Paulette Kennedy didn't finish a single manuscript until age 44. Her debut novel published at 46. Now Paulette Kennedy is one of gothic suspense's most talked-about voices, and this conversation is exactly why.
In this episode, bestselling author Paulette Kennedy pulls back the curtain on her unexpected path to publication, the pandemic grocery run that sparked The Devil and Mrs. Davenport, and why she believes dark fiction isn't just entertainment, but one of the safest ways to explore what makes us human. We go deep on grief, weaponized religion, "punchable" villains, and how her stunning new novel The Two Deaths of Lillian Carmichael is really a story about transformation and what you do with the time you have left.
Whether you're a lifelong gothic fiction fan or just discovering the genre, this one will stay with you.
Timestamps:
00:00 — Intro: Meet Paulette Kennedy & the "punchable" villain
00:43 — How the Brontës, VC Andrews & Stephen King shaped her voice
03:06 — The book that made her want to write (Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier)
04:04 — ADHD, unfinished manuscripts, and not publishing until 46
06:21 — The real (unglamorous) truth about early writing life
07:50 — Her morning ritual: 5 AM, candles, film scores & flow state
09:23 — Where story ideas come from — and when they don't
11:31 — Plotter vs. Pantser: why she now does both
13:40 — Working with a developmental editor & finding your craft
14:50 — Her hardest book to write (and why it became her bestseller)
17:03 — The pandemic grocery run that became The Devil and Mrs. Davenport
19:32 — Faith vs. religion — and how religion gets weaponized
21:30 — Writing grief from the inside: "I've lost pretty much everyone"
24:02 — Feeling like a midlister despite massive success
28:33 — Why writing faster made her writing better
30:15 — The Two Deaths of Lillian Carmichael: toxic families & sibling rivalry
33:29 — Crafting villains readers love to hate
35:33 — Why dark fiction matters more than people think
36:17 — Balancing emotional depth with thriller momentum
37:41 — Why she keeps choosing historical fiction (and how she picks the era)
40:05 — A full year of research: archives, maps, diaries & location visits
42:20 — Writing race, LGBTQ+ oppression & abuse in historical contexts
45:19 — The Death tarot card, transformation, and "what am I doing with my time?"
48:01 — The magic of readers finding themselves in your pages
48:48 — Why readers are drawn to the dark side
50:05 — When to make your antagonist supernatural vs. human
52:16 — What's next: future genres & upcoming projects
📚 Connect with Paulette Kennedy:
🌐 Website:
paulettekennedy.com
📸 Instagram:
@pkennedywrites
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