Do you love to be in the know about upcoming books? The LITERARY LOOKBOOK is for you! We include 686 upcoming 2025 releases curated by @kellyhook.readsbooks & @thoughtsfromapage. This 37-page PDF includes titles from June-Oct 2025 with Bonus May, Nov, and Dec titles! $13 gets you access. Fill out the request form and send your $13 payment.. Our Literary Lookbook is a passion project that we enjoyed putting together over countless hours. Thank you for your support!

Historical Fiction Episodes

June 28, 2022

Interview with Piper Huguley - BY HER OWN DESIGN

In this interview, Piper and I discuss By Her Own Design, telling Ann Lowe's little-known story, how she went about filling in the gaps of Ann's life, writing biographical historical fiction, why Jackie Kennedy Onassis remains so popular, how historical fiction teaches while also telling a story, a…

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June 26, 2022

Interview with Geraldine Brooks - HORSE

In this interview, Geraldine and I discuss Horse, how she learned about the horse Lexington, her research and visiting the Smithsonian's Museum Support Center, how popular horse racing was in the 1800s, tackling 3 timelines, the significance of the title, and much more.

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May 27, 2022

Interview with Chanel Cleeton - OUR LAST DAYS IN BARCELONA

In this interview, Chanel and I discuss Our Last Days in Barcelona, writing a dual timeline story, how readers wanted to learn Isabel's story, why writing historical fiction starts with research, the connection between all of her book titles, and much more.

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May 20, 2022

Interview with Joy Callaway - THE GRAND DESIGN

In this interview, Joy and I discuss The Grand Design, why she decided to write about the Greenbrier and Dorothy Draper, the Greenbrier's rich history and political connections, understanding how Dorothy Draper went from heiress to interior designer, her gorgeous cover and recently recreating it, a…

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May 19, 2022

Interview with Audrey Blake - THE SURGEON'S DAUGHTER

In this interview, we discuss The Surgeon's Daughter, writing together as a duo and what that process is like for them, setting their books in the real scientific world with fictional characters, how surgery used to be a man's world, the advent of the caesarean section and anesthesia, and much more.

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May 17, 2022

Interview with Natalie Jenner - BLOOMSBURY GIRLS

In this interview, Natalie and I discuss Bloomsbury Girls, why she chose to set her novel in a bookstore, the bookstores that inspired her fictional Bloomsbury Books, how the 51 Rules for the bookstore came about, her legal background and how it informs her writing, including famous literary figure…

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April 28, 2022

Interview with Adriana Trigiani - THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE

In this interview, Adriana and I discuss The Good Left Undone, writing an epic family saga, taking a jewelry-making class at Christie's and how it inspired portions of the book, her title's origin, creating Adriana Ink,, and much more.

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April 26, 2022

Interview with Reyna Grande - A BALLAD OF LOVE AND GLORY

In this interview, Reyna and I discuss A Ballad of Love and Glory, shedding a light on a lesser-known time period, writing in a variety of genres and how they compare, her favorite character to write in this book, what she wants her readers to take away from the novel, and much more.

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April 21, 2022

Interview with Kimberly Brock - THE LOST BOOK OF ELEANOR DARE

In this interview, Kimberly and I discuss The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare, the inspiration and historical background for this book, providing Eleanor Dare with her own story, writing about America's oldest known mystery, her gorgeous cover, and much more.

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April 20, 2022

Interview with Dolen Perkins-Valdez - TAKE MY HAND

In this interview, Dolen and I discuss Take My Hand, the inspiration for this book, her research, how she selected Civil's name, creating the court transcript, the hardest part about writing the book, and much more.

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April 5, 2022

Interview with Bonnie Garmus - LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY

In this interview, Bonnie and I discuss Lessons in Chemistry, the event that inspired the story, why Elizabeth Zott is resonating with everyone, how the title came about, her amazing publishing journey, having Brie Larson star in the screen adaptation, creating the Spotify playlist for the book, an…

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March 27, 2022

Tony Birch - THE WHITE GIRL

Tony and I discuss The White Girl, crafting strong female characters, the two sections of the book that were the hardest for him to write, why he created the fictional town of Deane, the strong sense of place in his writing, the importance of the bath tub on the cover, and much more.

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March 9, 2022

Libbie Grant - THE PROPHET'S WIFE

Libbie and I discuss The Prophet's Wife, working with two publishers simultaneously, basing her book on the true events surrounding the creation and early years of the Mormon church, the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon", the difficulty in creating a cover for this book, and much more.

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March 8, 2022

Elise Hooper - ANGELS OF THE PACIFIC

Elise and I discuss Angels of the Pacific, writing about the Pacific arena during World War 2, her research trip and snorkeling around a World War 2 war ship, how different the war in the Pacific was from what was happening in Europe, restoring her great-grandmother's dollhouse, and much more.

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March 3, 2022

Erika Robuck - SISTERS OF NIGHT AND FOG

Erika and I discuss Sisters of Night and Fog, how one of her characters appeared in her dreams asking for Erika to tell her story, creating a poll so readers could help select the book's title, her Author's Note, writing about Ravensbruck, grief, and much more.

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