Episode 71 - Bill Clegg: Part 3

Part 3 of Bill Clegg's chat with This Writing Life podcast about his debut novel, Did You Ever Have a Family?, begins with the personal: 'There are some people born restless. I certainly was.' From here we compare childhood ambitions with Clegg's actual route to becoming a successful literary agent in New York City. The conversation continues:

• chocolate lab puppies, work and the strange, epic story of how he became an agent
• what's the New Yorker? Clegg's introduction to New York City life
• zombie vampires: do agents have to be cynical?
  
• 'Don't overthink it': from agent to novelist
  
• writing to carpentry: the evolution of Clegg's characters
• did writing a novel help Clegg make sense of his upbringing and hometown?
  
• reading as a form of sceptical engagement
• fear and judgement vs curiosity: Clegg's childhood
  
• the obligatory, short, mention of Donal Trump