Episodes

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 excited to be launching this collaboration for 2024.

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 her book, and much more.

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 The Bitter Past Elizabeth Passarella about It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway Rory Carroll about There Will Be Fire Rachel Beanland about The House Is on Fire Shelley Read about Go as a River Sadeqa Johnson about The House of Eve Want to know which new titles are publis...

In this episode, Kelly Hooker and I discuss our favorite books of 2023. Kelly’s Selections: Favorite Book of the Year: Go As a River by Shelley Read Best Book To Recommend to Anyone: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley Most Unique Premise: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck Most Likely to Feel like a Conversation with a Friend: It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway by Elizabeth Passarella Most Tense: The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon Best Time Travel Story: The Unmaking of June...

Mary and Pamela join me to discuss their recommended reads for Winter 2024. Mary’s Selections: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar You Only Call When You're In Trouble by Stephen McCauley Mercury by Amy Jo Burns Family Family by Laurie Frankel The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett Splinters by Leslie Jamison Bunyan and Henry by Mark Cecil Say Hello To My Little Friend by Jennine Capo Crucet A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke Pamela’s Selections: The Sto...

In this interview, I chat with Jon Clinch about The General and Julia, how he decided to write about Ulysses S. Grant, the impact Samuel Clemens had on the publishing of Grant's memoirs, how he structured the story, preserving the Mark Twain House, and much more. Want to know which new titles are publishing in January - May of 2024? Check out the new Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead. Join my Patreon group to support...

In this episode, Thoughts from a Page listeners share their favorite reads of 2023: Kristen Smith - The wishing Game by Meg Shaffer Karen McNamara - The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring Jayda Justus - After Anne: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Life by Logan Steiner Cynthia - Shark Heart Mary O'Malley - The Book of More Delights by Ross Gay Sidra Jeffries - The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland Karen Naughton - Happiness Fall by Angie Kim Lynette Burnett- Varina Palladino's Jersey I...

In this episode, I revisit some of my favorite Behind the Scenes conversations from 2023.

In this interview, I chat with Katie Cotugno about Meet the Benedettos, her love of Pride and Prejudice, taking on the challenge of a reimagining of a classic, choosing character names, reality TV and its cultural impact today, and much more. Want to know which new titles are publishing in January - May of 2024? Check out the new Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead. Join my Patreon group to support the podcast. Oth...

Kristyn Kusek Lewis recommends books for gift giving this holiday.

In this episode, Kelly and I chat about standout debut novels.

In this interview, I chat with Mackenzie Funk about The Hank Show, how he first learned about Hank Asher and then decided to write about him, how our personal data is accumulated and used today and how it all began, his research, the initial way that this data collection was put to use, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Amanda Peters about The Berry Pickers, how she decided to write this story, writing in first person, choosing who would narrate the story, writing a character study, the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and other accolades, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Celeste Connally about Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, her new pseudonym and how she selected it, writing historical books instead of contemporary, what it was like for women to live in the Regency Era, setting the stage for a new series, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Jen Golbeck and Stacey Colino about The Purest Bond, how they came to write this book together, the physical, cognitive, emotional and social benefits of owning a dog, the gorilla basketball video on YouTube, creating the Golden Ratio, the science behind the human/dog relationship, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Elizabeth Crook about The Madstone, Texas during Reconstruction, how she wanted to write another book with Benjamin Shreve as a central character, the definition of a madstone and how she chose that as her title, her personal connection to the cover, and much more.

In this episode, Kelly Hooker and I chat about our favorite books that published in July through September 2023.

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Victoria Wood and I chat about BiblioLifestyle, how and why she launched her website and her newsletter, creating her podcast and reading guides, how her Epigraph Festival works, why she DNFs, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Tess Gerritsen about The Spy Coast, how she came up with the idea for this one, making it into a series, writing as a pantser, her title and cover, including the foreign locales that she loves best, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Matt Singer about Opposable Thumbs, writing about Siskel & Ebert, how the two were trailblazers and the legacy they left, where the show can be watched today, whether it is best to read a book before or after watching the screen adaptation, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Laurence Leamer about Hitchcock's Blondes, why he decided to write this book, his research, interviewing Eva Marie Saint and Kim Novak, the upcoming screen adaptation of Capote's Women, what surprised him the most when writing this one, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Meg Kissinger about While You Were Out, why she decided to write this book, how the health care system often fails those with mental illness, what surprised her the most when writing this memoir, living with parents who have mental illnesses, her title and its significance, and much more.

In this interview, I chat with Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer about Disneyland on the Mountain, how they learned about Mineral King and decided to write about it, Walt Disney's vision for a ski resort, putting the Mineral King project in context within the larger Disney arena and the environmental movement, their research, and much more. Greg's recommended reads are: A Chateau Under Siege by Martin Walker Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith by John Szwed Kathryn's r...

In this interview, Ritu Mukerji and I discuss Murder by Degrees, how this is a start to a new mystery series, the title and cover, incorporating the medical practices of the late 1800s, creating a strong sense of place and time as well as an unconventional investigator, why she set the story in Philadelphia, and much more. Ritu's recommended reads are: The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey The Dry by Jane Harper All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby Join my Patreon group to support th...