Meet the LITERARY LOOKBOOK, a comprehensive but not exhaustive collection of 182 upcoming 2024 releases curated by Kelly Hooker and me. The Lookbook includes titles from January-May 2024 from a variety of genres and features cover designs organized by publication date. Buy it here: Literary Lookbook

Contemporary Fiction Episodes

Feb. 28, 2022

Jennifer E. Smith - THE UNSINKABLE GRETA JAMES

Jennifer and I discuss The Unsinkable Greta James, writing a love story about Greta and her music, exploring what it is like to live a creative life, the effects of living in such a connected and public world, how working …

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Feb. 20, 2022

Lyn Liao Butler - RED THREAD OF FATE

Lyn and I discuss Red Thread of Fate, how this book is a more personal story for her, wanting to make sure she had the adoption details exactly right, the difficulty of writing a shy/reserved character, found families, and much …

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Feb. 11, 2022

Interview with Elena Armas- THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION

Elena and I discuss The Spanish Love Deception, her unusual and very cool publishing journey, winning the Goodreads Choice Best Debut Novel Award and what the selection process was like, her favorite romance trope, how being a romance blogger and …

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Jan. 30, 2022

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn - YINKA, WHERE IS YOUR HUZBAND?

Lizzie and I discuss Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?, her personal inspiration for this book, her belief that self love is the most important kind of love, creating an immersive story format, the television show that inspired her, the process …

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Dec. 13, 2021

Wiley Cash - WHEN GHOSTS COME HOME

Wiley and I chat about When Ghosts Come Home, why he chose to set the book in 1984, how good stories come from tension, why he is comfortable writing female characters, how the title came about, and much more.

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Nov. 19, 2021

Kimmery Martin - DOCTORS AND FRIENDS

For this special episode, Carol Ann Tack of Top Shelf at Merrick Library and I interview Kimmery Martin together. We talk about her new book Doctors and Friends, writing the book pre-pandemic, how it changed post-pandemic, her wonderful website, and …

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Nov. 9, 2021

Tabitha Forney - PAPER AIRPLANES

Tabitha and I discuss Paper Airplanes, telling this very personal story, how 9/11 transformed the United States, the chapter she found the most difficult to write, participating in Pitch Wars, her publishing journey, and much more.

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Oct. 26, 2021

Kristy Woodson Harvey - CHRISTMAS IN PEACHTREE BLUFF

Kristy and I discuss Christmas in Peachtree Bluff, writing a holiday story versus a non-holiday story, returning to Peachtree Bluff after a hiatus and whether she will write more in the series, Friends and Fiction, and much more.

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Oct. 25, 2021

Christine Pride & Jo Piazza - WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM

We discuss We Are Not Like Them, how they started writing the book together and what their writing process looked like, encouraging people to have more in-depth conversations on race, why storytelling induces empathy, being selected as the October Good …

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Oct. 13, 2021

Tracey Lange - WE ARE THE BRENNANS

Tracey and I discuss her debut novel We Are the Brennans, her writing process, the characters she enjoyed writing the most and the least in the book, writing from multiple points of view, the Little Free Library drops coordinated by …

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Oct. 5, 2021

Jayne Allen- BLACK GIRLS MUST DIE EXHAUSTED

Jayne and I discuss her unusual and ultimately rewarding publishing journey, her new role at Zibby Books, how her background involves working in industries at a time of significant upheaval, her trilogy, and much more.

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Sept. 30, 2021

Jane Igharo - THE SWEETEST REMEDY

Jane and I discuss The Sweetest Remedy, writing in the third person, being selected for Book of the Month (twice), setting a book in Nigeria, crafting her second novel, and much more.

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Sept. 28, 2021

Jo Hamya - THREE ROOMS

Jo and I discuss Three Rooms, how she decided to write this story, whether working as an editor helped her when crafting this book, her writing process, why she doesn’t use speech marks, and much more.

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Sept. 28, 2021

Eden Appiah-Kubi - THE BENNET WOMEN

Eden and I discuss The Bennet Women, retelling Pride & Prejudice on a contemporary college campus, how she formed her writing group and decided to tell this story, her publishing journey, writing from multiple points of view, and much more.

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July 30, 2021

Charlotte McConaghy - ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES

Charlotte and I discuss Once There Were Wolves, how she decided to write about wolves and rewilding the Scottish Highlands, her research, mirror touch synasthesia, crafting Inti’s strong character, and much more.

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