Plans Are Booked

This week we're excited to have debut author Carla Vass join us for a discussion about being a library kid, the unlikely path from English Literature major to Goldman Sachs, the 15-year journey from first idea to publication, imposter syndrome as a writer, the cringe of self-promotion on social media, and so much more. Carla shares with us how her love of storytelling started with writing plays in...

We have a special episode for you this week where we round up the best books we've read recently. Steph tells us about Sunrise by Tea Obreht, which is set in Wyoming. She details the setting of the Old West and talks about the tension of an unreliable narrator. She also recommends Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros, which reunites us with our favorite characters from the Fourth Wing series (with spre...

This week we are delighted to welcome debut author J.K. MacLaren for a conversation about the resurgence of sports romance, F1 super fandom, the appeal of enemies to lovers, and so much more. J.K. shares how her love of books started at the Scholastic Book Fair, how the pandemic lockdown turned her on to Drive to Survive, the nod to Romeo + Juliet with her character names, her love of puns, and wh...

This week we're flying high chatting about a romance book we absolutely adored. We talk about the power of writing what you know, how complicated family relationships deepen a plot, the authenticity of the main character's body image issues, how books wind up with multiple covers, and our hopes for the casting of this screen adaptation. In our catch up this week, Molly shares about her first trip...

This week we're discussing the newest thriller from an author we can't resist. We talk about unreliable narrators, the main character's struggle with self-worth, Knoll's biting writing and obsession with revenge, how the ending exploded our brains and left us with many unanswered questions, and our hope for this story to be adapted for the screen. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin recaps her trip...

This week we are delighted to welcome debut author and fellow Bostonian, Meghan Nesmith. We talk about the joy of fan fiction, how One Direction reignited her zest for life, the querying process, the best Reddit threads for aspiring authors, how the idea for her book came to her, why she chose London as her setting, planning vs. pantsing, and the importance of supporting first-time authors. Meghan...

This week we took on the particularly fun task of ranking all of the book boyfriends in the Carley Fortune universe. We debate sizzle, relationship history, secrecy, long standing tension, reliability, and more. Do our personal lists match up? You'll have to listen to find out. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin recounts an excruciatingly hot evening at the G Flip concert and Molly gushes about he...

This week we're discussing a novella with a premise that really made us think. We chat about putting ourselves in the shoes of these characters, how we might react in this intense situation, the passages that felt like meditations on resilience, and why it's important that you save reading the acknowledgements until the very end. In our catch up this week, Kaitlin recaps Newport Folk Fest and eati...

This week we're transported to a family ranch as we discuss the first book in Elsie Silver's Emerald Lake series, Fever Dream. We talk about the allure of small town romance, Silver's gift for great banter, the similarities to the TV show UnREAL, and her other books that we adored and can't wait to see adapted for the screen. In our catch up this week, we commiserate about the heatwave, Kaitlin is...

This week we are reminiscing about our love of The Idea of You and diving into Robinne Lee's second contemporary fiction book, Crash Into Me. We talk about her sharp writing, the importance of female protagonists over 40, the multiple meanings behind the title, and how we wish we spoke French to better understand the dialogue. In our catch up this week, Steph is playing wing woman at the bookstore...

This week we're gushing about a memoir that deeply moved us by a writer and influencer we've long admired. We discuss our parasocial relationship with @simonsits, our reverence for the level of honesty in this book, relating to falling in love with New York City, the paragraph about pet parenthood that wrecked us, and how elated we are that this book is getting a TV series adaptation. In our catch...

This week we are joined by author, educator, bookseller, dog mom and champion of plus-size protagonists Jenny L. Howe. Jenny shares how her passion for stories began at two years old with a wild imagination, that the horror genre was her first love, what it's really like being in the query trenches, and how she eventually landed on a path to traditional publishing via an idea spawned by her grad s...

This week we are pleased as punch to welcome debut author Kat Stoddard to the show. Kat shares about her childhood as a library kid and how Pride & Prejudice taught her what a great novel could be. We talk about a shared love for messy family dramas, Wasp's Nest being inspired by The Philadelphia story, Cape Cod as the predestined setting, why writing three points of view was a wild choice for...

