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 9, 2023

Interview with Laura Cathcart Robbins - STASH

In this interview, Laura and I discuss Stash, why she decided to write this book, how tricky memory is, overcoming her addiction to Ambien, providing input on her book's cover, her podcast The Only One in the Room, and much …

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March 8, 2023

Interview with Julie Carrick Dalton - THE LAST BEEKEEPER

In this interview, Julie and I discuss The Last Beekeeper, all of the world building she did for this book, why she chose bees, her own beekeeping experiences, the book's stunning cover, the font created just for this book, maintaining …

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March 7, 2023

Interview with Jessa Maxwell - THE GOLDEN SPOON

In this interview, Jessa and I discuss The Golden Spoon, setting the book during a baking competition, the hardest part of writing the book, her stunning cover, crafting a story where the reader does not know who dies until the …

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March 3, 2023

Interview with C.J. Box - STORM WATCH

In this interview, C.J. and I discuss Storm Watch, weaving together two central mysteries into each book, how there is now more fiction focused on the outdoors than there used to be, the Joe Pickett TV series, incorporating a political …

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March 2, 2023

Interview with Davina Morgan-Witts - Founder and Publisher, BookBrowse

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Davina and I chat about her role as Founder and Publisher of BookBrowse, how she came up with the idea to create the website, curating books for readers and book clubs, BookBrowse's membership options, …

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Feb. 28, 2023

Interview with Shelley Read - GO AS A RIVER

In this interview, Shelley and I discuss Go as a River, the kernel of inspiration that sparked the story, her love of nature and wilderness, grief and how she explores it in her writing, connecting with others through grief, her …

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Feb. 27, 2023

Interview with William Kent Krueger- THE LEVEE

In this interview, Kent and I discuss The Levee, using Faulkner's novella The Old Man as a jumping off point, the booming audiobook market, writing an audio original versus a book, why he focuses on the themes of the power …

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Feb. 24, 2023

Interview with Cheryl A. Head - TIME'S UNDOING

In this interview, Cheryl and I discuss Time's Undoing, basing the story on her family history, setting Time's Undoing in Birmingham and Detroit and the similarities in the cities, how the earth below a city holds its secrets and history, …

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Feb. 21, 2023

Interview with Lynn Cullen - THE WOMAN WITH THE CURE

In this interview, Lynn and I discuss The Woman With the Cure, writing a book about the polio pandemic during another pandemic, how our culture is dictated by advertisements, her research, her goal to present the science necessary in the …

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Feb. 14, 2023

Interview with Amy Tector - THE FOULEST THINGS

In this interview, Amy and I discuss The Foulest Things, writing a series and mysteries as a pantser, why she created the fictional Dominion Archives, incorporating art theft into her story, and much more.

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Feb. 10, 2023

Interview with Sadeqa Johnson - THE HOUSE OF EVE

In this interview, Sadeqa and I discuss The House of Eve, how she was inspired by her family's history to write this story, colorism in the Black community, what she learned while writing this novel, her stunning cover, finding the …

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Feb. 7, 2023

Interview with Christie Tate - B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost an…

In this interview, Christie and I discuss B.F.F., all of the book's great pre-publication press, why friendships were so hard for her, social media's impact on relationships, how the title and cover came about, how her family responded to this …

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Feb. 3, 2023

Interview with Sally Page - THE KEEPER OF STORIES

In this interview, Sally and I discuss The Keeper of Stories, how she collected the stories for the book, why she started writing fiction, the importance of intergenerational relationships, how truth is stranger than fiction, and much more.

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Feb. 1, 2023

Interview with Alison Wisdom - THE BURNING SEASON

In this interview, Alison and I discuss The Burning Season, her inspiration for this book, her fascination with cults as well as the wider world's fascination with them, infertility, writing from a first person point of view, and much more.

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Jan. 24, 2023

Interview with Audrey Burges - THE MINUSCULE MANSION OF MYRA MALONE

In this interview, Audrey and I discuss The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone, how she came up with the idea for the story, the fascination with miniatures, how her fabulous cover came about, choosing the book's locales, the Thorne Miniature …

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Jan. 20, 2023

Interview with Grady Hendrix - HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE

In this interview, Grady and I discuss How to Sell a Haunted House, his decision to write about dolls and puppets, how he started writing horror, world building, and much more.

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Jan. 17, 2023

Interview with Erika Bolstad - WINDFALL

In this interview, Erika and I discuss Windfall, how she decided to write this book and the ways it changed over time, how everyone yearns to know where they come from, her internal conflicts about her family's inheritance, her book …

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Jan. 13, 2023

Interview with Jenna Blum - THE KEY OF LOVE

In this interview, Jenna and I discuss her new serial audio drama The Key of Love, creating this story, how she approached writing it and how it differed from writing a traditional book, the process for creating the audio dra...

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Jan. 10, 2023

Interview with Sara Rosett - High Society Lady Detective series

In this interview, Sara and I discuss her High Society Lady Detective series, how she decided to write the series, how it has changed over time, why she chose the indie author route, her recent Kickstarter campaign, her podcasts, and …

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Jan. 5, 2023

Interview with Christopher Lin - Art Director, Dutton

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Christopher and I chat about his role as Art Director at Dutton and what it entails, how his department has changed since he started at Dutton, the step-by-step process for designing a book cover, …

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Jan. 3, 2023

Behind the Books

In this special Behind the Books episode, Kelly Hooker interviews me about the podcast and how it has evolved, my reading life, my literary salon, how I got started in the book world, and much more.

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Dec. 23, 2022

Pam Lamp - Her Blog Plus Cookbook Recommendations (Originally Aired 8…

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 …

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Dec. 20, 2022

Bonus Episode: Elise Hooper and Lynda Cohen Loigman Chat Books

In this bonus episode, authors Elise Hooper and Lynda Cohen Loigman recommend books about women with unusual careers. Elise's selections: Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead Finley Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano The Cart...

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Dec. 16, 2022

Mary Webber O'Malley and Pamela Klinger-Horn - Their Winter 2023 Reco…

Mary and Pamela join me to discuss their recommended reads for Winter 2023.

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