrie Stone to talk about Hello Beautiful. In addition to the book’s backstory, they talk about the many months Ann forces herself to spend on a book before beginning to write, how to pay attention to your unique inner magnetic board as a writer, the advice about endings she follows from George Saunders, and much more.

For more information on Writers on Writing and additional writing tips, visit our Patreon page. To listen to past interviews, visit our website.

(Recorded on May 3, 2023) 

Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
Co-Host: Marrie Stone
Music and sound design: Travis Barrett