Atomic Fiction with Author Leslie Schoveer

·30 min·2 clips

Leslie Shover's novel 'Fission' is an atomic romance set in the Manhattan Project, inspired by her parents' secret lives at Oak Ridge.

The episode begins with host Cameron Lee Cowan introducing guest Leslie Shover, author of 'Fission', a novel described as an atomic romance set during the Manhattan Project in the 1940s. Shover shares her background as a clinical psychologist who worked at MD Anderson Cancer Center and published four nonfiction books on sexuality and fertility after cancer treatment. After retiring, she returned to fiction writing, inspired by her parents' stories from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where they were involved in the Manhattan Project. Shover reveals that her father was an electronics engineer who worked in the same building as two Soviet spies, and he suffered an accidental radiation overdose, though it's unknown if he knew the spies. The novel 'Fission' is a coming-of-age story based on Shover's mother, who married young and followed her husband to Oak Ridge, giving up her dreams. The plot includes fictional elements like a friendship between the protagonist and a debutante, and a love triangle involving a Soviet spy. Shover discusses her writing process as a semi-plotter, using a loose outline and drawing on her psychology background to let characters develop organically. She talks about participating in critique groups through the Women's Fiction Writers Association. The conversation shifts to publishing, where Shover explains she chose hybrid publishing with She Writes Press after facing rejections from agents, which she attributes partly to ageism. She details the costs involved, including the recommendation to hire a publicist, but opted for self-marketing using courses like '12 Weeks to Book Launch Success'. Shover shares marketing successes, such as publishing an essay in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists and an NPR interview tied to the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings. The host and guest discuss the challenges of querying agents and the realities of book promotion. Shover mentions the cover design for 'Fission', which features a period-appropriate font and a baby carriage modeled after her family's, chosen from options provided by She Writes Press. She highlights a favorite scene in the book based on a real event where her parents were told about the atomic bomb by a scientist early on. The episode concludes with information on pre-ordering the book, available through Simon and Schuster distribution, and a brief discussion on the potential for an audiobook. The host plugs his own publishing experiences and thanks Shover for the interview.

As heard by us

An atomic romance opens into a grounded conversation about fiction, critique groups, publishing, and an author's working life.

Leslie Shover's Fission is an "atomic romance" set during the Manhattan Project in the 1940s, with New Mexico's desert among its locations. Cameron Cowan's interest in the period opens a conversation that reaches beyond the novel, taking in Shover's long career as a clinical…

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You'll hear how a longtime clinical psychologist and nonfiction author found her way into an atomic-age romance set during the Manhattan Project.

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