About this episode
Dylan Landis is the author of three works of fiction in the Rainey Royal Cycle, set in 1970s Greenwich Village: List of All Possible Desires, a novel in stories; the novel Rainey Royal, a New York Times Editors’ Choice; and the novel in stories Normal People Don’t Live Like This. Her work has appeared in O. Henry Prize Stories and Best American Nonrequired Reading, and she has received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in fiction. In a past life she wrote six books on interior design. She lives in Los Angeles.Dylan joins Barbara to talk about writing a novel with standalone stories, how she comes up with her incredibly original similes and metaphors, dramatic arc, revisions, characters that won’t leave us alone, and the four things a reader needs that writers should keep in mind, and more!For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It’s stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you’ll find an album’s worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It’s perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded April 3, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie StoneMusic: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)
