Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark

Only 41% of third-grade students in Arizona are reading at grade level. That's according to the most recent statistics from the Education Progress meter. Findings were released earlier this year by the non-profit, Center for the Future of Arizona. In this episode, our host Whitney Clark focuses on how we can improve literacy rates among kids, how we got here, why it's a skill that's so important,...

In this episode we're taking you around the world, but on a budget! Our host Whitney Clarks to Jen Ruiz, the author of "12 Trips in 12 Months." The year before her 30th birthday, Ruiz decided to take a a challenge: Go on 12 trips in 12 months. Her book unpacks her travel journey around the world, how she was able to go from an attorney to a full-time travel blogger, and Jen shares some of her secr...

From a Changing Hands bookseller, to a flight attendant to a New York Times bestselling author, Valley native T.J. Newman is getting ready for the release of her third book "Worst Case Scenario." Our host Whitney Clark talks to her about the latest thriller. After an airline pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, a commercial airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant and the race is on to...

In this episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," Whitney Clark is joined by Marissa Daley, librarian and manager of the Fountain Hills library, and Paige Cordner, librarian at the Queen Creek library. Together, they dive into the world of book recommendations and read alikes, offering listeners a treasure trove of new books to explore based on popular titles they already love. Marissa and Paige share...

Author Kate Quinn is out with her new book "The Briar Club." If you like historical fiction, you will love this book! "The Briar Club" is set in a boardinghouse in Washington D.C. during the McCarthy era. There's an element of murder mystery and it's told from the perspective of multiple women, all facing different challenges of the time. Our host, Whitney Clark, talks to Kate about the research t...

On this week's episode, our host Whitney Clark chats with Ruth Ware. She's known for her psychological thrillers and is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author. Her new book "One Perfect Couple" is out now. Whitney talks to Ruth about what inspires her work, what kind of research went into this book and how it compares to reality shows.

In this episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," our host Whitney Clark chats with author Ashley Poston about her new book. "A Novel Love Story" is out today! Ashley is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of "The Dead Romantics" and "The Seven Year Slip." Ashley talks to Whitney about her favorite romance novels, how friendships grow and change as you get older, and the pros and cons o...

 If you're going on a trip this summer and you're looking for a good book, we've got you covered! In this episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," our host Whitney Clark talks to the folks at the Phoenix Library about the most highly anticipated books of the summer. She's joined by Anna Chenoweth, the library collections manager, and Maria Lopez, the community relations manager. For a list of the rec...

In this episode of Beyond the Next Chapter, our host Whitney Clark talks to an author and psychologist about overcoming trauma associated with work. Gretchen Schmelzer is a longtime psychologist and author. She's writing a book about the topic now. She also has a book called "Journey Through Trauma" which was released in 2018. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Gretchen noticed that employers were becom...

In a bonus episode of “Beyond the Next Chapter,” our host Whitney Clark talks to author Steven Rowley about his newest book “The Guncle Abroad.” It’s the sequel to his hit novel “The Guncle” which was released in 2021. The sequel follows Patrick and his niece and nephew as their father gets married in Italy. Whitney talks to Stephen about how he mixes humor and heart, his own love story and what i...

Summer is just around the corner, and on this episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter" host Whitney Clark talks to the author of "Just for the Summer." Abby Jimenez is known for her quick dialogue and romance novels that have depth and cover issues like trauma and toxic parents. Her latest book came out in April and was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Whitney talks to Abby about her writing p...

For the first time on Beyond the Next Chapter, our host Whitney Clark is chatting with a children's book author—and she's local! Lindsay Gonzales lives in the Valley and is the author of a series of books about a young girl named E.D. Camps. The main character is based off of Lindsay's daughter, Elena. Lindsay loves camping and when she and her husband started taking their young daughters, she cou...

Spring is here and summer is just around the corner! If you're looking for a good beach read, Allison Winn Scotch's new book "Take Two, Birdie Maxwell" may be the one! Our host Whitney Clark got to talk to Allison about how Julia Roberts inspired the main character, Birdie. Allison is a fan of 90's romcoms and wanted to create the same types of love stories in her books. She's also a big fan of Ta...

