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Episode Description

What happens when an author, Liz Keller Whitehurst, has written an exciting book, Messenger, that hasn’t yet found its publishing home? The clock is ticking. The author gets itchy and she begins to wonder: Maybe there’s another way? Liz has her book read and recorded professionally with gorgeous sound accompaniment and releases it by episode as a series of podcasts. And the world starts to listen, and listen, and listen some more. Until our author realizes that she has discovered a way that Messenger was perhaps meant to be released. Its widespread popularity translated to over a thousand downloads. And then, Warner Publishing had the wisdom to realize that many readers still want to hold a beautiful book in their hands, and that Messenger could be transformed once again. Hear Liz Whitehurst document the journey that has the publishing world’s attention and has captivated the imagination of authors and readers everywhere. As Liz writes of her subject: A Slight Swerve That Changes Everything “You know that message everybody’s been waiting for their whole lives, as long as they can remember. They’ve looked for it in the mail, e-mail, text, letter, in every book or magazine they’ve ever read, on billboards, in others’ faces. Well, I bring that message. That’s my job. It’s up to me. That’s why I came.” From Messenger’s Composition Book, MESSENGER We’ll find out how Liz created the slight swerve that changed everything for her; how she intuited what needed to be done, and how she did it. Delving into the query of if Messenger has more messages and how we’ll find them.

Liz Keller Whitehurst is the author of her debut novel, Messenger, which was named a finalist in the 2022 Feathered Quill Book Awards, and author/creator of the serial podcast MESSENGER: A NOVEL IN 16 EPISODES, which she launched in 2020. Her short stories have appeared in many literary magazines and journals fin, including Gargoyle, The Portland Review, Five Fingers Review and Nimrod International Journal. She was an alist in Nimrod International Journal’s Short Story Competition. She earned an MA in English from The University of Virginia. In addition to fiction writing, Liz has spent her professional life writing and teaching. She’s done corporate, non-profit and freelance writing and has taught English and writing at Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Her last teaching post was co-leading a memoir writing class at the city jail. Though an Ohioan by birth, Liz grew up in Winchester, Virginia and has lived her adult life in Richmond, Virginia. She shares her current 1891 home, located in one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods, with her husband. Her second-floor writing desk overlooks the James River.

Liz Keller Whitehurst

Liz Keller Whitehurst is the author of her debut novel, Messenger, which was named a finalist in the 2022 Feathered Quill Book Awards, and author/creator of the serial podcast MESSENGER: A NOVEL IN 16 EPISODES, which she launched in 2020. Her short stories have appeared in many literary magazines and journals, including Gargoyle, The Portland Review, Five Fingers Review and Nimrod International Journal. She was a finalist in Nimrod International Journal’s Short Story Competition. She earned an MA in English from The University of Virginia. In addition to fiction writing, Liz has spent her professional life writing and teaching. She’s done corporate, non-profit and freelance writing and has taught English and writing at Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Her last teaching post was co-leading a memoir writing class at the city jail. Though an Ohioan by birth, Liz grew up in Winchester, Virginia and has lived her adult life in Richmond, Virginia. She shares her current 1891 home, located in one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods, with her husband. Her second-floor writing desk overlooks the James River.