Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark

A wedding ceremony is pierced by a scream, that sets the scene for Sally Hepworth’s latest suspenseful thriller, THE YOUNGER WIFE, told by alternating narrators. Full of the twists and unreliable family memories and histories Hepworth is famous for, her new novel focuses on two sisters, Tully and Rachel, and how their lives change when they meet their seemingly perfect father’s new fiancée, Heathe...

“The process of writing felt very much like a scavenger hunt. I would have one clue, then I as the writer also didn’t know, like the reader, where it led,” says Peng Shepherd of her new novel, THE CARTOGRAPHERS, when in-studio for the podcast. Peng shares her interest in cartography, her lifelong passion for stories, and how she approached the follow up to her highly successful 2019 debut, THE BOO...

Ellice Littlejohn has succeeded as corporate attorney in Atlanta -in spite of her many secrets. A secret affair, a secret hidden crime, a childhood full of chaos and poverty she’d like to keep secret from colleagues and even friends. Secrets come to the service when her boss is killed, and Ellice responds in the only way she knows how: with more secrets. Wanda M. Morris joins the podcast to talk a...

Maggie Smith’s debut novel, TRUTH AND OTHER LIES, is the fascinating story of three women and the secrets and lies that connect them, shape them, and threaten them. A journalist, psychologist, podcast host and business owner, Maggie joins the podcast to talk about what inspired the book. Maggie talks about using her own life experience writing the relationship Megan and her mother, the political c...

"The Golden Couple" is the latest thriller from bestselling writing duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Their latest page-turner focuses on therapist  Avery Chambers' unorthodox 10 session treatment program, and her clients, Marissa and Matthew Bishop. Gorgeous and glamorous, the Bishops' marriage is plagued by secrets and lies that are about to be brought to the surface by Avery. Greer & Sara...

Rebecca Serle is taking readers to Positano, Italy in her latest novel, “One Italian Summer.” The story follows Katy, who, in the depths of grief after her mother’s death, goes alone on a planned mother-daughter trip to the Amalfi Coast.  Rebecca joins the podcast this week to talk about writing the emotional novel about a daughter’s love for her mother, the inevitable future of defining yourself...

When Eve Rodsky applied her expertise in organizational management to making her own household and partnership become more manageable and equitable, she sparked a movement among readers of her first book “Fair Play.” Now, Eve is back to chat with Olivia about her new book, “Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World.” Here, Eve uses this podcast as an example of what a...

Valentine’s Day vibes on this week’s podcast, with Tim Xayasomloth, bookseller at Changing Hands Bookstore.  Tim has become known as "The Romance Guy" at the store ever since he challenged himself to read genres outside his fantasy and science fiction favorites, and found he loved the contemporary romance! Comparing a romance novel to a tasty margarita that “goes down easy,” Tim explains to Olivia...

Irish writer Lisa Harding makes her American literary debut with the highly acclaimed novel, “Bright Burning Things.” Harding writes an emotionally powerful story of Sonya, an actress and single mother who is spiraling out of control, battling alcoholism and trauma. Her four-year-old son, Tommy, is simultaneously Sonya’s lifeline and her prison as the pressures of motherhood push her to her limits...

Grab your favorite soup or sandwich from Panera and settle in for a chat with Elle Cosimano – don’t worry, no spoilers! The beloved Finlay is back and smack dab in the middle of yet another wonderful mess in Elle Cosimano’s  February 1st release, “Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead,” the follow up to her hit, “Finlay Donovan Is Killing It.” In this story Finlay and Vero must sort out who is after her...

Katherine Faulkner has an impressive new title to add to an already impressive (or posh ) resume.  The Cambridge grad is the Head of News Projects for The Sunday Times, and now a debut novelist, with the release of “Greenwich Park” from Gallery Books. The story centers around Helen, a complicated and often socially awkward woman who- after many miscarriages is pregnant again and carrying her baby...

Colleen Hoover is a publishing phenomenon, dominating bestseller lists with her catalog of novels week after week. She is a writer who breaks the rules, gliding between traditional publishing houses to self-publishing with ease, and who refuses to limit herself to genre or expectations. Her ability to create complex, emotionally relatable characters make her readers a devoted fanbase who would nev...