This week we're diving into a delicious family drama. Molly shares her Mount Rushmore of books in this genre, and we talk about the messiness of relationships, the haves vs. the have nots, a deep sense of place, the power of descriptive writing, the joy of short chapters, how easily we could see this as a stage play, and our hopes that it becomes a perfect, 90-minute film. In our catch up this wee...

This week we're discussing a memoir that reads like fiction. We deep dive on Belle Burden's story of the dissolution of her marriage. We ask questions like - how would this have been different if they weren't affluent? How do her children feel about all of this being made public? Is her husband the world's biggest super villain? We also share our thoughts on Gwyneth Paltrow being cast in the upcom...

We are absolutely tickled to have author and fandom queen Emma Brodie on the show this week! She shares how her love of story began at a young age, including acting out her favorites alongside her younger siblings. Steph notes the themes that resonated for her in both of Emma's books, they discuss their shared fandoms, and a crop top that nearly bankrupted Emma. Emma also touches on being surround...

This week we deep dive on the first book in Elle Kennedy's popular hockey romance series, which is now available to stream as an on-screen adaptation. Steph shares how she first got into the series and plots this story on the Beartown to Heated Rivalry scale. We talk about the instant appeal of the fake dating trope, Hannah's similarities with Laney Boggs from She's All That, the utopian world of...

This week we're talking about a book that has taken the reading community by storm. We share how much we loved her first book - Songs in Ursa Major, the singular nature of this story rooted in improv and on-stage partnership, the main characters' cosmic connection, AJ's unique and powerful character arc, who we pictured as Noah, and how deeply this love story resonated. In our catch up this week,...

This week we are delighted to welcome to the show veteran journalist and debut novelist Juliet Izon. We discuss her childhood love of writing, her dream to work at Vogue, the first kernel of her book idea, the original title for The Encore and its deep meaning, casting inspiration for a future screen adaptation, her advice for aspiring writers, and why she believes adults need to have creative hob...

We have a thematic episode for you this week, as we share our favorite sports books. Spanning contemporary fiction, non-fiction, young adult, and middle grade, our top picks cover stories about baseball, football, surfing, track & field, and more. Our chat includes a lively discussion about the difference between being a fan of live sports vs. being endlessly curious about the behind-the-scene...

This week we welcome To The Gallows author Elizabeth Skarpnes to the show. She discusses her childhood love of reading, choosing library time over recess, how her book was inspired by a TikTok video, writing the first line in a Taco Bell parking lot, deciding to describe the story as "Tangled meets The Princess Bride," transitioning from nursing to writing full-time, the importance of booksellers...

This week we're chatting about the upcoming novel from an author we all adore. We deep dive on Cherry Baby, discussing the reality of moving through the world in a plus-size body, the love triangle that progressed unexpectedly, Rowell's commitment to honesty and messiness in relationships, who we think really needs to read this book, and how each of us rated it and why. In our catch up this week,...

This week we're discussing a debut novel that the author self-describes as "Daisy Jones & the Six meets Gossip Girl." We chat about receiving an early copy, meeting Juliet on her book tour, the cover art, how we pictured the three lead characters in our minds, the focus on music, the nostalgia of the college years, and our hopes for this to be adapted for the screen. In our catch up this week,...

This week we are joined by author and Heated Rivalry super fan, Jessica Guerrieri. We talk about what hooked us on the show, the beautiful combination of safety, consent, and vulnerability, the tunnel scene, Rose as the most beloved supporting character, freckle pens, and a shared love of Taylor Swift. Then, Jessica chats with us about her upcoming book, Both Can Be True. We discuss the category o...

This week we're discussing an epistolary novel that has taken the world by storm. We chat about the joy of reading letters, the fiery personality of the main character, the wide variety of topics covered - love, loss, grief, regret, romance, gardening, and gossip, the cover art design, and who we think will enjoy this book. In our catch up this week, Steph signs copies of Golden Hour at a bookstor...