Passions & Prologues

Louisa Morgan has had many acts in her life, but her favorite involved a deep-rooted passion for classical music and opera singing. Her new novel, The Ghosts of Beatrice Bird, is a lovely combination of the many twists and turns her own life has brought about. Adam's Boston Marathon fundraiser for the Boston Medical Center

Adam is joined by fellow Clevelander Josh Womack to discuss his new book You Are Not That Funny, how he came to love stand-up comedy, the nuance of being a copywriter, and their shared adoration for their hometown

Anna Pitoniak had written several novels before the pandemic and planned to take a break when the world changed. She found herself with lots of time and little to fill it. Insert The Artist's Way, a book millions have used to discover (or re-discover) their creative vein. In this discussion, we breakdown how Anna used the book to flesh out her stunning new novel, The Helsinki Affair.

Christina Henry's books are enthralling, heart-wrenching, and will leave you in awe... which makes sense when you hear about her deep love of movies that are much the same. This conversation delves into her love of samurai movies, how she's begun taking her kid to classic movie theaters, and the Iron Giant... It makes sense. Her new book Good Girls Don't Die is now available!

Something About Her, Clementine Taylor's debut novel, tells a story of joy and discovery, something Clementine found when she took up swimming. In this chat, Adam and Clementine dive into her passion, their shared love of Edinburgh, and so much more.

Lyndall Clipstone's books are world-renowned for providing intricate and richly imagined worlds where readers can get lost. And when you learn about the way she loves to spend her free time, you'll understand why. Her latest book, Unholy Terrors, is now out!

Matt Singer loved movies so much that he's made a career out of it writing for Screencrush. His passion began as a child watching At The Movies with Siskel and Ebert, the subjects of his latest book, Opposable Thumbs. It's a deep dive into their relationship as partners and how they changed how we ingest movies. We discuss his favorite films of childhood, Kevin Smith, Mel Brooks, and a bunch more....

Laurence Leamer, bestselling of nearly 20 books, turns 82 this month, and we spent a morning discussing the many stories he's told throughout those decades. We dissect the art of making a guest comfortable during an interview, exchange stories of interviews gone well (and wrong), and discuss his extensively researched new book, Hitchcock's Blondes

Isa Arsén is acutely aware of the rhythms of everything around us. She spends her life thinking about how sound affects us all. It even sparked the inspiration that became her debut novel, Shoot the Moon. We discuss how her passions started as a child with her father's music and turned into an entire career. And there is just a sprinkling of quantum theory and rocket science tossed in here... as a...

Alexandra Christo is an internationally bestselling fantasy author who knows a thing or two about monsters, myths, and legends. And her love of all three was spawned through her discovery of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In this chat, we discuss her enduring love for the series and how it inspires her writing, including her latest, upcoming novel, The Night Hunt.

Michelle Cameron is an author, creative writing teacher, and avid re-reader of books for myriad reasons. Her new book, Babylon, is one of the reasons Michelle dove back into older writing, but we also discuss why we turn to book seasonally, depending on our emotions, and for research.

Kerri Maher is a bestselling author and mom to a newly minted teenager. In this chat, we discuss the experiences she's had raising her daughter, taking her to Paris, and her new book All You Have to Do Is Call, an essential read about the Jane Collective and women's rights.

Carissa Orlando is passionate about how the mind works. So much so that she's spent her life studying and teaching about it. She works to improve quality and access of mental healthcare for children and their families during the day and writes terrifyingly captivating stories at night. Her debut novel, The September House, weaves both horror and psychology together and we get into how it came to b...

Lucy Clarke, bestselling author of several "destination thrillers" loves few things more than grabbing her surfboard and finding the perfect wave. It's how she frees her mind and unwinds. She also has a deep passion for exploring the world and finding new locations to write her edge of your seat thrillers which is how her latest stunner, The Hike, came about. We discuss her love of the waves and t...

Angie Kim's debut novel, Miracle Creek, was an international bestselling, Edgar Award winning best book of the year. Her latest novel, Happiness Falls, is a Good Morning America book club pick all about when a father goes missing, his family's desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another. A key character in this story is mute and it asks questions about in...

Holly James, author of the new RomCom The Déjà Glitch, has spent her adult life understanding sleep. Why we all struggle to get it and how to improve that concept. It's something she normally keeps separate from her other career as a writer but in this discussion we dive into both!

Tim Murphy's new book, Speech Team, is a nostalgic and cathartic look back at a traumatic high school experience of several members of a championship speech team. The story itself is a slow burn that lets the reader care deeply about the characters and their experiences. It makes sense, when you learn the types of stories and shows Tim is obsessed with personally.

Marie Benedict has been a bestselling author many times over but her works co-authoring with Victoria Christopher Murray have set the book world on fire with their poignant deep dives into fascinating woman and their history. The First Ladies, their INSTANT NYT bestseller, is much the same. In this unique discussion, Marie brings something a bit different to the table... She discusses her co-autho...

Andrew Ridker's first book The Altruists took the literary world by storm and his new book Hope is just as captivating. Part of the reason why his books are so relatable is the humor he's able to inject into his characters. It makes them more well rounded. We chat why this matters so much to him and why he loves breaking down comedy.

Josh Winning's new book, Burn the Negative, is an homage to all things horror and when you hear this conversation you'll understand that he has the chops to back up his writing. We discuss his adoration for the Scream movie franchise, how he's been seeing franchises out of order for years, and what it's like to interview the Muppets! It's... a wide-ranging chat.

Learning that Candi Sary thinks a great deal about ghosts won't surprise you when you read her book Magdalena. This conversation dives into her childhood interest in the beyond and how, instead of seeking to be scared she found peace of mind with the stories of ghosts. Take a listen and check out her new book.

For UK-based bestselling author Paige Toon getting there is half the fun. She loves taking road trips to new countries to see bands she loves in locations they would normally never be found. It's a passion that has shown her entirely new cultures and helped inspire the amazing books she's writes. Don't miss her latest, Only Love Can Hurt Like This

Chanel Cleeton is a bestselling author and was chosen as a Reese Witherspoon book club selection. She knows what it takes a write a mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seat. Perhaps it's because she has spent her entire life fascinated by mysteries. In this conversation, Chanel and Adam breakdown the origins of her passion for mystery and how it's blossomed into a career.

Bestselling author Genevieve Gornichec knows a thing or two about Vikings... in fact, she's made it her life's work even before it became her life's work. In this discussion, we chat about her life studying and living the Viking lifestyle. We then dive into both of her books including the latest, The Weaver and the Witch Queen.

New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis joins Adam to chat about her brand new book, The Spectacular, but before they get into that, they get into her massive adoration for the theater. An actress by trade, Fiona expresses where her love comes from and how it connects with the stories she tells.