Episodes

In this interview, I chat with Karen Dukess about ⁠ Welcome to Murder Week , writing a mystery versus standard fiction, her trip that inspired this book, the popularity of BritBox mysteries, what surprised her the most, and m...

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...

Kelly Hooker joins me for the May Real Time Reading episode where we highlight our current, past, and upcoming reads. Kelly’s Selections: Last: The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natura When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy...

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 th...

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 Judith Viorst about ⁠⁠⁠ Making the Best of What's Left , living the fifth fifth of your life, dealing with loneliness and redefining happiness, what surprised her the most when writing this one,...

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…

Friends & Fiction authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Patti Callahan Henry join me to chat about celebrating their fifth anniversary. We discuss how the group formed originally, centering inde...

Kelly Hooker joins me for the March's Real Time Reading episode where we highlight our current, past and upcoming reads. Kelly’s Selections: Last: Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby Now: The ...

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 episode, Kelly and I chat about our favorite books that published in January through March 2025. Our shared top reads: Dead Money by Jakob Kerr Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson Kelly’s remaining top reads: More or Les...

In this interview, I chat with Joanna Miller about The Eights , creating a strong sense of place, how she decided to write this book, her focus on the small details, including the Timeline, Glossary, and Author's Note at the ...

Mary Webber O'Malley and Pamela Klinger-Horn join me to recommend their favorites reads of the second quarter of 2025. Pamela's selections: April: I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney May: Speak to Me of Home by Jeanine...

In this interview, I chat with Belinda Bauer about The Impossible Thing , the world of rare bird egg collecting, how hard it was to find information on this subject matter and why, how she characterizes the book, the title an...

Kelly Hooker joins me for the March's Real Time Reading episode where we highlight our current, past and upcoming reads. Kelly’s Selections: Last: Too Old for This by Samantha Downing The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Now: ...

In this interview, I chat with Elise Hooper about The Library of Lost Dollhouses , how she decided to write about dollhouses, her great-grandmother's dollhouse and what it has taught her, her focus on women lost to history, h...

In this interview, I chat with Nicholas Binge about Dissolution , coming up with his stellar ending, his writing process, pursuing how memory works and what loss of memory can do, balancing the science fiction elements with s...

In this interview, I chat with Shara Moon about Let Us March On , highlighting an unsung heroine, her research, bringing Lizzie McDuffie to life, deciding what and what not top include, what surprised her the most when writin...

In this interview, I chat with Patti Callahan Henry about The Story She Left Behind , the real life inspiration for this book, exploring how humans deal with the unknowing, digging up literary themes, including Beatrix Potter...

In this interview, I chat with Chloe Dalton about Raising Hare , why she decided to write this memoir, her relationship with Hare, how her habits and lifestyle changed as a result of this relationship, our interactions with w...

In this interview, I chat with Gillian McAllister about Famous Last Words , subverting the standard thriller tropes, her writing process and how she deletes her entire first draft after she writes it, setting a book in the pu...