457: Take the Leap: Chase Your Passion, Quit Your Job, and Write a Memoir — Interview

DIY MFA Radio

Today, Lori is interviewing Leslie Karst. They’ll be talking about weaving past experiences into your writing and her new book Justice is Served.

The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst waited tables and sang in a new wave rock band before deciding she was ready for a “real” job and ending up at Stanford Law School. It was during her career as a research and appellate attorney in Santa Cruz, California, that she rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking, at which point she once again returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, Leslie spends her days penning the Sally Solari culinary mystery series, as well as cooking, gardening, cycling, and singing alto in her local community chorus. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai’i.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

In this episode Leslie Karst and Lori discuss:

• Letting go of ego in order to follow your dreams.

• The importance of perseverance

• How the writing mindset for memoir is different from that of mystery.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/457