For the first time, the podcast is featuring an Arizona author! Christina Estes is out with her debut novel "Off the Air." It's a murder mystery set in Phoenix (and it features more than 15 local businesses and neighborhoods). It stars Jolene Garcia, a competitive local TV reporter who wants tell important stories in her community. The book was inspired by Estes' own career. She has spent more tha...

What if every time you met a man, you would know how long you would spend with him? That's the premise of Rebecca Serle's new book "Expiration Dates." Our host Whitney Clark got a chance to talk to Serle about her latest project and the story of Daphne Bell. In this podcast episode, Whitney and Rebecca dive into faith versus free will, the significance of female relationships and how they change t...

Whitney Clark takes us on a trip down memory lane! Her guest this week is Laura Sharp, the owner of a Gilbert-based pop-up bookstore. Literally, A Bookshop is a children's bookstore that also hosts events for grown-ups! Think the Scholastic Book Fair, but instead of your school gymnasium, events for adults are hosted at wine bars and breweries across the Valley. You can buy a book while drinking a...

In this episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," our host Whitney Clark introduces us to silent book clubs. What is a silent book club? Think of it as a flash mob, but for readers! You show up with a book and meet other readers. It's less pressure than a traditional book club and is growing in popularity. Whitney talks to the organizers of the Phoenix and East Valley Silent Book Club chapters who say...

In the second episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," our host Whitney Clark talks to the #1 New York Times Bestselling author Kristin Hannah. If you don't immediately recognize her name, you likely have seen her books! Hannah has written more than 20 novels including "The Nightingale," "The Four Winds," and "The Great Alone." Hollywood has also taken note. Her book "Firefly Lane" was the #1 series...

In the first episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," we'll introduce you to our host, Whitney Clark, and dive into her reading origin story. Some of her earliest memories include her dad reading to her and taking her to the library or the bookstore. Whitney is joined by her dad and Samantha Mears with the Maricopa County Library District, who is raising a young reader herself! Samantha shares how yo...

Think of this as a book recommendation podcast for all walks of readers, whether you’re an avid reader or you want to fall in love with books! It’s a place to come to find your next great read from romance, to thrillers, to historical fiction, non-fiction and so much more. As the title implies, in each episode host Whitney Clark will take you beyond the next chapter. We’ll talk to our favorite aut...

A group of college friends lose one member of the group to suicide just before graduation in 1995. The loss resonates and shapes their relationships for decades in this funny and moving novel by Steven Rowley. Steven returns to the podcast to talk about his fantastic 2023 release, a story that is personal to the author in many ways, “there’s so much story in these middle years,” he says of the cha...

Riley Sager is back and this creepy, twisty thriller takes readers on a tense ride to reveal what really happened the night of the Hope family murders, and why then 17-year-old Lenora was THE ONLY ONE LEFT. Sager returns to the podcast for the third time to talk about his latest work, his book tour, and the plans for upcoming adaptation of THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE for Netflix. For more on the aut...

Ashley Audrain, the author of the 2021 powerhouse women’s fiction debut, THE PUSH, returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about her new novel, THE WHISPERS. THE WHISPERS takes us to an affluent street where we experience life, frustration, marriage concerns, parenting failures, heartbreaks, tragedies, embarrassment, suspicions, all through the eyes (and whispers) of four women: Whitney, Blair,...

Happiness Project Founder and New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about her new  book, LIFE IN FIVE SENSES, another useful tool for the toolkit of anyone  who shares her insatiable desire to understand human nature and find  ways to live a happier life. For this book Gretchen embarks on an experiment to see how a focus  on her senses might ch...

“A plane crashes into the ocean, sinks with people trapped inside,” T.J. Newman says in describing the premise of this summer’s new novel, DROWNING. The writer returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about battling the pressures of following up her debut bestseller, and her gratitude for the opportunity to live her dream as a full-time writer. A former bookseller and flight attendant, Newman’s...