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

Season 1

March 18, 2021

Hala Alyan - THE ARSONISTS' CITY

Hala and I discuss The Arsonists’ City, the character she enjoyed writing the most, wanting to provide a deeper understanding of Lebanon to her readers, how and why intergenerational conflict and secrets provide great fodder for writers, and more.

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March 12, 2021

Patti Callahan - SURVIVING SAVANNAH

Patti and I discuss her latest book Surviving Savannah, how she found a door into this story, the way the Pulaski and its passengers spoke to her, how Friends and Fiction came about and what the group is doing now, …

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March 12, 2021

J.T. Ellison - HER DARK LIES

J.T. and I discuss her latest mystery Her Dark Lies, closed circle versus locked room mysteries, the trip that lead to her creating Her Dark Lies, the character that she really struggled to write, writing books in a series compared …

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March 12, 2021

Jennifer Dupee - THE LITTLE FRENCH BRIDAL SHOP

Jennifer and I discuss her debut The Little French Bridal Shop, the inspiration for both her story and the bridal shop in the book, how small falsehoods can easily turn into a web of lies, how she balances her day …

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March 9, 2021

Kate Quinn - THE ROSE CODE

Kate and I discuss her latest book The Rose Code, writing about the unsung women code breakers at Bletchley Park who helped shorten the war by at least two years, the amount of secrecy required of those who worked at …

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March 9, 2021

Mark Greaney - RELENTLESS

Mark and I discuss his new Gray Man novel Relentless, the inspiration for Court Gentry, the character he enjoys writing the most, what it was like working with Tom Clancy and continuing his series, writing two books a year, the …

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Feb. 3, 2021

Te-Ping Chen - LAND OF BIG NUMBERS

Te-Ping and I discuss her short story collection Land of Big Numbers, how the people she met as a journalist in Beijing inspired some of these stories, what it is like for people who live in a society where many …

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Feb. 2, 2021

Jane Harper - THE SURVIVORS

Jane and I discuss her latest book The Survivors, how setting and plot drive her stories, creating a strong sense of place, her thoughts on the motion picture adaptation of The Dry and Eric Bana as Aaron Falk, how her …

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Feb. 1, 2021

Nancy Johnson - THE KINDEST LIE

Nancy and I discuss her debut novel The Kindest Lie, the issue of identity in the United States today, her title’s dual meaning, how important it is for aspiring authors to write the story they want to write versus following …

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Jan. 26, 2021

Ty Seidule - ROBERT E. LEE AND ME

Ty and I discuss his new book Robert E. Lee and Me, the myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy and its creation and perpetuation, how telling his own personal story is more impactful than just sharing his views, …

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Jan. 14, 2021

Julie Carrick Dalton - WAITING FOR THE NIGHT SONG

Julie discusses her debut Waiting for the Night Song, why she loosely based the plot line on a cherished children’s book, choosing New Hampshire for the book’s setting, the importance and urgency of climate fiction, and much more.

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Jan. 13, 2021

Nick Petrie - THE BREAKER

Nick discusses his latest mystery The Breaker, incorporating cutting edge technology into some of his stories, the long-range implications and societal changes resulting from new technology such as cell phones and social media, and writing about PTSD.

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Jan. 12, 2021

Julia Kelly - THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND

Julia discusses her latest book The Last Garden in England, the pros and cons of choosing a popular topic like gardening to write about, the importance of creating a strong sense of place, and recruiting her father to help her …

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Jan. 8, 2021

Melissa Croce - SINGLE AND FORCED TO MINGLE

Melissa discusses her book Single and Forced to Mingle, how her story went viral, creating the fun format she used in the book, why millennials are choosing to not have children, debunking the myth that there is one path that …

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Jan. 5, 2021

Molly Greeley - THE HEIRESS

Molly discusses her novel The Heiress, writing Austen-inspired fiction, creating a story around a fictional character from Pride & Prejudice, her favorite Jane Austen book, researching Regency-era England, and much more.

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Dec. 29, 2020

Judithe Little - THE CHANEL SISTERS

Judithe discusses her novel The Chanel Sisters, why she chose Antoinette to tell the sisters’ story, how Coco Chanel’s early years influenced her designs and fabrics, the unique research Judithe conducted, and much more.

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Dec. 18, 2020

Marie Benedict - THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE

Marie discusses her latest novel The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, writing about the venerated Agatha Christie, telling the stories of women that history forgot, the event that changed the trajectory of Agatha Christie’s career, and much more.

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Dec. 15, 2020

Sarah McCraw Crow - THE WRONG KIND OF WOMAN

Sarah discusses her debut novel The Wrong Kind of Woman, writing about women’s issues in the 1970s, how her story resonates in today’s world, incorporating the music and television of the era into her research, and more.

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Dec. 11, 2020

Lainey Cameron - THE EXIT STRATEGY

Lainey discusses her debut novel The Exit Strategy, working in the tech industry as a one of the only women in the boardroom, her desire to inspire and empower women with this story, the importance of titles and covers, and …

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Dec. 1, 2020

Denise Williams - HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING

Denise discusses her debut novel How to Fail at Flirting, tackling a tough subject matter in her novel, how comparing oneself to others is a “thief of joy”, the struggle to find the perfect title for her book, serving as …

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Nov. 30, 2020

Heather Caliendo - Book Club Chat

Heather discusses how she started Book Club Chat, her favorite and least favorite aspects of what she does, how she decides which books to select, her favorite genres, recent changes and trends in the publishing industry, celebrity book clubs and …

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Nov. 20, 2020

Julie Clark - THE LAST FLIGHT

Julie discusses her instant New York Times bestseller The Last Flight, writing her first thriller, her advice for aspiring authors, the importance of the right book cover and how the cover sets up expectations for readers, and more.

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Nov. 17, 2020

Halley Sutton - THE LADY UPSTAIRS

Halley discusses her debut novel The Lady Upstairs, her love of murder bus tours, writing feminist noir, participating as a mentee and mentor in Pitch Wars, the importance of building a community in the book world, and more.

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Nov. 13, 2020

Katharine McGee - MAJESTY

Katharine discusses her novel Majesty, the amount of world building she did for this series, writing a uchronic book, the difficulties in writing a sequel, her efforts to upend reader expectations, and much more.

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