Whitney Fitzsimmons spent decades mastering the tight, formulaic world of broadcast journalism — so when she finally sat down to write her debut novel, The Rising, the sheer freedom of fiction nearly stopped her in her tracks. In this episode, Whitney walks through how a flood-ravaged fictional town called Birradurra and a twenty-year-old cold case came to her almost fully formed, why she built herself a literal “resistance bear” to wrestle with self-doubt during the first draft, and the long road from rejected agent pitches to landing with Ventura publisher, Jane Curry.
She also gives us a first look at what's next: a possible sequel to The Rising, and an entirely new project pairing a jaded old-school crime journalist with a whip-smart young cadet.
Connect with Whitney:
Website: whitneyfitzsimmons.com
Instagram: @whitneyfitzsimmons
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