Category: Writing

Ep. 113: KJ Dell’Antonia on Online Personas, Creating Small Towns, and Having More Fun with Fiction

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This week, KJ Dell’Antonia is on the podcast to discuss her new novel, In Her Boots, a delightfully entertaining story set in small town New Hampshire about a ruse that goes awry and a chaotic homecoming that proves that confronting your past can sometimes set you free. 

 

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“In Her Boots is a modern, big-hearted, laugh-out-loud funny novel that reminds us that the only way to find true connection, friendship and belonging is to fully be ourselves. A joy to read from page one all the way to the very end.” —Louise Miller, author of The Late Bloomers’ Club and The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living

 

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

KJ Dell’Antonia is the former editor of Motherlode and current contributor to The New York Times, as well as the author of How to Be a Happier Parent and the instant New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club Pick, The Chicken Sisters. She lives with her family on a small farm in Lyme, New Hampshire, but retains an abiding love for her childhood in Texas and Kansas. Learn more: https://kjdellantonia.com

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 112: Jamie Ford on Plotting a Sprawling Family Saga and Exploring Inherited Trauma

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This week my guest is Jamie Ford, the New York Times Bestselling Author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. His new novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, is this month’s “Read with Jenna” pick and a powerful exploration of the love that binds one family across generations.

 

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“The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is simply transcendent. The first Chinese woman to set her lotus-bound feet in America is destined to set off a ripple through time and space, as her descendants struggle with her legacy of loss and loneliness. Themes of karma, courage, love, and motherhood weave timelessly through eight generations of women seeking to find balance in an increasingly tempest-racked world. Jamie Ford has outdone himself!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code

 

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. His work has been translated into thirty-five languages. Having grown up in Seattle, he now lives in Montana with his wife and a one-eyed pug. Learn more https://jamieford.com.

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 111: Jamie Brenner on Gilt, Seasonal Writing Rhythms, and Sparkling Summer Settings

Posted in Summer Reading, WritingLeave a comment

Jamie Brenner is on the podcast this week to discuss Gilt, a luxurious and richly compelling novel about a famous family jewelry dynasty and the hidden past that could topple it all. 

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“I completely lost myself in Brenner’s blissful, heartfelt novel, centered around a family curse and a luscious pink diamond. A joyous story about shifting family dynamics, self-discovery and the power of forgiveness. The perfect summer read.” —Fiona Davis, New York Timesbestselling author of The Magnolia Palace

 

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Jamie Brenner is the author of six novels, including Blush and The Forever Summer. She grew up in suburban Philadelphia on a steady diet of Jackie Collins and Judith Krantz novels, and later moved to New York City to live like the heroines of her favorite books. Jamie now divides her time between Philadelphia and Provincetown. Learn more at www.jamiebrenner.com

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 110: Zibby Owens – Moms Don’t Have Time To… Shake Up the Publishing World

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Today bookfluencer extraordinaire Zibby Owens is back on the podcast to discuss her two new books, Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature and a picture book called Princess Charming. Zibby also gives the inside scoop on all of her exciting entrepreneurial projects included Zibby Books, Zcast, Moms Don’t Have Time To Read Books, and more.

 

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“Zibby Owens’s BOOKENDS is a candid and charming memoir about the ups and downs of midlife through the lens of reading and books. Zibby, one of the most beloved book influencers in America, shares how books can help us through tough times. An inspiring and hopeful read.” -Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About Zibby:

Zibby Owens is an author, podcaster, publisher, CEO, and mother of four.

Zibby is the founder of Zibby Owens Media, a privately-held media company designed to help busy people live their best lives by connecting to books and each other. The three divisions include Zibby Books, a publishing house for fiction and memoir, Zcast, a podcast network powered by Acast including Zibby’s award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, and Moms Don’t Have Time To, a new content and community site including Zibby’s Virtual Book Club, events, and the former Moms Don’t Have Time to Write. 

She is a regular columnist for Good Morning America and a frequent guest on morning news shows recommending books.

Editor of two anthologies (Moms Don’t Have Time to Have Kids and Moms Don’t Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology), a children’s book Princess Charming, and now a memoir Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature, Zibby loves to write. She regularly pens personal essays, starting with her first one in Seventeen magazine in 1992.

Zibby lives in New York with her husband, Kyle Owens of Morning Moon Productions, and her four children.  Follow her on Instagram @zibbyowens. 

