In Conversation: On Golden State

Mitzi Rapkin is the founder and host of the literary podcast First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing, which focuses on the craft of writing and the literary life. Since she founded the podcast in 2013 Mitzi has interviewed more than 300 writers of fiction, poetry, essays, and non-fiction. First Draft is a partner with Literary Hub. She has a Master’s of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College. 

Ben H. Winters is the New York Times bestselling author of Underground Airlines and the Last Policeman trilogy. The Golden State, a nation standing where California once did, is a place where like-minded Americans retreated after the erosion of truth and the spread of lies made public life and governance impossible. It´s a society that values law and truth above all else. Knowingly contradicting the truth is the greatest crime — and stopping those crimes is Laszlo Ratesic´s job.  A nineteen-year veteran of the Speculative Service, he is one of the few individuals permitted to harbor untruths, to “speculate” on what might have happened. Ben H. Winters’ Golden State (Mulholland Books) follows Laszlo as those in control of the facts and the tools to monitor, verify, and enforce the truth, want to use them for nefarious means. The Speculators are the only ones with the power to fight back. USA Today noted that “At a time in the real world when everybody seems to own their version of the truth and phrases like “alternative facts” are used to cover falsehoods, Golden State is, no lie, a fascinating examination that takes fidelity and correctness down a freaky Orwellian path.”