Episode 8 — Victoria Patterson

Summary: Victoria Patterson is the guest. She's the author of the story collection DRIFT, a finalist for the Story Prize, as well as the novel THIS VACANT PARADISE, which was greeted with major critical acclaim. Both books are published by Counterpoint, and both are set in the privileged confines of Newport Beach, California. Tory herself spent part of her youth in Newport, and she writes about the Orange County experience with uncommon depth and lyricism. The conversation here covers a lot of territory, including the difficulties Patterson faced as an adolescent in The OC, her struggles with substance abuse and eventual transcendence, her books, her writing life, and more.