Hart Hanson: On Understanding How Publishing Works

Hart Hanson wrote for Canadian television before moving to Los Angeles, where he worked on various TV programs before creating the series “Bones,” the longest-running scripted hour-long series on the FOX network. Married with two sons, Hart lives with his wife, Brigitte, in Venice, California. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Hart Hanson

In this interview, Hart discusses the inspiration behind his new crime novel, The Seminarian, his advice for other writers, and more!

Name: Hart Hanson
Literary agent: Eve Atterman at WME
Book title: The Seminarian
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: May 21, 2024
Genre/category: Crime, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Previous titles: The Driver
Elevator pitch: A former seminarian-turned-legal-investigator dodges a contract killer while searching for a missing sex worker and contending with a 12-year-old kid claiming to be his son.

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What prompted you to write this book?

I’ve seen versions of every character in this book interacting with each other where I live in Venice, California. The events in The Seminarian represent my best efforts to come up with an explanation of how those people even know each other.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I wrote this book over COVID. Originally, the protagonist, Xavier Priestly, suffered from Oppositional Defiance Disorder, but one thing I learned over COVID was that perfectly normal people could be extremely cranky—and right.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I’ve been a TV writer for decades. Learning how publishing works has been a real process for me. I haven’t internalized any of that process. I don’t know how things are going or if I’m doing it correctly. I’ve had to lean heavily on my agent and everyone at Blackstone. I don’t know the game. It’s been a remarkable learning experience.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I had no idea that Xavier Priestly had a son when I first outlined the book. The kid just showed up part way through the book and elbowed his way in—very much the way he does to Priest in the book!

I also started the book not knowing why Xavier Priestly had lost his faith and left the Seminary—all I could do was hope he’d tell me as he was fending off the question from the other characters.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope they are entertained, have a few laughs, and find the same things touching that I find touching. And I hope, like Priest, they realize that forging strong connections with other people is the key to a full life.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

I offer the same advice that every good writer I know offers: Put your ass in the chair and write. Soon enough you will run out of material from your own head, and you will be forced to interact with the outside world, through art, conversation, observation, argument, etc., all of which you will exploit and drain, like a vampire, to keep writing.

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