Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist, producer, and host of “CRAFT: Authors in Conversation.” Her forthcoming narrative nonfiction title, Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution arrives June 23, 2026. Her latest young reader’s book, We Gather Together: Stories of Thanksgiving from Then to Now, is a companion title to the popular adult nonfiction book, We Gather Together, and children’s picture book, Giving Thanks. Her book The Last Castle was an instant New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback and was also a Wall Street Journal bestseller. She is also the author of The Girls of Atomic City, which is a New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and NPR bestseller and has been published in multiple languages.[1] She lives in North Carolina.

Take it away, Denise!

 

How do you chose the subjects for your works of narrative non-fiction?

I start with—and stick with—curiosity. These books are in my life for a long time and I have to be fascinated by the subject. I keep lists of ideas, moments in history, and the people who shaped them. I try to find a topic or theme that feels familiar and then explore it through underrepresented voices and perspectives.

What was the most surprising thing you’ve found doing historical research for your work?

I am always astounded by the sheer amount of information that remains in archives, libraries, and historical societies that has yet to see the light of day. There are so many stories still to tell.

What work of women’s history have you read lately that you loved?  (Or for that matter, what work of women’s history have you loved in any format?)

I LOVE You Can’t Catch Us. Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her, by Shannon McKenna Schmidt. She’s an amazing author and this is a spectacular read.

A question from Denise: My question for you is a simple one: What first inspired you to undertake this annual Q&A project, and how has conducting it impacted you as a writer?

I can’t take credit for the idea. In 2018, the brilliant Greer Macallister, who writes historical fiction and epic fantasy with a feminist twist, ran a wonderful series on her blog for Women’s History Month titled #WomensHistoryReads. The concept was simple: she asked historians and historical novelists to answer three questions regarding writing and reading about women in history and asked each of us to ask her a question in return. I eagerly awaited each post as it came out. With her blessing, I began running a similar series the following year. Since then it’s taken on a life of its own.

The series has been a good thing for me in many ways, some of them unexpected. Instance, it has forced me to gather up my courage to reach out to people I admire—not that easy for a shy human being. Every year, it causes my To-Be-Read list to explode. But the impact on me as a writer has come from the questions. Writing the questions each year is always thought-provoking because I try to ask some questions that relate directly to the work of each person I’m interviewing. The questions you all ask me in return often make me stop and consider how I do the work and what I believe about the work, something I seldom have time for in the middle of working on a book.

[1] Pamela interjecting: Also one of my favorite books of recent years.

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Want to know more about Denise and her work?

Visit her website: https://www.denisekiernan.com/

Subscribe to her newsletter: https://newsletter.denisekiernan.com/

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Come back tomorrow for three questions and an answer with author Kate Moore.