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

Historical Fiction Episodes

March 18, 2024

Jennifer Ryan - THE UNDERGROUND LIBRARY

In this interview, I chat with Jennifer Ryan about The Underground Library, writing a book about books and libraries, how her role as book editor informed her writing, what surprised her the most when writing this one, her stunning cover, …

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March 18, 2024

Stephanie Dray - BECOMING MADAM SECRETARY

In this interview, I chat with Stephanie Dray about Becoming Madam Secretary, why she decided to write about Frances Perkins, her research and how she chose what to include and what to leave out, drafting a comprehensive Author's Note, what …

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March 8, 2024

Eliza Knight and Denny S. Bryce - CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS

In this interview, I chat with Eliza Knight and Denny S. Bryce about Can't We Be Friends , how they learned about the friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, writing a book together and how they approached it, ...

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March 4, 2024

Katherine Reay - THE BERLIN LETTERS

In this interview, I chat with Katherine Reay about The Berlin Letters , setting a story during the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, what surprised her the most when writing this one, why the Cold War …

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Feb. 20, 2024

Amanda Churchill - THE TURTLE HOUSE

In this interview, I chat with Amanda Churchill about The Turtle House , how this story is inspired by her grandmother's life, incorporating a Minogame into the book, deciding on Lia's career path, telling an intergenerationa...

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Feb. 14, 2024

Robin Oliveira - A WILD AND HEAVENLY PLACE

In this interview, I chat with Robin Oliveira about A Wild and Heavenly Place , how she set out to write an epic love story, creating a strong sense of place, her title and cover, understanding her characters' motivations, sh...

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Jan. 30, 2024

ReShonda Tate - THE QUEEN OF SUGAR HILL

In this interview, I chat with ReShonda Tate about The Queen of Sugar Hill, how she became interested enough in Hattie McDaniel to write about her, how Hattie opened doors for others, the research she did for the book, how …

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Nov. 17, 2023

Amanda Peters - THE BERRY PICKERS

In this interview, I chat with Amanda Peters about The Berry Pickers, how she decided to write this story, writing in first person, choosing who would narrate the story, writing a character study, the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and …

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Nov. 7, 2023

Elizabeth Crook - THE MADSTONE

In this interview, I chat with Elizabeth Crook about The Madstone, Texas during Reconstruction, how she wanted to write another book with Benjamin Shreve as a central character, the definition of a madstone and how she chose that as her …

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Sept. 8, 2023

Interview with Gill Paul - A BEAUTIFUL RIVAL

In this interview, Gill and I discuss A Beautiful Rival, her research for this book, what surprised her the most when writing this book, the connections between her books, the impact these two women had on the cosmetics industry, and …

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Sept. 5, 2023

Interview with William Kent Krueger - THE RIVER WE REMEMBER

In this interview, Kent and I discuss The River We Remember, creating a strong sense of place in his stories, how his father was changed by fighting in World War 2, the time period following this war in the U.S., …

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Aug. 16, 2023

Interview with Alice Hoffman - THE INVISIBLE HOUR

In this interview, Alice and I discuss The Invisible Hour, why she incorporated Nathanial Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter into this book, the impact books have had on her life, book banning, mother/daughter relationships, the one author she would want …

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Aug. 7, 2023

Interview with Madeline Martin - THE KEEPER OF HIDDEN BOOKS

In this interview, Madeline and I discuss The Keeper of Hidden Books, how she decided to write this story, her research trip to Poland, writing books about books, and much more.

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July 28, 2023

Interview with Pip Williams - THE BOOKBINDER

In this interview, Pip and I discuss The Bookbinder, creating the book trailer for this book, actually learning to bind books herself, creating a strong sense of place, her stunning book cover, how she first learned about the subject matter …

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June 27, 2023

Interview with Ruth P. Watson - A RIGHT WORTHY WOMAN

In this interview, Ruth and I discuss A Right Worthy Woman, writing about Maggie Lena Walker and including her in all of her books, the cover process, her research, how the title came about, and much more.

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