Rachel Hawkins’ 2020 release of “The Wife Upstairs” was a huge hit. The contemporary thriller inspired by “Jane Eyre” was the first release outside of the YA genre and showed she can craft a page-turner for a variety of audiences. Rachel talks with Olivia about “Reckless Girls” (published January 2022) that tracks Lux and her boyfriend Nico as they sail off from Hawaii in search of Meroe Island, a...

For the first podcast of 2022, we are joined by an author whose ‘buzzed about’ 2021 debut novel is now available in paperback. Gabriela Garcia’s “Of Women and Salt” was named a Best Book of the Year (2020) by Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, and The Boston Globe. The novel is a multi-generational story of women, taking readers from nineteenth-century Cuba, to present-day Mexico, Miami, and the immig...

“It’s not happiness that makes us grateful, it’s gratefulness that makes us happy” – Kristi Nelson Kristi Nelson brings her powerful message of the transformative practice of grateful living to the last podcast episode of the year.  The author of “Wake Up Grateful” guides readers through the ways you can change your life and perspective for the better, and the ways this shift is proven to improve...

Brace yourself for some serious Christmas magic! New York Times bestselling author of 29 novels (and counting), Mary Kay Andrews joins the podcast to talk about “The Santa Suit” the book she calls “a delicious, sweet, peppermint scented goodie.” The novella celebrates the magic of Christmas and second chances with a tale of a new beginning for Ivy Perkins, who is starting over personally and profe...

Grab a cup of cocoa and get cozy by the Christmas tree for this visit with Karen Schaler, author of new holiday romance, “A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale.” Entertainment Weekly calls her a “holiday publishing darling” who is equally successful as a novelist and screenwriter, with holiday films like Christmas Camp and A Christmas Prince among her credits. Before she was known as “Christmas Karen” – sh...

Jeff Kinney is the creative mind behind one of the most successful book series for kids of all time. He joins the podcast to talk about his latest projects: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot,” the sixteenth in the series, and the animated film, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” currently on Disney+. He talks with Olivia about why his characters should never grow up, the perks of running a bookstore, and reacts...

“L.A. Weather” tells the story of one very tumultuous year in the life of the Alvarado family. Successful Mexican-Americans living and working in Los Angeles, the three adult daughters maintain a commitment of meeting their parents for weekly family dinners to share their passion for food, and commitment to family.   Author Maria Amparo Escandon joins the podcast to talk about the narrative techni...

When an unarmed Black teenager is shot by police while walking home from school, the grief and outrage ripples through the city of Philadelphia in the novel “We Are Not Like Them.” The shooting calls for changes in policing, revealing deep divisions among those who experience systemic racism and those who deny it exists.  For lifelong best friends Jen and Riley, the shooting is a deeply personal c...

Erick Rickstad is a New York Times and international bestselling author of novels including “What Remains of Her” and “The Silent Girls.” He joined the podcast to talk to Olivia about his latest dark, psychological mystery, “I Am Not Who You Think I Am.” It’s a tale that starts in 1976, with a tragic act of violence witnessed by then 8-year-old Maynard, who is not only shaped by the trauma and los...

Seven psychopaths enjoy a free ride to a prestigious east coast school, in exchange for being participating in a psychopathy study. What could go wrong? For one, students keep getting killed. One study participant, Chloe, isn’t at worried for her safety because she considers herself the dangerous one. Debut novelist Vera Kurian joins the podcast to talk about “Never Saw Me Coming,” and why readers...

Emily Itami is a debut novelist who uses her expertise as a travel writer to transport her readers to Tokyo in “Fault Lines.” The book focuses on Mizuki, a wealthy and beautiful Tokyo wife and mother, who is profoundly bored. Her witty internal dialogue reveals there are cracks beneath the shiny surface which, like the fault lines running through the city, threaten to damage or destroy.  Emily joi...

Fans of Riley Sager’s work know that he is a master at delivering twist after twist in suspenseful thrillers like “Home Before Dark,” “Lock Every Door,” and his latest, “Survive The Night.” Sager joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about the novel, its protagonist Charlie, and why the film student fears she may be the Campus Killer’s next victim. He set the book in 1991, the same time that Sager w...

Halloween is creeping up and it is time for some suspenseful reads, and no one does it better than Lisa Jewell.  This time, Jewell takes us to a posh boarding school in the English countryside where many secrets lurk in the beauty, in her latest thriller, The Night She Disappeared.  The author joins the podcast to talk about the book and tells Olivia the surprising way she approached the novel: be...