My 17-page 2025 Winter Reading Guide is live! The guide contains 45 recent and upcoming releases plus new titles in book series, fiction/nonfiction pairings, stellar mystery series and some anticipated spring and summer releases. All of these will make great reads for this winter and many are books you won’t see many other places; I strive to find those under-the-radar gems. If you are interested, fill out the Google form and submit a tip of your choosing.

Contemporary Fiction Episodes

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

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 job and writing, reading recommendations, and more.

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Feb. 12, 2021

Madeleine Henry - THE LOVE PROOF

Madeleine and I discuss her latest novel The Love Proof, what inspired her to write this book, her love of yoga, her writing process, what she likes to do in her free time, and more.The Love Proof can be purchased at Murder by the Book.Madeleine’s 2 re...

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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 circumstances are outside their control, the universality of intergenerational family s…

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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 publishing trends, her own publishing journey and more.

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Jan. 19, 2021

Liese O'Halloran Schwarz - WHAT COULD BE SAVED

Liese discusses her new book What Could Be Saved, writing about Bangkok in both the 1970s and present day, pulling from her experiences as an expat, how her writing process has evolved over time, pandemic reading recommendations, and much more.

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Jan. 15, 2021

Mateo Askaripour - BLACK BUCK

Mateo discusses Black Buck, using a creative format to tell the story, fiction’s incredible power to teach empathy and understanding, his unique (and very cool) cover and the story behind it, having his novel chosen for the Read with Jenna book club.

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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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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 publishing during the pandemic.

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Dec. 8, 2020

Sharon Harrigan - HALF

Sharon speaks about her debut novel Half, writing about twin sisters who speak in one voice, publishing during the pandemic, the inspiration for her story, and much more.

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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 a mentor in Pitch Wars, and more.

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Nov. 12, 2020

Ehsaneh Sadr - A DOOR BETWEEN US

Ehsaneh discusses her debut novel A Door Between Us, her desire to portray all sides of a conflict, writing about an event that is not frequently covered in literature, growing up in a Muslim/Mormon home, and what she hopes readers take away from her book.

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Nov. 9, 2020

A. H. Kim - A GOOD FAMILY

Ann discusses her debut novel A Good Family, her very personal inspiration for the book, joining the amazing debut author community on Facebook, trying to settle on the perfect title for the book, publishing during the pandemic, and much more.

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Oct. 22, 2020

Lauren Ho - LAST TANG STANDING

Lauren discusses her debut novel Last Tang Standing, the importance of humor in books, the way reading promotes empathy and understanding, choosing to write the book in diary format, and coming up with the idea for the novel while she was a stand-up comedian.

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Oct. 20, 2020

Nancy Thayer - GIRLS OF SUMMER

Nancy discusses her latest novel Girls of Summer, writing about the intricacies and mysteries of family, her love of crafting beach reads with happy endings, the way technology has impacted her job, and the importance of independent book stores.

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