Episodes

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 to standalone books, and much more.

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.

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 Bletchley Park and the mental and emotional toll on them, and much more.

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 fantastic mystery/thriller community and more.

Lauren and I discuss her latest book Band of Sisters, how she learned about this courageous group of women, how often women’s stories have been erased from the historical narrative, the one issue that almost broke the Smith College group, her 2021 Pink Carnation series Read-a-Along and more.

Julia and I discuss her new book Come Fly the World, how she discovered and decided to tell these women’s stories, approaching the issue of memory and recall with her interviews, the importance of stewardesses’ contributions to the feminist movement, and much more.

Jennifer and I discuss her book The Yellow Bird Sings, her impetus for telling this story, the significance of the violin and the color yellow in the book, what she learned on her research trip to Poland and how that impacted her writing, and why she selected Poland as the setting.

Bella and I discuss The Diabolical Bones, the Brontë novels that inspire the books in this series, the Brontë sister who influenced her pen name, the joy she feels writing these books, how she came up with the word detectors, and much mo

Sarah and I discuss her debut The Sanatorium, having her novel chosen as a Reese’s Book Club selection, how she created such a strong sense of place, making the sanatorium a character in the novel, writing a closed circle mystery, her stunning book cover, and more.

Zibby and I discuss her anthology Moms Don’t Have Time To, the genesis of the essays, how she pulled this project together so quickly, which genre is Zibby’s personal favorite, how she reads so many books, and what surprised her the most about compiling these essays into an anthology.

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...

Susan and I discuss her latest novel The Nature of Fragile Things, the unexpected book that inspired her to write this story, her interest in the mail-order bride phenomenon, the fragility of San Francisco’s infrastructure prior to the 1906 earthquake, and more.

Erika and I discuss her latest novel The Invisible Woman, bringing Virginia Hall to life, highlighting the everyday people who contributed to the French Resistance, touring the CIA Museum, how readers are looking for stories of redemption during the pandemic, and more.

Eliza and I discuss her adult debut If I Disappear, how she created her unique format, finding a place in today’s world, how grief can impact and infect everything else, the importance of focusing on mental health, the fabulous true crime community and more.

Anna and I discuss her new book The Three Mothers, the importance of black women and their stories and contributions, how she chose these three mothers, the direct connection between these women and the work their sons pursued, how we tell history and wh...

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 stories, and more.

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 journalism training helps her write thrillers and more.

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.

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, reading recommendations and more.

Lisa and I discuss her new mystery Before She Disappeared, the complexity of plotting a person’s disappearance in 2021, walking the streets of Mattapan for research and the delicious food item that she discovered there, and the real-life inspiration for Frankie.

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.

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.

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.

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.