Lidija Hilje shares how her debut novel, Slanting Towards the Sea, and her own journey is shaped by second chances and the courage it required to begin again.

Lidija Hilje brings a rare and powerful perspective to her fiction. After a decade working in Croatian courts, she left the legal field to write in English as her second language and to coach other writers through their own stories. We discuss how that radical life change shaped both her novel and her coaching philosophy.

In today's Book Gang episode, Lidija joins me for a profoundly moving and insightful conversation about her first novel, Slanting Towards the Sea. In this week's warm and expansive episode, we discuss:

• How writing in a second language and through a bicultural lens shaped the emotional and narrative depth of Slanting Towards the Sea
• The novel's quiet but powerful thread on broken governmental systems, and how we see the differences and parallels between our American and Croatian experiences
• How Lidija's former legal career informs her current work as a book coach, and how she helps authors clarify and complete the stories they feel called to tell

BONUS BOOK LIST: This week, you can set sail with these 34 sea books. From shipwreck survival stories to coastal mysteries, oceanic fantasies, and sweeping seaside romances- this book list has a little something for everyone!

Meet Lidija Hilje

Lidija Hilje is a Croatian writer and certified book coach. After earning a law degree, she spent a decade practicing law in Croatian courts before transitioning to book coaching, and writing in English as her second language. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and other outlets. She lives in Zadar, Croatia, with her husband and two daughters. SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA is her first novel.

Mentioned in this episode:

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BONUS BOOK LIST: 34 Sea Books (upcoming titles, new releases, and backlist selections to browse)

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje

The Maid on Netflix

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