The Bookshop Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Imagine having an indie bookstore all to yourself for an entire night. Join me in this episode as I chat with fellow book lover and  Bookstagrammer, Dr. Stefanie Caeners, a Literary Studies lecturer who had just that experience. We talk about indie bookshops,  books we love, Edinburgh, and reading. Stefanie's journey is a fascinating one. From discovering her love for Souther...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I chat with illustrator and author, Rachel Ignotofsky about blending illustration and education, crayons, women in STEM, and her latest book, What's Inside A Caterpillar Cocoon? Rachel Ignotofsky is a New York Times Best Selling author and illustrator, based in California . She grew up in New Jersey on a healthy diet of Star Trek and pudding and graduated from...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder how a small indie bookstore doesn't just survive, but thrive in today's digital age? Meet Sheryl Shurville, the dynamic co-owner of the Chiltern Bookshops; Chorleywood and Gerrards Cross in the UK. Sheryl's fascinating journey from nursing to bookselling is one that will inspire you, as she shares the secrets behind the success of her bookshops. From cel...

Send us Fan Mail Tease your curiosity with Tom Mead, a UK crime fiction author whose passion for golden age mystery authors and locked room mysteries will captivate your attention. Tom unravels the craft of creating an intriguing whodunit, discussing locked room and closed circle mysteries, and the allure of puzzle style mysteries that have fascinated readers for centuries. We then dive into the f...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever pondered the profound impact that writing can have on the processing of grief? Join me as I walk through this journey with award-winning journalist and best-selling ghostwriter, Dina Gachman. Her captivating journey from a horse-loving child writer to an influential scribe is a riveting one. We touch on the fuels of her creativity, and delve into her new book of essa...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for an unforgettable journey through the captivating life of Catriona Ward, a beloved international best-selling author. Traverse the globe with us as we uncover her unique childhood experiences in various countries and delve into how these experiences shaped her trajectory as a writer. Discover how her stint studying English at the University of Oxford almost doused her...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with British author Laura Shepherd-Robinson about her latest novel The Square of Sevens , switching from politics to writing, historical research, and her publishing story. Laura Shepherd-Robinson has a BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. She worked in politics for nearly twenty...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I welcome back journalist and author Katya Cengel. We chat about her new non-fiction memoir, Straitjackets And Lunch Money ,  the importance of listening to children's voices, her time in a psychosomatic unit at a children's hospital when she was age ten,  and how depression led her to not eating. Katya Cengel is a freelance writer and author based in Ca...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Tiffany Smith, owner of Copperfield's Books about computerizing inventory, family, local authors, and books. Copperfield's Books is a family-owned and operated independent bookstore, proud to have served the Spring/Klein and surrounding communities of Texas for nearly 30 years.  The store was purchased by the Smiths in 2014, who are also life...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with author Matt Mendez about his new novel The Broke Hearts , his attachment to the desert, writing for YA readers, and incorporating multiple forms of writing into one manuscript. Matt Mendez is the author of Barely Missing Everything , his debut novel, and the short story collection Twitching Heart . B arely Missing Everything has been called a “searing...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Natania Jansz co-owner of Sort of Books about what led her to start a publishing company with her partner, Mark Ellingham in 1999, book cover designers, distribution for indie publishers, and author Shehan Karunatilaka's novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida winning the 2022 Booker Prize. Sort of Books is an independent publisher of both original...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Christina Gerhardt about her new book, Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean , the politics of the climate crisis, poetry of islanders, and the environmental humanities. Christina Gerhardt is Associate Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Senior Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and former Barron Professor of Env...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Ahalya Naidu about Trilogy Curated Bookshop & Library which she owns with her partner Meethil Momaya about why they opened a bookshop and library, the importance of books in translation, local authors in Mumbai,  and where to get the best chai in India! Trilogy Curated Bookshop and Library, located in Bandra West, Mumbai, is owned by Ahalya Naidu a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Fonda Lee about what prompted her decision to become a serious writer, her innate love and respect for animals, her novella Untethered Sky , and her path from her first finished manuscript to finding an agent and publishing deal. Fonda Lee is the author of the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City, continuing in Jade War, and concludin...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with author Elizabeth L Silver about her new novel The Majority , women in the workplace and motherhood, teaching creative writing, and books. Elizabeth L Silver is the author of The Majority , as well as the memoir, The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty , and the novel, The Execution of Noa P. Singleton . Her work has been called “fantast...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Paulina Porizkova about her book No Filter, The Good, The Bad, And The Beautiful, living in an all-male household, crazy weather, and receiving a call from Maria Shriver. Paulina Porizkova is a Czechoslovak-born writer. A former model, she was the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1984. In 1...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with author Jenny Xie about her debut novel Holding Pattern, exploring intimacy through cuddling, negative space, and books. Jenny Xie is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree whose debut novel, Holding Pattern , is forthcoming from Riverhead Books in June 2023. Her short fiction has appeared in AGNI , Ninth Letter , Joyland , Adroit Journal , Narra...

Send us Fan Mail With Summer in full swing, I thought I’d give you a short mini-in-between episode about one of my favorite places in California, Santa Barbara. Enjoy!   In the 1870s, eucalyptus trees were planted on the grounds of what would become known as the American Riviera in Santa Barbara, California. With the arrival of the rail line in 1897, tourists began to venture into the area, and in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Otto Penzler, owner of The Mysterious Bookshop about publishing, the genre of mystery and crime fiction, female mystery writers, and collecting first editions. Opened in 1979 by Otto Penzler, The Mysterious Bookshop is the oldest mystery specialist book store in America. Previously located in midtown, the bookshop now calls Tribeca its home. The booksh...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Deborah Crossland about her new YA novel, The Quiet Part Out Loud , teaching, landing her dream agent, and mythology! Deborah Crossland teaches English and mythology at her local community college, studies mythology and depth psychology in her Ph. D. program, and writes myth-based, contemporary novels for young adults. She is also a founding board memb...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Andy Durkin about the family owned and run Petrach's Bookshop, Tasmanian authors, the demographics of Tasmania, and must-see places to visit in the beautiful heart-shape island state of Tasmania, Australia. Petrarch’s Bookshop has existed in Launceston, Tasmania as a general bookshop since 1985, providing exceptional customer service across an eve...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Jennifer De Leon about teaching, learning, her writing, and how reading fiction helps develop empathy. Jennifer De Leon graduated from Connecticut College with a double-major in International Relations and French, and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of San Francisco’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Social Justice while in th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Hannah Pittard about her new book, We Are Too Many , styles of writing, divorce, and teaching. Hannah Pittard is the author of four novels and a forthcoming memoir.  Her books have been recommended by the New York Times; Chicago Tribune; O, The Oprah Magazine; Time; The Guardian; The Washington Post; Belletrist; Powell’s Indie subscription club; The In...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Charlotte Guest, manager of The Book Bird, about ethnic diversity in West Geelong, bookselling, local authors, and books! The Book Bird is a small, independent bookshop that prides itself on matching readers with books they love. The staff believes bookshops are repositories of wisdom and spaces of learning. Located on Pakington Street in Geelong West,...

Send us Fan Mail Happy Global Gay Pride Month! In this episode, I chat with the brilliant Paul Rudnick about his fabulous new novel Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style , writing through the emotional hard-to-write parts, honing observational skills, and the gift of working with talented editors! Paul Rudnick is an author, playwright, and screenwriter. His plays have been produced on and off...