Heartracers

We talked to author Elizabeth Richardson, whose novel TRAD is being serialized on Substack. We discussed what made her decide to go that route, and how it works. A fascinating conversation about books, reading, and options beyond the norm.

Today we talk to .... Sierra! Her book, The Enigma Challenge , publishes August 11, 2026. Naturally we laugh through the interview and then have a few "callers." We also talk about what sells books.

We talked to Taylor J. Larue, whose debut romantasy, Steelborn , is making huge waves! It publishes August 4, 2026. We talk the 17 years (!!) that it took for Taylor to be published, and her whirlwind acquisitions process--and all about Steelborn.

Back again for season 3! Maggie is the author of three incredible romance novels including her latest release, Fossil Feud, which published on July 28, 2026. We gush over the movie Aliens and nerd out.

We talked to prolific author Darcie Wilde, whose newest release, The Abduction of Rosalind Thorne, is out today, June 30, 2026! We discuss historical mystery, Queen Victoria, and Doctor Who. Darcie Wilde is the bestselling, genre-jumping, author of the acclaimed Rosalind Thorne and Useful Woman mystery series. Her book The Secret of the Lost Pearls was called “a must read” by USA Today . Born in C...

Author Lindsay Hameroff joins us again to talk about her new book, Rewrite the Stars, out July 7, 2026. We talk about genre trends, what’s selling, her new book, and autism rep. Also, Claire declares on this episode unequivocally that she will never get a cat, and now she has a cat. Order Rewrite the Stars from Wild Sisters.

We welcomed author Lisa Roe to the show, whose book Big & Lily releases on August 11, 2026. We heard about when and how she started writing--a great message for anyone, no matter what stage of life you're in, to start--and her journey through publishing (hint: it wasn't smooth but look at her now!) Preorder Big & Lily here .

We're BACK! Sierra has a book publishing and Claire is opening a second store location and WOW do we have a lot to talk about! Plus the authors to introduce you too...whoo! We kick off season 3 with the chatter and laughs that you know and love.

We talked with prolific author, Rex Ogle (over 100 books!) about his career writing MG, YA, and graphic novels, and about finding and maintaining joy. Find all his books here .

Claire and Sierra talk about how authors can work with indie bookstores, including the author's perspective of walking into a bookstore, and the bookseller perspective of authors walking in (hint: they're very different!) Then we welcomed audiobook narrator Megan Wicks to talk about the ins and outs of audiobook narration! Megan began narrating in 2022 and has quickly become a sought-after voice i...

Christy Mandin is a New York Times bestselling children's book author and illustrator. She grew up in rural Georgia and credits her country life of solitude as an only child for much of her love of books and nature. You'll find this love of nature along with nostalgia, magic, and whimsy woven into the fabric of her art. When she isn't drawing she can be found gardening, beekeeping, or cozied up wi...

What are preorders? Why do they matter? What can readers do to pay attention to preorders? Claire and Sierra discuss this and what they mean for both authors, booksellers, AND readers!

Sierra surprises Claire with a ROMANCE AUTHOR MYSTERY GUEST (Alicia), and Claire tries hard to guess who it is. It's Alicia Thompson! She is the author of four hit novels, and graciously discusses author newsletters, her path to publishing, and how to break into publishing romance books. Buy her books: Love in the Time of Serial Killers With Love, from Cold World The Art of Catching Feelings Never...

We were delighted to welcome the cover artist behind books like BK Borison's First Time Caller, Myriam Strasbourg! She is an incredibly talented artist and you can see her work at @peaches.obviously on Instagram. She talks about how she got started in cover design, going from indie to becoming a very in-demand designer by Big 5 publishers. https://www.myriamstrasbourg.com/

We talked to the incredible NYT bestselling author and Reese pick, Andrea Bartz, about her career trajectory including pandemic setbacks and what's next. We also touch on the landmark case, Bartz v. Anthropic. Buy Andrea's books! The Last Ferry Out The Spare Room We Were Never Here The Herd The Lost Night

Claire and Sierra talk about the recent Threads discussion among writers that suggested readers want shorter novels; Sierra brings the pacing and writing perspective while Claire brings the "what's selling" POV. We also talked to author Christina Dotson, whose novel Love You To Death is a dynamite, fast-paced thriller with Thelma and Louise vibes. Buy it: Love You To Death by Christina Dotson

We welcomed back our first return author guest - Liz Parker! Her new book, The Witches of Honeysuckle House, has special preorder goodies (order ahead of its October 21, 2025 pub date). We talk PR boxes, laugh a lot, and discuss why Claire isn't on the group chat!! Order Liz's books: The Witches of Honeysuckle House In the Shadow Garden The Other March Sisters

Claire and Sierra discuss author PR boxes, and talk to Gretchen Schaffer and Nicole Meier from Bookworks, a boutique author branding firm with a ton of great ideas for every author at any stage of their career. Bookworks helps writers of all genres build an authentic author presence that gets their stories noticed. Combining book coaching and branding insight, they guide writers to expand their cr...

We talked to Mark Waddell, author of Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World! Mark Waddell grew up on the cold, windswept prairies of western Canada and later earned a Ph. D. in the history of science, medicine, and technology from the Johns Hopkins University. After teaching at Michigan State University for fifteen years, he and his husband moved to Vancouver Island. When not writing, he plays th...

On this special SILVER ANNIVERSARY 25th episode, Sierra and Claire talk about their season, take listener questions, and talk a little about their process bookselling (Claire, obvs), and writing and publishing (Sierra, obvs). We'll be back in the fall and we can't thank you enough for listening, enjoying, and supporting us. Please leave a review if you can, feel free to send in questions to info@h...

Our last author guest of season 1! Dianne Freeman has written an 8.5 book series and has a lot of insights about writing a series, Plus: Haunted hotels on Route 66 How Claire sells a series in her store Sierra points out that Claire has not yet, yet again, read ACOTAR. Dianne Freeman is a life-long book lover who left the world of corporate finance to pursue her passion for writing. After co-autho...

We spoke to author Meredith Schorr about the origins of chicklit, romcoms, WF, and contemporary romance. We also talked about marketing for authors from Sierra’s perspective and from Claire’s, how to navigate events for the socially awkward, and social media for authors. Meredith's latest book, Roommating, is published today June 10, 2025 (happy book birthday!). A born and bred New Yorker and life...

We get into the recent TikTok book deal for the Australian guy, hot Sacramento summers and how that affects business, and kid literacy. As usual, Claire gives her bookseller view and Sierra views her author view on those issues. Then we welcomed author Mara Williams, whose debut novel The Truth is in the Detours pubs in August 2025, and the surprising little secret about your work that editors may...

Lauren Parvizi is the author of Trust Me on This and La Vie, According to Rose , winner of the 2024 Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award in the Debut category. She worked for more than a decade as a digital editor and content writer, and earned an MFA from San Francisco State University. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and sons. Books discussed in this episode: L...

We talked to Liz of My Secret Copy, who creates incredible, reader-centric book merch! We discuss what her inspiration was for starting the shop, challenges as a small business, and much more -- including TONS of book recs! Shop stickers, bags, pins, bookmarks and more at https://mysecretcopy.com/ Books mentioned on this episode: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks The Kind Worth Killing by Pet...