Episodes

We discuss The Parent Compass, creating a toolbox for parenting teens, guiding teens through the tough years, the process they used to write together and which chapter was difficult to create, the Varsity Blues scandal, how the pandemic altered the college admission process, and much more.

Pam and I chat about her blog Who I Met Today, how and why she started it, what she has learned from the blog, our shared love of reading and books, the cookbooks she uses regularly and recommends, and much more.

Heather and I discuss celebrity and high-profile book clubs, the rise in prominence of these types of clubs, which ones we like the best, our favorite and not-so-favorite reads from these clubs, the impact they have on book sales, and much more.

Samantha and I discuss Dovetails in Tall Grass, the U.S./Dakota War of 1862, how she decided on her format, bringing a forgotten event to life, translating history into a compelling story that will appeal to readers, the most surprising part of her publishing journey, and much more.

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

Nicola and I discuss The Show Girl, how she decided to write about the Ziegfeld Follies, the difference in drafting her first and second novels, which character was her favorite to create, the impact of the Ziegfeld Follies on subsequent Broadway shows, and much more.

Megan and I discuss The Family Plot, exploring what it is about true crime that fascinates people, what that fascination does to a person and whether it can help or hurt them, plotting a thriller with all of the twists and turns, and much more.

Julia and I discuss Better Luck Next Time, writing a novel in the second person, rewriting this story several times, how Reno became the divorce capital of the Unites States, her fascination with obituaries, and much more.

Sarah and I discuss The Other Me, constructing a new identity when an individual undergoes huge life changes, how so much of what happens in life is outside of people’s control, her favorite character and the character with whom she identifies the most, her previous life as a rock musician, and much more.

Taylor and I discuss Down Range, how Garrett became his protagonist, creating a believable main character, bringing the Texas landscape to life, crafting his exciting ending, and much more.

Charlotte and I discuss Once There Were Wolves, how she decided to write about wolves and rewilding the Scottish Highlands, her research, mirror touch synasthesia, crafting Inti’s strong character, and much more.

Suzanne and I discuss So We Meet Again, the male-dominated investment banking industry, her stint as an entrepreneur, wrapping in the craziness of 2020, her favorite character to write, and much more.

Jason and I discuss Hell of a Book, the autobiographical nature of this book, his writing process, being selected as the July "Read with Jenna" book club selection, how the book is designed to start conversations about race and identity, and much more.

Meg and I discuss her new book The Runaway Heiress, how it took her a while to realize she was a writer, her inspiration for the character Mick, reconciling her past so she could move forward with her future, writing romantic suspense, creating her "Cozy Tea Time" on YouTube, and much more.

We discuss their new book The Personal Librarian, bringing Belle de Costa Greene to life, portraying Belle’s internal struggle, using the first person POV to tell a more personal story, writing partnerships, their July GMA book club selection, and much more.

Elizabeth and I discuss The Ride of Her Life, crafting this grand adventure story, how she learned about Annie Wilkins and her incredible journey, the manner in which the automobile and interstates revolutionized the United States, what surprised her while writing this book, and much more.

Stephanie and I discuss her new book Fatal Family Ties, the complexity of researching individuals who fought in the Civil War, her favorite secondary characters to write, how her title came about, how the theme of second chance ended up winding through this book, and much more.

Danielle and I discuss her job as a Publicity Director at Harper Collins and what her role entails, her road to becoming a book publicist, how publicists at William Morrow are assigned to books, how each book campaign is unique to that book, the book she is an evangelist for, her reading recommendations, and more.