Thoughts from a Page Podcast

In this interview, Heather provides an inside look at the editorial process and how she got started, what the job entails, the Northern California Writers' Retreat, her favorite and least favorite aspects of the job, writing a good query letter, and much more. Heather's recommended reads are: In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Pr...

In this interview, Erica and I discuss Girl in Ice, how she likes to "follow her fascinations," writing an arctic setting, hovering on the cusp of what is real and what is imaginary, her incredible research trip, the incident that inspired this story, and much more. Erica’s recommended reads are: The Push by Ashley Audrain The Need by Helen Phillips The North Water by Ian McGuire Into the Distance...

In this interview, Adriana and I discuss The Good Left Undone, writing an epic family saga, taking a jewelry-making class at Christie's and how it inspired portions of the book, her title's origin, creating Adriana Ink,, and much more. Adriana's recommended reads are: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking o...

In this interview, Delia and I discuss Left on Tenth, how she decided to write this book, her work with The Empathy Project which works to teach doctors empathy, combing through thousands of pages of her own medical records, the relevance of the book's title, and much more. Delia's recommended reads are: Today a Woman Went Mad at the Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer How Do I Un-Remember This? by Dann...

In this interview, Reyna and I discuss A Ballad of Love and Glory, shedding a light on a lesser-known time period, writing in a variety of genres and how they compare, her favorite character to write in this book, what she wants her readers to take away from the novel, and much more. Reyna's recommended reads are: You Sound Like a White Girl by Julissa Arce A Woman of Endurance by Dahlia Llanos-Fi...

In this interview, Michelle and I discuss Search, her inspiration for the story, the format for telling the tale, the characters that were the easiest and hardest to write, how her cover came about, the way her characters developed as she wrote them, and much more. Michelle's recommended reads are: A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym My Antonia by Willa Cather Support the podcast by becoming a Pag...

In this interview, Kimberly and I discuss The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare, the inspiration and historical background for this book, providing Eleanor Dare with her own story, writing about America's oldest known mystery, her gorgeous cover, and much more. Kimberly's recommended reads are: Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett Melmoth by Sarah Perry The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan The Cicad...

In this interview, Dolen and I discuss Take My Hand, the inspiration for this book, her research, how she selected Civil's name, creating the court transcript, the hardest part about writing the book, and much more. Dolen's recommended reads are: The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian Miss Chloe: A Memoir of a Literary Friendship with Toni Morrison by A.J. Verdelle The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis A Wom...

In this interview, Christine and I discuss The Patron Saint of Second Chances, her inspiration for this story, when she knew she wanted to be a writer, her unusual publishing journey, creating a tremendous sense of community in her book and why that is so important, and much more. Christine's recommended reads are: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson...

In this episode, Kelly and I chat about the best books of 2022 publishing in January through March. Kelly’s top 10 reads: No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib Honor by Thrity Umrigar Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb The Shadows of Pecan Hollow by Caroline Frost Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith Booth by Karen Joy...

Ashley and I discuss Fool Me Once, how second-chance romance is her favorite trope, writing books in several genres, her fabulous cover, setting a book in the world of politics, weaving pop culture and humor into this novel, rom-com character expectations, how much more latitude there is when writing thrillers versus rom-coms, and much more. Ashley's recommended reads are: A Brush with Love by Maz...

Mary Laura and I discuss Bomb Shelter, her life changing moment, focusing on why loving someone is not enough to keep them safe, grappling with growing older and letting go, embracing the little feel-good things to keep anxiety at bay, incorporating musical theatre into this memoir, the importance of practicing kindness, and much more. Mary Laura's recommended reads are: The Mutual Friend by Carte...

In this interview, Fareeda provides an inside look at marketing in the publishing world and discusses how she got started in marketing, her favorite part and least favorite part of her job, finding the right audience for each book, measuring the success of her efforts, and much more. Fareeda's recommended reads are: The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James Sup...

In this interview, Tiffany, Leon, and I discuss It's Not Just Cookies, the fact that this is the first time that they are publishing any of their recipes, telling their story and sharing about the business and how much it has grown, why they decided to write the book now, sone of their favorite "Warm Moments" in the book, and much more. Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon.  Ot...

In this interview, Landis and I discuss Deadly Declarations, the Mecklenberg Declaration of Independence, setting the series in a retirement community, his Charlotte Readers Podcast, using letters written between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, crafting an Author's Note, and much more. Landis’s recommended reads are: The Cicada Tree by Robert Gwaltney Shadow Reel by C.J. Box ArtCurious by Jennife...

In this interview, Bonnie and I discuss Lessons in Chemistry, the event that inspired the story, why Elizabeth Zott is resonating with everyone, how the title came about, her amazing publishing journey, having Brie Larson star in the screen adaptation, creating the Spotify playlist for the book, and much more. Bonnie's recommended reads are: On Animals by Susan Orlean The Second Sight of Zachary C...

For this special episode, Carol Ann Tack of Top Shelf at Merrick Library and I interview Kathleen West together. We talk about her new book Home or Away, the intensity of youth sports, the book's title, writing about #metoo, and so much more. Kathleen’s recommended reads: Will by Will Smith Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel Support the podcast by becoming...

Tony and I discuss The White Girl, crafting strong female characters, the two sections of the book that were the hardest for him to write, why he created the fictional town of Deane, the strong sense of place in his writing, the importance of the bath tub on the cover, and much more. Tony's recommended reads are: Dance Move by Wendy Erskin A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Ber...

Azar and I discuss Read Dangerously, how she selected the authors to include in this book, the reemergence of book banning, coming up with the format she used for the book, how curiosity leads to empathy, the importance of fiction in our lives, and much more. Azar's recommended reads are: The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak Maus by Art Spiegelman Nicky & Vera by Peter Sis One Hundred Years of S...

Rosie and I discuss The Love of My Life, having her book selected as a GMA Book Club pick, the obituary writing business, the tortuous process she went through when writing this book, how book covers are selected and the way covers vary by country, and much more. Rosie's recommended reads are: The Push by Ashley Audrain The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave Support the podcast by becoming a Page...

David and I discuss What's So Funny? A Cartoonist's Memoir, how he started creating cartoons for The New Yorker, using cartoons to process his emotions, how writing this book was cathartic and helped him better understand his parents, trying to connect to people through feelings, creating the cover, and much more. David's recommended reads are: The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life by John le Ca...

Simone and I discuss The Book of Cold Cases, creating an accused female serial killer, how swapping the gender roles changes every aspect of the story, the true crime phenomenon, the recent discovery by a reader of the actual motel sign used for The Sun Down Motel cover, and much more. Simone’s recommended reads are: A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham The Rose Code by Kate Quinn Kitchen Con...

Peng and I discuss The Cartographers, the true story about an event with a gas station map in the early 1900s that inspired a portion of this story, phantom settlements and how they have fallen out of favor now that people have moved to relying on electronic maps, how the use of maps changed once online maps became popular, why writing a mystery differs from writing other fiction, the hardest part...

Peter and I discuss Nine Lives, writing his take on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, why Agatha Christie has stayed so popular and relevant, his writing process, pacing in thrillers, and much more. Peter’s recommended reads are: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham Support the podcast by becoming a Page Turner on Patreon.  Other ways to support...

Libbie and I discuss The Prophet's Wife, working with two publishers simultaneously, basing her book on the true events surrounding the creation and early years of the Mormon church, the Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon", the difficulty in creating a cover for this book, and much more. Libbie’s recommended reads are: The Silk Road by Kathryn Davis By Design: The Story of Ann Love by Piper Hugu...