Elena Meets the Author

About Elena Meets the Author

Welcome to Elena Meets the Author, the Podcast that brings you intimate conversations with authors about the art and craft of storytelling. Whether you’re a passionate reader, a curious creator, or simply love diving into the minds of creative thinkers, this podcast offers a behind-the-scenes look at how stories come to life. Each episode features an in-depth interview with an author as they share their unique journey, the challenges they’ve faced, and the inspiration behind their work. From uncovering the spark of an idea to navigating the ups and downs of the creative process, we explore the human side of writing. My goal is to inspire and connect listeners with the magic of storytelling while celebrating the diversity of voices shaping today’s literary landscape. This podcast is especially for people who enjoy exploring creativity, personal growth, and the stories that move us. But the insights and inspiration we uncover are universal, offering something for anyone who appreciates the power of words. Tune in for thoughtful conversations that will leave you feeling inspired, connected, and ready to embrace your own creative journey. New episodes released biweekly! elenabowes.substack.com (https://elenabowes.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Elena Meets the Author

Category

arts · education

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

25 Mar 2024

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

58 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Rachel Beanland | The Half Life | A Navy Island, a Young Bride, and Something in the Water

   Eileen O’Malley’s brother Lenny is killed in Vietnam while she’s a sophomore in college. Overnight her life changes. She drops out, moves home to Charleston, and takes a job in the men’s department of a local shop to help pay the bills. Then a handsome naval officer asks her advice about a pair of trousers. Next thing she knows, she’s a young bride on La Maddalena, a small Mediterranean island off the coast of Sardinia where the US Navy keeps its submarines. When Italian activists, nuclear scientists and a handsome journalist start warning her about contamination in the water, Eileen has to question everything she thought she knew. Rachel Beanland’s third novel is a coming of age story about a young woman working out who she is inside a marriage, a military community, and a country, all three of which expect her to toe the line. In this episode of Elena Meets the Author, Rachel talks about the childhood years she spent on La Maddalena, the 2019 return visit that sparked the book, and her mother’s detailed letters home that gave her the 1970s period detail. We talk about the island as a locked room, Eileen’s retrospective second person narration, the dual meaning of the title, and the research she did with Navy veterans and their wives. Rachel Beanland is also the author of Florence Adler Swims Forever, which won the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction, and The House Is on Fire. More episodes and writing at elenameetstheauthor.com (https://elenameetstheauthor.com/). Books mentioned in this episode The Half Life by Rachel BeanlandUS (https://bookshop.org/a/128413/9781668069134) Links support independent bookshops. As a Bookshop.org affiliate, the show earns a small commission on any sale. 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast 01:04 Meet Rachel Beanland 02:59 La Maddalena Origins 06:48 Why the 1970s 10:33 Navy Wives Community 13:48 Isolation and Research 17:02 Soap Opera Letter Clubs 22:20 Second Person Narration 26:33 Outlining and True Events 28:20 Bending The Timeline 30:08 Why Historical Fiction 35:07 Balancing Facts And Drama 38:59 Meaning Of The Half Life 40:56 Mary Magdalene Parallels 43:21 Travel Tips La Maddalena 45:07 Wrap Up And Final Pitch Get full access to Elena Meets the Author at elenabowes.substack.com/subscribe (https://elenabowes.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Priya Parmar | The Original | Reimagining Katharine Hepburn Before She Was Katharine Hepburn

