Patrick Cottrell: Read More Than You Write
In this interview, author Patrick Cottrell discusses the process of writing about writing in his new novel, Afternoon Hours of a Hermit.
Patrick Cottrell was born in South Korea and raised in the Midwest. He is the author of Sorry to Disrupt the Peace (McSweeney’s), which has been translated into French, Italian, Turkish, and Korean. He is the 2018 winner of a Whiting Award in Fiction and a 2017 Barnes and Noble Discover Award. His work has appeared in Harper’s, Ploughshares, Granta, Guernica, BOMB, The White Review, and other places. He served as guest editor of a queer fiction issue of McSweeney’s Quarterly. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Denver where he teaches creative writing. Follow him on Instagram.
In this interview, Patrick discusses the process of writing about writing in his new novel, Afternoon Hours of a Hermit, the importance of getting the ending right, and more.
Name: Patrick Cottrell
Literary agent: Kate Johnson
Book title: Afternoon Hours of a Hermit
Publisher: Ecco
Release date: April 21, 2026
Genre/category: Literary fiction
Previous titles: Sorry to Disrupt the Peace
Elevator pitch: Set in suburban Milwaukee, Afternoon Hours of a Hermit is about a writer who can't let go of his past trauma even though everyone around him wishes he'd move on.
What prompted you to write this book?
I wanted to write a book about reading and writing. That's what I think this book is ultimately about, at its most basic, at its core. It's about how we read people, how they read us. It's about perception, memory, identity, vengeance, and a sincere love of reading and writing.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
This book took years and years. It was a difficult book to write, one I resisted writing because I knew it would be so easy for people to dismiss and turn away from. Then I thought of how some writers I truly love and respect wrote one long textual document or account across their lives, how there was so little differentiation across their works, and I understood this is what I had to write. Afternoon Hours was supported by a few close friends of mine who are writers.
I think the main thing that changed between drafts was the ending. I'm glad I took my time with it because I wouldn't want to publish a book if I felt the ending did not work.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I think my main learning moment is to let go of any expectations and to refuse to seek any outside validation from this process. You have to know at your core if you're satisfied on some level with what you've made and truly ignore the rest of it: the disappointment, indifference, and/or approval.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The biggest surprise for me was how difficult writing continues to be and yet I really do love it.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope it spurs them on to write their own books.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Learn how to be resilient.
Read more than you write.
Read as much writing in translation as possible.
