E132: Interview with Angie Kim, author of Happiness Falls

Author Interview, , , , ,

You all remember Episode 27 when I hosted Angie Kim for her Edgar Award winning debut, Miracle Creek. Well what a thrill to host Angie once again for her best-selling, GMA book of the month club choice, Happiness Falls! For this episode we go in depth to talk about Angelman Syndrome, non-verbal communication, flipping the mystery/suspense trope, the science behind the happiness quotient and so much more. Please give a listen to this fantastic episode. Thank you Angie Kim for taking time out of your busy tour to sit down with me for this episode!

Angie Kim recommends: The Reason I Jump by KA Yoshida; Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro; In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien; Bel Canto and Tom Lake, both by Ann Patchett; Chemistry by Weike Wang.

Place you hold for Angie Kim titles here. 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

E131: Interview with Erin Flanagan, author of Come With Me

Author Interview, , , , , ,

“I try to make my characters as smart as they can be…” so says Edgar Award winning author Erin Flanagan in this episode. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Erin to talk about her latest thriller, Come With Me. Author Liz Alterman says, “Come With Me is a roller-coaster ride that will have you holding your breath until the final page.” Indeed! We also chat about Erin’s Edgar winning book Deer Season, her short stories, her marvelous writer friends and more. Thank you Erin!

Erin Flanagan recommends: Prom Mom by Laura Lippman; Yellowface by R. F. Kuang; I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai; Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott; The Good Girl House by Erin Flanagan (please scroll down on that landing page to find the story). Place your hold here for all Erin Flanagan titles!

Follow Erin on Instagram and Twitter: @erinlflanagan

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

E130: Interview with James Wade, author of Beasts of the Earth

Author Interview, , , , , , , , , , ,

“All Things Left Wild by James Wade was one of my favorite novels of the last two years, as was River, Sing Out. But neither of those novels could have prepared me for the dark and compelling vision of Beasts of the Earth.”   ~David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Spur and Anthony Award-winning author of Winter Counts

James Wade’s third book, Beasts of the Earth, is a heart-stopper, a jaw-dropper, and a prose-stunner. The characters of Harlen LeBlanc and Munday Fisher are two you won’t soon forget. There’s a reason the New York Review of Books calls James Wade an “an author of extraordinary merit.” Take a listen to this interview with three-peat guest author James Wade. Thank you so much Mr. W for joining me once again on the show! It’s always a pleasure, but it’s an even bigger pleasure reading your fabulous novels.

Reserve James Wade titles here.  Follow James Wade on Instagram at @jameswadewriter

James Wade recommends: Oleander City by Matt Bondurant; Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy; The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy; The Last Karankawas by Kimberly Garza

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

E129: Interview with James McBride, author of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

Author Interview, , , , , , ,

What an episode! I had the pleasure of hosting James McBride, the award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter to talk about his latest book, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.  His landmark memoir, The Color of Water, has sold millions of copies and is considered an American classic. His debut novel, Miracle at St. Anna, was turned into a 2008 film by Oscar-winning writer/director Spike Lee, with a script written by McBride. His 2013 novel, The Good Lord Bird, about American abolitionist John Brown, won the National Book Award for Fiction and was a Showtime limited series, starring Ethan Hawke.

Yes, that James McBride, and he joined me on this episode to talk about his new book, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, the price of secrets, the choices we make as people, and the power of community. Thank you so much James McBride!

Place your hold for all James McBride titles here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Episode 128: Interview with Matthew Norman author of Charm City Rocks

Author Interview, , , , , , ,

“If Daisy Jones and Emily Henry had a baby, it would be Charm City Rocks.” ~ bestselling author Colleen Oakley.

For this episode, three-time guest Matthew Norman sat down to talk about his completely charming new novel, Charm City Rocks. Matthew talks about writing a sweet novel instead of a bitter-sweet novel, writing songs into his books, making Burnt Flowers t-shirts, the city of Baltimore, and so much more.

Thank you so much Matthew Norman – what a great interview! Follow Matthew Norman on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @thenormannation. Place your hold here for all Matthew Norman titles.

Matthew Norman recommends: The People We Keep by Allie Larkin;  Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld 

   

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

E127: Interview with Hazel Gaynor author of The Last Lifeboat

Author Interview, , , , , , , , ,

“Emotionally riveting and beautifully told,The Last Lifeboat is an unforgettable story of survival, resolve, and the shimmering stubbornness of hope. You can count on Hazel Gaynor’s gorgeous writing to carry you away and safely bring you back.
—Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things

For this episode Hazel Gaynor talks about how The Last Lifeboat is different from anything she’s written before, finding the nuggets of inspiration for her novels, what she’s working on next and more. Thank you so much for joining me Hazel!

Hazel Gaynor recommends: The Paris Daughter by Kristen Harmel; Yellowface by R. F. Kuang; and Blitz Spirit: Voices of Britain Living Through Crisis, 1939-1945 by Becky Brown.

Reserve books by Hazel Gaynor here!

   

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

E126: Interview with Steven Rowley author of The Celebrants

Author Interview, , , , , , ,

Anytime I host Steven Rowley there’s plenty to celebrate and this episode is no different! We celebrate Steven’s magical year: winning the 2022 Thurber Prize for American Humor for The Guncle, being a Read With Jenna Pick, once again making it onto the NYT bestseller list (this time for The Celebrants), and sharing a publication date with his amazing author husband, Byron Lane. We talk about all that and more in this terrific episode.Thank you for joining me once again Steven!

Steven Rowley recommends: Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane; A Star is Bored by Byron Lane. Click here to reserve your copy of The Celebrants and all Steven Rowley titles! 

Listen to E62 as Steven and I talk about his Thurber Prize winner, The Guncle.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

E125: Interview with Erin E. Adams author of Jackal

Author Interview, , , , , , , , , , ,

This marvelous debut, Jackal, by author Erin E. Adams is one of those books best read with the lights on! Recommended by Gillian Flynn on the Today Show, Jackal is the story of a young Black girl who goes missing in the woods outside her rust belt town. But she isn’t the first—and she may not be the last. So when Liz Rocher goes back to this town to attend her best-friend’s wedding she gets much more than she bargained for. Filled with gorgeous prose, this hair-raising debut will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I loved it.  For this episode, we chat about Erin’s inspiration for the story, her hometown of Johnstown, PA, her love for libraries, what she’s working on next and so much more. Thank you Erin!

Erin E. Adams recommends the Fall 2023 releases of, What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman; Nestlings by Nat Cassidy; The Black Girl Survives in this One: A YA Horror Fiction Anthology.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

E124: Interview with J. Ryan Stradal, author of Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

Author Interview, , , , , , , ,

I can’t think of a better place to be than Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club! This latest from NYT bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal, is a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope, that unites and divides them. I loved this book from cover to cover! We talk about character development, the structure of the book, the wonder of supper clubs and so much more. Thank you J. Ryan Stradal, I had a blast!

J. Ryan Stradal recommends They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey.

Follow J. Ryan Stradal on Instagram and Twitter: @jryanstradal. Reserve his books right here! 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

E123: Interview with Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

Author Interview, , , , ,

Lessons in Chemistry, the bestselling juggernaut by Bonnie Garmus, has taken the world by storm and to say I was thrilled to host her for this episode is an understatement! For E123, we talk about the inspiration for the book, the movie treatment, why Lessons in Chemistry resonates with so many (including male readers), what’s next for Bonnie Garmus and so much more. Thank you for joining me Bonnie!

Bonnie Garmus recommends: In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Follow Bonnie on Twitter @bonniegarmus and on Instagram @bonnie_garmus_author

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Amazon Music | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More