The People We Fear May Be the Ones We Need

Send us Fan Mail A red Winnebago, a box of ashes, and a woman who can’t outrun her guilt. That’s the emotional launch point for my conversation with author Leanne Walling, who published her debut novel *Salt and Light Express* at 69 and proves, in real time, that reinvention is not reserved for the young. We talk about the real-life pivot that got her there: the pandemic, a lingering regret, and an MFA that forced the work onto the page. From that foundation, we dig into what makes her story hit so hard: grief and healing after loss, the ache for community and belonging, and the surprising friendships that show up when you stop treating people like caricatures. If you’ve been worn down by polarization, echo chambers, and snap judgments, you’ll hear a different path forward here: curiosity, relationship, and humility. We also go into LGBTQ identity language across generations, why certain labels can feel accurate and still heavy, and how faith can be both a wound and a refuge. Leanne shares how spirituality threads through her novel, including the Sermon on the Mount roots of the title, and we wrestle with what Christianity even means in modern America when so much of it sounds like judgment. If you’re writing your own book, rebuilding after grief, or just trying to stay open-hearted in a tense world, you’ll leave with concrete encouragement and a few new questions worth sitting with. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find these stories. Lee Ann Walling on Substack: https://mfaandbeyond.substack.com Website: https://www.leeannwalling.com Resources & Workbooks: Book • Free Starter Guide • Heal What Raised You Workbook • Website © 2026 soulnotskin. All rights reserved.