LW 26: Shelby Hinte

In this episode, we sit down with novelist Shelby Hinte to discuss her searing debut, Howling Women. Set in the desert town of Yu, New Mexico, the novel follows Sabine—a woman fleeing the wreckage of her past—who returns home only to find herself drawn into a vortex of memory, confession, and reckoning. What begins as a story of escape becomes a fierce examination of trauma, justice, and the impossible task of telling the truth when no one wants to hear it.

We explore the genesis of Howling Women, from its nonlinear structure and unforgettable voice to its refusal to offer neat moral answers. Shelby shares how her writing engages with the messiness of survival, the power of female rage, and the magnetic pull of the desert landscape. Along the way, we discuss the role of memory, the myth of closure, and what it means to write a character who steps out of silence and into fire.