The Literary Lookbook for January-May 2025 is live! This is a comprehensive but not exhaustive collection of 584 upcoming 2025 releases curated by @kellyhook.readsbooks and @thoughtsfromapage. The Lookbook includes titles releasing January-May 2025 from a variety of genres and features cover designs organized by publication date. Click on this link to purchase it.

Historical Fiction Episodes

July 28, 2023

Interview with Pip Williams - THE BOOKBINDER

In this interview, Pip and I discuss The Bookbinder, creating the book trailer for this book, actually learning to bind books herself, creating a strong sense of place, her stunning book cover, how she first learned about the subject matter …

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June 27, 2023

Interview with Ruth P. Watson - A RIGHT WORTHY WOMAN

In this interview, Ruth and I discuss A Right Worthy Woman, writing about Maggie Lena Walker and including her in all of her books, the cover process, her research, how the title came about, and much more.

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June 13, 2023

Interview with Fiona Davis - THE SPECTACULAR

In this interview, Fiona and I discuss The Spectacular, how she decided to write about Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes, the Book Club kit created for this book, taking the cover in a different direction than her previous …

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June 6, 2023

Interview with Kathleen Grissom - CROW MARY

In this interview, Kathleen and I discuss Crow Mary, how she learned about Crow Mary, researching the Crow culture, the use of the name Mary for Native American women, how Kevin Red Star designed the book cover, what surprised her …

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May 3, 2023

Interview with Patti Callahan Henry - THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA

In this interview, Patti and I discuss The Secret Book of Flora Lea, the origin of Whisperwood and how much fun she had creating it, the legend of the Pied Piper, her love of fairy tales, what surprised her the …

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April 4, 2023

Interview with Rachel Beanland- THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE

In this interview, Rachel and I discuss The House Is On Fire, the Richmond Fire of 1811, her stunning cover, how she chose who would tell the story, her research, and much more.

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March 24, 2023

Interview with Jacqueline Winspear - THE WHITE LADY

In this interview, Jacqueline and I discuss The White Lady , the woman who inspired Elinor, the emotional impact writing this book had on her, what surprised her the most when drafting The White Lady, writing a standalone, an...

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March 21, 2023

Interview with Laura Spence-Ash - BEYOND THAT, THE SEA

In this interview, Laura and I discuss Beyond That, the Sea, exploring how someone moves forward when they can't quite figure out who they are and where they belong, telling the story through multiple points of view and why she …

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March 17, 2023

Interview with Jennifer Rosner - ONCE WE WERE HOME

In this interview, Jennifer and I discuss Once We Were Home, exploring the nature of bonds and how they locate a person in a home, how her experience as a parent of deaf children helped her tell this story, her …

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Feb. 28, 2023

Interview with Shelley Read - GO AS A RIVER

In this interview, Shelley and I discuss Go as a River, the kernel of inspiration that sparked the story, her love of nature and wilderness, grief and how she explores it in her writing, connecting with others through grief, her …

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Feb. 27, 2023

Interview with William Kent Krueger- THE LEVEE

In this interview, Kent and I discuss The Levee, using Faulkner's novella The Old Man as a jumping off point, the booming audiobook market, writing an audio original versus a book, why he focuses on the themes of the power …

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Feb. 24, 2023

Interview with Cheryl A. Head - TIME'S UNDOING

In this interview, Cheryl and I discuss Time's Undoing, basing the story on her family history, setting Time's Undoing in Birmingham and Detroit and the similarities in the cities, how the earth below a city holds its secrets and history, …

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Feb. 21, 2023

Interview with Lynn Cullen - THE WOMAN WITH THE CURE

In this interview, Lynn and I discuss The Woman With the Cure, writing a book about the polio pandemic during another pandemic, how our culture is dictated by advertisements, her research, her goal to present the science necessary in the …

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Feb. 10, 2023

Interview with Sadeqa Johnson - THE HOUSE OF EVE

In this interview, Sadeqa and I discuss The House of Eve, how she was inspired by her family's history to write this story, colorism in the Black community, what she learned while writing this novel, her stunning cover, finding the …

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Dec. 7, 2022

Interview with Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman - THE THREAD COL…

In this interview, we discuss The Thread Collectors, how Alyson and Shaunna met and decided to write this book together, what their writing process looked like, the research behind the book, the book's original title and how they decided on …

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