The Bookshop at the End of the Internet

Author Kevin Hincker to talk about his new sci fi novel, The Story Eaters of Yamm . This is a book about a book—and about the strange, brilliant minds who write them. The main character, Larry, is a struggling sci-fi author with a worldview that doesn't quite match the rest of society. Out of work and living with his mom, he gets roped into a market-research-meets-thought-experiment project alongs...

Author Annie Dike talks about her new novel, Clovis —a story loosely inspired by her own life. Set in Clovis, New Mexico, the novel follows a young girl coming of age, while navigating hard truths about love and loss, family trauma, addiction, betrayal, and the complicated path toward forgiveness and joy. Annie takes readers on an emotional roller coaster through childhood memories and adult recko...

Author Victoria Dillon discusses her debut novel, Ava . The story follows Larkin, a young woman forced by her state's laws to carry a nonviable pregnancy to term. The loss she suffers shapes every choice she makes thereafter. Years later, determined to reclaim her bodily autonomy, she turns to a radical genetic technology during her second pregnancy. Her daughter, Ava, is born healthy, but the alt...

Author Evan Kidwell discusses his debut fantasy novel, Timeaous Spark and the Luck Curse . This first installment in a new series introduces a world where magic is unlocked through brutal trials, and the abilities revealed determine one's place in a rigid class system. Timeaous Spark discovers his magic—known as "minor luck"—is a power society views as dangerous. His journey forces him to decide w...

Author Sonia Daccarett discusses her debut memoir, The Roots of the Guava Tree: Growing up Jewish and Arab in Colombia . Sonia never intended to write a book. But as she reached middle age, she found herself looking back on a childhood that felt strangely distant from the life she was living now. Her memoir became a way to bridge those two worlds. Sonia grew up in Colombia speaking a different lan...

Author Melanie Anagnos discusses her debut novel, Nightswimming . The story drops us straight into the gritty streets of Paterson, New Jersey, circa 1979. Jamie Palmieri, a young patrol officer barely three years out of the academy, suddenly finds himself pulled into a brutal double-murder investigation. What begins as a request for an extra pair of hands quickly becomes something far more dangero...

Author Helen Hynson Vettori discusses her new Black Swan thriller series. The first two books— Black Swan Impact and Black Swan Shock —are out now, with a third on the way. Before becoming a novelist, Helen spent her career as a government planner for catastrophic events like pandemics. When she retired in 2018, she imagined a quiet life of travel and crafting. Then 2020 arrived. As the world shut...

Author D.A. Murray discusses Dominion: Ascension , the first book in her new Dominion trilogy. The story takes place about thirty years in the future, in the aftermath of a devastating war that has reshaped society into a post-apocalyptic nation now known as Dominion. The consequences of that conflict run deep—cognitive decline, widespread infertility, and a dramatic shift in the balance of power....

Author Bill Hulseman discusses his new book, six to carry the casket and one to say the mass . This powerful collection of personal essays grew out of Bill's experience with grief and burnout after losing several family members in a short span of time. Through his writing, he reflects on how he arrived at that moment in his life, exploring themes that range from family to Catholicism to queer-belo...

Author Hanna Verrall discusses one of the most delightfully unusual writing projects I've come across: The Fax Club Experiment . One hundred writers. One fax machine each. One question received by fax every Friday for a full year. Only 32 made it to the end—and together they turned their favorite responses into a book. Hanna shares how the experiment worked, why every author stayed anonymous, and...

This week on The Bookshop at the End of the Internet , I'm chatting with author Andy Honda , the creative mind behind the charming children's series Koa's Ruff Life . Inspired by her real-life rescue pup, Koa—a lovable Rhodesian Ridgeback—Andy's stories follow his adventures across New York City. From the Central Park Zoo to Bryant Park to Christmas in the city, each book celebrates the small, mag...

Author Jen Braaksma talks about a truly extraordinary project: Befriending Betsy . This book began with another writer— Betsy Pauly , a woman remembered for her kindness, humor, and deep love for animals. After Betsy passed away, she left behind pieces of a manuscript and a husband determined to see her story reach the world. That's where Jen stepped in. Jen was brought on to help shape Betsy's un...

