Bookwild

This week, I talk with Keith Giles about how the early Christian world was far more diverse and mystical than most people realize. He unpacks the history of suppressed gospels, the erasure of Mary Magdalene’s authority, and how non-duality, interconnectedness, and compassion sit at the heart of Jesus’s original teachings. We dive into deconstruction, Christian nationalism, biblical misuse, and how...

This week, Gare, Steph and I all chose one of our own favorite plot devices and recommended books in that vein! This episode definitely has a book for just about everybody! Kate's Books - Books with Dramatic Irony I, Medusa Stalker Dark Sisters Sky Full of Elephants Happy Land Gare's Books - Thrillers with Sex Work Boom Town Real Easy These Women Things We Do in the Dark The Girl in 6E Steph's Boo...

This week, I talk with Erin Crosby Eckstine about her debut Southern Gothic, Junie . She shares how the book developed across years of writing, the importance of portraying enslaved characters with full humanity rather than stereotypes, and why she crafted Junie as a flawed, emotionally real teenager navigating a world she can’t yet fully understand. Erin also explains Gothic and Southern Gothic t...

Audra McElyea returns to talk about her new locked-room, cancel-culture thriller Not Good People , a twisty ensemble mystery set in a blizzard-stranded Blue Ridge Mountain castle. Audra shares how a decades-old British play inspired her to blend popcorn-thriller pacing with a deeper moral reckoning, how she crafted eleven interconnected characters through actor-based mannerisms, and why the story’...

This week, Gare, Steph and I share books we think are good discussion starters for book clubs! Books We Talked About Kate's Picks Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang Dominion by Addie E. Citchens My Husband by Maud Ventura Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson Gare's Picks Keep it In the Family by John Marrs Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino His & Hers by Alice Feeney Amer...

This week, I talk with Wen-Yi Lee about her adult fantasy debut When They Burned the Butterfly —a fierce, Sapphic story of rage, inheritance, and transformation set in post-colonial Singapore. She shares how her homecoming to Singapore shaped this deeply personal book, how real history and mythology intertwined to form her world of fire magic and girl gangs, and why female rage and found family re...

This week, Gare and I got to chat with bestselling author Nic Stone to talk about her adult debut thriller, Boom Town —a gritty, sexy, and socially sharp story set in Atlanta’s iconic strip-club scene. Nic opens up about her path from YA to adult fiction, the inspiration behind Boom Town (and why she wrote it before anyone else could), and how she approached portraying sex work, power, and autonom...

This week, Steph and I got chat with Kirsten Miller about her newest novel The Women of Wild Hill . She shares the evolution of her writing process, and the inspirations behind her sharp, witchy, and deeply human stories. She dives into her love of flawed “unlikable” women, and her view of witchcraft as a metaphor for women’s power and connection to nature. She unpacks how setting, character, and...

This week, Halley is back and she shares her experiences at NoirCon, I share my new obsession with Scream With Me, a non-fiction book that draws parallels between popular horror movies from 1968-1980 and feminism, and then we must dive into the monstrous men who star in and/or create some of said films. Because how could we not end up talking about that?? We also do a brief bit on Lily Allen's new...

This week, I got to talk with Cate Holahan about her new thriller The Kidnapping of Alice Ingold. She shares the real life case that inspired the kidnapping structure, how anxiety fuels her best ideas, and how she approached writing an AI tech guru. The Kidnapping of Alice Ingold Synopsis Alice Ingold has been kidnapped. Call the police. Alert the media. You can't play this game without all the pi...

This week, I talk with Pelumi Olatinpo about his new poetry collection Manifest Destiny. He shares how and why he created a new type of poetry, what inspired him to write about Manifest Destiny and the way it echoes throughout history, and the power of bearing witness. Manifest Destiny Synopsis America turns 250 in 2026. In MANIFEST DESTINY, Pelumi Olatinpo delivers an essential examination of wha...

This week, Gare, Steph and I share some of our favorite recommendations for spooky season! Kate’s Picks No Road Home by John Fram The Getaway by Lamar Giles The Buffalo Hunter Hunter The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson Jackal by Erin E. Adams Gare’s Picks Nightwatcher by Daphne Wolsoncroft Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James Keep This For Me by Jennifer Fawcett Steph’s...

