Liese O'Halloran Schwarz

About the Author

Liese O'Halloran Schwarz grew up in Washington, DC after an early childhood overseas. She attended Harvard University, and then medical school at University of Virginia. While in medical school, she won the Henfield/Transatlantic Review Prize for her short fiction, and also published her first novel, Near Canaan.

She specialized in emergency medicine, eventually returned to writing, and published her second novel, The Possible World , in June 2018. Her third novel, What Could Be Saved, published in January 2021.

She currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is at work on the next book.

Want a virtual visit to your book club? Email Liese

Literary Representation: Laura Gross

Articles/Interviews/Videos:

• It’s Too Early with Gwen Filosa (Radio/Podcast interview)

  August 19, 2021 host Gwen Filosa - drivetime radio interview wth Liese O’Halloran Schwarz.

• UVA Corner Book Club discussion of The Possible World (video)

  July 28, 2021 - Moderated Q&A with Liese and University of Virginia Alumni Association’s Corner Book Club delves into writing The Possible World (spoilers! specifics about the plot of the book are discussed), balancing medicine and writing, and a bit about Liese’s time at University of Virginia medical school.

  (passcode to watch video ++F.g10z)

• A Word on Words, Nashville Public Television

  Liese is interviewed by Mary Laura Philpott about What Could Be Saved, early childhood in Bangkok, leaving the practice of medicine to write full-time…

  • video (2.5 min)

  • full transcript of interview

• San Diego Writers’ Festival (video)

  *SPOILERS* Book Club discussion of What Could Be Saved with Liese O’Halloran Schwarz

• Elena Bowes: Q&A with Liese O’Halloran Schwarz

  Elena Bowes catches up with Liese O’Halloran Schwarz about her latest book, What Could Be Saved, which is just as much of a page-turner as her last one, The Possible World.

• 26.org (Q&A)

  The rest of the Elena Bowes interview!

• Write On Wednesday (Q&A)

  Leslie Lindsay (Always With a Book) asks questions about themes in WHAT COULD BE SAVED, and Liese discusses how success is elusive, her childhood in Thailand, the healing power of connection, and more.

• Both Sides Book Club (video)
  The founders of Both Sides Book Club, Debbie and Catie, present episode 24 of their interview series — “What Could be Saved” where they talk to the author in her home in the USA about childhood nostalgia, about living an Ex-Pat life and about the bonds between Siblings.

• The Blue and Yellow Kitchen (video)

  Host Stephanie Weaver makes a coconut-curry shrimp bite inspired by the book’s setting and the legendary hostess Genevieve at the heart of the novel, while author Liese O’Halloran Schwarz reads from a bit of the book and answers some questions about the creation of What Could Be Saved and the writing process.

• Writers Showcase with Jennifer Gordon , 2/18/2021 (video)

• In conversation with Cecily Von Ziegesar 1/14/2021, hosted by Anderson’s Bookshops (video)

• Essay (LitHub): : How Writing a Novel Helped Me Uncover the Secrets of My Family “Our family’s ocean of secrets ranged from the trivial to the enormous.”

• Q&A about What Could Be Saved

• The Page 69 Test for What Could Be Saved

• Thoughts from a Page Podcast with Cindy Burnett January 8, 2021

• BookReporter Talks to… with Carol Fitzgerald January 15, 2021

  • YouTube video

  • Podcast (audio only)

• Flyleaf Books 1/12/2021 event for the launch of What Could Be Saved

• Interview, Reading with Robin’s Pre-Publication Extravaganza

  November 14/15, 2020: 36 authors, 36 books publishing in 2021, 1 brave host. Author segments are each about 25 minutes, and each accessible as a separate playback. Segment with Liese O’Halloran Schwarz segment was recorded November 14th at 11:30 AM ET.

• Interview, WUNC Radio, July 27, 2018: "The State of Things"

  • Novel The Possible World Considers Hidden Connections

• Essay, LitHub: “Science Brings Us Closer to the Miraculous”

  • “At its fringes, science has always appeared to be madness. “

• Article, The Guardian: Top Ten Books About Self-Reinvention

  • From Kate Atkinson to Margaret Atwood and Gail Honeyman, here are some of the best stories of radical renewal.

• Essay, The Metro: All Roads Lead to the Rhode

  • A little piece on little Rhode Island, a place that is home to the world.

• Interview, 26 Features: Liese O’Halloran Schwarz and The Possible World

  • Elena Bowes caught up with the doctor-turned-author to get an insight into her process, her inspiration, and her love of a good cuppa.

• Interview, Jungle Red Writers

  • Q & A with Ingrid Thoft on this stylish blog run by seven thrilleristas!

• Article, Bookbub: 10 New Thought Provoking Novels for Your Bookclub

  • Get a rousing conversation going at your book club with one of these books Liese loved — novels that present deeper themes in compulsively readable packages.

• Blog post, My Book, the Movie

  • Liese dreamcasts a What-If movie adaptation of The Possible World in this fun blog.

• Blog post, The Page 69 Test

  • How does page 69 of The Possible World represent the book? Here's what the author thinks.

• Blog post, Writers Read

  • What was Liese reading in Summer 2018? Wouldn't you like to know.