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

Oct. 28, 2022

Interview with Louise Kennedy - TRESPASSES

In this interview, Louise and I discuss Trespasses, living through The Troubles in the 1970s and setting her book during that time period, how a high level of violence impacts a population, tit-for-tat killings, why she does not use quotation …

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Oct. 26, 2022

Interview with Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch - DECLASSIFIED

In this interview, Arianna and I discuss Declassified, her feelings about medieval music, the origin of the book's chapter titles, Mozart's obsession with poop, her stellar cover, why she decided to create this guide to classical music and weave her …

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Oct. 21, 2022

Elizabeth Barnhill - Our Favorite Books of Fall 2022

In this episode, Elizabeth and I chat about our favorite books that published in Fall 2022.

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Oct. 18, 2022

Interview with Toya Wolfe - LAST SUMMER ON STATE STREET

In this interview, Toya and I discuss Last Summer on State Street, having her book selected by Steph Curry's Literati book club, how she ended up crafting Fifi as an adult reflecting back on the events happening in the book, …

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Oct. 14, 2022

Kelly Hooker - Our Favorite Books of July-September 2022

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

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Oct. 11, 2022

Interview with Nora Zelevansky - COMPETITIVE GRIEVING

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 …

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Oct. 7, 2022

Interview with Barbara Mujica - MISS DEL RIO

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 …

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Oct. 6, 2022

Interview with Anne Bogel - Author, Blog Creator, and Podcaster

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 …

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Oct. 4, 2022

Interview with Ann Davila Cardinal - THE STORYTELLER'S DEATH

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 …

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Oct. 2, 2022

Interview with Kristina McMorris - THE WAYS WE HIDE

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 …

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Sept. 28, 2022

Interview with Elyssa Friedland - THE MOST LIKELY CLUB

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 …

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Sept. 16, 2022

Interview with Mark Pryor - DIE AROUND SUNDOWN

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, …

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Sept. 13, 2022

Interview with Angie Cruz - HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER

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 …

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Sept. 9, 2022

Mary Webber O'Malley and Pamela Klinger-Horn - Their Favorite Fall 20…

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

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Sept. 7, 2022

Interview with Deanna Raybourn - KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE

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 …

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Sept. 2, 2022

Interview with Kerrie Hansler - Co-founder, Sweet Reads Box

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 …

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Sept. 2, 2022

Interview with Brian Contine - Penguin Adult Field Rep

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 …

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Aug. 26, 2022

Interview with Chris Cander - A GRACIOUS NEIGHBOR

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 …

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Aug. 4, 2022

Interview with Tess Day - Director of Publicity, Zibby Books

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 …

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Aug. 2, 2022

Interview with Gillian McAllister - WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME

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 …

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Aug. 1, 2022

Interview with Hayley Scrivenor - DIRT CREEK

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, …

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July 31, 2022

Interview with Zibby Owens - BOOKENDS

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 …

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July 31, 2022

Interview with Leigh Newman - NOBODY GETS OUT ALIVE

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 …

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July 29, 2022

Interview with Vanessa Riley - SISTER MOTHER WARRIOR

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 …

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