Category: Writing

Ep. 218: Discover The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard with Michael Callahan

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This week’s guest is Michael Callahan, author of The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard, a captivating page-turner about two women bound by blood but divided by a long-buried secret, and the island that holds the key to the fateful summer that changed everything forever.

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“Compelling and evocative, The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard is a page turner of the highest order. Michael Callahan’s novel does what few books do; it glued me to my seat. It is a great mystery with great insight into the secrets everybody keeps.” – Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Resurrection Walk

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Michael Callahan is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Searching for Grace Kelly and The Night She Won Miss America, as well as a coffee-table history of the famed Musso & Frank Grill restaurant in Hollywood. A contributing editor at Vanity Fair, his work has been published in Esquire, Town & Country, and the New York Times, among others. He lives in Los Angeles. Learn more: http://www.callahanwrites.net

 

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 217: Dive Into The Sirens of Soleil City with Sarah C. Johns

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This week, Sarah C. Johns is here to discuss her gem of a debut novel, The Sirens of Soleil City, a multi-generational story that follows four women, a decaying apartment complex in West Palm Beach and a Senior Synchronized Swimming Competition in South Florida.

soleil

“The Sirens of Soleil City is a witty, touching story of resilience, forgiveness, complicated family dynamics and second chances. The unforgettable women of Soleil City charmed me, moved me, made me laugh out loud, and reminded me that pivotal friendships can be created at any age.”-Deepa Varadarajan, author of Late Bloomers

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Sarah C. Johns is a writer and video producer. After studying in South Africa, Hungary, Israel, and Germany, she graduated from McGill University before attending film school in Sydney, Australia. She lives with her family in St. Paul, Minnesota. Learn more: sarahcjohns.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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Links: 

Macmillan Audio

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 216: Madeline Martin Brings Us Into The Booklover’s Library

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What a treat to have one of my favorite historical fiction writers, Madeline Martin, back this week to discuss her new novel, The Booklover’s Library, a heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of the books that bring them together.

Martin-Cover-Final_SMP_FC_REV-scaled

“A spectacularly well-researched and well-plotted tale of World War II, motherhood, and the solace we find in books, The Booklover’s Library is filled with characters you’ll root for, drama that will bring you to tears, and the kind of emotional journey that will earn this novel a permanent place in your own booklover’s library. I loved every page.” -Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

About the Author:

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty different languages. She lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions), two incredibly spoiled cats and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She is a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. When she’s not writing, researching or ‘moming’, you can find her spending time with her family at Disney or sneaking a couple spoonfuls of Nutella while laughing over cat videos. She also loves research and travel, attributing her fascination with history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany. Check out her website for book club visits, reader guides for her historical fiction, upcoming events, book news and more: http://www.madelinemartin.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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Links: 

Macmillan Audio

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 215: Sue Mell on Weaving Together the Stories of A New Day

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This week, author Sue Mell is back on the podcast to discuss A New Day. Linked by their personal and professional relationships, the characters in these thirteen stories—all set between 1982 and 2012—struggle to achieve happiness and success.

anewday

“Endlessly fascinating characters propel these wonderfully ardent stories.”— Kirkus Reviews

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Sue Mell’s story collection, A New Day, was a finalist for the 2021 St. Lawrence Book Award, and is forthcoming from She Writes Press September 3rd, 2024. Her debut novel, Provenance, won the Madville Publishing Blue Moon Novel Award, and was selected as a Great Group Read by the Women’s National Book Association, and as an Indie Fiction Pick by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses. Her collection of micro essays, Giving Care, won the Chestnut Review Prose Chapbook Prize. Other work has appeared in Narrative Magazine, Hippocampus Magazine, Jellyfish Review, Cleaver Magazine, and elsewhere. She earned her MFA from Warren Wilson, was a BookEnds fellow at SUNY Stony Brook, and lives in Queens, New York, where she cares for her aging mom and a gray tuxedo cat named Poppy. Learn more: suemell.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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Links: 

Macmillan Audio

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 214: Marjan Kamali Explores Evolving Friendships and Freedoms in The Lion Women of Tehran

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This week, bestselling author Marjan Kamali joins us to discuss The Lion Women of Tehran, a heartfelt, epic new novel of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Iran.

the-lion-women-of-tehran-9781668036587_hr

“Gorgeous, gripping…insightful, compassionate, and grounded in historical detail, The Lion Women of Tehran is an evocation of a country upended and a tribute to the ways deep friendships shape our lives.” –Shelf Awareness

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Marjan Kamali is the author of three books, including Together Tea, which was a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award, an NPR WBUR Good Read pick, and a Target Emerging Author selection. She is the 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Award. She was born in Turkey to Iranian parents and spent her childhood in Kenya, Germany, Turkey, Iran, and the United States. She holds degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, Columbia University, and New York University. Learn more: marjankamali.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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Links: 

Macmillan Audio

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 213: Marc Guggenheim on In Any Lifetime- a Captivating, Unique Blend of Romance and Science Fiction

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This week’s guest is  Marc Guggenheim, author of In Any Lifetime, a heartfelt story of a devoted husband who defies fate, attempting to find the one universe where his wife is still alive.

inanylifetime

“Heartfelt and beautifully written, In Any Lifetime elegantly leaps between science fiction and romance, begging you to ask the age-old question: How far will you go for the one you love?” ―Brad Meltzer, #1 bestselling author of The Lightning Road and The Escape Artist

 

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Marc Guggenheim grew up on Long Island, New York, and earned his law degree from Boston University. After over four years in practice, he left law to pursue a career in television.

