trying to remember an author & am going nuts

chipping away at my reading pile i just started Blue Graffiti by Calahan Skogman. i’m a couple chapters in and im like “hey this kinda sucks, why did i put this on my reading list” and assumed it must have been a podcast rec. i assumed HLG because i know there have been a ton of episodes they do with some literary fiction type author i’ve never heard of who’s promoting their first book.

turns out this guy was never on the show (at least based on searching) so i have no clue who recommended this to me but i do remember a conversation they had with some young ish guy, never heard of him really, first book was just coming out, maybe he had been an actor or something else creative before (maybe not but i think so), guy was a little nervous to be on but the vibes were actually really good on the show, kid had some good stories, i think the book was kind of about small-town America, blah blah blah. this would have been around 2023 probably? maybe later 2022?

is this ringing any bells? i scrolled back through the episode list and didn’t catch a name that jogged my memory. the themes and vibes i can remember (first novel, former actor, book about small town America) actually does sound like this Calahan Skogman book i’m trudging through but based on searching, that guy has never been a guest. unless he was purged.

going crazy here. drop a thought if you have one. thx