Claire Swinarski and I discuss Wisconsin badgers, Nancy Drew, Star Wars, and parking lot brawls. We also make time to chat about her new book, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, her amazing podcast MAKING A MIDDLE GRADE, her success as a freelance writer, time management, advocating for your author career, the importance of her spiritual faith in her writing, and so much more.

Claire Swinarski is the author of multiple books, including What Happens Next (coming in 2020 from HarperCollins) and Girl, Arise: A Catholic Feminist’s Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World. She’s also the founder of the Catholic Feminist Podcast, a top-ranked spirituality podcast with half a million downloads that discusses the intersection between faith and women’s issues. She has degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her writing has been featured in The Washington Post, Seventeen, Milwaukee Magazine, and many other publications. She lives just outside of Milwaukee, WI with her husband and two kids.