Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

In part two of my interview with Steve Ahlquist, an advocacy journalist in Rhode Island and publisher of Steve Ahlquist News, we get into the ideas and thought processes that inform his reporting, including:
- An honest look at the physical risks of covering politics (including, but not limited to death threats)
- How he deals with the pressure he feels to get his stories right
- Narrowing the gap between having the thought and taking the action
- The influence of having a dad who was a fire fighter
- Why he’s a humanist
Reach out to Steve at [email protected], and check out Steve Ahlquist News at https://steveahlquist.substack.com/.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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My guest this week is Steve Ahlquist, an independent reporter who practices what’s known as advocacy journalism. Steve has been covering politics and protest in the state of Rhode Island for well over a decade, first at the now-defunct blog RI Future, then at the news website he founded, UpriseRI, and now on his own Substack, Steve Ahlquist News.
I first crossed paths with Steve at the RI State House in 2019, when I was testifying in support of the Reproductive Health Care Act and Steve was reporting on the hearing. I spent a lot of time at the State House that year, and I saw Steve at every meeting, rally, and march, filming and reporting. This kind of reporting Steve does isn’t the kind that sponsors flock to–and it’s the kind that takes a lot of effort, schlepping, and time. In this episode we cover what drives Steve to show up to the extent that he does and how he makes it all work.

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In this final installment of my interview with Elisa Faison, author of “Skin Contact,” a novel about the thrills and the unintended consequences of opening up your marriage, we’re getting a peek at where Elisa’s throughline is leading her next, plus hearing about what she’s currently reading, watching, listening to, and fantasizing about eating.
We covered:
- A sneak peek at the novel she just finished the first draft of
- The author whose body of works inspires her- Why she views all feedback as helpful
- The audiobook she couldn’t stop talking to her husband about
- Why she takes her coffee in a regular mug, not a to-go cup, even when she’s wrangling two kids into the car
- Her brief stint as a wedding cake baker
Connect with Elisa at @elfaison on Instagram or at elisafaison.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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This is part two of my interview with Elisa Faison, debut author of the brand new novel “Skin Contact,” a razor-sharp exploration of intimacy, non-monogamous desire, motherhood, and grief.
We covered:
- Honoring your own neurodiversity in your writing process
- The plight of being an author who hates self-promotion on social media
- How she lets those doubts out so she can keep going
- Transitioning from the exploratory phase of her twenties to the more settled nature of her thirties
- Opening her marriage
- Getting more open-minded with age
- Her system for keeping track of the various ideas and inspirations she gets throughout the day
Connect with Elisa at @elfaison on Instagram or at elisafaison.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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My guest this week is Elisa Faison, debut author of Skin Contact, a bingeable, sexy, and poignant novel about a young couple who decide to open up their marriage. Elisa also won the 2024 Peden Prize for her story “Motherlove.”
We covered:
- Her storied past as an “OC” and Harry Potter fanfic writer
- Touring through various writing adjacent jobs
- The book she wrote that may never see the light of day
- The writing conference that was her first glimpse of what it’s like to be “a writer”
- Her rough introduction to the politics of publishing
- How she makes money
- How her day-to-day experiences make their way into her writing
- When your morning routine is not your own (Elisa is the mom of 2-1/2 year old twins)
- Why she reads a poem before she starts writing–and which poets she typically reads
Connect with Elisa at @elfaison on Instagram or at elisafaison.com.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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Welcome back to the Finding the Throughline interview with Vanessa Lillie, whose bestselling books include "The Bone Thief," "Blood Sisters," "Little Voices”, and “For the Best.” Vanessa is also the co-author of the Young Rich Widows series and an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
This episode is a replay.
We covered:
- Why she’s so excited about Indigenous storytelling right now
- Many recommendations for books, shows, and movies by Indigenous creators
- A preview of her sequel to “Blood Sisters”
- Her forays into screenwriting
- How you get more rejection once you’re in the door
- Keeping an open mind and being very open to failing
- The Netflix feminist thriller she stayed up too late watching
- A recipe for bomster scallops that I will be trying
Connect with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessalillie, where she hosts a long-running series of interviews with crime fiction authors.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit ⁠katehanley.substack.com⁠.
Thank you for listening!

