Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark

Laurie Lico Albanese, author of HESTER, a reimagining of the story behind THE SCARLET LETTER, joins the podcast to talk about her latest work of historical fiction. The story focuses on Isobel Gamble, a seamstress who moves from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1800s. Laurie says her heroine’s “gift is her curse, and her curse is her gift,” who is descended from an accused witch and e...

Once Upon a Book Club is a bookworm’s dream come true: a monthly delivery service of an oversized book box filled with a surprise book selection and an array of specially curated gifts to bring that book to life. The Arizona based business is the brainchild of Michelle Wolett, who also owns Chick-Lit Designs (recreating favorite books into cell phone and tablet cases).   Michelle joined Olivia for...

Amina Akhtar is a former fashion writer turned novelist, who uses her current home of Arizona as the setting for her thriller KISMET, where enlightenment and danger go hand in hand. Amina joins the podcast to talk about the book, her move from NYC to just outside Sedona, and writing a character that reflects her own culture and color. “I was trying to find out what kind of person would want a guru...

Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, and she joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about her latest work of crime fiction and her passion project, the non-profit Save the Libraries. “I primarily think she did it to annoy her mother,” says Karin, of protagonist Andrea’s career as a US Marshal in her new novel GIRL, FORGOTTEN. GIRL, FORGOTTEN rev...

“Jimmy was one of my favorite characters… even though he’s dead. Dead from the first word!” declares Jennifer Hillier, when talking about the character of Jimmy Peralta in her new thriller, THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK. When Jimmy is found dead, his wife Paris is arrested for his murder. Jennifer joins Olivia on the podcast to talk about her approach to the plot, why this book feels her most authentic...

Historical fiction at its finest, TAKE MY HAND is a fictional retelling of a truly shocking practice in Alabama in the early 1970s: the forced sterilization of poor, mostly Black, women and girls. Dolen Perkins-Valdez joins the podcast to talk with Olivia about the moving novel, told from the perspective of Civil Townsend, a nurse at the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, who must advocate for her...

Widely praised as one of the best books of 2022, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY is the debut novel about the reluctant host of 1960s cooking show from Bonnie Garmus. Bonnie joins Olivia for the podcast to talk about the sensation of debuting as a bestseller decades after first dreaming of becoming a novelist, and her own frustrating professional moment that sparked the unique character of Elizabeth Zott. LE...

Julia Whelan is a multi-hyphenate, multi-talented actor and writer. Her new novel, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, is published by AVON Books (8/2 release.) When not writing, you’ll find her narrating for authors like Kristin Hannah, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Gillian Flynn, she’s earned endless accolades: Earphone Awards, Audies, Society of Voice Awards, even honored with Audiofile Magazine’s Lifetime Achi...

“Like, is that too fun?” Katherine Center says she wondered, about THE BODYGUARD plot that places Hannah, an executive protection agent, in the enviable position of posing as the girlfriend of a handsome movie star named Jack Stapleton. Originally considered more grounded careers for her client of Hannah’s protection (scientists, etc.,) Katherine tells Olivia that ultimately “during the pandemic,...

LOOK CLOSER is a wildly entertaining domestic thriller with so many twists and turns - even the savviest readers will fail to figure out who or what to believe until the very last page. The story centers on Simon and Vicky, a Chicago couple approaching ten years of marriage, and what (if any) connection they have to a woman found dead in a neighboring suburb. Author David Ellis joins the podcast t...

Delia Owens’ marsh girl story is a fiction phenom, on the bestseller lists 166 weeks and counting, and holds the New York Times Bestseller List record for the most weeks at #1. The WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING novelist joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about seeing her story made for the big screen, and “meeting” the characters she imagined, on the set of the Hello Sunshine and 3000 Pictures film. Ow...

Summertime is road trip season, and this week’s podcast guest is the perfect guide to inspire our sense of adventure. Daniel Seddiqui joins Olivia to talk about his new book, “Piecing Together America: Serving the Best Features and Craftsmanship of Every Major City,” and the original book that put him on the map, ”50 Jobs in 50 States.” Daniel reflects on some of his most rewarding moments, encour...

When Meg Chernoff moves from LA to NYC and becomes friends with Instagram influencer Daphne, everything changes, including her own priorities. Jenny Mollen, the New York Times bestselling author of I LIKE YOU JUST THE WAY I AM and LIVE FAST, DIE HOT joins the podcast to talk with Olivia about her first novel. Celebrity status and the feeling of being celebrity adjacent is a concept that Jenny know...

