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

Episodes

March 19, 2024

Rebecca Serle - EXPIRATION DATES

In this interview, I chat with Rebecca Serle about Expiration Dates , incorporating magic into her books, how magic opens up the world she is creating, how she chooses her characters' names, how her title and cover came about...

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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 s...

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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 Aut...

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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 7, 2024

Heather Duncan - Executive Director, MPIBA

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Heather Duncan and I chat about her role as Executive Director at Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association, what her job entails, FallCon and SpringCon, the states that make up the MPI...

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March 5, 2024

Clare Mackintosh - I PROMISE IT WON'T ALWAYS HURT LIKE THIS

In this interview, I chat with Clare Mackintosh about I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This , how grief changes your identity, structuring this memoir, how her titles and cover came about, the differences and similarities ...

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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. 27, 2024

Deborah Jackson Taffa - WHISKEY TENDER

In this interview, I chat with Deborah Jackson Taffa about Whiskey Tender , telling an intersectional story, portraying blended backgrounds versus oversimplifying the Native experience, weaving history into her own story, wha...

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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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Feb. 9, 2024

Brandy Schillace - THE FRAMED WOMEN OF ARDEMORE HOUSE

In this interview, I chat with Brandy Schillace about The Framed Women of Ardemore House , writing a mystery series, creating an authentic neurodiverse character, her title and cover, how she named the house in the book, her ...

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Feb. 6, 2024

Karen Outen - DIXON, DESCENDING

In this interview, I chat with Karen Outen about Dixon, Descending, how she came upon with the idea for this story, the mental component of climbing Mt. Everest, her research and the way she depicts the mountain, having to decide …

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Feb. 2, 2024

Jessica Bryant Klagmann - THIS IMPOSSIBLE BRIGHTNESS

In this interview, I chat with Jessica Bryant Klagmann about This Impossible Brightness, how she came up with the idea for this novel, climate change and incorporating it into the story, focusing on the idea of listening, echoes, genre mashups, …

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Feb. 1, 2024

Adam Vitcavage - Debutiful

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Adam Vitcavage and I chat about Debutiful, how Debutiful got started, his First Taste Reading series, why he focuses on debuts, why he doesn't believe in spoilers, how he decides who to interview, and …

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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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Jan. 26, 2024

Benjamin Stevenson - EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT

In this interview, I chat with Benjamin Stevenson about Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect, subverting the unreliable narrator trope, setting this book on the Ghan and his trips on the train, creating homages to Golden Age mysteries, weaving …

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Jan. 23, 2024

Laurie Frankel - FAMILY FAMILY

In this interview, I chat with Laurie Frankel about Family Family, exploring adoption in a positive manner, her research, unpacking the idea of chosen family, infusing humor into her stories, cancel culture, how much the book transformed over time, and …

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Jan. 16, 2024

Karl Marlantes - COLD VICTORY

In this interview, I chat with Karl Marlantes about Cold Victory, how he came up with the idea for this story, why the Cold War enthralls people even today, his title and cover, educating people about the past because it …

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Jan. 13, 2024

Julie Chavez - EVERYONE BUT MYSELF

In this interview, I chat with Julie Chavez about Everyone But Myself, her publishing journey including working with Zibby Books, what surprised her the most about writing a memoir, how involved the editing process can be, her title and cover, …

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Jan. 9, 2024

Amy Pease - NORTHWOODS

In this interview, I chat with Amy Pease about Northwoods, writing about addiction and how her health care background helped her depict it authentically on the page, why she decided to write a mystery, getting the cover right for the …

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Jan. 6, 2024

Podcast Takeover - Book Bumble

For today’s episode, I am running an episode of one of my favorite podcasts, Book Bumble. This is their Episode 7 of Season 2 and focuses on the theme of surprises.

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Jan. 4, 2024

Special Episode with Victoria Wood and Amy Allen Clark

In lieu of my January Behind the Scenes episode, today I am running a joint episode with Victoria Wood, founder of Bibliolifestyle and The Reader’s Couch, and Amy Allen Clark, founder of MomAdvice.com and the Book Gang podcast. We are …

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Jan. 2, 2024

Ashley Elston - FIRST LIE WINS

In this interview, I chat with Ashley Elston about First Lie Wins, how she came up with the idea for this one, switching to adult fiction from YA, focusing on identity, the screen adaptation of the book, incorporating technology into …

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Dec. 22, 2023

Reminiscing About Some of My Favorite 2023 Episodes

In this episode, I reminisce about some of my favorite episodes of 2023: Amanda Peters about The Berry Pickers Hugh Howey about Wool Alice Hoffman about The Invisible Hour Pip Williams about The Bookbinder Bruce Borgos about ...

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