Uncorking a Story Podcast

Uncorking a Story

Hosted ByMike Carlon

Stories influence, teach and inspire us, but what about the storytellers who create them? Uncorking a Story profiles storytellers to uncover how their background and life experiences influence the stories they create. We learn what motivates them, their path to success, and what fuels them to keep creating. It all starts by asking one simple question, where does your story begin? Welcome to uncorking a story. All of the books promoted on Uncorking a Story can be viewed and purchased here: https://bookshop.org/shop/UncorkingaStory

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Atomic Secrets and Fictional Spies: Leslie Schover on Turning Family History into a Novel

December 23, 2025 MPN Uncorking a Story 0 Comments
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Let help uncork your memoir through a 12 week memoir mentorship program: https://mikecarlon.com/memoir-cohorts/

“I took my parents’ stories from the Manhattan Project and wove them into a fictional spy subplot—because I’ll never know the real truth.” — Leslie Schover

What happens when a clinical psychologist with decades of experience decides to write her first novel in her seventies? In this episode of Uncorking a Story, Leslie Schover shares how curiosity and family history inspired her debut novel, Fission: A Novel of Atomic Heartbreak. From Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project to love triangles and espionage, Leslie reveals the fascinating journey of transforming real-life stories into compelling historical fiction.

Key Themes:

  1. Curiosity as a Superpower: How a news article about Soviet atomic spies sparked Leslie’s fiction journey.
  2. Family Ties to History: Discover the real-life connection between Leslie’s parents and the Manhattan Project.
  3. From Psychology to Fiction: Why Leslie shifted from publishing academic and self-help books to writing a novel.
  4. Challenges of Historical Accuracy: The research behind recreating Oak Ridge during WWII.
  5. Hybrid Publishing Insights: Why Leslie chose She Writes Press and what authors should know about hybrid models.
  6. Imposter Syndrome is Universal: Even seasoned professionals feel the doubt when starting something new.
  7. Awards and Validation: How Fission earned recognition as a historical novel and what that meant for Leslie.

Buy Fission: A Novel of Atomic Heartbreak

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Mqk1Rd

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798896360568

Connect with Leslie

Website: https://www.leslieschoverauthor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslieschover/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslie.schover.9/

Substack: https://leslierschoverphd147820.substack.com/nuclear-fiction-newsletter

Connect with Mike

Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

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#HistoricalFiction #AuthorInterview #ManhattanProject #WritingJourney #BookPodcast #SheWritesPress #FissionNovel

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