A very modern, NYC retelling of the Jane Austen classic, “Emma,” Taylor Hahn’s “The Lifestyle” is a beach read that will make you blush! The lawyer turned novelist joins Olivia in the podcast studio of her Arizona hometown to talk about the research she did- and didn’t do- to learn the swinger lifestyle for her sexy story. The married attorney turned novelist talked about the eye-opening research...

Relaxing lakeside is not an option while reading Riley Sager’s latest, THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE. His latest twisty, creepy, suspenseful novel takes readers away to a family vacation home in Vermont where actress Casey Fletcher can hide out after the loss of her husband and a very public meltdown. The arrival of a high-profile couple who bought the house across the lake, Katherine and Tom Royce, c...

CAN’T LOOK AWAY is a romantic suspense novel from Carola Lovering, that follows the 2013 romance between Molly Diamond and Jake Danner, and the love that inspires the hit, “Molly’s Song.” Carola joins the podcast to chat with Olivia about the story, plot surprises, and the thrill of visiting the set of TELL ME LIES, her 2018 novel that’s headed to Hulu as an original series. CAN’T LOOK AWAY is pub...

Why would a bestselling novelist put a stick of butter in her bra—and who notices when she does? These questions and more are answered when the Queen of the Beach read Jennifer Weiner returns to the podcast. Her latest novel, THE SUMMER PLACE takes readers back to Cape Cod and delivers what we always expect in the pages of her novels: complex, intriguing characters who you care about and root for,...

With many YA novels to her credit already, Nina LaCour releases YERBA BUENA, her first adult novel. YERBA BUENA is a moving story of overcoming loss, learning to love, and what it means to find a place to call home. Nina talks with Olivia in this episode about crafting the love story of Sara and Emilie, the necessary research (mixing and drinking cocktails) required for writing mixologist Sara, an...

Olivia’s Book Club Podcast has survived its first year! The podcast launched on May 17, 2021 with three episodes featuring novelists Kristin Hannah, Donna Freitas, and Jennifer Weiner, and book recommendations from Margaret Stewart. This week, the podcast looks back at a few past conversations with writers whose books are now beach-bag ready in paperback. Don’t pack for your Memorial Day weekend w...

Lovingly known as the “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar), the writing duo known as Christina Lauren are as lovable as a pair of friends as they are successful as a writing team. Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings join the podcast to talk with Olivia about their new book, SOMETHING WILDER, a wildly exciting romantic adventure set in Utah involving a treasure hunt and a second chance romance. Chr...

“Sometimes friendship can be deadly.” In ONE OF US IS DEAD, Jeneva Rose delivers a deliciously dramatic thriller written from the perspectives of four women in the posh Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, where Southern civility and hospitality is for show only. Jeneva Rose joins the podcast to talk about her approach to writing the novel, and how she uses her previous career in social media marketi...

Don Winslow turns to the Greek tragedies for inspiration in what the author says is not only his last trilogy, but will be his last published books. CITY ON FIRE is the first of the three novels, and the first book Don has set in his hometown of Providence. The internationally bestselling author talks with Olivia on the cusp of his retirement from writing about crafting characters like Danny Ryan,...

Abby Jimenez just may be the most interesting woman in the world! She’s competed on the Food Network, is the owner of Nadia Cakes, a bakery that ships all across the country, and is a bestselling author (not to mention mom to pets who are very popular on social media.) She joins the podcast to talk about her new novel “Part of Your World,” which she describes as an “age gap, social gap romance” ab...

Bestselling author of THE NANNY, Gilly Macmillan, joins the podcast to discuss her newest thriller, THE LONG WEEKEND. Set in the isolated Dark Fell Barn, where three women are on edge as they receive a threatening note that one of their husbands will be murdered. Gilly talks with Olivia about the characters, the importance of the isolation of the environment for building the tension, and an old mo...

Erika Krouse is a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, who joins the podcast to discuss her book, TELL ME EVERYTHING: THE STORY OF A PRIVATE INVESTIGATION. This is a memoir focused on a tale of true crime which parallels the narrator's personal history. This is a moving, painful story of power, powerlessness, and the way lives are left shattered when the system doesn't protect those who need it....