   Priya Parmar’s The Original covers eighteen years of Katharine Hepburn’s life, from the age of 13, the year her brother Tom died, to the age of 32. Not the icon in the polo neck, but the young woman before all that. The failures, the self-invention, the loss she never really recovered from. It’s been praised by The New York Times, The Independent, BBC Radio, People and Oprah. In this episode of Elena Meets the Author, Priya explains why she chose a period defined by self-discovery and failure rather than the years everyone already knows. We talk about Hepburn’s unusually progressive family in Hartford and Fenwick, Connecticut, how the Hollywood studios manufactured star personas before the Production Code came in, and the decade of research behind the novel. Priya also talks about the omniscient Greek chorus structure she built the book around. Priya Parmar is also the author of Vanessa and Her Sister, a New York Times Notable Book about Virginia Woolf and her sister Vanessa Bell, and Exit the Actress. She co-wrote the musical Sylvia, staged at the Old Vic and nominated for an Olivier Award. Books mentioned in this episode The Original by Priya ParmarUK (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/18155/9780749033491) | US (https://bookshop.org/a/128413/9780593984130) Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya ParmarUS (https://bookshop.org/a/128413/9780804176392) Exit the Actress by Priya ParmarUS (https://bookshop.org/a/128413/9781439171172) Links support independent bookshops. As a Bookshop.org affiliate, the show earns a small commission on any sale. 00:20 Podcast Intro and Guest 01:37 Why These Years 03:07 Hepburn Family Roots 04:47 Epigraph and Persona 06:54 Hollywood Image Machine 09:12 Cary Grant Parallels 10:37 Defining Hepburn Boldness 13:34 Opening Pages Reading 15:46 Ten Years Research 19:22 Hidden Discoveries and Letters 23:09 Finding the Narrative Voice 26:41 Los Angeles as Character 27:35 Hepburn Home Base 28:18 Los Angeles Greek Chorus 28:53 Box Office Poison Escape 29:17 Dick Cavett Tape Gold 30:20 Crafting the Hepburn Persona 33:48 Favorite Films Shift 35:24 Wardrobe and Chanel Clash 38:38 Howard Hughes and Deafness 40:13 Cut Scenes and Europe 43:26 Next Book and Homesick This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Elena Meets the Author at elenabowes.substack.com/subscribe (https://elenabowes.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Courtney Maum | Alan Opts Out | The Comedy About Opting Out of Everything

   Alan Anderson is a visionary ad man. That is, up until the morning he isn’t. He blows the biggest account of his career, comes apart, and moves out to live off the land, the land being his backyard in suburban Greenwich, Connecticut. He sets up in the children’s playhouse. He goes barefoot. He uses the woods as a bathroom. His timing couldn’t be worse. His wife Vivian is in the middle of a campaign to join the Queen Anne’s, Greenwich’s most selective women’s social group. Their two daughters are similarly going off the rails. One prefers drama to sports, which is not done in Greenwich. The other has started talking to animals. And Alan is emerging unshowered from the playhouse just as Vivian’s trying to make the best possible impression. Alan Opts Out (https://bookshop.org/p/books/alan-opts-out/3282fb701debe3e2?ean=9780316599108) is a comedy about what it costs to keep up, and what’s left of a man and a family when they stop trying. It’s a New York Times best book of the summer, blurbed by Elizabeth Gilbert and Carl Hiaasen, and currently in development as an HBO series. In this episode of Elena Meets the Author, Courtney talks about the luxury playhouse that sparked the whole idea, her frustration with overconsumption and the Stanley cup trend, and what it was like growing up around extreme wealth in Greenwich. We get into her past life as a brand strategist, how she developed compassion for Vivian over eleven drafts, and the unexpected joy of Alan’s lobster sidekick Lenny. She also talks about the Werner Herzog epigraph, taken from his 1982 film Fitzcarraldo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzcarraldo), and what she wanted it to signal about the book’s tone. And she mentions Into the Wild (https://bookshop.org/p/books/into-the-wild-jon-krakauer/002bf5b1f6733ff6) by Jon Krakauer as a book she returned to just before publication, and why Christopher McCandless was on her mind throughout the writing. Courtney’s previous novel Touch (https://bookshop.org/p/books/touch-courtney-maum/18784167) also comes up in conversation. She describes it as the book she would have written next, except it’s already written, and thinks it will resonate just as much now as Alan Opts Out. She’s also the author of the publishing guidebook Before and After the Book Deal (https://bookshop.org/a/98934/9781948226400) and runs writing classes and resources at courtneymaum.com (https://www.courtneymaum.com/). Behind the Stories on Substack is where the conversation goes deeper. Subscribers get writing insights from each episode, early access to upcoming guests, and the chance to help shape the show. Find it at elenabowes.substack.com. Get full access to Elena Meets the Author at elenabowes.substack.com/subscribe (https://elenabowes.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Who has been a guest on Elena Meets the Author

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Allegra Goodman
• Amy Poeppel
• Yael Van Der Wouden

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

7,218

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

9 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

39

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

32

Contact Elena Meets the Author

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Elena Meets the Author