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

Nonfiction Episodes

Feb. 7, 2023

Interview with Christie Tate - B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost an…

In this interview, Christie and I discuss B.F.F., all of the book's great pre-publication press, why friendships were so hard for her, social media's impact on relationships, how the title and cover came about, how her family responded to this …

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Jan. 17, 2023

Interview with Erika Bolstad - WINDFALL

In this interview, Erika and I discuss Windfall, how she decided to write this book and the ways it changed over time, how everyone yearns to know where they come from, her internal conflicts about her family's inheritance, her book …

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Nov. 25, 2022

Elizabeth Barnhill - No Way It's Nonfiction! (originally aired 8/23/2…

Elizabeth and I discuss our favorite narrative nonfiction books, our auto-buy nonfiction authors, categorizing the genre, the categories we gravitate toward, and more.

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Nov. 14, 2022

Interview with Joe Pompeo - BLOOD AND INK

In this interview, Joe and I discuss Blood and Ink, timing the publication of his book with the 100th year anniversary of the crime, the birth of tabloid journalism, his long-term interest in historical true crime, his research and the …

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Oct. 26, 2022

Interview with Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch - DECLASSIFIED

In this interview, Arianna and I discuss Declassified, her feelings about medieval music, the origin of the book's chapter titles, Mozart's obsession with poop, her stellar cover, why she decided to create this guide to classical music and weave her …

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July 31, 2022

Interview with Zibby Owens - BOOKENDS

In this interview, Zibby and I discuss Bookends, how her podcast influences her writing, writing to process the events in her life, how important it is to find your passion, how she decided which book would open each chapter, and …

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July 21, 2022

Interview with Ellen Jovin - REBEL WITH A CLAUSE

In this interview, Ellen and I discuss Rebel with a Clause, her grammar table and how it all began, how grammar appeals to people from all walks of life, creating a documentary about the grammar table, organizing the topics in …

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May 10, 2022

Interview with David J. Dennis, Jr. - THE MOVEMENT MADE US

In this interview, David and I discuss The Movement Made Us, his father's role in the Civil Rights Movement, getting his father's story down and how the format of the book came about, the hardest part of writing the book, …

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April 27, 2022

Interview with Delia Ephron - LEFT ON TENTH

In this interview, Delia and I discuss Left on Tenth, how she decided to write this book, her work with The Empathy Project which works to teach doctors empathy, combing through thousands of pages of her own medical records, the …

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April 14, 2022

Interview with Mary Laura Philpott - BOMB SHELTER

Mary Laura and I discuss Bomb Shelter, her life changing moment, focusing on why loving someone is not enough to keep them safe, grappling with growing older and letting go, embracing the little feel-good things to keep anxiety at bay, …

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April 6, 2022

Interview with Tiffany and Leon Chen - IT'S NOT JUST COOKIES

In this interview, Tiffany, Leon, and I discuss It's Not Just Cookies, the fact that this is the first time that they are publishing any of their recipes, telling their story and sharing about the business and how much it …

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March 27, 2022

Azar Nafisi - READ DANGEROUSLY

Azar and I discuss Read Dangerously, how she selected the authors to include in this book, the reemergence of book banning, coming up with the format she used for the book, how curiosity leads to empathy, the importance of fiction …

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March 23, 2022

Interview with David Sipress - WHAT'S SO FUNNY?

David and I discuss What's So Funny? A Cartoonist's Memoir, how he started creating cartoons for The New Yorker, using cartoons to process his emotions, how writing this book was cathartic and helped him better understand his parents, trying to …

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Jan. 21, 2022

Meriel Schindler - THE LOST CAFE SCHINDLER

Meriel and I discuss The Lost Cafe Schindler, trying to better understand her father by delving into his past, researching her family's history, the current Cafe Schindler and its place in history, and much more.

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Jan. 19, 2022

Robert Dilenschneider - NAILING IT

Bob and I chat about Nailing It, his desire to inspire and encourage the younger generations to see the many opportunities available to them, how hard it was to narrow it down to 25 people, the people he wished he …

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