Episodes

In this episode, Kelly and I chat about our favorite books that published in July through September 2022.

In this interview, Nora and I discuss Competitive Grieving, her own experience with competitive grieving, how writing the book was cathartic, the format for the book, how the beauty of writing a novel is being able to create an entirely fictional world, the universal experience of what happens in the aftermath of death, and much more.

In this interview, Barbara and I discuss Miss Del Rio, telling Dolores Del Rio's story, weaving history into her story and all the details she couldn't include, Charlie Chaplin, the Golden Age of Hollywood, the process for coming up with the title and cover, and much more.

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Anne Bogel and I chat about the space she has carved out in the book world, how she originally got started with her blog and then her podcast, creating a format for her podcast What Should I Read Next?, helping readers learn how to identify what didn't work about a book for them personally, whether she ever DNFs a book, how books get on her radar, and much more.

In this interview, Ann and I discuss The Storyteller's Death, how the book is a love letter to Puerto Rico and her family there, the importance of including the sense of smell when creating an immersive setting, why she set the book in the 1970s, her incredible opening sentence, magical realism as a symbol of hope, and much more.

In this interview, Kristina and I discuss The Ways We Hide, including MI-9 in her book and why people are so much less familiar with it, how the game of Monopoly was used as spy craft, her Book Club Guide online, the highlight of writing this book, all of the research she conducted, and much more.

In this interview, Elyssa and I discuss The Most Likely Club, her inspiration for this book, incorporating 90s nostalgia, how she tackled drafting four distinct women, the highlight of writing this book, which character she identifies with the most, and much more.

In this interview, Mark and I discuss Die Around Sundown, his fascination with World Wars 1 and 2, why he sets his books in Paris, his own experiences with misophonia, the easiest and hardest characters to write in this book, including Pablo Picasso in Die Around Sundown, and much more.

In this interview, Angie and I discuss How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, how humor can help a difficult situation, the importance of storytelling, how she decided on the book's unique format, visiting a psychic as part of her research, and much more.

Mary and Pamela join me to discuss their recommended reads for Fall 2022.

In this interview, Deanna and I discuss Killers of a Certain Age, where the idea for this book originated, writing a contemporary story, how creating this story differed from creating the Veronica Speedwell books, the title she wanted for the book, how society's perception of aging has changed in the last several decades, and much more.

In this interview, Kerrie and I chat about her company Sweet Reads Box, how and why she started the business, how Sweet Reads decides what books to select for each box and then subsequently the items to go with the book, what makes her company stand out from the other book subscription services, how the business sources feedback, and much more.

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Brian provides an inside look at working as a Penguin Adult Field Rep for Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, how he got started, the imprints he sells, the must-see independent bookstores he loves, how he decides what he will recommend in his role as a field rep, developing relationships with his assigned stores, and much more.

In this interview, Chris and I discuss A Gracious Neighbor, the short story that inspired her novel, how we never really know what goes on behind closed doors, why she created her own definition of gracious for the book, her writing process, mean girls and how some never grow out of that phase, and much more.

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Tess provides an inside look at working as a publicist at a start-up publishing company, her path to publicity, what a typical workday looks like, how her role differs at Zibby Books from her role at previous publishing companies, and much more.

In this interview, Gillian and I discuss Wrong Place Wrong Time, plotting this one out, creating the right pacing for the story, finding the right title, the difficulty of building in twists, her podcast, not feeling constrained by the thriller genre, ruminating on how much time changes people, and much more.

For this special episode, Carol Ann Tack of Top Shelf at Merrick Library and I interview Hayley Scrivenor together. We talk about her debut novel Dirt Creek , how the different titles and covers came about for the U.S., UK, a...

In this interview, Zibby and I discuss Bookends, how her podcast influences her writing, writing to process the events in her life, how important it is to find your passion, how she decided which book would open each chapter, and much more.

In this interview, Leigh and I discuss Nobody gets Out Alive, her focus in these short stories on the real Alaska, the isolation and loneliness experienced when living some place so remote, baring her soul in this collection, her personal connection to the title, and much more.

In this interview, Vanessa and I discuss Sister Mother Warrior, providing the historical context for her book. which character was the hardest to write, having 2 books publishing so close in time to each other, the lasting implications from the Haitian Revolution, and much more.

In this interview, Sarah and I discuss The Retreat, her fascination with local history and time's relentless march forward, making the island a central character of this novel, using a consultant to make sure the police procedural aspects of the story ring true, how sibling dynamics are set early and rarely change, and much more.

In this interview, Carley and I discuss Every Summer After, setting a book in Canada, choosing Barry's Bay as the book's locale and the response by residents, what surprised her the most writing this book, tackling her sophomore novel, why this book is resonating with so many people, and much more.

In this interview, Jamie and I discuss Gilt, the way guilt permeates the story, the inspiration for this book and for Pavlin and Company, the hardest character for her to write, the relevance of the green cover, how book covers mark a particular moment in time, and much more.

In this interview, Ellen and I discuss Rebel with a Clause, her grammar table and how it all began, how grammar appeals to people from all walks of life, creating a documentary about the grammar table, organizing the topics in her book, what surprised her the most about her adventure, and much more.