Thoughts from a Page Podcast

In this interview, Kathleen and I discuss Crow Mary, how she learned about Crow Mary, researching the Crow culture, the use of the name Mary for Native American women, how Kevin Red Star designed the book cover, what surprised her the most when writing this book, and much more. Kathleen's recommended reads are: The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson If the Creek...

In this interview, Michelle and I discuss The Second Ending, the event that spurred her to write this novel, how she has played the piano since age 5 and still plays every day, including the dueling pianos, the highlight of writing the book, and much more. Michelle's recommended reads are: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng The Guest by Emma Cline Check out my Summer Reading Guide for 2023. Support...

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Kristyn and I chat about her role as Contributing Books Editor at Real Simple, how she got started in the job, how many books she reads a week, how she selects the titles for Real Simple, her four novels, the favorite part of the job, and much more. Kristyn's recommended reads are: Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur The Hike...

In this interview, Jaclyn and I discuss The Chateau, when the setting is a character, the inspiration for the chateau in the novel, setting the story in Provence, writing from multiple points of view, what surprised her the most when writing The Chateau, creating distinctive voices for her main characters, and much more. Jaclyn's recommended reads are: The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner The...

In this interview, Jane and I discuss On Fire Island, her connection to Fire Island and the strong sense of place in the book, infusing humor and heart into the story, grief in fiction, her cover, blurbing and Elin Hilderbrand's big quote for this book, weaving the publishing industry into the novel, and much more. Jane's recommended reads are: Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune Community Board...

In this interview, Ava and I discuss Mott Street, the Chinese Exclusion Act, her family's close connection to Mott Street and how 49 of her family members have lived in this one building on the street, the importance of oral histories, how she is a 5th generation Chinese-American, and much more. Ava’s recommended reads are: How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz Stay True by Hua Hsu Fe...

In this interview, Lisa and I discuss Adrift, climate fiction, why she chose to set the book in 2038 and the world building she did, helping people gain an understanding of the importance of preserving and spending time in nature, how her day job informs her writing, and much more. Lisa's recommended reads are: The World Gives Way by Marisa Levien Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier Support the...

In this interview, Paige and I discuss Only Love Can Hurt Like This, how she came up with the idea for this one, publishing her first book in the United States, her connection to Indianapolis, conducting research on farming, mental health, sibling relationships, and much more. Paige's recommended reads are: Happy Place by Emily Henry The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary Support the podcast by becoming...

In this interview, Christina, Lauren, and I discuss The True Love Experiment, how they decided to tell Fizzy's story, deciding how much steam to include and who drafts those portions of each book, how they balance each other, the benefits of writing together, important romance genre rules, and much more. Their recommended reads are: The Plus One by Mazey Eddings Finley Donovan Is Killing It by Ell...

In this interview, Megan and I discuss Super Bloom, her publishing journey with Zibby Books, leaning into the romance genre, portraying grief including the grief experienced for what might have been, writing a book within a book and how that developed for her, and much more. Megan's recommended reads are: Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai Euphoria by Li...

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Caroline and I chat about her role as an Executive Editor at Flatiron Books, how she got started in the job, what her role as a book editor entails, how book auctions work, her process for acquiring a book, how many titles she works on at a time and how often she gets pitched, and much more. Caroline's recommended read is Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra...

In this interview, Patti and I discuss The Secret Book of Flora Lea, the origin of Whisperwood and how much fun she had creating it, the legend of the Pied Piper, her love of fairy tales, what surprised her the most when writing this one, and much more. Patti's recommended reads are: Homecoming by Kate Morton The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey Bri...

In this interview, Laura and I discuss The Daydreams, her inspiration for the book, the fun research she conducted, deciding to have Kat tell the story, the stunning cover, how often young stars flame out and the role media plays in this, and much more. Laura's recommended reads are: Vera Wong's Unsolicited Guide to Murder by Jesse Q. Sutanto How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz My R...

In this special Ask Me Anything episode, Kelly Hooker asks me your questions about the podcast and my various roles in the book world. Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon.  Other ways to support the podcast can be found here. Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  Want to submit a Read-Alike Request for the podcast? Submit it here. Learn more about your ad choic...

In this interview, Elly and I discuss The Last Remains, how she chose Norfolk for the setting of the series, ending the series at least for now, creating her pseudonym years ago, her favorite books in the series, running contests for people to have their names used for characters in her books, and much more. Elly's recommended reads are: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney The Conspirators by G. W. Shore...

Mary and Pamela join me to discuss their recommended reads for Spring 2023. Mary’s Selections: Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen The Dead Are Gods by Eirine Carson A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan The Society of Shame by Jane Roper You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith This Bird Has Flown by Susanna Hoffs The Celebrants by Steven Rowley Big G...

In this interview, Alex and I discuss Seventy Times Seven, what constitutes justice, eliminating the death penalty for children, her title and its meaning, forgiveness, how different individuals approach a tragedy and why, and much more. Alex’s recommended read is Take What You Need by Idea Novey. Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon.  Other ways to support the podcast can be f...

In this interview, Brenda and I discuss The Audrey Hepburn Estate, the concept of home, writing about starlets and an heirloom item of theirs, indulging a list of Easter eggs at the back of her books, creating the estate as a character in her novel, and much more. Brenda's recommended reads are: Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor My Read-Alike Request Recommen...

In this interview, Lauren and I discuss I'll Stop the World, being selected by Mindy Kaling's new imprint, time travel and how she incorporated it into her story, the 1980s, selecting character names, source of the title and how song lyrics can be used in book titles, and much more. Lauren's recommended reads are: She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen Support the p...

In this interview, Rory and I discuss There Will Be Fire, creating a roadmap regarding the history of the British/Irish conflict, how religion is really a social and political signifier in the conflict, writing true crime, how security changed in the United Kingdom after Brighton, and much more. Rory’s recommended reads are: High Dive by Jonathan Lee Lessons by Ian McEwan Support the podcast by be...

In this episode, Kelly and I chat about our favorite books that published in January through March 2023. Our shared top reads: The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson Exiles by Jane Harper Go As a River by Shelley Read Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash The Mostly T...

In this interview, Megan and I discuss The Only Survivors, the event that inspired this story, setting books by the water or by the woods and how both can feel comforting but also dangerous, why she chose the Outer Banks, how the number 7 factors into this book, and much more. Megan's recommended reads are: Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston Counterfeit by Kristen Chen...

In this interview, Jane and I discuss The Society of Shame, how she decided to write this story, weaving in the themes of scandal, cancel culture, media influence, online shaming and politics, crafting a mother/daughter tale, why the story takes place over 28 days, and much more. Jane's recommended reads are: Terra Nova by Henriette Lazaridis The River at Night by Erika Ferencik The Other Family D...

In this Behind the Scenes interview, Jane and I chat about her role as Founder and Creative Director of Emerald Audio, creating a company to produce female-produced scripted fiction for the podcast platform, launching a screenwriter competition for young voices, the creation of the term soap opera, her obsession with the 1960s, and much more. Jane's recommended reads are: She Wants More (podcast)...

In this interview, Rachel and I discuss The House Is On Fire, the Richmond Fire of 1811, her stunning cover, how she chose who would tell the story, her research, and much more. Rachel's recommended reads are: The Glass House by Emily St. John Mandel Less by Andrew Sean Greer Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess The Complicities by Stacey D'Erasmo My Read-Alike Request Recommendations for The Invis...