EP.9 - Writing Humor and Life Lessons - Anne Leary

In this episode Elena meets Ann Leary, the New York Times bestselling author of four novels and a memoir. One of her novels The Good House was made into a film with Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline. An article Ann wrote for the NY Times Modern Love column called Rallying to Keep the Game Alive was adapted for Prime Video’s Modern Love TV series featuring Tina Fey and John Slattery. A longer version of that essay titled Love Means Nothing (in Tennis) appears in Ann’s latest book, I’ve Tried Being Nice , an anthology of essays about Ann’s life and the things that matter to her. Ann is married to stand-up comedian and actor Denis Leary. After reading I’ve Tried Being Nice in two days, I think Ann might be just as funny as her husband. In this episode we talk about tennis- how it can both help and hinder your marriage, how having hobbies can help you write, and the unexpected joys of empty nesting. 00:00 Introduction to Anne Leary 00:47 Reading from 'I've Tried Being Nice' 08:39 Humor and Family Dynamics 10:00 Tennis and Relationships 12:55 Writing Journey and Inspirations 15:14 Meeting Dennis Leary 21:25 Hobbies and Their Impact on Writing 22:19 Discovering New Hobbies 24:39 The Joys of an Empty Nest 27:20 Thoughts on Chat GPT 29:25 Advice to My Younger Self 31:19 Narrating My Own Book 32:34 Role Models and Staying Active 34:44 Future Writing Projects Get full access to Elena Meets the Author at elenabowes.substack.com/subscribe