In Between The Pages with James Lott Jr.

In this heartwarming book, young readers are invited to discover the power of their own words. Whether whispered, spoken, or shouted with joy, every child’s voice deserves to be heard. You Have a Story to Tell encourages children to speak up, share their stories, and know that what they say has value. Perfect for classrooms, families, and anyone who believes in listening with the heart, this book...

It's 1971, and 7-year-old Mishel Manoucherian's family has packed up their life in Tehran and moved to Los Angeles, launching him headfirst into a disorienting new world of social and schoolyard expectations. At once a witty and warm exploration of the immigrant journey and coming of age tale, American Playground illuminates the Iranian American experience through a child's unique perspective. Arm...

Lucy Wilson-Tagoe is a Ghanaian-American writer and lawyer who writes suspenseful women’s fiction and romantic thrillers centered on characters from the African Diaspora and the Global South. She studied History at Tufts University and earned law degrees from Howard University and the London School of Economics. A child immigrant and daughter of immigrants, she brings a global perspective to her s...

James is sharing some behind the scenes of his songwriting these days!

In this thrilling sequel to Hooked, the secret leaders of a deadly cabal prove to be a veritable match for the determined reporter and the insightful surfing detective who double down to expose them. Investigative reporter Katrina Chopin is back home in San Diego on a mission (or two). The first is personal: reheating the cold case of her parents’ murder and investigating her brother’s reported su...

Ruta's Closet tells the compelling Holocaust story of a Jewish family, imprisoned in the tiny Shavl ghetto in Lithuania. The Kron family survived the horror of the Nazi regime, thanks to the resourcefulness of Meyer and Gita Kron and the bravery of their rescuers. While Ruta's Closet is based on fact, it reads like fiction. The drama of the events described and the richness of the characters make...

Crossing the Bronx is an historical literary novel set primarily in the 1950s in The Bronx. It is a modern retelling of the Jacob and Esau story from Genesis. The narrative that propels the story forward concerns the destruction of a neighborhood in the guise of progress. Jay and Eric, the sons of Ike (an Italian Jew), and Rebekeh, (a Mountain Jew), are estranged-as are their parents-and find them...

WHEN THE HOWELL FAMILY MOVES INTO A HOUSE on Heckler Lane, it causes quite a stir around the small town of Sunny Cove, Pennsylvania. Elise Howell, a well-known cardio surgeon, has returned home after fifteen years to fill her recently deceased mother’s position at Sunny Cove General Hospital. In a town this size, it’s big news. But it’s Elise’s new husband, Artie, who has the whole town talking. A...

The book, An Awesome Bird The Pelican, is a book for kids, written by Rusty Austin, and students from Nellie Coffman Middle School created the illustrations. This story teaches kids about pelicans in a fun and interesting way by showing off their various traits and behaviors. The story starts with a curious pelican going on a trip to find out where it fits in the world. The pelican faces many prob...

In a world carefully constructed for murder, solving crimes takes a keen mind and eye in a witty, clever, and fresh reinvention of the whodunit by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg. Edison Bixby is wealthy, handsome, and, due to a traumatic brain injury, impulsively rude. He’s also a brilliant insurance investigator who solves baffling crimes by figuring out how the design of the m...

In case you didnt know! take a listen! We honor and remember all the fallen who served. 

In this episode I spoke with Larry D Graggy about his book "Bugsy's Shadow: Moe Sedway, Bugsy Siegel and the Birth of Organized Crime in Las Vegas." The story of Moe Sedway, the eponymous "shadow" to Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, from his days as Bugsy's right hand associate to his suspected role in Bugsy's unsolved disappearance, and the role Sedway played in the creation of modern Las Vegas.

Midnight Train from Georgia chronicles the incredible rise of Gladys Knight and the Pips from their origins singing in a small Atlanta church to their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. When two families' destinies intertwine at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, they discover the extraordinary musical talents of their children. Young cousins William Guest, Eleanor Guest, Gladys Knight, Bren...

In this episode I spoke with Justin Baer about his book "House of Fidelity: The Rise of the Johnson Dynasty and the Company That Changed American Investing". When Edward C. Johnson 2d founded Fidelity in 1946, investing was a pursuit reserved for the elite. Today, more than $15 trillion flows through Fidelity’s customer accounts and investment funds touching the lives of one in five American adult...

His new book is out now! Before Leaving the Island, available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org. It ships globally.

WHEN YOUR KID IS LITTLE, the paradoxes of parenting are simple: you can love your child to death, and also be willing to do anything to get them to go the fuck to sleep. But by the time your precious little baby bird is getting ready to spread its wings and leave the nest? That’s a whole different level of complexity. You’re happy and sad. Thrilled and devastated. You want to give them all the adv...

JLJ talks to John about his  debut collection of poems, Before Leaving the Island, available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org. It ships globally. His  heartfelt thanks to Trail to Table, an imprint of Wandering Aengus Press, and to the many others whose help along the way made this book possible. This year he also founded Fifth Stanza Press with the mission of publishing...

In Jazz Age New York, a shocking murder shatters the privileged life of the city’s most elite family in a propulsive mystery-thriller debut from author K.M. Colley that spans from Harlem to Long Island’s Gold Coast and high society’s glittering world of deadly secrets. In the glittering world of 1920s New York, the seven Ridley heirs seem to have it all: wealth, status, and protection as the city’...

Dickens in Brooklyn is a virtuoso collection of unusual, compelling essays in which critically acclaimed and award-winning author Jay Neugeboren explores experiences that have been central to his life: caring long-term for a brother with mental illness; finding and connecting with long-lost family members; a posthumous lunch with Oliver Sacks; his years as single parent to his three children; his...

In this episode, I spoke with one of the producers of the film and the author of the book " On the Set of Forest Gump." Forrest Gump  is a beloved and frequently quoted modern classic that has captivated audiences and changed the American cultural landscape since its release. The winner of six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, its portrayal of...

IN this episode I spoke with Martin Dugard about his latest book "The Long Run". A dramatic narrative telling the story behind the running and marathon boom of the 1970s and early 1980s, featuring the stories of Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Grete Waitz, and many others, and how a generation of runners turned a formerly obscure distance into a national obsession

1910, Mexico. As the country’s revolution spreads, Dolores, the daughter of a wealthy banker, must flee her comfortable life in Durango or risk death. Her family settles in Mexico City, where, at sixteen, she marries the worldly Jaime del Río. But in a twist of fate, at a party she meets an influential American director who recognizes in her a natural performer. He invites her to Hollywood, and pr...

"The Magnificent Mr. & Mrs. Maple" is the (almost) true story of two trees in a Harlem garden and the family of plants & critters that love them. When fate threatens to separate them, they all learn to value the invisible bonds of love and family. In addition to Mr. & Mrs. Maple, there is Nosy, the busybody bee...a silly spider named Sally and JoRo, a jolly pigeon. Juniper and Boxwood...

In this episode I spoke with author Andrew Burstein about his latest book "Being Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History". The deepest dive yet into the heart and soul, secret affairs, unexplored alliances, and bitter feuds of a generally worshipped, intermittently reviled American icon. Perhaps no founding father is as mysterious as Thomas Jefferson. The author of the Declaration of Independence wa...

A fan found an error, James Lott Jr fixed it! Take a listen!