The Bookshop at the End of the Internet

Author Peter Gribble discusses his new City of Magicians series. The first three books in the series— Threat , Within , and Quickening —are available now, and Peter is hard at work on books four through six. In this fantasy series, a society built on intellect and pacifism is forced to confront a brute-force barbarian invasion. Can the society survive? Peter's stories challenge the ideas of war, p...

Author Veeda Bybee discusses her new cookbook, A Few of My Favorite Things: Recipes Inspired by Family-Friendly Musicals . Once upon a time, Veeda Bybee was a food blogger. But as family and other commitments grew, maintaining the blog became too much work, and she eventually gave it up. This cookbook marks a return to writing about food and cooking, and she admits that it is a dream come true. Du...

Author Joan Fernandez discusses her new novel, Saving Vincent . This work of historical fiction is the story of Jo Van Gogh, sister-in-law of painter Vincent Van Gogh and wife of Vincent's brother Theo. After the death of her husband, who died only six months after his brother, Jo inherited Vincent's artwork. At that time, the paintings were worthless, but Jo worked tirelessly to persuade people t...

Author Josh Mendoza discusses his debut novel, Shadow of the Eternal Watcher , a classic noir detective story that spirals into a sci fi adventure/space opera. The main character, Duster Raines, is an ambulance-chasing private investigator who is well on his way to hitting rock bottom when he finds himself dragged into a mystery that crosses multiple realities, and he glimpses a version of himself...

Author Cynthia Moore discusses her new book, Dancing on Coals: A Memoir of an Overperformer , which tells the story of her life thus far in two parts. The first is a twenty-year journey in experimental theater. She spent those 20 years traveling, performing, creating her own theatrical pieces, and literally throwing herself against walls. The second part of her story is her pivot to obtain her mas...

Author Zaq Baker discusses his debut novel, Unspectacular . This family dramedy is about young people trying to balance a music career with family struggles and everyday life. The story is told in two primary narratives: Mae, a twenty-year-old music student who doesn't really want a career in music but who is expected to be next big thing; and Ajay, a software engineer and skilled drummer who stru...

Author Mima Tipper discusses her debut young adult contemporary romance novel, Kat's Greek Summer . Rising high school freshman, Kat, is dragged off to Greece for a vacation to meet her extended family, ruining Kat's own summer plans of training for the cross-country team and preparing for a successful transition into high school. Mima describes Kat's Greek Summer as high-stakes odyssey for her ma...

Author Richie Billing discusses his new fantasy novella, Together We Rise , a story about revolution against a corrupt government in a world were life has become a fight for survival. Richie took inspiration from real-world events and the plight of many around the globe. This story is told from multiple points of view—workers, healers, children, police officers, criminals, and so on. Each chapter...

Author Liz Alterman discusses her new book, Claire Casey's Had Enough . Claire Casey is a forty-something year old mom of three who is recently separated from her husband and is facing the decision of whether to reconcile or file for divorce. The book follows Claire through one thirteen-hour day in which her life feels like its spinning out of control. When an old flame gets in touch and asks Clai...

Author Sara Winokur discusses her two new novels— Double Blind: The Icelandic Manuscript Murders , and I vory Bones: The Lewis Chessmen Murders —both set in Iceland and featuring a forensic geneticist who uses her knowledge and skills to solve mysteries. In both novels, Sara blends Nordic noir mysteries with history and real-world intrigue. Sara was a genetics researcher for twenty-five years, and...

Author Brandi Bradley discusses her new novel, Pretty Girls Get Away with Murder . Brandi knew she wanted to write a murder mystery set in a small Southern town like the one she grew up in. Pretty Girls Get Away with Murder is a Southern noir novel set in a small Kentucky town in which a young entrepreneur is murdered, and everyone suspects his "crazy ex-girlfriend" of killing him. The story revol...

Author Lola Reid Allin discusses her new memoir, Highway to the Sky: An Aviator's Journey . Lola wanted to write a book that was not just about aviation but also about her experience as a female pilot at a time when it was extremely rare for women to be commercial pilots. While the industry has changed since Lola started out as a pilot, women still make up a very small percentage of the world's co...

