The Bookshop at the End of the Internet

Author Laurie Wallmark discusses her picture book biographies about women in STEM. The women in Laurie's books are pioneers in fields ranging from computer science to mathematics to astronomy. Her latest book is Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics. Laurie has always loved math and is a former computer software engineer and professor. Now, she channels her passion into writin...

Author Darlene Beck-Jacobson discusses her latest middle grade novel, Wishes, Dares and How to Stand Up to a Bully. It is a coming of age story about losing a family member, summer vacation, learning how to be brave and a fish who grants wishes. It's Darlene's first novel in verse, and she found the experience of fashioning a story out of the poems she wrote to be both intriguing and joyful. Darle...

Author Diane Barnes discusses her latest novel titled, More Than. Ms. Magazine named it one of the best feminist books to curl up with. More Than, like her other novels, is about relationships. In particular, it is a story about the power of female friendships. Diane has considered herself a writer since the second grade. Always fascinated by relationships, whether its friendship, romance or the r...

Author Alanna Ritchie discusses her newest work, Beach City: A Memoire of a 19 Year-Old Cali Girl. The book is an homage to growing up in SoCal and grappling with coming of age angst and excitement. It's a story of the narrator's transition from girl to woman while trying to proclaim who she is and what she wants. Alanna always wanted to write books, and she started writing Beach City over a summe...

Author/illustrator Timothy Young discusses his children's picture books, the latest of which is curiously titled, "Untitled." Some of his others include I'm Looking for a Monster and I Hate Picture Books!, which lovingly pokes fun at some classics of children's literature. Tim has been an animator, toy designer and illustrator. While always an artist, Tim was never very confident as writer when he...

Author Terri Wangard discusses her newest release titled, Roll Back the Clouds. It is a story that takes place during WWI on the ill-fated, final voyage of the Lusitania in 1915. Terri has published other historical fiction novels as well, including a series set during WWII. Terri has always been a writer, a lover of libraries and a student of history. She has degrees in both history and library s...

Author Jillian Bradfield discusses her two guided journals for teens and preteens -- Write on Girl! and Write on Boy! These journals contain writing prompts and coloring pages designed to engage, encourage and motivate girls and boys to make smart decisions and express themselves through journaling. Jillian was inspired to create these journals based on her own teenage journaling experience, and h...

Award-winning author J.R. Sharp discusses his newest release, Breaking From the Enemy, a story of family, honor, love and freedom-fighting in Italy during WWII. It is the first book in a trilogy, and it follows on from J.R.'s debut work, Feeding the Enemy, based on his own family stories in northern Italy during WWII. J.R. discusses the real-life inspiration for some of his characters and the less...

Nicole Tadgell is an award-winning children's picture book illustrator. Nicole's lovely illustrations have filled the pages of more than 30 books for children, including her most recent book, Tiara's Hat Parade. Nicole has always been an artist, taking easily to drawing and painting as a kid. Illustrating children's picture books is a passion, and Nicole uses her talents to help books come to life...

Award-winning author Yvonne Ventresca discusses her two young adult novels—Pandemic and Black Flowers, White Lies—and her most recent short story, which appears in a new anthology titled, Voyagers: The Third Ghost. Yvonne's writing journey began with nonfiction works and technical writing, but she eventually transitioned to fiction and hasn't looked back. Her debut novel, Pandemic, is certainly re...

Freelance editor Jessica Hatch discusses her journey through the publishing world, some common mistakes that authors tend to make, and the various types of edits that a book goes through on its way to being published. Jessica got her start in publishing in the hallowed halls of some of New York City's biggest publishing institutions. Today, she puts her knowledge and experience to good use helping...

Author Lauren Kerstein discusses her debut children's picture book, Rosie the Dragon and Charlie Make Waves. It is a story about the challenges of teaching a dragon how to swim, and it's the result of Lauren's writing efforts during National Picture Book Writing Week. Lauren played with different story structures and drew on her own experiences as a therapist and swim team mom to create a story ab...