Author Nancy Bernhard discusses her powerful debut novel, The Double Standard Sporting House . Set in New York City, 1868, during the shadowy reign of Tammany Hall, Nancy's story follows Doc—a sharp, fearless woman who runs an elite brothel as a covert way to fund her free clinic for women. Her world is one of grit, autonomy, and unexpected power, built at a time when society demanded "respectabil...

Author Joe Battaglia discusses his debut novel, Beneath the Rings . Joe is a seasoned sports journalist who spent years covering the Olympic Games. His experiences inspired Beneath the Rings , which centers around a terrorist event at the 2040 Summer Olympic Games in Doha. In this story, an independent journalist finds herself in the center of an international hostage situation and has to race aga...

Author Susie Spikol about her books Forest Magic (For Kids) and The Book of Fairies . Susie has spent nearly thirty years working as a naturalist at nature centers and spends her time reminding people about the wonders of open-ended play outdoors. In Forest Magic , she has created dozens of activities for kids and parents that are inspired by her work and the magic of the natural world. Her latest...

In the conclusion of this two‑part series, The Bookshop at the End of the Internet presents four more conversations with members of the First Coast Romance Writers, recorded during their recent retreat. This episode features Melody Johnson, Leah Miles, Vanessa Victoria Kilmer, and Vickey Wollan—authors whose work spans romantic suspense, paranormal worlds, adventure, and holiday stories. From ghos...

In this first installment of a special two‑part series, The Bookshop at the End of the Internet features five brief, lively interviews recorded onsite at a working retreat of the First Coast Romance Writers. Host Stacey Horan chats with Maggie FitzRoy, LaTisha Redding, Lynn Westhoff, Marie Morton, and Ann Wright—authors at various stages of their writing journeys who bring humor, passion, and uniq...

Author Marty Neumeier discusses his new thriller, Octavo . This didactic novel delves into the nature of creativity while spinning a thrilling tale through two storylines. One is set during the Renaissance and follows the last pupil of Leonardo DaVinci who writes an adventurous account of the lengths he and DaVinci go through to get DaVinci's notebooks published. There is a mystery surrounding why...

Author Butch Phelps discusses his new book Stretch n' Release: The Missing Piece to a More Pain-Free Life . Butch knows what pain feels like firsthand. At age 18, a car crash left him with a broken arm and a broken pelvis. By age 40, he was in such terrible shape and his back pain so severe that he had to roll out of bed in the morning onto his knees and crawl out of his car, using the door handle...

Author Amy Weinland Daughters discusses her book, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened . Amy kicked around the idea for a funny little time travel story for very long time before actually writing it, finishing it, and sending it out into the world. You Cannot Mess This Up is the story of Amy going back in time to her childhood home in 1978 to spend 36 hours with her family ove...

Author Claire Barner discusses her debut novel, Moonrising . This sci fi romance takes place approximately 50 years in the future and is set largely on the moon's first colony. Main character, Dr. Alex Cole, has spent her life looking for ways to solve earth's growing food problem. When her funding is threatened, she finds herself being thrown a lifeline by a charismatic businessman who hires her...

Author Candace Kade discusses her new novel, Augmented —the third and final installment in The Hybrid series . Our heroine, Lee Urban, is a Natural (someone born without genetic enhancements) who is fighting to dismantle the enhancement programs while trying to outmaneuver those who wish to erase her existence. Lee is someone who straddles two worlds—that of the Naturals and the Enhanced—but feels...

Alex R. Johnson discusses his debut novel, Brooklyn Motto . This book, set in New York City in 1998, is Alex's take on classic noir detective fiction. In it, Nico, a disillusioned private investigator, makes his living by photographing municipal employees suspected of insurance fraud. He's approaching thirty, wondering where his career is going, and realizing he has to grow up and start making act...

Author Lois Melbourne discusses her new sci fi novel, Moral Code . Lois was inspired by the idea of an ethical Artificial Intelligence that could protect children. In Moral Code , her main character, Dr. Keira Stetson, creates such an AI. Dr. Stetson begins by using it as her assistant, which she names Elly, and eventually uses it to help the FBI and other agencies identify dangers to kids. As the...

Author Geoff Loftus discusses his new book, The Devil's Vacation . It is the tenth book in his Jack Tyrrell thriller series. The main character, Jack Tyrrell, is a former Special Forces veteran and Deputy U.S. Marshall who solves crimes and rights wrongs with the help of his guardian angel. In The Devil's Vacation , which is set on a small island off the coast of Rhode Island, Jack finds his summe...