This week, I chat with Vanessa Lillie about her new thriller in her Syd Walker series, The Bone Thief! We dive into her inspiration for the story, the research she did to incorporate historic and contemporary elements, and the social structures that inspired the Founders Society. The Bone Thief Synopsis In the hours before dawn at a local summer camp, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist Syd Wal...

This week, Gare and I talk with THE Lucinda Berry about her new audiobook This Is a Safe Space!  We dive into her inspiration for this story, how writing for audio changes her process, and how she balances twists and trauma. This Is A Safe Space Synopsis Jenna, who runs a successful private therapy practice, still struggles with trust issues of her own. She’s made a promise to stop snooping in her...

This week, I'm chatting with a new co-host, Erin Ashley! She shares her interest in memoirs about musicians, how she came to love them as a music journalist, and the fiction she's been trying to read more of this year. Follow Erin here on Instagram And subscribe to her Substack for posts and interviews! Check Out Author Social Media Packages Check out the Bookwild Community on Patreon Check Out My...

This week, I talk with Nekesa Afia about her new historical-contemporary mystery As Long As You're Mine. We dive into her inspiration for the book, her fascination with the past, and how her present and past characters are up against similar power imbalances. As Long As You're Mine Synopsis Professional ballerina Thea Ross’s world shatters when her screen-legend father commits suicide, leaving beh...

This week, Steph and I chat with Sagit Schwartz about her new thriller The Underdog! We dive into her inspiration for the story, what she loved about writing crazed fan Norma, and how Sagit and I successfully recorded an audiobook thousands of miles apart from each other! The Underdog Synopsis When Liz, an aspiring director stuck working as a chaperone for a reality TV music show, picks up a new c...

Bonus Episode!!   In this first episode of my new Continuing Ed series, MacKenzie Green joins me to talk about a non-fiction book she convinced me to read: Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism The book covers the way America chose to "educate" both Native and Black children, but for Indigenous People's Day, we chose to focus on how...

This week, I got to talk with John Fugelsang about his new book Separation of Church and Hate! He shares why he's passionate about taking back the religion of his parents from the way it has been used as a cloak for hate, how it's near impossible to find a quality in Donald Trump that aligns with Jesus' teachings, and ways to lead Christian Nationalists to arguing with God/scripture instead of you...

Halley Sutton is back! I can't even begin to tell you every topic we talked about, because we basically caught up with each others' lives while also talking about some books, movies and TV shows. Check Out Author Social Media Packages Check out the Bookwild Community on Patreon Check Out My Stories Are My Religion Substack Get Bookwild Merch Follow @imbookwild on Instagram Other Co-hosts On Instag...

This week, Gare and I got to talk with Jennifer Fawcett about her serial killer thriller Keep This For Me! We dive into her inspiration for the story, how she was drawn to writing about the aftermath of a serial killer's actions, and how grief and trauma effect families for generations. Keep This For Me Synopsis One hot August night in 1993, a young couple go to a party. When their car breaks down...

This week, I talk with C.I. Jerez about her emotional and empowering novel At the Island's Edge. We dive into the inspiration for the story, how she explored PTSD, and why she chose to write about a single mom who served in the army. At the Island's Edge Synopsis An Iraq War veteran returns to Puerto Rico to reconnect with―and confront―the past in a heart-wrenching novel about duty, motherhood, an...

This week, we have some chaotic dog interruptions, I recorded int he dark because I couldn't even with the light, AND we broke a record and talked about more than 30 books in one episode!! Enjoy the chaos that is Gare, Steph and my 10 Before the End episode. Kate’s  10 Before the End What We Leave Behind by Wanda Morris https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/250326a1-6252-41eb-8fbd-318b3903b56c Camp...

This week, I talk with Alma Katsu about her new horror novel Fiend. We dive into her inspiration for the story, what draws her to horror, and how she crafted this insidious family. **Every tech issue that could happen did happen, so there's a somewhat rough cut when we had to switch platforms. Fiend by Alma Katsu Synopsis Imagine if the Sackler family had a demon at their beck and call. The Berish...

This week, I dive into how I went from listening to audiobooks, to wanting to edit audiobooks, to co-narrating and editing my first audiobook over the course of like six months! Hear how narrating and producing The Underdog came together with Sagit Schwartz, what surprised me about narrating, and how sentimental I am that I recorded it in my neighborhood library. Check Out Author Social Media Pack...