Episodes

385
Aug. 8, 2023

Interview with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray - THE FIRST LADIES

In this interview, we discuss The First Ladies, writing about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune, their cover and title, how readers are so curious about Marie's and Victoria's friendship, their writing process and research, and much more. Check out my Summer Reading Guide for 2023 and my Houston Life segment. Join my Patreon group to support the podcast. Other ways to support the podcast can be found here. If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more...
384
Aug. 7, 2023

Interview with Madeline Martin - THE KEEPER OF HIDDEN BOOKS

In this interview, Madeline and I discuss The Keeper of Hidden Books, how she decided to write this story, her research trip to Poland, writing books about books, and much more.
383
Aug. 3, 2023

Interview with Sarah High - Senior Partnerships Manager, Bookshop.org

In this Behind the Scenes episode, Sarah and I discuss Bookshop.org and its impact on the book world, her role there and what it entails, how Bookshop.org partners with independent bookstores and supports them, what surprises her the most about her job, what is coming next for Bookshop.org, and much more.
382
Aug. 1, 2023

Interview with Sara DiVello - BROADWAY BUTTERFLY

In this interview, Sara and I discuss Broadway Butterfly, how it took her nine years to research this book, deciding what to include and what not to include, building the tension as the story progresses, her stunning cover, Mystery & Thriller Mavens, and much more.
Guest: Sara DiVello
381
July 28, 2023

Interview with Pip Williams - THE BOOKBINDER

In this interview, Pip and I discuss The Bookbinder, creating the book trailer for this book, actually learning to bind books herself, creating a strong sense of place, her stunning book cover, how she first learned about the subject matter of this book, and much more.
Guest: Pip Williams
380
July 25, 2023

Interview with Elizabeth Passarella - IT WAS AN UGLY COUCH ANYWAY

In this interview, Elizabeth and I discuss It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway, narrating her audiobook, getting the Prologue right and why she had to rewrite it many times, her favorite essay in the collection, New York City during the pandemic, and much more.
379
July 21, 2023

Interview with Nicole Baart - THE LONG WAY BACK

In this interview, Nicole and I discuss The Long Way Back, social media and how it is impacting our lives today, using a multimedia format to write the story, how the title and cover came about, crafting a mother-daughter relationship, and much more.
Guest: Nicole Baart
378
July 18, 2023

Interview with Bruce Borgos - THE BITTER PAST

In this interview, Bruce and I discuss The Bitter Past, his research, what surprised him the most when writing this book, creating a strong sense of place, the title and cover, how this is the start to a series, and much more.
Guest: Bruce Borgos
377
July 14, 2023

Interview with Kim Wickens - LEXINGTON

In this interview, Kim and I discuss Lexington, his impact on the sport of horse racing today, what happened to Lexington after he retired from racing, elk antlers and their significance in racing, horse racing in the 1800s, and much more.
376
July 12, 2023

Interview with Kristy Woodson Harvey - THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS

In this interview, Kristy and I discuss The Summer of Songbirds, how she came up with the idea for this book, Friends and Fiction, deciding which characters would tell the story, including an independent bookseller, and much more.
375
July 7, 2023

Mary Webber O'Malley and Pamela Klinger-Horn - Their July and August 2023 Recommended Reads

Mary and Pamela join me to discuss their recommended reads for July and August 2023.
374
July 6, 2023

Interview with Jenny Brown, Senior Editor at Shelf Awareness

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Jenny and I chat about her role as Senior Editor at Shelf Awareness and what that entails, supporting independent bookstores, how Shelf Awareness began, submitting content to Shelf Awareness, and much more.
373
July 4, 2023

Kelly Hooker - Our Favorite Books of April - June 2023

In this episode, Kelly and I chat about our favorite books that published in April through June 2023.
Guest: Kelly Hooker
372
June 30, 2023

Interview with Ashley Poston - THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP

In this interview, Ashley and I discuss The Seven Year Slip, her love of time travel stories, creating a strong sense of place, switching from YA to adult romance, inserting Easter Eggs into this book, being selected by the GMA Book Club, and much more.
Guest: Ashley Poston
371
June 29, 2023

Interview with Riley Sager - THE ONLY ONE LEFT

In this interview, Riley and I discuss The Only One Left, writing a gothic novel, his writing process, what surprised him the most while writing this one, creating all of the twists and turns, the emotional depth in this story, and much more.
370
June 27, 2023

Interview with Ruth P. Watson - A RIGHT WORTHY WOMAN

In this interview, Ruth and I discuss A Right Worthy Woman, writing about Maggie Lena Walker and including her in all of her books, the cover process, her research, how the title came about, and much more.
Guest: Ruth Watson
369
June 21, 2023

Interview with Wendy Walker - WHAT REMAINS

In this interview, Wendy and I discuss What Remains, cold cases, her Patreon episode with Megan Miranda, how she writes and edits her books, selecting character names and running Google searches on those names, and much more.
Guest: Wendy Walker
368
June 20, 2023

Interview with Matthew Quirk - INSIDE THREAT

In this interview, Matthew and I discuss Inside Threat, Raven Rock Mountain Complex, what surprised him the most while writing this one, The Night Agent's limited series on Netflix, the challenges of writing a locked room mystery, how he started writing political thrillers, and much more.
Guest: Matthew Quirk
367
June 16, 2023

Interview with Danielle Trussoni - THE PUZZLE MASTER

In this interview, Danielle and I discuss The Puzzle Master, how she came up with the ideas for this one, working with a puzzle constructor for this book, her research, Sudden Acquired Savant Syndrome, how she writes her first drafts by hand on legal pads, the complicated cover process, and much more.
366
June 15, 2023

Cathy Berner - Recommended Romance Novels

Cathy Berner of Blue Willow Bookshop joins me to chat about her favorite romance novels.
365
June 13, 2023

Interview with Fiona Davis - THE SPECTACULAR

In this interview, Fiona and I discuss The Spectacular, how she decided to write about Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes, the Book Club kit created for this book, taking the cover in a different direction than her previous covers, pre-orders and why they are important, her next book, and much more.
Guest: Fiona Davis
364
June 9, 2023

Interview with Simon Mockler - THE DARK THAT DOESN"T SLEEP

In this interview, Simon and I discuss The Dark That Doesn't Sleep, when the setting is a character, Project Iceworm, setting a story in the late 1960s, crafting twists and turns, and much more. Check out my Summer Reading Guide for 2023. Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon. Other ways to support the podcast can be found here. The Dark That Doesn't Sleep can be purchased at my Bookshop storefront. If you enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more episodes, try Peng ...
363
June 6, 2023

Interview with Kathleen Grissom - CROW MARY

In this interview, Kathleen and I discuss Crow Mary, how she learned about Crow Mary, researching the Crow culture, the use of the name Mary for Native American women, how Kevin Red Star designed the book cover, what surprised her the most when writing this book, and much more.
362
June 3, 2023

Interview with Michelle Hoffman - THE SECOND ENDING

In this interview, Michelle and I discuss The Second Ending, the event that spurred her to write this novel, how she has played the piano since age 5 and still plays every day, including the dueling pianos, the highlight of writing the book, and much more.