Author Mark Mustian discusses his new Southern Gothic novel, Boy with Wings . In this work of historical fiction, a boy named Johnny Cruel is born with wing-like appendages on his back. Is he a miracle, or is he cursed? Johnny ends up in a freak show traveling through the South in the 1930's. While he bares his back for the entertainment of onlookers, he finds that the very thing that shocks peopl...

Author Patsy C. Robertson about her debut novel, A Concoction of Lies . As an avid reader, Patsy was frustrated by the lack of representation of older people as main characters. In A Concoction of Lies , Patsy's characters range from their 40s to their 70s, and she places them in a thrilling, high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse. In this story, a former FBI cybersecurity specialist becomes a cybercri...

Author Keith G. McWalter discusses his new science fiction novel, Lifers , in which the solution to extending human life has been found and is secretly unleashed upon the world's population in the form of an airborne pandemic. When people stop dying, the pressures of an ever-increasing population create a whole host of political and socio-economic ramifications. Keith admits that he didn't need to...

Author Talia Carner discusses her new historical novel, The Boy with the Star Tattoo . This story combines two real-life events that took place in France: (1) the 1946 Youth Aliya search for Jewish orphans who were hidden in the European countryside during WWII, and (2) the Israeli naval action off the coast of Cherbourg, in Normandy, during the French arms embargo in 1969. In this novel, the assi...

Author R.B. Kelly discusses her debut sci fi novel, Edge of Heaven , and its sequel, On the Brink . Rachael began the first draft of the story when she was only fifteen years old. Always a fan of Terry Pratchett, Rachael loves his notion of inspiration particles sleeting through the universe. What was her own inspiration particle for these books? An imaginary vision of a city built on top of anoth...

Author Francine Falk-Allen discusses her new book, A Wolff in the Family . This novel has its origins in a Francine's own family history. About twenty years ago, she learned a family secret that very few of her living relatives knew. She discovered that the five youngest of her mother's eleven siblings were sent to an orphanage by her grandfather. It was Francine's mother, the eldest of the siblin...

Author Rebecca Hendricks discusses her latest books, Hound Dogged and Hard Dogs Night . These first two books in Rebecca's new series follow a group of friends in a small town as they attempt to establish themselves as a rock-n-roll band called the Hound Dogs. The year is 1958, and rock-n-roll is just getting started. Rebecca's stories feature a harmonious mix of friendship, coming-of-age challeng...

Author Lisa Diane Kastner discusses the first two books in her new paranormal fantasy series, Cure and Family Pack . In these books, we meet Luna, a young woman who has just lost her beloved brother. She traces his movements to Sweden where she discovers that her family descends from an iconic female Viking warrior known as the Birke. Luna also discovers that her brother was a shapeshifter, a lyca...

Author Linda Ambrus Broenniman discusses her new book, The Politzer Saga . Linda wanted to learn about her family history but never intended to write a book about it—until she learned the truth. At the age of twenty-seven, Linda found out that her father was Jewish, after being told her whole life that he was Catholic, like herself and the rest of her family. When Linda began her research, she unc...

Author Matt Scott discusses his political thriller series, Surviving the Lion's Den . All three books in this trilogy— Surviving the Lion's Den , The Iranian Deception , and The Ayatollah Takedown —are available now. The series opens with a race against time. Can the main characters make it safely out of Iran in the midst of a political coup to overthrow Iran's Supreme Leader—a coup orchestrated b...

Author Margaret Dulaney discusses her new middle grade book, Whippoorwill Willingly . The story follows eleven-year-old Whippoorwill Willingly as she embarks on a magical journey to an enchanted lake in the Swiss Alps. She meets a variety of friends—humans, animals, and birds—and experiences a mystical world filled with wonder and healing. As a result of her journey, the once-cynical Whippoorwill...

Author Kurt Deion discusses his book, Presidential Grave Hunter: One Kid's Quest to Visit the Tombs of Every President and Vice President . Kurt was just nine years old when he told his parents he wanted to visit the grave sites of all the U.S. presidents. They were happy to support him, and the family traveled around the country visiting presidential libraries, cemeteries, and other interesting l...

Author David Weill discusses his new book, All That Really Matters . In this novel, the main character, Dr. Joe Bosco, is a rising star in the heart transplant field, and he's feeling all the pressures that come with the job. His professional and personal issues lead him into trouble, and he struggles to find redemption. David knows all about being a transplant surgeon, and he wrote this story to...