#1 New York Times bestselling author, Bonnie Garmus, spoke to me about the evolution of her craft, how her protagonist changed her life, getting blurbed by Stephen King, and the never-ending book tour for her lauded debut LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY. Bonnie Garmus is a copywriter, creative director, and author of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel, Lessons in Chemistry, named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, and Newsweek. The book introduced the main character, “Elizabeth Zott, a headstrong, gifted chemist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show.” BuzzFeed wrote of the book, “A kicky debut, this book tackles feminism, resilience, and rationalism in a fun and refreshing way.” And Stephen King called it, “witty, sometimes hilarious…the Catch-22 of early feminism.” [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Bonnie Garmus and I discussed:  How her copywriting career supported her fiction writing Why courses will never make you a writer Plotters vs Pantsers and why she can't write from an outline Overcoming a fear of the blank page Why writing a synopsis is one of The Circles of Hell Getting a phone call from Academy Award Winner Brie Larson And a lot more! Show Notes: BonnieGarmus.com Lessons in Chemistry By Bonnie Garmus (Amazon) Bonnie Garmus on Instagram Bonnie Garmus on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices