Welcome back to part two of my interview with Nancy Johnson, author of “People of Means,” a story of class, culture, mothers and daughters, and the fight for racial equality in the not so distant American past. Nancy's first book, The Kindest Lie, was a Book of the Month Club selection and a Target book club pick.
This episode gets into some real emotional terrain, including:
- Her love-hate relationship with the actual writing process
- Her very least favorite part of the publishing process, and how she deals with that discomfort
- The responsibility she feels as a Black author to represent Black people in a “honest, caring way”, and how that responsibility can turbo charge her inner critic
- The advice author Britt Bennett gave her about how to avoid writing stereotypes
- Why she stopped reading her Goodreads and Amazon reviews–and why she makes it a point to ask the readers she speaks to in person what didn’t work for them
- The ninja trick she developed to help her not take negative customer reviews too much to heart
- How her past struggles have shaped her faith that her journey is unfolding in the exact right way at the exact right time
- Why right now is the best time to be telling your stories
Connect with Nancy on Instagram @nancyjauthor or Facebook at Nancy Johnson Author.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!
And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value).

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