Welcome to the Story Impact author interview podcast.

With host Lisa Towles, this episode explores the life and work of Mitchell Hadley — novelist, essayist, cultural critic, and television historian whose newest novel, The Book of Revelations, follows Nan Jaffe across decades of trauma, identity, memory, and the long road back to herself. Together they discuss the fragmented nature of memory, characters who take control of their own stories, the enduring relevance of classic television, and what happens when storytellers trust their audiences to find meaning for themselves. Essential listening for readers, writers, cultural history enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the stories that shape who we become.

Mitchell shares how Nan grew from the memory of a childhood classmate who experienced trauma and then disappeared from his life, and why he chose never to fully reveal Nan's defining trauma to the reader. He also discusses his work as a television historian, including the remarkable ways programs from decades ago anticipated contemporary questions about censorship, conformity, technology, and culture — and why interpreting the past exclusively through contemporary values can obscure what those stories originally meant.

In this conversation, Lisa Towles and Mitchell Hadley discuss:

• How memory, trauma, and perspective shape The Book of Revelations
• Why Nan Jaffe ultimately took control of her own story
• What classic television can reveal about the cultural questions we're confronting today
• Why storytellers can't control what audiences ultimately take from their work
• Mitchell's approach to writing characters who never explain themselves for the reader's benefit
• His guiding principle when a story stops working: maybe you're trying to answer the wrong question

This episode is ideal for readers of contemporary fiction, writers interested in character and craft, classic television enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys thoughtful conversations about memory, culture, identity, and the power of story.

Learn more about Mitchell Hadley: mitchellhadley.com or itsabouttv.com

Story Impact is hosted by Lisa Towles — award-winning crime novelist and founder of the Story Impact platform, which includes book coaching services for authors, workshops, and a quarterly literary magazine.

Learn more about Story Impact:

storyimpactconsulting.com/podcast

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Stories hold the world together.