The Bookshop at the End of the Internet

Author Susan Cole discusses her new memoir, Holding Fast. It's Susan's story of leaving everything behind to follow her husband's lifelong dream of sailing away. When Susan married John, she had never sailed before. Eventually, the couple embarked on a three-year Caribbean voyage with their young daughter and their dog, Elmo. Susan recounts the joys of offshore sailing, as well as its many trials...

Author Kevin Moore discusses the first two books in his paranormal thriller series, The Book of Souls and The Book of Demons . Kevin practices lucid dreaming. In fact, it was a recurring dream about shadow people that inspired this series of books. In this series, Kevin's main character, Jack Kelly, is a family man who has a near-death experience and wakes up in his thirteen-year-old body. Jack is...

Author Alexis Hunter discusses her new memoir, Joi Lansing--A Body to Die For--A Love Story . In this book, Alexis recounts her time spent with Joi Lansing, one of the last blonde bombshells of 1950's and '60's Hollywood. Alexis was just starting out in Hollywood when she met Joi on a movie set. They fell in love but kept their relationship a secret by introducing Alexis to everyone as Joi's littl...

Author Alison Levy discusses the first two books in her Daemon Collecting fantasy series, Gatekeeper and Blue Flame . In this series, the main character is Rachel Wilde, a daemon collector from a dimension parallel to ours, who uncovers a shadow conspiracy across both dimensions. Rachel must battle criminals and dangerous creatures if she wants to save her own life and save both worlds. During her...

Author Steph Katzovi discusses her middle grade novel, Hurricamp!. The story follows Laura "Noodle" Newman as she attends sleepaway summer camp for the first time. She battles homesickness, tries to make new friends, and then gets hit by a hurricane. If you've ever attended summer camp, you'll appreciate Noodle's adventures. If Steph could do it all again, she admits she would embrace her camp exp...

Author Jessica Hatch discusses her debut novel, My Big Fake Wedding , in which the main character, Bea Corbin, enters a lottery to win her dream wedding. Bea's name is picked as the winner right after she is unceremoniously dumped by her cheating boyfriend. When Bea must decide whether to take the prize, she panics and says yes. Now, all she needs is a groom. Bea ignores the concept of sunk costs,...

Author Patricia Grayhall discusses her memoir, Making the Rounds , a coming-of-age story set in the late 1960's and 1970's. Defying expectations, Patricia came out as a lesbian at the age of 19 and pursued her dream of becoming a medical doctor. In Making the Rounds , Patricia shares what it was like for her as she tried to have both love and a medical career at a time when society disapproved of...

Author Catherine Raphael discusses her new epic fantasy novel, Journey to the Heart Stone . A long-time fan of the genre, Catherine started writing Journey to the Heart Stone because she was frustrated with the skewed portrayal of women in most fantasy novels. They were either the damsel in distress or the evil, old crone. So, Catherine set out to build a world that showed the breadth of female po...

Author Tim Grove discusses his latest narrative nonfiction book, The World Turned Upside Down. It is the story of the dramatic Siege of Yorktown in 1781, the last major battle of the American Revolution. This real-life tale is told from five very different perspectives—that of General George Washington, the notorious traitor Benedict Arnold, the young French hero Lafayette, British General Lord Co...

Author Julie Broad discusses her latest book, Self-Publish and Succeed . Julie is the founder of the self-publishing services firm, Book Launchers, and has made it her mission to help nonfiction authors write, publish and market books people will want to read. In Self-Publish and Succeed , Julie covers sitting down to write, the importance of titles and book covers, selecting the right editor, and...

Author Tammy Gross discusses her latest novel, The Treasure Galleons, based on the true story of the 1715 Spanish shipwrecks that gave Florida its nickname—the Treasure Coast. This novel tells the story of a captain's son who is left to confront pirates, cannibals and an angry king after a hurricane off the coast of Florida devastates his family and their fleet, which was carrying $400 million wor...

Author Chris Crutcher is the author of more than a dozen novels and two short story collections. His work features teen protagonists coping with serious problems, including poverty, abuse, and prejudice. Chris's books have been informed by his work as a teacher, director of an alternative school, child and family therapist and child protection advocate. All of his books and stories have been chall...

