Kate Winkler Dawson: The Reader Can Sense Inauthenticity on the Page
In this interview, author Kate Winkler Dawson discusses how the disturbing details of a centuries-old case propelled her to write her new true crime book, The Sinners All Bow.
Kate Winkler Dawson is a seasoned documentary producer, podcaster, and true-crime historian whose work has appeared in The New York Times, WCBS News and ABC News Radio, “PBS NewsHour,” and “Nightline.” She is the creator of three hit podcasts (BB has about 1.5 million downloads a month): “Tenfold More Wicked” and “Wicked Words,” and the cohost of the “Buried Bones” podcast on the Exactly Right network. She is the author of American Sherlock, Death in the Air, All That Is Wicked, and is a professor of journalism at The University of Texas at Austin. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
In this interview, Kate discusses how the disturbing details of a centuries-old case propelled her to write her new true-crime book, The Sinners All Bow, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Kate Winkler Dawson
Literary agent: Jessica Papin
Book title: The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release date: January 7, 2025
Genre/category: True crime, 19th century American History
Previous titles: Death in the Air, American Sherlock, and All That is Wicked
Elevator pitch: This is the true story of the scandalous murder investigation that became the inspiration for both Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and the first true-crime book published in America.
What prompted you to write this book?
I first read Sarah Maria Cornell’s story several years ago when I was looking for true crime stories to cover on my podcast. I thought her case was fascinating and confusing. I hoped to shine a light on it using original source material, as well as evidence gathered from Catharine Williams, a poet turned true crime writer in the 1830s. Cornell was fighting for her rights when she was murdered. She was disparaged and victim-shamed after her death. And the question remained for me to answer: Was she really murdered?
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took about three years, as I was finishing my third book and working on my three podcasts. I was writing feverishly because I was so disturbed by the case, that it was propelling me forward. The idea stayed exactly the same during the process: reinvestigate an almost-200-year-ago case using a 21st-century lens.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
This isn’t my first rodeo because it’s my fourth book, so there were no surprises. My team at Putnam is outstanding!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I love 19th-century stories, but I really missed having photographs to work with. I leaned heavily on pictures for scene-setting in my second book, American Sherlock, so having only rough sketches/drawings forced me to lean on contemporary descriptions of the locations and the people.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers get a better understanding of why victim-shaming is so destructive to our society, particularly to women. And how religious organizations can rally to protect someone who needs to be investigated.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Write about what you love and nothing else. The reader can sense inauthenticity on the page—it won’t get you anywhere.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
