As a child in Richmond, Virginia, Lisa Peers was introduced to writing by her mother, who was also a writer who invited her young daughter to play with her typewriter. Still, Lisa began her career in theater and only later pursued writing in a professional capacity. She shares how acting shapes her writing process and helps her build authentic dialogue, which is a strength of Lisa’s new novel, Love at 350°. This gorgeous story features 40something characters challenging the norms of the romantic comedy genre. 

In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Lisa about her journey from acting to writing, the process of finding an agent and publisher, and the importance of writing books you want to read. 

In this episode, Lynne and Lisa discuss: 

• Building a body of work

• People who inspire us to write

• How other passions/hobbies influence writing

• Finding the right writer’s group for you

• No one way for a book to come to life

• Creating compelling characters

• The power of manifestation

• Finding agents - right time + right place

• Publishers looking for diverse stories (plus-size, LGBTQ, etc.)

• How to weather shifting editors and their changing perspectives

• Publishing trends

Links and Resources: 

• True Romance

• Love and Other B-Sides

• Irving Berlin

• Cole Porter

• George Gershwin

• The Golden Oldies

• Punk Era

• The myth of Psyche and Eros

• Eros & Psyche

• Love at 350°

• Woman of Valor

• Tracy Gardner Beno 

• Hallmark

• The Dial Press

Find Lisa Peers:

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If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning Podcast episodes:

• Episode 143 – Annie Cathryn – Dreams Come True: The Friendship Breakup

• Episode 136 – Tammy Pasterick – Writing & Publishing Your Way

• Episode 118 – Elizabeth Gowing – How to Know a Place by Living its Stories

• Episode 14 – Heather Leavitt – An Artful Path