Top Shelf at the Merrick Library

I am so late to the Suzanne Crain Miller party, and boy am I thrilled to be here! I read Suzanne’s most recent novel, Temperatures, over the summer and to say I was riveted is an understatement. Temperatures is a Southern noir page-turning thriller set in the oppressive summer heat of rural North Carolina. Police … Continue reading Episode 133: Interview with Suzanne Crain Miller, author of Temperatures →

You all remember Episode 27 when I hosted Angie Kim for her Edgar Award winning debut, Miracle Creek. Well what a thrill to host Angie once again for her best-selling, GMA book of the month club choice, Happiness Falls! For this episode we go in depth to talk about Angelman Syndrome, non-verbal communication, flipping the … Continue reading E132: Interview with Angie Kim, author of Happiness Falls →

“I try to make my characters as smart as they can be…” so says Edgar Award winning author Erin Flanagan in this episode. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Erin to talk about her latest thriller, Come With Me. Author Liz Alterman says, “Come With Me is a roller-coaster ride that will have … Continue reading E131: Interview with Erin Flanagan, author of Come With Me →

“All Things Left Wild by James Wade was one of my favorite novels of the last two years, as was River, Sing Out. But neither of those novels could have prepared me for the dark and compelling vision of Beasts of the Earth.” ~David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Spur and Anthony Award-winning author of Winter Counts James … Continue reading E130: Interview with James Wade, author of Beasts of the Earth →

What an episode! I had the pleasure of hosting James McBride, the award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter to talk about his latest book, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. His landmark memoir, The Color of Water, has sold millions of copies and is considered an American classic. His debut novel, Miracle at St. Anna, was … Continue reading E129: Interview with James McBride, author of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store →

“If Daisy Jones and Emily Henry had a baby, it would be Charm City Rocks.” ~ bestselling author Colleen Oakley. For this episode, three-time guest Matthew Norman sat down to talk about his completely charming new novel, Charm City Rocks. Matthew talks about writing a sweet novel instead of a bitter-sweet novel, writing songs into … Continue reading Episode 128: Interview with Matthew Norman author of Charm City Rocks →

“Emotionally riveting and beautifully told,The Last Lifeboat is an unforgettable story of survival, resolve, and the shimmering stubbornness of hope. You can count on Hazel Gaynor’s gorgeous writing to carry you away and safely bring you back. —Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things For this episode Hazel Gaynor talks … Continue reading E127: Interview with Hazel Gaynor author of The Last Lifeboat →

Anytime I host Steven Rowley there’s plenty to celebrate and this episode is no different! We celebrate Steven’s magical year: winning the 2022 Thurber Prize for American Humor for The Guncle, being a Read With Jenna Pick, once again making it onto the NYT bestseller list (this time for The Celebrants), and sharing a publication … Continue reading E126: Interview with Steven Rowley author of The Celebrants →

This marvelous debut, Jackal, by author Erin E. Adams is one of those books best read with the lights on! Recommended by Gillian Flynn on the Today Show, Jackal is the story of a young Black girl who goes missing in the woods outside her rust belt town. But she isn’t the first—and she may … Continue reading E125: Interview with Erin E. Adams author of Jackal →

I can’t think of a better place to be than Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club! This latest from NYT bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal, is a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope, that unites and … Continue reading E124: Interview with J. Ryan Stradal, author of Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club →

Lessons in Chemistry, the bestselling juggernaut by Bonnie Garmus, has taken the world by storm and to say I was thrilled to host her for this episode is an understatement! For E123, we talk about the inspiration for the book, the movie treatment, why Lessons in Chemistry resonates with so many (including male readers), what’s … Continue reading E123: Interview with Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry →

I have no words for how amazing it was to host Lisa Scottoline for this episode! We talked about her brand new best-seller, Loyalty, a historical fiction look at the formation of the Mafia in Italy, and what it means to be loyal. We also talk food, lemon cookies, our Italian roots, Lisa’s love for … Continue reading E122: Interview with Lisa Scottoline, author of Loyalty →

Life and Other Love Songs, the gorgeous second novel from Episode 24 guest, Anissa Gray is “riveting, rhythmic, transcendent…a stellar family saga.” so says Jacqueline Woodson, NYT bestselling author of Red at the Bone. Synopsis: A father’s sudden disappearance exposes the private fears, dreams, longings, and joys of a Black American family in the late decades … Continue reading E121: Interview with Anissa Gray, author of Life and Other Love Songs →

“A feud between Arkansas families escalates with the fury of Greek tragedy. Family loyalty, young love, honoring the dead—they’re all here, and they all go terribly wrong in Ozark Dogs.” –Kirkus Eli Cranor joined me for Episode 87 to talk about his gripping debut, Don’t Know Tough, and for this episode he joins me to … Continue reading E120: Interview with Eli Cranor, author of Ozark Dogs →

“Full of witty and caustic observations about a privileged class of New Yorkers, Pineapple Street is a sharp and juicy satire.” So says bestselling author Nita Prose about the transporting and lush debut by Jenny Jackson, Pineapple Street. For E119, best-selling debut author Jenny Jackson shares what it’s like to be on the other side … Continue reading E119: Interview with Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street →

“The whole reason I started to write this series was to showcase women in the intelligence field today; what they’re like and how they do their job.” ~Alma Katsu on writing the Red Widow series. Red London is a sharp and nuanced race-against-the-clock story ripped from today’s headlines, a testament to author Alma Katsu’s thirty-five-year … Continue reading E118: Interview with Alma Katsu, author of Red London →

“With hauntingly beautiful prose, Kristen Loesch has delivered an epic, dual timeline tale that deftly transports you to the Russian revolution and the life-altering crucible that came after it. The Last Russian Doll is utterly compelling. You won’t be able to put it down.” —Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things For … Continue reading E117: Interview with Kristen Loesch, author of The Last Russian Doll →

“I felt like there was more to be said…that’s the essence of all writing.” ~ Edward Ashton on continuing the Mickey7 series. For Episode 82, I had the pleasure of hosting Edward Ashton to talk about Mickey7 and for this episode, we talk about the sequel, Antimatter Blues. Antimatter Blues is a thrilling follow-up to … Continue reading E116: Interview with Ed Ashton, author of Antimatter Blues →

“Times Undoing is a harrowing yet beautiful journey into the heart of darkness that beats in the center of the American Experience. A tour de force.” —S.A. Cosby, NYT bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland Totally star-struck to have interviewed Cheryl A. Head for this episode and she was kind enough to let … Continue reading E115: Interview with Cheryl A. Head, author of Time’s Undoing →

Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice, a stunner by Deepti Kapoor is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption. It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary … Continue reading E114: Interview with Deepti Kapoor, author of Age of Vice →