I think I was a very... particular kind of undergraduate workshop student. -Dan Kois

In this episode, I welcome my old classmate from UNC, Dan Kois, Slate editor and author of Hampton Heights. We dive into our journey from college classmates to published authors. Both pro writers, we each took a very different path.

Dan shares the inspiration behind Hampton Heights, a thrilling adventure featuring four kids selling newspapers and encountering monsters unexpected relatives, and more.

Of course we discuss the struggles of self-doubt, the impact of mentorship, and the significance of continuing to write despite the obstacles.

Transcript

Links

• Dan Kois

• Hampton Heights

• Slate

• Vintage Contemporaries

• Lynda Barry

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.

• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate

• Theme by John Anealio

• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends

• Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more!

• OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!

— "Chasing Monsters: A Journey Through Hampton Heights" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon!

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please!

CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon.

August 29, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 14 | murverse.com

"Chasing Monsters: A Journey Through Hampton Heights" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.