Today, Guggenheim is an Emmy Award–winning writer who writes for multiple mediums including television, film, video games, comic books, and new media. His work includes projects for such popular franchises as Percy Jackson, Star Wars, Call of Duty, Star Trek, and Planet of the Apes.

Guggenheim currently lives in Encino, California, with his wife, two daughters, and a handful of pets. Keep up to date on his latest projects with LegalDispatch, a weekly newsletter where he shares news and notes about writing, comics, and the entertainment industry. Check it out at https://marcguggenheim.substack.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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Links: 

Macmillan Audio

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 212: Sara Shukla on Pink Whales – a Preppy, Grown-up Mean Girls

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This week’s guest is Sara Shukla, author of Pink Whales, a fun smart romp about a mom who relocates to a preppy New England beach town- think “Mean Girls clad in Lilly Pulitzer.”

pinkwhales

“A satisfying romp through a New England enclave that’s not nearly as idyllic as it seems.” —Kirkus Reviews

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Sara Shukla is an editor for WBUR’s Cognoscenti. You can find her writing at WBUR as well as the Los Angeles Review of Books, McSweeneys, and elsewhere. An alum of GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator and the University of Virginia, she lives in Rhode Island with her family. Learn more: sarashukla.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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Links: 

Macmillan Audio

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 211: Author and Bosnian Genocide Survivor, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess on Her Powerful Middle-Grade Memoir

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This week, Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess is here to discuss Three Summers: A Memoir of Sisterhood, Summer Crushes, and Growing up on the Eve of War, an epic middle-grade memoir in the three years leading up to the Bosnian Genocide.

Amra shares the story behind Three Summers and more about her work at Teachers College, Columbia on hate prevention, storytelling, and building empathy. 

threesummers

“An insightful and solemn yet hopeful memoir that will hook readers…Remarkable.” –School Library Journal, starred review

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Amra Sabic-El-Rayess grew up in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently she is a professor at Columbia University, studying how and why societies fall apart and what role education can play in rebuilding decimated countries. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed young adult memoir The Cat I Never Named. Learn more: sabiclrayess.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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Links: 

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Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 210: Joselyn Takacs on the Family Drama Set During the 2010 Oil Spill

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This week’s guest is  Joselyn Takacs, author of Pearce Oysters, a lush, evocative, finely-drawn debut novel set on the Louisiana coastline during the historic 2010 oil spill, following local oyster farmers whose business, family, and livelihood are all on the brink of collapse.

pearceoysters

“Pearce Oysters is a pearl of a novel, as gritty, complex, and full of nuance as the eponymous bivalve at its center. Debut author Joselyn Takacs is as skilled at portraying the bayous, swamps, and bays of Louisiana’s coastline as she is exploring all that is unpredictable about the human heart, especially in times of crisis. It’s a remarkable novel.”
-Adrienne Brodeur, author of Little Monsters

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Joselyn Takacs holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Southern California and an MFA in Fiction from Johns Hopkins University. Her fiction has appeared in Gulf Coast, Narrative, Tin House, Harvard Review, The Rumpus, DIAGRAM, Columbia: A Journal of Art and Literature, and elsewhere. She has published interviews and book reviews in the Los Angeles Review of Books and Entropy. Joselyn has taught writing at the University of Southern California and Johns Hopkins University. She lived in New Orleans at the time of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Spill, and in 2015, she received a grant to record the oral histories of Louisiana oyster farmers in the wake of the environmental disaster. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband. Learn more: www.joselyntakacs.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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Links: 

Macmillan Audio

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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. 209: Brooke Lea Foster Takes Us to a Bygone Era in the Hamptons

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Today Brooke Lea Foster is here to discuss her new novel, All the Summers in Between.  Set in the dual timelines of 1967 and 1977, All the Summers In Between is at once a mesmerizing portrait of a complex friendship, a delicious glimpse into a bygone Hamptons, and a powerful coming-of-age for two young women during a transformative era.

All-The-Summers-In-Between

“A mesmerizing story of the complexities of female friendship and the yearning of women to live full lives. Foster depicts the 1970s with sensitivity and a rich command of detail, and as the pace picks up toward a perfectly executed denouement, you won’t be able to turn away.” —Beatriz Williams

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Brooke Lea Foster is an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe Magazine, and People, among others. An alumna of The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, she is the author of three nonfiction books and the novels Summer Darlings, On Gin Lane, and All the Summers In Between. Learn more: www.brookeleafoster.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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Links: 

Macmillan Audio

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is 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.