Author Daniel Powell discusses his short story collection, Fo(u)nd Memories . The stories are inspired by old photographs he began collecting after visiting an antique shop and seeing a few photographs that were so intriguing he couldn't leave them behind. They weren't artistic photos. They were simply snapshots of other people's lives, taken in everyday situations, and Daniel began to wonder at t...

Author Nicole Strickland, director of the San Diego Paranormal Research Society, discusses her numerous books about paranormal activity. Three of her books explore the RMS Queen Mary, the retired luxury ocean liner considered one of the most haunted places on earth. The Queen Mary is a particular favorite of Nicole's, due to its rich history and the consistency of its paranormal activity. When wri...

Author Michelle R. Young discusses her latest young adult novel, Soul Cogs . It is the second installment in Michelle's Gear Heart sci fi series set in Victorian England with a distinct steampunk vibe. Book Two picks up where Book One left off, and the characters are on the run during a very dangerous time. You can expect new characters and lots of new adventures for the both the heroes and the vi...

Author C.M. Newell discusses her Unwanted series. The final installment, Sacred , was released earlier this year. This YA fairytale/fantasy series is not a damsel-in-distress story, but rather one where the female lead was on equal footing with her male counterpart. Cassie felt finishing the series was her own coming-of-age as a writer. Cassie also shares how she works as a writing coach to help o...

Author Robert Valletta discusses his new Gaslamp Quarter Thriller series . The first book, Blood Running Hot , is a noir thriller in which a former NYPD detective relocates to southern California to begin a new life only to find herself the prime suspect in a series of murders. Fans of the genre will find Blood Running Hot contains plenty of twists and turns, a strong female protagonist and a conv...

Author Cheryl Hollon discusses her cozy series, the Paint & Shine Mysteries . Along with a murder mystery, this series boasts the unique and whimsical combination of landscape painting, southern cooking and moonshine. This series is close to Cheryl's heart, as it features the Appalachian farmhouse where her father grew up and where she spent her summers as a kid. Also, the main character, Miranda...

Author Lindsey Salatka discusses her novel, Fish Heads and Duck Skin . This story is loosely based on Lindsey's own life, specifically the five years she and her family lived in Shanghai. When she began to write the book, Lindsey originally intended it to be a memoir but that quickly changed. Fish Heads and Duck Skin is the fictional story of a woman far from home who learns to fall in love with h...

Author Gale Massey discusses her short story collection, Rising and Other Stories , and her coming-of-age novel, The Girl from Blind River . After Gale curated Rising and Other Stories , she realized her stories share several themes in common: nature, water, grief, and the notion of girls taking on the world. This latter theme also runs through The Girl from Blind River . Gale discusses how learni...

Author Kristen Fogle is the Executive Director of the nonprofit literary center San Diego Writers, Ink and the author of four journaling books. Kristen discusses why she believes that everyone is (or has it within them to be) a writer. She has spent her career helping writers as an editor and instructor. Kristen discusses creating dynamic characters, journaling in whatever format sets you on fire,...

Author Lars Emmerich discusses his conspiracy thriller series featuring female protagonist Sam Jameson. Lars admits that having a female lead in this genre is a bit unusual. But if murder, espionage, and smart, tough, feisty female government agents are your thing, you'll want to check out this series. Lars chats about how he was inspired by Tom Clancy and similar authors, and why he thinks that w...

Author Brooklyn Quintana discusses her debut young adult novel, Fynneas Fog: Nine of Swords . This dark fantasy adventure is the first installment in a nine-part series. It follows young Prince Fynneas, who is sent to the Morancy Academy of Military Arts on a magical and dangerous island where his survival cannot be guaranteed. Being homesick is the least of Fynneas's worries, given that he must d...

Author Theresa Kaminski discusses her latest biography, Queen of the West: The Life and Times of Dale Evans . This project was 10 years in the making, but the inspiration for it goes back to Theresa's childhood when she watched reruns of The Roy Rogers Show on television. Dale Evans was the first female Western star and was dubbed Queen of the West. Theresa discusses the differences between Dale E...

Author Shannon Stocker discusses her new children's picture book biography, Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion . This project is near and dear to Shannon's heart. Evelyn Glennie began learning music as a small child. She also began to lose her hearing starting at age 8, but her profound hearing loss did not keep her from continuing to play. Shannon's new book, Listen , is...