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In part two of my conversation with bestselling crime fiction author Vanessa Lillie, whose books include "The Bone Thief," "Blood Sisters," "Little Voices”, and “For the Best,” we're breaking down all the mental hurdles that can get in the way of your writing, and how to overcome them, including:
- Fighting erasure by weaving her family’s story into her books
- The thrill of writing about your culture, and worrying about getting it wrong
- How Vanessa steadies herself when that anxiety crops up
- Embracing the challenge of writing a page turner
- Dealing with the fear that your current work isn’t as good as your previous work
- Seeing ideas as a butterfly that come and sit on your shoulder (from Elizabeth Gilbert’s book “Big Magic”)
- Why it’s so vital to get clear on why you are the right person to tell this story
- Why being in her 40s feels like such a relief
- Some frank talk about early motherhood–-and why it was a theme in her first novel
- Letting go of the idea that your success is within your control
This episode is a replay.
Connect with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessalillie, where she hosts a long-running series of interviews with crime fiction authors.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit ⁠katehanley.substack.com⁠.
Thank you for listening!

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This week I’m talking with Vanessa Lillie, the bestselling author of numerous thrillers, including "The Bone Thief" (her most recent) and its prequel, "Blood Sisters," as well as “Little Voices,” and “For the Best." Vanessa is also the co-author of the Young Rich Widows series of fun 80s mystery romps.
Vanessa is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma living on Narragansett land in Rhode Island.
This episode is a replay.
We covered:
- Making up stories as a form of escape
- How a nagging sense of unhappiness in her 20s and 30s drove her to keep questioning what she should ‘do with her life’
- The trip to the airport bookstore that awakened her desire to be an author
- The joy–and terror–of having a dream
- Using restlessness as a force for creative good
- Channeling your childhood and your family history into fiction
- The privilege of sharing stories with people who are interested
- Why it’s so easy to get into a lack mentality as an author
- How Vanessa ended up back at square one–no publisher, no agent–after her second book came out
- Finding the story you’re meant to tell so that you’re not “turning yourself into a pretzel to fit inside the system”
- The tools that helped her get out of that lack mentality
- Embracing chaos as a creative and honoring your particular process
- Stepping out the capitalistic narrative that if you’re not working 9-to-5, or really, 9-to-9, you’re a slacker
Connect with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessalillie, where she hosts a long-running series of interviews with crime fiction authors.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit ⁠katehanley.substack.com⁠.
Thank you for listening!

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Welcome back to the final part of my interview with Philip Eil, an award-winning freelance journalist based in his hometown, Providence, Rhode Island and the author of “Prescription for Pain” and a work in progress about the history of the Wyatt Detention Facility, a maximum-security prison in Central Falls, Rhode Island.
Today we’re going to get a glimpse at where Phil’s throughline is leading him next and end with my fast final five questions about what he’s been reading, watching, listening to, and fantasizing about eating.
We talked about:
- The local nonprofit news outlet he just joined the board of
- Stumbling into being an expert on AI and misinformation (book him for a talk at your local library!)
- Why it’s helpful to think about the people whose careers you envy
- The parts of being an author he finds especially rewarding and thrilling
- The link between clutter and mental health
- The novels he recently binged, the brand of coffee he swears by, and the absolute best part of his week
Connect with Phil at philipeil.com, or on Instagram @philip.eil or Bluesky @phileil.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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Welcome to part two of my interview with Philip Eil, freelance investigative journalist and author of the book “Prescription for Pain: How a Once Promising Doctor Became the ‘Pill Mill Killer’” and a work in progress about the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, RI, otherwise known as the hometown of Viola Davis.
Today we’re talking about the inner stuff involved in writing—the doubts, the beliefs, and the fears that can impact your work whether you’re conscious of it or not.
We covered:
- The type of writing that just “tumbles out” for him
- Why he doesn’t miss writing for outlets that have national name recognition
- What his inner critic is telling him as he works on his second book
- How being passionate and excited about your work can get you into some tricky situations… and how to avoid that
- Why he openly writes about his mental health challenges
- How he’s pushing back against our current ideas of masculinity
Connect with Phil at philipeil.com, or on Instagram @philip.eil or Bluesky @phileil.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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