Holly Kennedy- The Sideways Life of Denny Vos (Podcast)

In The Sideways Life of Denny Voss, Holly Kennedy brings humor & heart to a neurodivergent hero, sharing how Lake Union Publishing shaped her writing journey.

What happens when good intentions collide with messy realities? In The Sideways Life of Denny Voss, Holly Kennedy introduces us to Denny, an unforgettable, neurodivergent character whose big heart and distinct voice make him a narrator you’ll want to follow anywhere… even into a goose-napping, an accidental bank robbery, and now a murder trial.

In this conversation, Holly and I talk about the long road it took to trust her voice enough to bring Denny’s story into the world, the challenges of writing authentically from a neurodivergent perspective, and the unique publishing journey she’s experienced with Lake Union.

And yes, we dig into how timely themes like gun violence filter through Denny’s television obsessions and what it means to write a novel that feels both tender and topical.

In our warm conversation, Holly and I discussed:

Creating Denny’s Voice – Why stepping into first person unlocked the looping, offbeat, parenthetical style that makes Denny on a page so unforgettable.

Publishing with Lake Union – Holly offers the most fascinating details on the unexpected perks of working with Amazon’s literary imprint and how their editorial/marketing approach shaped her novel’s success. From focus groups to algorithm pivots, she candidly shares why this was the publishing house for her book.

Writing Through Timely Themes – How Denny’s fixation on TV gun violence mirrors today’s anxieties, and why Kennedy leaned into that reality even though it made it difficult to find a publishing house for her novel.

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The Sideways Life of Denny Voss Book Summary

In this poignant and funny novel, a man who is defined by his limitations sets out to fight a murder charge—and discovers unexpected truths about himself, his family, and the world at large.

On the surface, Denny Voss’s life in rural Minnesota is a quiet one. At thirty years old, he lives at home with his elderly mother and his beloved blind and deaf Saint Bernard, George. He cleans up roadkill to help pay the bills. Though his prospects are limited by a developmental delay—the result of an accident at birth—Denny has always felt that he has “a good life.”

So how did he wind up being charged with the murder of a mayoral candidate—after crashing a sled full of guns into a tree?

As Denny awaits trial, his court-appointed therapist walks him through the events of the past year. Denny’s had other scuffles with the law, the first for kidnapping a neighbor’s cantankerous goose. And then there was the time he accidentally assisted in a bank robbery. It seems like whenever Denny tries to do the right thing, chaos ensues.

Untangling the events around the murder reveals even more painful truths about his family’s past. He’s always been surrounded by people who love him, but now it’s up to Denny to set his life on a new course.

Meet Holly Kennedy

Born and raised in Canada, Holly Kennedy currently lives near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta with her family and their Newfoundland dog, Wallace. She is the author of four novels, and her books have been translated into multiple languages. When she’s not writing, you’ll typically find her reading, spending time with family, or indulging her not-so-secret obsession: watching true crime TV shows like Dateline. To learn more, visit her website or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.