My 2025 Summer Reading Guide is out! It is an 18-page printable document that contains over 60 reading recommendations including books from spring and summer 2025 as well mystery series recommendations, fiction/nonfiction pairings, fall 2025 titles that I love, backlist titles, and some fall most anticipated reads. I have read every page of over 90 books and sampled at least 40 more to find the ones that really resonated with me and that I can personally recommend. Please fill out this form to indicate which form of payment (a tip in the amount of your choosing), and I will send it to you!

Episodes

July 9, 2025

Lidija Hilje - SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA

In this interview, I chat with Lidija Hilje about ⁠⁠⁠ Slanting Towards the Sea⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, writing about present day Croatia, her father's health and how it inspired this story, writing in her second language and why she chose to w...

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July 1, 2025

Laura Wood - LET'S MAKE A SCENE

In this interview, I chat with Laura Wood about ⁠⁠ Let's Make a Scene ⁠⁠ , the challenges she faced while writing her first dual timeline and dual POV book, her favorite tropes, her fascination with how fame impacts a person ...

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June 27, 2025

Kelly Hooker - June's Real Time Reading

Kelly Hooker joins me for June's Real Time Reading episode where we highlight our current, past and upcoming reads. Kelly’s Selections: Last: Everything is TB The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Gre...

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June 24, 2025

Travis Kennedy - THE WHYTE PYTHON WORLD TOUR

In this interview, I chat with Travis Kennedy about ⁠⁠⁠ The Whyte Python World Tour⁠ , his inspiration for this book, creating Rikki Thunder, what surprised him as he wrote this one, screen adaptation plans, determining when ...

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June 17, 2025

Hazel Gaynor - BEFORE DOROTHY

In this interview, I chat with Hazel Gaynor about ⁠⁠ Before Dorothy , why this story appeals to everyone not just The Wizard of Oz fans, The Wizard of Oz book is celebrating 125 years, how she was a fan of the book first, the...

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June 10, 2025

Karen Dukess - WELCOME TO MURDER WEEK

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...

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June 6, 2025

Renée Ahdieh - PARK AVENUE

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...

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June 3, 2025

Ali Brady - BATTLE OF THE BOOKSTORES

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...

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May 31, 2025

Kelly Hooker - May's Real Time Reading

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...

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May 27, 2025

Kristy Woodson Harvey - BEACH HOUSE RULES

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...

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May 27, 2025

Annabel Monaghan - IT'S A LOVE STORY

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...

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May 13, 2025

Mary Alice Monroe - WHERE THE RIVERS MERGE

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...

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May 8, 2025

Judith Viorst - MAKING THE BEST OF WHAT'S LEFT

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,...

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May 6, 2025

Elisabeth Dini - BEARER OF BAD NEWS

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…

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May 5, 2025

Friends & Fiction - Celebrating 5 Years

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...

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April 30, 2025

Kelly Hooker - April's Real Time Reading

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 ...

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April 29, 2025

Virginia Evans - THE CORRESPONDENT

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, ...

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April 22, 2025

Kristin Koval - PENITENCE

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...

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April 21, 2025

Kelly Hooker - Our Favorite Reads of January through March 2025

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...

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April 16, 2025

Joanna Miller - THE EIGHTS

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 ...

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April 12, 2025

Pamela Klinger-Horn and Mary Webber O'Malley - Second Quarter 2025 Re…

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...

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April 8, 2025

Belinda Bauer - THE IMPOSSIBLE THING

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...

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April 7, 2025

Kelly Hooker - March's Real Time Reading

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: ...

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April 1, 2025

Elise Hooper - THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES

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...

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