This week my guest is John Glynn, author of the brand new novel (out May 12) “The Lost Book of Lancelot,” a queer retelling of the legend of Camelot that’s a great fit for fans of Heated Rivalry and for anyone interested in the legends surrounding the quest for the Holy Grail. Plus, dragons!
John’s nonfiction debut “Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer” was named a best book by Time, Entertainment Weekly, and Cosmopolitan. His writing has appeared in People, Oprah Daily and The Daily Beast.
In addition to being an author and freelance writer, John is the editorial director of Hanover Square Press, an imprint of HarperCollins. As an editor, his authors have won the Booker Prize, the Pulitzer, the National Book Award, Grammys, and an Olympic gold medal.
We covered:
- Formative memories of being read to by his mom when he was little
- His early start in publishing as an intern and editorial assistant, and the glamour of going to work everyday in Rockefeller Center for a kid from Western Massachusetts (even though he was photocopying and answering phones)
- The two novels he wrote that didn’t get published
- How working as an editor on other people’s books and writing his own books inform each other
- How he makes time to write while working a fulltime job
- The 13th century French folk tale that sparked the idea for “The Lost Book of Lancelot”
- How he started writing the book “just for fun” and “just for me”
- The one spot that provides the best chances of him getting some good writing done
Connect with John on Instagram at @glynner85.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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[John Glynn, practical matters]: Making time to write while working a full-time job Ep 1266