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

 

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 109: Emily Henry on Book Lovers and Writing Bestselling Rom-coms

Posted in Romance, Summer Reading, WritingLeave a comment

Calling all romance fans: today my guest is Emily Henry, author of Book Lovers, an insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

 

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“Book Lovers is a treat from start to finish, flipping the conventional small-town love story trope on its head…This enemies-to-lovers novel is a quick and satisfying binge-read.”—USA Today

 

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Emily Henry studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @emilyhenrywrites. Learn more: www.emilyhenrybooks.com.

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 108: Maggie Smith, Author of Truth and Other Lies

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This week, tune in to hear debut author and Hear Us Roar podcast host, Maggie Smith discuss Truth and Other Lies, a novel in which The Devil Wears Prada meets All The Presidents’ Men.

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“An engaging and topical tale of politics and journalistic ethics with a feminist slant.” —Kirkus

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

About the Author:

Maggie Smith’s writing centers on women and the challenges they face in dealing with what life throws their way. She’s the host of the weekly podcast Hear Us Roar, where she interviews debut novelists for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She pens a monthly blog for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and serves as managing editor for The Write City Magazine, a literary publication of The Chicago Writer’s Association. She makes her home in Milwaukee. Learn more at https://maggiesmithwriter.com

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 107: Julia Glass, Author of Vigil Harbor

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This week, I was honored to get to talk all things books and writing with the National Book Award–winning, best-selling author of Three Junes, Julia Glass. Her masterful new novel, Vigil Harbor, is set in a fictional version of Marblehead, Massachusetts ten years in the future and explores climate instability, political violence, and domestic upheavals. Tune in to go behind the book with us.

 

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“In her new novel, Julia Glass gathers a combustible cast of characters, places them ten years from now, and strikes a match. Fast-paced, immersive, and imaginatively daring, Vigil Harbor is a brave look at our climate perils, our political moment, and our deep dependence on one another.” —Lily King, author of Writers & Lovers

 

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

JULIA GLASS is the author of six previous books of fiction, including the best-selling Three Junes, winner of the National Book Award, and I See You Everywhere, winner of the Binghamton University John Gardner Fiction Book Award. Other published works include the Kindle Single Chairs in the Rafters and essays in several anthologies. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Glass is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at Emerson College. She lives with her family in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Learn more at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/10192/julia-glass/.

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 106: Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Author of Take My Hand

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Today my guest is Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of Take My Hand, a profoundly moving story about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients.

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“Deeply empathetic yet unflinching in its gaze…an unforgettable exploration of responsibility and redemption.”—Celeste Ng

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the New York Times bestselling author of Wench and Balm. She was a finalist for two NAACP Image Awards and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for fiction, and she was awarded the First Novelist Award by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. Dolen is the current Chair of the Board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. On behalf of the foundation, she has visited nearly every public high school in the District of Columbia to talk about the importance of reading and writing. She is currently Associate Professor in the Literature Department at American University and lives in Washington, DC with her family. Learn more at https://dolenperkinsvaldez.com.

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 105: Annabel Monaghan, Author of Nora Goes Off Script

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Today my guest is Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script, a heartwarming and hilarious novel about a divorced romance channel screenwriter whose script about her marriage’s collapse just might help her reclaim her life and find love.


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“Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan is funny and smart, with a Nancy Meyers–movie quality you’ll love and a main character you’ll want to befriend. This is the perfect easy-breezy, feel-good read.” —Real Simple

 

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Annabel Monaghan is the author of two Young Adult novels and Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud columns that appeared in the Huffington Post, The Week, and The Rye Record. Nora Goes Off Script is her adult debut novel. She lives in Rye, New York, with her family. Learn more at http://annabelmonaghan.com

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 104: Matt Bell, Author of Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts

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This week I’m chatting with author Matt Bell about his essential new title for writers, Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts.refuse

“I can’t imagine anyone setting pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard, who won’t want to keep this book permanently close at hand.” —Benjamin Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer’s English

 

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Matt Bell is the author most recently of the novels Appleseed (a ny times notable book of 2021), Scrapper (a Michigan Notable Book) and In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods (a finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award). His stories have appeared in Best American Mystery Stories, Esquire, Tin House, Conjunctions, Fairy Tale Review, Gulf Coast, and many other publications. A native of Michigan, he now teaches creative writing at Arizona State University. Learn more at www.mattbell.com.

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.