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Author Heather Gudenkauf talks about how she shook writer's block to publish her most personal novel yet

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Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe

In "Not a Sound," the protagonist is dealing with the aftermath of a car accident that leaves her deaf when she stumbles across a body in the woods and a mystery.

When New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf gets writer's block, she takes her dog, Lolo, on a hike at the Mines of Spain, a vastly wooded recreation area just south of Dubuque. This area is where the inspiration for Gudenkauf's latest novel, "Not a Sound," emerged.

"One of the ways that I work through [writer's block] is to come out on a walk and start letting ideas flow over me," says Gudenkauf. "It really seems to unblock some of the challenges when I hit a difficult part in a novel."

During this archive edition of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe joins the novelist on a hike at the Mines of Spain to talk about Gudenkauf's latest thriller. Later, the two continue the conversation before an audience at the Carnegie-Stout Public Library in Dubuque, Gudenkauf's hometown.

This program was originally produced on 11-08-17.

Guests:

  • Heather Gudenkauf, author of "Not a Sound"
Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa