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.

Episodes

Nov. 15, 2022

Interview with Alice Henderson - A GHOST OF CARIBOU

In this interview, Alice and I discuss A Ghost of Caribou, the importance of old-growth trees for mountain caribous' existence, how the loss of one species impacts an entire ecosystem, her favorite scenes to write, what surprised her the most when writing this book, her personal barren-ground carib…

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Nov. 14, 2022

Interview with Joe Pompeo - BLOOD AND INK

In this interview, Joe and I discuss Blood and Ink, timing the publication of his book with the 100th year anniversary of the crime, the birth of tabloid journalism, his long-term interest in historical true crime, his research and the documents that he helped uncover about the case, how the title …

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Nov. 8, 2022

Interview with Clare Mackintosh - THE LAST PARTY

In this interview, Clare and I discuss The Last Party, setting the book on the border between Wales and England, the increased importance and focus on borders as a result of COVID, living in Wales and writing about it, choosing character names, writing a series versus a standalone novel, and much m…

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Nov. 4, 2022

Interview with Robert Crais - RACING THE LIGHT

In this interview, Robert and I discuss Racing the Light, how Elvis and Joe have evolved over time, incorporating current events into his novels, creating new storylines over a 19-book series, whether he is a plotter or a pantser, and much more.

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Nov. 3, 2022

Interview with Robin Whitten - Founder/Editor of AudioFile Magazine

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Robin Whitten and I chat about how she created AudioFile Magazine and its role in the publishing industry, how the magazine chooses which audiobooks to review, focusing on the listening experience versus the reading experience, the two podcasts the magazine host…

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Nov. 1, 2022

Interview with Kate Manning - GILDED MOUNTAIN

In this interview, Kate and I discuss Gilded Mountain, her inspiration for this story, the character she enjoyed writing the most, including Mother Jones in her book, exploring the many ways women are silenced, how the cover and title came about, and much more.

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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 marks, the stunning cover, and much more.

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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 own story into it, how absurdly expensive some vi…

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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, the way the title and cover came about, what surprised her most when writi…

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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 fictional world, the universal experience of what happens in t…

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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 the title and cover, and much more.

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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 What Should I Read Next?, helping readers learn how to identify what didn't work abou…

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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 the book in the 1970s, her incredible opening sentence, magical realism as …

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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 online, the highlight of writing this book, all of the research she conducted, and much more.

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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 much more.

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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, including Pablo Picasso in Die Around Sundown, and much more.

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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 of her research, and much more.

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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 book, how society's perception of aging has changed in t…

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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 book, what makes her company stand out from the other book subscription services, ho…

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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 decides what he will recommend in his role as a field rep, de…

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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 writing process, mean girls and how some never grow out of that phase, and…

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