Author Megan Kinney discusses her debut novel, Dakota Peace. It is the story of a 911 dispatcher struggling with burnout who meets a South Dakota state trooper searching for a kidnapped foster child. In writing this novel, Megan drew upon her own experiences as a foster parent and law enforcement wife. She discusses what she learned when she spent several hours in the 911 dispatch center as part o...

Author Shaun O. Smith discusses his newest book, Shaun O. Smith: A Collection of Poems. This self-titled work contains poems that are designed to invite the reader to see what Shaun sees when he looks himself in the mirror. Shaun's poems show us who he is, both as a poet and as a person. This collection is filled with the philosophical, existential and emotional ideas that Shaun walks around with...

Author Patti Stockdale discusses her debut novel, Three Little Things. Inspiration for the book came from a collection of love letters her grandparents exchanged during WWI. The box of letters was given to Patti when she needed a project for a college writing course. Three Little Things is the story of forbidden love. As Arno goes off to war in Europe, Hattie stays behind in Iowa. The young pair e...

Author Donna Schlachter discusses her historical mysteries, including her latest book titled, Double Jeopardy. Donna loves a good mystery and has written her own in both novella collections and full-length novels. Tune in to hear Donna discuss her writing journey, how she strikes a balance between planting red herrings and not leading the reader too far astray, and how the best writing advice she...

Talia Carner, award-winning author of historical fiction based upon true, but little-known facts, discusses her newest release, The Third Daughter. It is the story of a young woman lured from Russia to Buenos Aries in the late 1800's by a false promise of marriage, only to find herself forced into prostitution by a legally-sanctioned union of traffickers called the Zwi Migdal. Talia's books involv...

Author Marc Cavella discusses his debut novel, Tabernacle. It is the story of a successful salesman who sells a product that none of his clients actually wants, and he is willing to do everything he can to earn the biggest commission of his career. Tabernacle is a fun mix of dark comedy, western and detective noir. Marc chats about his writing journey, the benefits and challenges of writing a stor...

Author Shannon Stocker discusses her new children's picture book, Can U Save The Day?, a story about what happens to words when all the vowels decide to take the day off. Shannon is also the author of several essays appearing in various Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Tackling yet another genre, she is hard at work on her most challenging book to date—her memoir. Shannon's own story is one of mus...

Author Naomi Musch discusses her historical romance books, including her recent novella, A Tender Siege, and her novel, The Brightest Hope, which is the final installment in her three-book Echoes of the Heart series. Naomi is a fan of history, and her stories are set in time periods ranging from the mid-1700's to the early part of the 20th century. Naomi discusses her writing journey, her re-relea...

Janet Grunst is the author of two award-winning historical romance novels, A Heart Set Free and A Heart for Freedom, as well as a novella titled, The Year Without Summer. Janet's love of history inspires her stories, and she takes her characters on journeys over oceans to new lands, amidst political turmoil of the times and eventually through their own self-discovery. Janet discusses her writing j...

Award-winning author A. LaFaye discusses her numerous books for kids, including young adult stories, like Worth and The Year of the Stardust Man, and children's picture books, such as Walking Home to Rosie Lee. Her latest picture book, Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became the Bookmobile Ballerina, is a story of determination, perseverance and creativity. A. is also an English professor and a w...

Author J.A. Andrews discusses her epic fantasy trilogy, The Keeper Chronicles. Janice's career as an author began even before she realized it. While her husband was on a long business trip, Janice began writing short chapters of a fantasy story and emailing them to him to keep him entertained while on the road. Fifteen years later, those emailed bits of story became the first ten chapters of her p...

Author Kay Dew Shostak talks about writing southern fiction, including her two series set in small towns in GA and FL. Kay grew up dreaming about becoming an author, but it wasn't until she was married and a mother of three that she gave it serious consideration. At a book club meeting, Kay asked, "Don't you wish you'd written that book?" Her question was met with blank stares, and she realized th...

Author Penelope Wright discusses her series, The Collapse, in which she tackles time travel as she's always wanted to write it. To avoid the pitfalls of writing time travel stories, Penelope wrote the entire six book series before publishing and releasing the first book, Time Bomb. What would happen if the world suddenly flooded and the only survivors were those living on the top floors of the wor...