Contemporary Fiction Episodes

In this interview, I chat with Tory Henwood Hoen about ⁠ Before I Forget , tackling Alzheimer's in fiction, making Arthur an oracle, decisding who would tell the story, writing in first person, how the audiobook narrator was ...

In this interview, I chat with Libby Page about This Book Made Me Think of You , her inspiration for the book, selecting the books she wanted to include, creating the letters from Joe, the title and cover, stories about findi...

In this interview, I chat with Beck Dorey-Stein about Spectacular Things , having her book selected as a Reese's Book Club pick, writing about sacrifice and grief, tackling the sister relationship in fiction, writing about so...

In this interview, I chat with Eliana Ramage about To the Moon and Back , writing about the Cherokee Nation and its history, setting a portion of the story in Oklahoma, her research, writing a family saga, Star Trek, how the ...

In this interview, I chat with Bruce Holsinger about Culpability , ⁠ why his publishing date moved up by three months (now we know it's an Oprah pick!), the research he conducted for this one, P(doom) numbers, his stunning co...

In this interview, I chat with Lidija Hilje about ⁠⁠⁠ Slanting Towards the Sea⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, writing about present day Croatia, her father's health and how it inspired this story, writing in her second language and why she chose to w...

In this interview, I chat with Laura Wood about ⁠⁠ Let's Make a Scene ⁠⁠ , the challenges she faced while writing her first dual timeline and dual POV book, her favorite tropes, her fascination with how fame impacts a person ...

In this interview, I chat with Renée Ahdieh about Park Avenue , crafting the Park siblings, exploring the Korean American immigrant experience, writing her first adult novel and how it differed from writing YA, the symbolism...

In this interview, I chat with Ali Brady about Battle of the Bookstores , the You've Got Mail inspiration, writing the steamy scenes, creating a guy who loves romance novels, using Beta readers and how that impacted the origi...

In this interview, I chat with Kristy Woodson Harvey about ⁠⁠⁠⁠Beach House Rules , deciding on a format for telling the story, finding the right title for this one, what surprised her the most about writing this one, why she...

In this interview, I chat with Annabel Monaghan about ⁠⁠⁠ It's a Love Story , her inspiration for this book, writing sex scenes, creating Jane's character, reader response to Jane, what surprised her the most when writing thi...

In this interview, I chat with Mary Alice Monroe about ⁠⁠⁠ Where the Rivers Merge , setting the book in the ACE Basin, writing a duology, her love of the land and its ecosystems, crafting a strong sense of place, writing her ...

In this interview, I chat with Elisabeth Dini about ⁠⁠Bearer of Bad News, the idea of a bearer of bad news, what surprised her the most when writing this one, how she settled on the format, honoring real women through her character names, her job at the International Criminal Court and how it infor…

In this interview, I chat with Virginia Evans about ⁠The Correspondent , how her blurbs helped her encapsulate the book's description, the role Ann Patchett has played in her life, Sybil's story arc, her lengthy cover story, ...

In this interview, I chat with Kristin Koval about Penitence , why she decided to write about forgiveness, choosing who would tell the story, tackling such a difficult topic, her stunning cover, how the book's title was chose...

In this interview, I chat with Marianne Cronin about Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love , her interesting inspiration for the book, intergenerational friendships, writing her sophomore novel, what surprised her the most about ...

In this interview, I chat with Callan Wink about Beartooth , his inspiration for this story, Hazen's name and how he chose it, Hazen's character, his process for writing this book, creating a strong sense of place, his though...

In this interview, I chat with Tracey Lange about What Happened to the McCray's? , her personal inspiration for this story, reader response to her books, the book's release date, how guilt can overtake us, forgiveness, her ti...

In this interview, I chat with Marybeth about Every Moment Since , the inspiration for this book, her book dedication, society's current obsession with true crime, changing agents due to writing this book, how she chose who w...

In this interview, I chat with Marissa Stapley about The Lightning Bottles , her musical muses for Jane and Elijah, including a road trip component in her story, how she approached writing about the drug use of the era, deter...

In this interview, I chat with Laura Hankin about One-Star Romance , setting the book over a longer period of time than most rom-coms, the publishing world as a backdrop, writing a rom-com versus women's fiction, and much mor...

In this interview, I chat with Clare Pooley about How to Age Disgracefully , including a memorable dog in this book, how readers do not like dogs to die in books, Iona Iverson's various covers and titles, the easiest and hard...

In this interview, I chat with Susie Orman Schnall about Anna Bright Is Hiding Something , how her marketing background helps her as an author, the research she conducted for this one, the Elizabeth Holmes effect, how she dec...

In this interview, I chat with Annabel Monaghan about Summer Romance , the term "hard pants", exploring grief as well as what it means to be a mother, multi-tasking, skateboarding, her book title, and much more. Annabel's rec...