Ep 63: Fictionalizing Real Life with Pamela Kripke

In Episode 63 of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Pamela Gwyn Kripke, a journalist and author whose writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Huffington Post, Slate, Salon, and Parenting.

Pamela's novel, At the Seams (Open Books, April 2023), details the journey of precocious eight-year-old Kate Nichols, whose understanding of her world is shattered when she learns of an uncle who died inexplicably in the hospital just days after his birth. 

Interview Highlights: 

• How to turning a real-life event into the premise for a novel (plus when---and why---the fiction component took over)
• Pamela's unique writing process when it comes to “layering in” detail (that doesn't work for most people!)
• Thoughts on why experiences stick with us well enough that we can write about them in great detail decades later (even though we can’t remember what we have for breakfast that morning)
• Pamela's publishing journey, and why she ended up choosing a traditional small press
• Her fun, diverse approach to book marketing
• The differences between journalistic writing and book writing (all you journalists/freelance writers will love this part of the conversation)

ABOUT PAMELA

Pamela Gwyn Kripke is a journalist and author whose writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Huffington Post, Slate, Salon, Medium, New York Magazine, Parenting, Redbook, Elle, D Magazine, Creators Syndicate, Gannett Newspapers and McClatchy.

Her debut novel, At the Seams (Open Books, 2023), received the Arch Street Press First Chapter Award and was excerpted in Embarkand West Trade Review. Pamela’s fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in Folio, The Concrete Desert Review, The Barcelona Review, Brilliant Flash Fiction, Book of Matches, The MacGuffin, Meet Me At 19th, The Woven Tale Press, Underwired, Doubleback Review and Round Table Literary Journal. 

She holds degrees from Brown University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and was selected to attend the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop for Summer 2022. Pamela has taught journalism at DePaul University and Columbia College in Chicago and has held various magazine editorships in New York and Dallas. A New Yorker, she currently lives outside Philadelphia.

CONNECT WITH PAMELA

website: https://pamelagwynkripke.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelagwynkripke/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamela.kripke

WHAT PAMELA'S READING NOW

The Ways We Get By by Joe Dornich

MENTIONED RESOURCES & LINKS

How to Start a Podcast workshop (or replay if it’s after November 16, 2023!)

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Get back cover templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

🔑 BOOK FORMATTING SOFTWARE FOR SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS (WITHOUT THE SELF-PROMO CRINGE)?

The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 

👉  PublishAProfitableBook.com/bookvisibility

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook