Never be without something remarkable to read. We recommend the latest and best in mystery, suspense, romance and historical adventure, so you’ll never be without a book you can't put down. Interviews with successful series authors and their passionate readers, where readers and writers share the guilty pleasures of binge reading.
Auckland, New Zealand
Alyssa Maxwell is the author of the acclaimed Gilded Age, Newport mystery series featuring Emmaline Cross. She's a Vanderbilt by heritage, a Newporter by birth and a force to be reckoned with. Each book is set in a famous Newport Gilded Age mansion, some of them still open for viewing. Welcome to the Joys of Binge Reading, the show for anyone who ever got to the end of a great book and wanted to read the next instalment. We interview successful series authors and recommend the best in mystery, suspense, historical and romance series, so you'll never be without a book you can't foot down. You'll find this episode's show notes, a free ebook, and lots more information at the joys of binge reading.com. And now here's our show. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and in the last Binge Reading episode for a while, we talk to Alyssa about her fascination for historical mysteries, resulting in the widely praised, 12 books series, with Book #1, Murder At The Breakers. premiering as a Hallmark movie earlier this year. We're going to be talking about the latest book om the series today, Murder at Vinand. Emma must stop a bold poisoner who was targeting the society wives of the 400 in Gilded Age Newport, Rhode Island. As I've announced a few posts ago, this is going to be the last episode of The Joys of Binge Reading podcast for a while. We're taking a break, maybe permanently, after 300 episodes, but you can always catch up on your favorite authors in the published shows, which are currently being posted to YouTube as well. Our Book Giveaway Our free book giveaway for this episode is Sadie's Vow, the first book in my Home At Last mystery series, set in Gilded Age San Francisco. You'll find the links to download in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading.com. SADIE'S VOW - FREE BOOK HERE'S THE LINK IF THE BUTTON DOESN'T WORK... https://dl.bookfunnel.com/rg3g2284e7 As I say, this is the last show for me for a while. I want to use my time to write more books. I've loved the time that I've spent talking to and researching the authors that I've featured on the show. Many of them, I love to still read the books, but it is just now time for a change. Links to things mentioned in the show Gilded Age: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age Cornelius Vanderbilt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt_II Consuelo Vanderbilt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consuelo_Vanderbilt Consuelo Second Husband: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Balsan Alva Vanderbilt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Balsan Nellie Bly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly Sleuths In Time: https://www.facebook.com/SleuthsInTime/ Newport: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport,_Rhode_Island Saratoga: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_Springs,_New_York Newport Preservation Society: https://www.newportmansions.org/ The Breakers: https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/the-breakers/ A Lady and Lady's Maid mysteries: https://www.alyssamaxwell.com/ladys-maid-books Arleigh House: https://househistree.com/houses/arleigh Where to find Alyssa Maxwell online Website: alyssamaxwell.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyssa.maxwell.750 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssamaxwellauthor/ Introducing historical mystery author Alyssa Maxwell Alyssa Maxwell: Gilded Newport mysteries Now it's time for Alyssa. Jenny Wheeler: Hello there, Alyssa, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Alyssa Maxwell: Thank you, Jenny, for having me on. Jenny Wheeler: Your Gilded Newport Mysteries have attracted great reviews, and you've also got the first book in the series now as a Hallmark movie. Congratulations on that. Tell us firstly, why did you find the Gilded Age a fascinating period to write about and what do you think its a...
We're celebrating a milestone with this podcast, the 300th episode of The Joys of Binge Reading show. And it's wonderful to be able to share it with best-selling author Helen Brown. Helen is a good friend and a former colleague who is appearing on the show for the second time, so it's just like all the stars are aligned. She has a remarkable gift for creating stories readers love with a mix of memoir and imaginative fiction that crosses international boundaries. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and this is the second to last episode of The Joys of Binge Reading, at least for the time being. We love having Helen here to share it with us. She talks about her latest book, Mickey, The Cat Who Helped Me Through Times Of Change. Those of you who know Helen's work, know that cats feature prominently. Her classic memoir Cleo, The Small Black Cat That Helped Heal A Family has sold over two million copies and been translated into 18 languages, sold in 42 countries. Mickey is another heart touching gem, a wistful coming of age true story about the transition from childhood to adolescence, and the small stray cat that helped guide the way. We'll get to Helen in just a moment. But before we do, I want to say a few words about the show. As I've indicated, both today and earlier I'm retiring it at least for a season, to pursue other things like writing my own books. Our Giveaway This Week With that in mind, our Giveaway this episode is Poppy's Dilemma, Book #1 in my latest series, The Sisters Of Barclay Square, set in Sydney in the late 1860s. Poppy Barclay's privileged life shatters when her father's investment company collapses amidst shocking allegations of fraud. Download for FREE DOWNLOAD E BOOK https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8qspkbukp3 Jilted by her fiancé, shunned by the elite, the beautiful heiress finds herself an outcast, her dreams of a perfect marriage in ruins. She's determined to fight back, but Poppy's quest for justice puts her up against tenacious journalists, Thomas Yates, who is bent on exposing the truth behind the Barclay's disgrace. You can get a free copy of Poppy's Dilemma from the download link in the show notes for this episode on our website, the joys of binge reading.com. Here is the link to download: Alyssa Maxwell's Newport murder mysteries I'm halfway through the first draft of the second book, working title Posey's Peril about Poppy's twin. And without the podcast to take up my time, I'm planning to finish it next month. As I foreshadowed, this will be our penultimate show. There will be one more episode, # 301, because I committed to featuring historical mystery author Alyssa Maxwell's was latest book months ago, before I'd made the decision to give Binge Reading a rest, and we recorded the interview in April or May - quite some time ago. I'm going to stay true to that and do that last episode so it doesn't waste the effort of being interviewed on Alyssa's part. The show started in August, 2017, so we've been going for seven years straight, podcasting weekly for the first six years and fortnightly for nearly the last year. It's quite a load to carry, forever lining up new guests, reading their books, researching their careers, and then doing the technical work of sound and transcript editing for every episode. The technical side of it in particular has become tedious and time consuming, and ironically, I've had lots of problems getting this last show recorded. The reasons for that are too boring to go into, but suffice it to say that after 299 reasonably straightforward episodes, #300 has proven particularly difficult technically speaking. Technical issues sorted - at last! It's appropriate that I had to call in sound engineer Dan Cotton, who edited the show professionally for me for the first few years, to sort out the problems in this, our second to last show. There's a nice circularity about that for me.
Jeff Carson is the Amazon-Bestselling author of the David Wolf series, thrillers set in the high country of Colorado, chock-full of action, mystery, thrills, and suspense. With millions of copies sold internationally, he's regularly recommended as suitable for fans of David Baldacci and Daniel Silva. Hi I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and today on the Binge Reading show Jeff Carson talks about how he turned a year-long stay in Italy into a fulltime writing career, and his new series, a big change to David Wolf, featuring Italian woman police officer Ali Flavia, set against the backdrop of Italian culture, ancient walled towns, tourist mayhem and fabulous food and wine. Two Free Book Giveaways We've got two book offers this week, and the first books in my two series are on offer. The Thriller and Mystery series Giveaway has Sadie's Vow, #1 in the Home At Last series on offer. download free books https://books.bookfunnel.com/thrillingfreebies-jul/4h2xrdstd8 The Kobo Editor's Pick's promotion has the Of Gold & Blood book set - #1 and #4. Kobo Editor's Pick kobo free books selection Visit the following link(s) to see the promotion: https://www.kobo.com/p/free-ebooks! If you live in a country that isn't included in this promotion, you may have trouble accessing the sale link. If this happens, change the flag at the top of the Kobo homepage to one of the included countries to see the sale link properly. This is one of the last shows I'll be doing for a while on The Joys of Binge Reading. I'm taking a break after two more episodes, but I'll be posting many of the past interviews on YouTube so if you've missed them, you'll find them there. Links to things mentioned in the show Carabinieri: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabinieri Disc Golf: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_golf MHZ.com: https://www.mhz.com/ Ali Falco: https://www.jeffcarson.co/ali-falco-series What Jeff is reading now: Lincoln Child: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Child https://lincolnchild.com Agent Prendergast series: https://www.prestonchild.com/ Douglas Preston: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12577.Douglas_Preston Marko Kloos: https://www.markokloos.com/ Where to find Jeff online Website: www.jeffcarson.co Or his Amazon books site: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Jeff-Carson/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AJeff+Carson Introducing Jeff Carson, thriller author Jeff Carson - thriller author of David Wolf Colorado Mountain series But now, here's Jeff. Hello there Jeff and welcome to the show, it's great to have you with us. It's great to have you with us. Jeff Carson: Nice to be here. Thanks for having me. Jenny Wheeler: You are somewhere in Colorado and I'm in Auckland, so that's a good long reach between us. You've got this Amazon hit on your hands. It's obviously not a surprise because you've written 17 in the series now. David Wolfe, a small-town, Colorado mountain sheriff. Tell us about David. How did he come to life for you? Jeff Carson: Yes, you've got that right. He is a small-town Colorado Sheriff. My wife is from Italy. I guess it was like 2012, 2011? We were visiting Italy for a year because we had a son, and my wife wanted to go to Italy and be with our young son there and to be with her mom and dad and get some support with the young son and stuff. And I was at a crossroads in my professional life. I did not like what I was doing and I got this idea that I was going to start writing fiction. Long story short, I got looking into these self-published authors and all, I was just like, I didn't even understand that existed until when we got to Italy. And then I realized in the drop of a hat. I'm going to be a fiction writer. My wife was nice enough to not disown me or leave me after that. But I decided to start writing books. I'm in Italy, in this country where I don't know, in the area, nobody speaks English whatsoever,
Irish magic from Jennifer Deibel – the best- selling and award-winning author of a series of charming Emerald Isle novels combining history, family, faith and romance. Her newest book, The Irish Matchmaker…introduces matchmaker Catriona Daly. Hi I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and today on Binge Reading Jennifer talks about how a US born gal fell in love with Ireland. and her latest book The Irish Matchmaker. As daughter of a well-known matchmaker, Catríona Daly is no stranger to the business of love – and she sees it as her ticket away from the sleepy village that only comes alive during the annual matchmaking festival. Our Giveaway this week Our Giveaway this week is Summer Sleuthing – June Mystery Thrillers. Sadie's Vow – Book #1 in my Home At Last San Francisco historical mystery series is included. Stock up on some great summer reading here! download free summer mysteries https://books.bookfunnel.com/summersleuthing/9mwtzhs5pv Before we get to Jennifer – a reminder You can help defray the costs of production by buying me a cup of coffee on buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx And if you enjoy the show. Leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links to things mentioned in the episode A Dance In Donegal, Jennifer Deibel: https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Donegal-Jennifer-Deibel/dp/0800738411 The Princess Bride (movie) Irish location: https://giggster.com/guide/movie-location/where-was-the-princess-bride-filmed#: Lisdoonvarna: https://matchmakerireland.com/ https://www.ireland.com/en-us/destinations/county/clare/lisdoonvarna The Maid of Ballymacool, Jennifer Deilbel: https://jenniferdeibel.com/books/the-maid-of-ballymacool/ Willie Daly, Irish matchmaker: https://www.williedaly.com/ Books Jennifer is reading: Jaime Jo Wright, The Lost Boys of Barlow Theater: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90203406-the-lost-boys-of-barlowe-theater Natalie Walters Snap agency series: https://www.amazon.com/The-SNAP-Agency-3-book-series/dp/B08XW1LGC3 Where to find Jennifer Online Website: www.jenniferdeibel.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferdeibel_author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferDeibelAuthor Introducing author Jennifer Deibel But now, here's Jennifer Hello there, Jennifer, and welcome to the show, it's great to have you with us. Jennifer Deibel - Historical Irish mysteries with magic Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Jennifer. Hello there, Jennifer, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Jennifer Deibel: Hi Jenny. Thanks so much for having me. I'm looking forward to chatting. Jenny Wheeler: These Irish stories are both best sellers and award winners. How did you come to start on the Irish story thread? Jennifer Deibel: It all feels like it happened by accident, but I believe everything happens by design. My husband and I had lived in County Donegal for two years as students. We were studying the language and the culture. My husband had fallen in love with all things Celtic after spending a summer abroad in Wales during university. We spent two years there and when we came back I was expecting our first baby. He went into graduate school in Texas and I was struggling to process all we had experienced in those two years. An Irish American girl moves to Donegal The idea for what would eventually become my debut novel, A Dance in Donegal, came to me, a story about an Irish American girl who moves to rural Donegal to teach. I started writing it then and of course once my baby was born, it sat for a very long time. It took about 15 years for me to actually finish the whole manuscript. During which time we moved back to Ireland and lived in County Galway. While we were there, we had our son and I heard about a parenting website that was starting up called The Better Mom and they were lo...
Acclaimed Australian broadcaster and wordsmith Kel Richards is passionate about classical mysteries, and the Golden Age of the 1930s when Agatha Christie and her fellow authors were writing them... Kel is also an Anglican lay canon, deeply immersed in Narnia creator and theologian C.S. Lewis' Oxford college world and his circle of friends, including Prof. J. R. Tolkien. Bring all of them together and you have Kel's Country House Mysteries, featuring Jack Lewis and friends solving brain teasing "closed door" mysteries in 1930's Oxford. Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and today on the Binge Reading show Kel talks about his love for old fashioned clue puzzle mysteries – the sort that aren't generally written any more – as well as his passion for Australian English – one of the richest vocabularies in the world, in his view. Freebies and Sales This Week We've got two book offers this episode – the free Mystery Thriller Freebies for June free featuring Sadie's Vow, Book #1 in the Home At Last trilogy – A gold rush romance historical mystery series Three feisty women. Three steadfast men. A shared quest for justice. These mystery, thriller, and suspense writers have teamed up to bring you these FREE books! Scoop them up today! DOWNLOAD MYSTERY & THRILLER FREEBIES https://books.bookfunnel.com/thrillingfreebies-jun/nr6fg5wdhw PLUS - KOBO THRILLER AND MYSTERY SALE - GET OF GOLD & BLOOD THREE BOOK BUNDLE And there's a deal on the first three books in the Of Gold & Blood mystery series - another Kobo multi genre sale offer. Three long form mysteries, at a great sale price... get three books for price of one https://www.kobo.com/nz/en/p/june-thriller-sale Before we get to Kel – a reminder You can help defray the costs of production by buying me a cup of coffee on buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx And if you enjoy the show. Leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links to things discussed in this episode Dr Johnson mysteries, Lillian De La Torre,: https://www.amazon.com/The-Dr.-Sam-Johnson-Mysteries-4-book-series/dp/B07CQB6YKR#: Charles Dickens Investigations, J. C. Briggs: https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Dickens-Investigations-11-book-series/dp/B07MPBQLL2 Teddy Roosevelt as detective, Lawrence Alexander: https://www.amazon.com/Speak-Softly-Theodore-Roosevelt-Mystery/dp/1561290327 Jane Austen as detective, Stephanie Barron: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40959-jane-austen-mysteries Master of the Closed Door Mystery: John Dickson Carr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dickson_Carr#:~ Kel Richards' G. K. Chesterton mystery: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mummys-Tomb-Chesterton-Mystery/dp/1589199634 English humourist P.G. Wodehouse: https://www.wodehouse.co.uk/ Performing Flea, P.G. Wodehouse: https://www.amazon.com.au/Performing-Flea-P-G-Wodehouse/dp/1841591912 J R Tolkien, The Ents: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ent#: The Inklings: https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Inklings The Eagle and Child pub: https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Eagle_and_Child The Nazguls: https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Nazg%C3%BBl Bill Ponzini The Nameless Detctive: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/bill-pronzini/nameless-detective Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe series: https://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk/raymond-chandler-philip-marlowe-books-in-order/ The Aussie Bible: https://www.amazon.com.au/Aussie-Bible-Kel-Richards/dp/0647508486 SkyNews, Peta Credin, https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/peta-credlin Austral English; E.E. Morris https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Australian_National_Dictionary What Kel is reading P.G Wodehouse Mr Mulliner Short Stories: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_Mr_Mulliner Why Shoot A Butler, Georgette Heyer: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/311134.Why_Shoot_a_Butler_
What if you could take a vacation on your marriage and for six months, pursue a lifetime dream your husband doesn't share? And he could do the same. That's the premise for Lian Dolan's latest book, The Marriage Sabbatical. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and today Lian, the author of the popular The Sweeney Sisters and Lost And Found In Paris is quick to make clear that the central premise of the marriage sabbatical does not come from personal experience. She jokes her life is ‘just not that interesting.' But on today's Binge Reading show, she talks about how she came to write a fascinating tale of marriage veterans of 23 years who take holidays apart for the first time in their lives because of their wildly clashing personal interests, and discover new things about themselves and their love for each other. Book Giveaways But before we get to Lian, be assured. We've got our usual free book giveaways this week. It's open season on freebie thrillers. Searching for an action-packed thrill ride or a twisty whodunnit?? Look no further! These mystery, thriller, and suspense writers have teamed up to bring you these FREE books! Scoop them up today! DOWNLOAD FREEBIE MYSTERIES And we also have a promo on Kobo. If you're a Kobo follower, there's a free download of the Of Gold & Blood Book Bundle Two, Books #1 and #4, and lots of other great authors to choose from in a ‘free first in series' promo in all genres.... Romance - Space Opera - Mysteries & Thrillers- Sci Fi * Fantasy - Young Adult - Urban Fantasy kobo free first in series - all genres THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL OFFERING - If you live in a country that isn't included in this promotion, you may have trouble accessing the sale link. If this happens, change the flag at the top of the Kobo homepage to one of the included countries to see the sale link properly. Buy Me A Coffee And a reminder. You can help defray the costs of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx. If you enjoy the show, do leave us a review, so others will find us. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show, and great books. they will love to read. Links to things discussed in the show Ali Macgraw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_MacGraw Love Story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Story_(1970_film) ALS: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354022 Dervla McTiernan: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16918766.Dervla_McTiernan Maeve Binchy: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3532.Maeve_Binchy Kate Elizabeth Russell (My Dark Vanessa) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44890081-my-dark-vanessa Donna Tartt The Secret History: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29044.The_Secret_History The Satellite Sisters: https://satellitesisters.com/podcast/ The Sweeney Sisters, Lian Dolan: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49978226-the-sweeney-sisters Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8882001-helen-of-pasadena Where to find Lian Dolan online Website: liandolan.com Facebook: @liandolan Satellite Sisters podcast: https://satellitesisters.com/podcast/ Introducing author Lian Dolan Lian Dolan - women's fiction with humor and heart But now here is Lian. Hello there, Lian, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Lian Dolan: Thank you so much. I'm really excited to be here and do this conversation with you. I've loved listening to a lot of your podcasts and I'm pleased to see so many of my friends on your shows. That was fun to discover them. Jenny Wheeler: That's wonderful. The Marriage Sabbatical, which is your latest book is what we are discussing today. It's quite newly published, isn't it? Lian Dolan: Yes, just out. I'm excited to have it out. The writing process is a long one and the development process was long and then i...
Chris Draper is a Kiwi IT engineer with a passion for writing optimistic, techno-thrillers like Goodbye Woomera Belle the first in a series of five planned action-filled futurist thrillers suitable for young adults, as well as adult readers. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and in this week's Binge Reading episode, Chris talks about how he fell in love with the Australian Outback while working in Adelaide, South Australia, and decided it would be the perfect location for the fast paced, optimistic techno thriller he'd been dreaming of writing for years. And so was born Goodbye Woomera Belle, a world changing story that unfolds in 116 hours. And it couldn't be more topical, revolving as it does around artificial intelligence and inter-governmental tensions between friendly and not so friendly powers. Erin Brightwell is a brilliant young mind whose research is critical to national security and lots of people want to get their hands on it. This week's Giveaway - Woomera Belle We'll get to our chat with Chris in a moment. But first this week's book giveaway; Chris has kindly offered 10 free copies of his book. Goodbye Woomera Belle to the first 10 readers who go online and claim it. Links for the download can be found in the show notes for this episode on the website, thejoysofbingereading.com. https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gjhqvpno2v BE IN FOR DOWNLOAD OF WOOMERA BELLE Buy me a coffee and defray costs And before we get to Chris, a reminder; you can help me defray the costs of production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx, (little x, like a kiss.) My time in preparing the show is freely given, but any support from you will help kindly pay for the web posting and editing costs. BUY ME A COFFEE And if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us through word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they would love to read. Links to things mentioned in the show Woomera: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera,_South_Australia Tom Clancy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Clancy Dan Brown: https://danbrown.com/ Dan Brown series Robert Langdon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Langdon_(book_series)#: Maralinga: https://www.indaily.com.au/opinion/2021/05/25/sas-nuclear-testing-legacy-still-unfolding-in-outback https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nuclear_tests_at_Maralinga Deep Space Station 41 and the Island Lagoon Base, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Lagoon_Tracking_Station Spacecraft: Voyagers: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/ Pioneer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_10 The James Webb Space telescope: https://webb.nasa.gov/ Nevil Shute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute A Town Like Alice: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/107301.A_Town_Like_Alice On The Beach: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38180 Trustee From The Toolroom: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/107300.Trustee_from_the_Toolroom P F Hamilton Space opera series: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/peter-f-hamilton/1507 Isaac Asimov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov The Foundation series: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Foundation-by-Asimov Isaac Asimov: iRobot: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41804.I_Robot Arthur C. Clarke: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7779.Arthur_C_Clarke Brandon Sanderson, https://www.brandonsanderson.com/ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5326.A_Christmas_Carol A Tale of Two Cities, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_Two_Cities. Enid Blyton: https://www.enidblyton.net/ Where to find Chris Draper online On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chris-Draper/author/B09XZJQWJS Email: ChrisDraperWriter@gmail.com Introducing techno-thriller author Chris Draper But now here's Chris. Hello there, Chris.
Amy Harmon grew up in a remote Utah valley, very close to where the famed outlaw Butch Cassidy really lived. Quite a few years before her, of course. The folklore surrounding his Robin Hood reputation has always fascinated her. She's far too young to have seen the famous movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford first time round, but she's excavated the history and shed a whole new light on the story and her latest book, The Outlaw Noble Salt. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and in this week's Binge Reading episode, Amy talks about the mystery surrounding Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, the American outlaw, train robber and leader of a gang called The Wild Bunch. It's officially recorded that he died in a shootout with local authorities in Bolivia in 1908. But did he really? Amy's book is a fascinating and heart-touching re-imagining of the story. Mystery and Thriller Giveaway Our Giveaway this week - We always have free books to Giveaway -. is Mystery Thriller And Suspense Freebies. MYSTERY, THRILLER & SUSPENSE FREEBIES And the range is huge with something to suit every taste ,from historicals like Poisoned Legacy, Book One in my Of Gold& Blood Gold Rush romance series through to cozies and contemporary psychological thrillers. Find the link to download these books in the show notes for the episode on the website. The Joys Of Binge Reading.com. DOWNLOAD FREE BOOKS Before we get to Amy, a reminder. You can help defray the costs of the production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx. And if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best recommendation and the way for others to find the show and discover great books they will love to read. Links to items mentioned in the show Movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064115/ Folklore: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butch_Cassidy Eliot Ness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Ness Gladys Knight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Knight Books Amy has loved in the past or is reading now: Louise L'Amour - Western classics: https://www.louislamour.com/ Lucy Maud Montgomery: https://lmmontgomery.ca/about/lmm/her-life Anne of Green Gables: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anne-of-Green-Gables Baroness Orczy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Pimpernel Paullina Simons The Bronze Horseman: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47499.Paullina_Simons Susanna Kearsley: susannakearsley.com Poets: William Butler Yeats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._B._Yeats Emily Dickinson: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emily-Dickinson Introducing author Amy Harmon Amy Harmon: re-imagining the Burch Cassidy story But now here's Amy. Hello there, Amy, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Amy Harmon: I am so excited to talk to you, Jenny. Jenny Wheeler: You've written more than 20 books and the most recent one is The Outlaw Noble Salt, and it retells the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance story, The Wild Bunch Story. If we are of a certain age, we saw the movie years ago, so it's well known. What did you feel you could bring new to it? Amy Harmon: I have always been drawn to the story, and I think it's because I grew up in a valley, just north of the valley where Butch Cassidy, who wasn't known as Butch Cassidy in his early years, he was Robert Parker, lived. He was born very close to where I was born, a hundred years apart. We were born in small town Utah at the end of the Wild West era. He was the last of this very short time period that defined in the West. And I have always been interested in him. I've always felt a connection to him. Beyond just of course, the movie which came out in 1969, which predates me a little bit. I didn't grow up with the movie, but it was very much the Western lore that is part of this place...
Best-selling award-winning novelist Sarah Sundin, author of beloved World War II stories, never had an ambition to write. She trained as a pharmacist, she was perfectly happy as a pharmacist, and then she had a dream that wouldn't let her go. She started jotting down her dream story in pencil in a kiddies notebook and six months later she had 700 pages... Hi I'm you host Jenny Wheeler and today on Binge Reading Sarah talks about her latest daring, dramatic and romantic story, Embers in The London Sky, exploring the war through the eyes of a mother who has lost her child, and a BBC journalist who knows reporting the truth will take him deep into the flames. She tells all about that vivid dream that started it all, and recollects her own family connections with the war we just can't seem to forget. Our Giveaway - Romance Our giveaway this week is Enemies To Lovers Clean and Wholesome romance. If you can't resist a good Enemies to Lovers story this one is for you! Details of where to find the links to these books are in the show notes for this episode, and in the newsletter I send out with each podcast. If you want to join that just go to our website, the joys of binge reading.com. DOWNLOAD FREE ROMANCE https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/INO60jP77KiIo9VCVyGS Buy me a coffee and support the show You can support the production costs for the show by buying me a cup of coffee at Buy Me A buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx For the cost of a cup of coffee every now and then you can make a big difference! BUY ME A COFFEE And remember – if you enjoy the show leave us a review so others will find us too. Links To Things We Talked About American war correspondent Edward R. Murrow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_R._Murrow Some of Murrow's WWII broadcasts: London: First Night of the Blitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVXmJC6mPEk From a London Rooftop during the Blitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za2Lus0CkRc From Buchenwald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlhQvPfYSXk Lofoten Island Raid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q60pIny5WSo Lofoten Raid: https://www.royalmarineshistory.com/post/operation-claymore#: Lend-Lease Bill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease Holly Varni, On Moonberry Lake; https://www.hollyvarni.com/ On Moonberry Lake https://www.hollyvarni.com/hollys-books/ German Abwher; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abwehr Scottish selkie; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie Introducing author Sarah Sundin Sarah Sundin, inspirational World War II fiction author Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Sarah. Hello there, Sarah, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with. Sarah Sundin: Thank you, Jenny. It's great to be here. Jenny Wheeler: Sarah, you've been writing these World War II dramas with lots of romance and adventure in them as well since about 2010. But before that, you were a pharmacist. That's what your training was in. I wonder how you made that switch, and why you were interested in doing so. Sarah Sundin: Honestly, I wasn't interested in doing so. I was a pharmacist. I enjoyed my job. I, I had small children at the time, and one of the beauties of pharmacy was I was able to do a lot of part-time work. I only worked one day a week and I was able to be at home with my kids. I thought I had the perfect career and then I had an idea for a story. It actually came to me in a dream and I had to write it. I never had anything like that happen to me ever before in my life. I'd always been a reader and all little girls who love to read, imagine themselves writing a book. But I never took it seriously, any more than I did becoming a ballerina. I loved doing ballet, but becoming an author that was, not gonna happen. I never pursued it at all. I love pharmacy. I had this a story idea and I had no idea what I was doing. I'd taken two classes in English in college because I was majoring in che...
For Easter 2024. Fiction set in Biblical Times. From New York Times bestselling author Angela Hunt comes a compelling new series set in the New Testament era. Her latest book, Sisters of Corinth, is a captivating story of love, sacrifice, and the quest for power, set against the backdrop of ancient Greece. Angela is a prolific author in a wide range of genres, from fiction set in Biblical times to historical fiction in other periods and contemporary romance All About the Binge Reading Podcast Welcome to the Joys of Binge Reading, the show for anyone who ever got to the end of a great book and wanted to read the next instalment. We interview successful series authors and recommend the best in mystery, suspense, historical and romance series, so you'll never be without a book you can't foot down. You'll find this episode's show notes, a free ebook, and lots more information at The Joys of Binge Reading.com. And now here's our show. Hi there I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today we present Angela's fresh take on the Easter story. Two sisters - daughters of a top ranking Corinth magistrate - take up very different ambitions and life paths. In this episode she tells why readers can always “expect the unexpected” in her books and talks about her latest series, featuring fledgling believers who came to faith through the teachings of the apostle Paul. This week's Giveaway - March Madness Our free books give away is Mad March Mysteries, and that includes cozies and thrillers, whatever level of mystery your tastes might dictate. The offer is for a limited time as always, so get in now. The offer includes Poisoned Legacy, Book #1 in the Of Gold & Blood mystery series get free mysteries https://books.bookfunnel.com/marchmysterythriller/4nqbm64mq3 And just before we get to Angela. A blatant appeal for your help in defraying the cost of producing the show. Buy me a cup of coffee on www.buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx Like a little kiss, and you'll just help me get through the day. BUY ME A COFFEE And one more housekeeping reminder. If you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Where to find items discussed in this episode The Sisters of Corinth: (On pre-order) https://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Corinth-Emissaries-Book-Testament-ebook/dp/B0CTKQNM2S/ The Apostle's Sister: https://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Sister-Jerusalem-Road-Book-ebook/dp/B09LWNJK4L/ Unspoken: https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Angela-Hunt-ebook/dp/B08LTXRJ8D/ Koko The signing gorilla: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_(gorilla)#: Koko's trainer Francine “Penny” Patterson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francine_Patterson The Bible Verse that inspired it: https://www.bible.com/bible/compare/JOB.12.7-12 The gladiator training arena: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludus_Magnus#: What Angela is reading: People Of The Book - by Geraldine Brooks, https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1379961 Where to find Angela Hunt online Website: Angela Hunt books.com Facebook: Angela Hunt, novelist: https://www.facebook.com/angela.e.hunt/ Substack Newsletter: Angelahunt.substack.com Introducing author Angela Hunt Angela Hunt - fiction set in Biblical times - with five million in sales.... But now here's Angela. Hello there, Angela, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Angela Hunt: Thank you. I'm delighted to be here. It feels so weird because for me it's Wednesday, and for you it's Thursday. I feel like we're in a time loop or something. Jenny Wheeler: Yes, that's right. Just one of those things when we're on different sides of the world. I'm in New Zealand and you are in Florida. That's right. Isn't it? Angela Hunt: Yes, it is. Jenny Wheeler: Great. Now you've written 165 plus novels covering a ...
Inspirational author Amanda Barrett's latest book, The Warsaw Sisters shines a light on an oft-forgotten corner of World War II Poland, and the true stories of ordinary individuals who fought to preserve freedom and humanity in the darkest of times. Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and today on Binge Reading, Amanda talks about how she excavates the forgotten fragments of history in her books and why she loves the enduring power of story. The Warsaw Sisters tells of two women fighting against the darkness engulfing their homeland, one by entering a daring network of women sheltering Jewish children, and the other by joining the ranks of Poland's Secret Army, the Polish version of the Resistance. As Warsaw buckles under German oppression, they must rely on the courage of ordinary people - so-called ordinary people - to resist the power of the state. Binge Reading Thriller Giveaway Free Books - THRILLERS R US - Mystery and Thriller Lucky Dip Our Giveaway this week is Thrillers R Us an opportunity to get free books from a wide -ranging selection of mysteries and thrillers from many authors, including my own book, Sadie's Vow, a San Francisco Mystery set in the mid- 19th century. You'll find the links for downloads for these free books in the show notes for this episode on the website, www.thejoysofbinge reading.com. Buy me a coffee and defray production costs And before we get to Amanda, just a reminder you can help to defray the cost of production of this episode by buying me a cup of coffee on Buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx. And if you enjoy the show, don't forget, leave us the reviews so others will find us too. I make this plea every time I podcast. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they would love to read. Events and books mentioned in this episode The Warsaw Sisters Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWyLFWfMD6nXlZrylX1eMw-SbKHz7t05P Irena Sendler – Polish humanitarian https://irenasendler.org/ Warsaw Uprising: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-warsaw-polish-uprising Polish Resistance: https://polandatwartours.com/unsung-heroes-the-brave-men-and-women-of-the-polish-resistance-during-ww2/ Dietrich Bonhoffeur's fiancée, Maria Von Wedemeyer/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_von_Wedemeyer_Weller Treblinka: - the concentration camp where many Warsaw Jews died. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/treblinka Sophie Scholl: ( From The White Rose Resists,) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57008360 Amanda's books mentioned in this show: Within These Walls of Sorrow: https://amandabarratt.net/within-these-walls-of-sorrow/ The White Rose Resists; https://amandabarratt.net/the-white-rose-resists-a-novel-of-the-german-students-who-defied-hitler/ My Dearest Dietrich: https://amandabarratt.net/my-dearest-dietrich-a-novel-of-dietrich-bonhoeffers-lost-love/ Books Amanda is reading: Kristen Hannah, The Women, https://kristinhannah.com/books/the-women/ Jennifer L. Wright, The Girl From The Papers, (A Bonnie and Clyde story - to be released in August.) https://jennwrightwrites.com/the-girl-from-the-papers Where to find Amanda Barratt on line Website: https://amandabarratt.net/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandabarrattauthor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaBarrattAuthor/ Introducing inspirational author Amanda Barratt Amanda Barratt - inspirational historical fiction Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Amanda. Hello there, Amanda, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Amanda Barratt: Thank you so much. It is such a joy to be here. Jenny Wheeler: We're talking about The Warsaw Sisters today. You've got a real track record with inspirational historical fiction. The Warsaw Sisters is set in Warsaw during the Second World War, as the ghetto is being set up, that notorious ghetto,
Rachel Hore is a UK Sunday Times bestselling author. whose latest book, The Hidden Years is the story of secrets, loss and betrayal set in Cornwall during World War ii, and then looking ahead closer to contemporary times, to the heady days of the 1960s. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and today on the Binge Reading Show, Rachel talks about families and their secrets, and the strange coincidences when life mirrors art in ways we can't possibly anticipate. Our Free Books Giveaway Our Free Books Giveaway this week is Sweet Snow Closed Door Romance, a selection of Valentine's Day love stories to round out the month, including Tangled Destiny, the prequel to my of Gold and Blood Historical Mystery series. This offer closes February 29, so act right now. The links for where you can download those books can be found in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading.com. FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY - ROMANCE https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/HRDk8Mo8mSQsBhQxhON9 Buy Me A Coffee Before we get to Rachel, just a reminder, you can help defray the cost of production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buy me a coffee.com/jennywheelx. And if you enjoy the show, remember you can also leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best recommendation for people to find the show and great books they will love to read. Where to find links for this episode Rose Tremain https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/absolutely-and-forever-9781784745202 Ann Cleeves The Shetland series: https://anncleeves.com/shetland/index.html The Vera series: https://anncleeves.com/vera/index.html Ann Patchett: https://www.annpatchett.com/ Paul Harding https://www.paulhardingauthor.com/ Where to find Rachel Hore Online Website: https://rachelhore.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelHoreAuthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel.hore/ Introducing women's fiction author Rachel Hore Rachel Hore - UK best selling author with over 1 million books sold Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Rachel. Hello there Rachel, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Rachel Hore: Thank you, Jenny. It's really good to be here. Jenny Wheeler: Look, Rachel, I understand that The Hidden Years is your 13th novel,. Is that correct? Rachel Hore: Yes it is. Unlucky for some, but I'm cheerful about it. Jenny Wheeler: That's great and it, they're all in very much the same vein. You haven't been one of those authors who's jumped genres. They're character, driven family stories of upheaval and secrets. Sometimes cross-generational, sometimes not so much in the dual timeline. I wondered how you came to identify that as maybe the area that you were most interested in writing about in the beginning? Love of family deep and long lasting Rachel Hore: I think it came from quite deep inside. I've always been very interested in stories of my own family. My maternal grandmother was one of those sorts of grandmothers who was the repository of tales of characters in the family. And, of all the things that had happened, good and bad, and who was guilty and who said what to whom and so on. I became very fascinated by that, and although the first of my books, The Dream House, wasn't about any real life family members, it was about family issues and family secrets which was my main motivation really. Jenny Wheeler: I believe that every family has secrets. I've been a bit of an amateur genealogist myself in my time, and it's amazing when you start to dig what you discover, isn't it? Rachel Hore: Yes it is. Some of these things might seem very ordinary, but when they're happening in your own family, they are very special. Tt's the old one, that blood is thicker than water. The links of family are very important. But actually, people within families are always struggling to find their plac...
Jenny Wheeler: USA Today bestselling romcom author Emma St Clair loves sassy heroines, witty banter, and love stories with heart and humor. Her books have sizzling chemistry while keeping the bedroom door firmly closed. Jenny Wheeler: Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and today on the Binge Reading podcast, Emma talks about her crazy writing process - her favorite place to write is tapping on her phone while on the elliptical machine, believe it or not. And how she discovered she's probably ADHD - something she only realized when she was researching a story. Free St Valentine's Romances Our Giveaway this week is Free Historical Romance, for St Valentine's Day, - or St Valentine's month actually. Sadie's Vow, #1 in my Home At Last trilogy is included. Books of mine you'll find in each offering listed below with the links to get the offer! There's lots of other free or sale books there as well. FREE HISTORICAL ROMANCE kobo sale free sweet romance Before we get to Emma, a reminder. You can help defray the cost of the production by buying me a cup of coffee on www.buymeacoffee.com/jenny wheelx. Just a coffee a month will help! And if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links for Things Mentioned in the Show Leah Brunner. Clean and sweet Ice hockey novella: https://leahbrunner.com/ Courtney Walsh: Clean and sweet ice hockey: https://www.amazon.com/My-Phony-Valentine-Holidays-Hart-ebook/dp/B0BTB3LPYK Books Emma recommends: Hello Stranger from Katherine Center. https://katherinecenter.com/hello-stranger Mary E. Pearson https://www.marypearson.com/ Tana French The Likeness https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5941114-the-likeness Where to find Emma Online Website: https://emmastclair.com/ Facebook: Emma St Clair's Epic Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/emmastclair Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikimojo/ Podcast: (Retired but website still up and episodes available on YouTube) www.createifwriting.com Introducing Romcom author Emma St Clair Emma St Clair - sweet and sassy 'closed door' romcoms Emma St Clair: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. It's really nice and I appreciate you reaching out. Jenny Wheeler: Fantastic. Emma, you are a master of the sweet, sassy, funny rom-com, and you've written a lot of them. Tell me, how did you get started in this particular genre and what do you like about it? Emma St Clair: Well, it's funny. I got my master's degree in fiction, which is typically more literary. And I never thought I would write romance. In fact, I didn't read romance. I was one of those people who poo-pooed romance, My attitude was, oh, you know, those romance books. Like that was just not my thing, and after I got my master's, I was writing more like literary young adult fiction. I had an agent and we were submitting to New York publishers. And then we had five kids in nine years, and so I just couldn't write at all. I had a friend, the first inkling I had that romance was a possibility, which I actually rejected. My very best friend was like, you know, a friend. April, from college, is writing these chicklet books. Hers were a little more chick lit than romance. It was right when chick lit was becoming a big thing, which I don't think there's even a category for that anymore. But anyway, sweet, happy books that had a little bit of romance, but were a little bit more character based. And I said, oh, I would never do that. And she was like, all right, I think you'd be good at it. And I was like, oh, no, no, no. I could not do that. I write literary fiction. How 'literary' author Emma found romance And then a few years later, I kept trying to see if I could write books again when my kids were at the different ages.
Rochelle Weinstein loves bitter sweet women's stories about finding identity through love and loss and her latest, What You Do To Me introduces pioneer female Rolling Stone magazine, journalist Cecilia, who obsessively pursues the story while – unacknowledged - her closest relationship crashes and burns around her, Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and in today's Binge Reading episode, Rochelle, a former music industry exec, talks about how popular music forms a soundtrack to our lives and why she finds sweet stories of women's lives so alluring. Our Giveaway This Week Our Giveaway this week is an action and adventure giveaway, fiction in all genres, free downloads of mystery, romance or crime, including Unbridled Vengeance. Book #5 in the Of Gold & Blood series, a historical mystery with a romantic sub plot, When Californian rancher Caleb is falsely accused of a vicious murder, his French immigrant neighbor, Madeleine has evidence that will save him from the gallows.. Will she risk her own life to save his? You'll find the link to download a wide range of books in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading com. DOWNLOAD FREE BOOKS Now just another housekeeping matter before we get to Rochelle. A reminder you can help defray the costs of production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buy me a coffee.com/jennywheelx. Thank you Nick, for buying me a coffee last week. buy me a coffee And remember, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links to things mentioned in the episode Hey There Delilah – Plain White Ts: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/heres-the-actual-story-behind-hey-there-delilah Spotify Playlists for What You Do to Me: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2GhwfbTm3xzs2Z9jRje2zW?si=aW2qeHSDT-GALkCAV8zKnw&pi=u-TC_ooXsRR7yC https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4kKq1hJpvGEJD7G3T5EOZm?si=qbhlIZioT56PHPd7L88gNw&pi=u-F7QVF5cESmmb Books Rochelle loves: A Little Life, Hanya Yangihara https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22822858-a-little-life Lisa Barr, The Goddess of Warsaw, https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-goddess-of-warsaw-lisa-barr?variant=41099496980514 Annabel Monaghan, https://annabelmonaghan.com/ (Annabel on The Joys of Binge Reading -https://thejoysofbingereading.com/annabel-monoghan-evocative-romcoms/ ) The Stationery Shop, Marjan Kamali, https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42201995 Patti Callahan Henry, The Secret Book of Flora Lee, https://www.patticallahanhenry.com/the-secret-book-of-flora-lea (Patti Callahan Henry on The Joys of Binge Reading, https://thejoysofbingereading.com/patti-callahan-narnia-magic/) Barbara Davis, the Keeper of Happy Endings, Echo of Old Books, https://barbaradavis-author.com/ Sam Woodruff, https://www.samanthawoodruff.com/ Alison Wynne-Ryder, https://www.thequirkymedium.com/home/about-alison Taylor Jenkins Reid, https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/ Lynne Golodner author and writing coach: https://lynnegolodner.com/ Where to find Rochelle online Website: www.rochelleweinstein.com Social media: Facebook, Threads, X. Introducing author Rochelle Weinstein Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Rochelle. Hello there, Rochelle, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Rochelle B Weinstein, women's fiction with bittersweet key Rochelle Weinstein: Thank you, Jenny. I'm thrilled to be here with everybody. Jenny Wheeler: Now we're talking about the latest book that you've recently published called What You Do To Me, and I thought we'd just start out for people who aren't familiar with your work by asking you how you'd classify it. It's a romance, but it's more than a romance as well, isn't it? What category would you put it into? Rochelle Weinstein: I think it's women's fiction...
Welcome to The Best of Binge Reading 2023, Part Two, the second and final of our shows featuring the most listened to episodes on our popular fiction podcast, chosen solely on the basis of the number of times you, our audience, listened to them. It goes without saying they're all best sellers, authors at the top of their game. There's something for everyone here, nerve wrenching contemporary thrillers from Ireland, to a French love story from a well loved TV actress; a World War II spy mystery by an Australian - set in the House of Dior in Paris, and a riveting journey into the world of the famous Mitford sisters, once acclaimed as London society beauties and then reviled as rotten traitors. We present brief excerpts from each show, with links for where to find them if you'd like to hear more... As in previous years, we've selected shows that aired between Dec 1, 2022 and Dec 1, 2023. So here they are – excerpts from the top six shows of 2023 on The Joys of Binge Reading. Twisty Thrillers - Catherine Ryan Howard Irish thriller author Catherine Ryan Howard with her latest nerve shredding suspense Runtime. Catherine Ryan Howard - Thriller author It's a book that was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Crime Fiction Book Of The Year, and is a Top 10 Kindle Best Seller. She been dubbed the Queen of High Concept thrillers for her intricate plotting which require a special excel spreadsheet... First up I asked her about her revelation that Runtime was inspired by her actor brother, John Ryan Howard. Jenny Wheeler: You've said that the original idea was inspired by your brother. Can you tell us about that connection? Catherine Ryan Howard: Yeah, he loves when I do interviews about this book because he gets a mention. So, he is an actor, and a few years ago he was in an independent Irish horror movie called Beyond the Woods. Of course, he was telling me all about the experience of being on set and one of the things he said, and in Beyond The Woods - if you read Runtime will sound very familiar because it was filmed in this house out in the middle of nowhere in the Cork countryside, in the dead of winter overnight. They were shooting everything at night, and he said one of the first things they did is the director had to go to the local police station and say, look, if someone calls you at four in the morning to say, ‘I hear screens, I think someone's getting murdered.' They're not. It's just us filming. And of course, being a crime writer, I immediately thought, what if it's someone getting murdered? That's a great cover story. You're giving yourself a bit of a bit of time to get away a head start. When I sat down to write the book, that idea went away and it turned into something else. Movie making is murder But that's the initial seed, and I loved the idea of there being a script for horror movie that when the actors go to film it, the same things that are happening in the script start to happen on the set, because of course your first question I think would be, is this really happening or is my director secretly filming me or something? It's hard to know what's real and what's not, and I think that's at the core of the novel. Jenny Wheeler: Yes, exactly. You do open with a scene where the director and an assistant go and knock on someone's door and say, ‘if you hear any screaming, don't worry.' And I immediately thought, oh, what a perfect cover for a crime. Exactly that. The story does show a very close understanding of the filming process, what happens on set, and all the different roles that there are in the production side of things. I wondered if you'd had any personal experience of that yourself. Catherine Ryan Howard: I really don't like, first of all, my brother was a great resource, of course, and I have a couple of other friends who'd be involved in the industry. So if there was something specific I wanted to know,
Welcome to The Best of Binge Reading 2023, Part One, the first of two shows featuring the most listened to episodes on our popular fiction podcast, chosen solely on the basis of the number of times you, our audience, listened to them. They include an intriguing range of genres, from a contemporary thriller, to a French story in equal parts about food and love, a World War II spy mystery, a NZ historical family saga pre-dating European settlement, and two romances, one a fresh and funny romcom, the other a tender second chance tale of loss, regret, and the influence family has on life changing decisions..... And like our audience, our authors reflect our international reach, with two Australians, a Kiwi, one French American, and one each from New York and Massachusetts. We present brief excerpts from each show, with links for where to find them if you'd like to hear more... As in previous years, we've selected shows that aired between Dec 1, 2022 and Dec 1, 2023. The second part of The Best Of The Joys of Binge Reading will air on January 16. Kelly Rimmer: Spies – Lies - Betrayal But now, here's the first of this week's guest authors, Kelly Rimmer. Her sweeping World War II suspense has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and made international best seller lists, including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Her latest book, The Paris Agent, a fascinating dual timeline mystery with multiple romance lines moving from England and World War Two to the 1970s with the daughter of one of those people that was involved in the war. It's a powerful story of two otherwise ordinary women who become spies dropped into Nazi occupied France. I asked Kelly to tell us of the story's genesis. Kelly Rimmer - Best-selling World War II fiction Kelly Rimmer: My daughter's name is Violette. It's a family name from my husband's side. And when I was pregnant with her, and we were talking about names, you do the Googling thing, trying to think about famous people with this name. Or what the meaning of the name is. And I stumbled upon Violette Szabo, who was an SOE agent, in the F section of the SOE. Her story was so inspiring and had stuck with me. I loved the idea that we were naming my daughter after someone so incredible. And I had always intended, always hoped that I would come up with the right premise to write a book that was inspired by her. And, maybe two or three years ago, I heard a podcast about Diana Rowden, who is another SOE agent, who I had never heard of, even though I'd done a little bit of reading about the SOE. And I've also found her to be just such an incredible woman. The idea for this book came out of their stories, their real-life stories. It's fiction. I've taken a few liberties here and there with their stories. And they weren't actually close friends, but in my book, my characters inspired by them are friends. But for the most part, where I could, I followed the real history. Traitors operating within the SOE Jenny Wheeler: Part of its foundation is the understanding that's emerged since the war that the Special Operations Executive, the branch of the British Secret Service that handled all of the dispensing of agents over France. The ones that were so tremendously brave as to jump out of planes into enemy territory and work to support the Resistance... Some of those people were betrayed from within the SOE even before they set foot on French soil. Kelly Rimmer: There's plenty of scenarios where agents landed and were met by Nazi troops on the ground as they were landing. In hindsight, it's very clear that there were people in the SOE who were betraying information through to the Nazis, but at the time they were operating blind in so many ways. As soon as I came across that idea and this, gentleman named Henri Dericourt, who was thought to have potentially been quite senior in the SOE,
Lucy Burdette's Key West cozies feature a magazine food critic called Hayley Snow, her husband's nosy dog, Ziggy, and an indomitable sidekick, Miss Gloria, who's rapidly becoming a reader's favorite, all that set in page-turning beautiful action in Florida's laid back tropical archipelago. Hi. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on Binge Reading, Lucy talks about the joy of combining two of her loves in life, food and Key West, in an award-winning best-selling small town mystery series. Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Giveaway Our Giveaway this week as a selection from a group of authors, Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Giveaway, including Sadie's Vow, Book #1 in my own Home At Last trilogy. It's San Francisco, 1872. Sadie McGillicuddy's word is her bond. Swearing to her dying mother to always protect her wilful sister, she's soon tested when her beautiful younger sibling runs off into the night. You'll find a link to download these books in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading.com. That's a Free Download Give away for holiday reading. DOWNLOAD FREE MYSTERIES And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best form of recommendation and it will help people find a show that recommends books they'd love to discover and read. Links to items mentioned in the show The Bobbsey Twins, Laura Lee Hope: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/DMJ/the-bobbsey-twins/ Nancy Drew. Carolyn Keene: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/NAD/nancy-drew/ Frank Bruni, Born Round: https://www.amazon.com/Born-Round-Family-Ferocious-Appetite/dp/014311767X# Ruth Reichl: http://ruthreichl.com/about/ Dr Laurie Santos: Yale class on happiness: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/science-well-being Dr Laurie Santos: Happiness Lab podcast: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos Ann Cleeves: https://www.anncleeves.com/ Rhys Bowen, Lady Georgiana Royal Spyness series: The Proof in the Pudding, www.rhysbowen.com Love Marriage by Monica Ali, https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Marriage-Monica-Ali/dp/1982181478 Ragnar Jonasson, Reykjavík, https://www.amazon.com/Reykjav%C3%ADk-Crime-Story-Ragnar-J%C3%B3nasson/dp/1250907330# Where To Find Lucy Burdette Online Website: https://lucyburdette.com/ Facebook: @Lucyburdetteauthor Instagram: @Lucyburdette Jungle Red Writers Blog: https://www.jungleredwriters.com/ Introducing mystery author Lucy Burdette Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Lucy. Hello there, Lucy, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Lucy Burdette - Her latest book in the Key West food critic series made the USA Today bestseller list Lucy Burdette: I am so happy to be here and I really appreciate being invited. Jenny Wheeler: It's lovely. the wonders of technology to think that you are in Key West, Florida and I'm in New Zealand. It's great, isn't it? Lucy Burdette: Crazy, Yes. Two islands. Jenny Wheeler: That's right. Lucy, you've got a flourishing career writing these Key West food critic mysteries. You've just published number 13 in those. How did you get started on fiction writing? Lucy Burdette: It's a strange story, but your listeners might not know that I'm a clinical psychologist. That was my career before writing and when I met my now husband of 31 years, he was a big golfer and I was not, but I wanted to do whatever it took to spend time with him. So I started taking golf lessons, and I was just horrible, terrible. I made every mistake. It was embarrassing. I started thinking about what could I write that would combine psychology and learning golf. I began to pitch some non-fiction stories about the psychology of golf. I had a few published, but it's very hard as a freelancer to get picked up by magazines. Why don't you try writing a mystery?
Jo Thomas writes funny and sunny best-sellers about food, love and family. Books that wrap their arms around you and give you a “great big hug.” And her latest release Countdown to Christmas is billed as “the most uplifting and feel good romance of Christmas 2023.” Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and on Binge Reading today Jo talks about her own love for books that take you somewhere else, and her ambition to leave readers with hope and a smile on their faces. This week's Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is a Deck The Halls BookSweeps bundle of historic holiday romances. Enter the drawer for a library of 20 plus historical romances, including Tangled Destiny, a New York Christmas novella, which is the prequel to my own Of Gold & Blood historical mystery series. The BookSweeps draw is valued at $250 and includes a new E reader. Enter the draw here: https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/dec23-historical-holiday-romance/ ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW Now do remember you can support the production costs of the show by buying me a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/Jennywheelx. And if you enjoy the show, don't forget, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best form of recommendation for people to hear about the show and great books they will love to read. Items mentioned in this episode Books Jo is reading Katie Fforde: https://katiefforde.com/, Jill Mansell: https://jillmansell.co.uk/ Milly Johnson: https://millyjohnson.co.uk/ Jilly Cooper: https://www.jillycooper.co.uk/ Galway Bay: https://www.galwaytourism.ie/galway-bay/ Pulia: https://www.traveldepartment.com/travel-blog/10-reasons-to-visit-puglia-region-in-italy Where to find Jo Thomas online Website: JoThomasauthor.com Instagram: @jothomasauthor Twitter: @jo_thomas01 But that's enough of the housekeeping, as you can probably tell, I've got a real frog in my throat, so I won't keep talking. I'll introduce Jo. Introducing romance author Jo Thomas Jo Thomas Best selling author of feel-good fiction featuring food, love and family... Hello there Jo, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Jo Thomas: Jenny, great to be here. Jenny Wheeler: You say up front that the sorts of books you write are about food, love, family, and fun. You like to have happy endings. And they are for people who like sunny and funny. Is that's how you started out your writing? Jo Thomas: It's really yes, because they were the books that I loved to read. And I would read authors like Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell and Milly Johnson. I wanted books that would take me to somewhere different where you felt that you would join in old friends? Like in the evenings, I can remember reading a Jilly Cooper and getting into bed at night and thinking, ‘I'm going to visit old friends down the pub.' And it's a nice place to be. I want people to feel that they care about the characters in my books and that they're with them through adversity and that they leave with hope and a smile on their face. When you start writing, people say, oh, write about what you know, and I thought, I don't know about anything. The only thing I like is food really. But I'm not a chef. I'm just someone who's interested in where their food comes from and then I thought why not write about the thing I'm interested in? I was in a restaurant in Galway, in Ireland with my husband and I was like, ‘I dunno what I'm gonna write about.' A perfect setting for Jo's first best seller I'd ordered some oysters and they put down this platter of oysters in front of me. And just for a moment, it stopped raining for a while. And I looked out the window and I was looking out over Galway Bay and the moon came and shone silvery shadow across the water and the candle was going in the window and it was like being in someone's front room eating these oysters. And I thought, this is sexy.
Michelle Major's USA Today, best-selling romance is all about new beginnings, second chances, and always a Happily Ever After. Just the thing for Christmas relief and her latest festive book, The Christmas Cabin delivers on all fronts. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading this week, Michelle talks about the appeal of Christmas stories -she's written lots of them - and why Second Chance Romance is one of her favorite things to write. This Week's Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is a Book Bundle of three holiday novellas for my own Of Gold & Blood historic mystery series. If you enjoy twisty family secrets and a dash of sweet romance, you'll love this trio of novellas et in New York, Hawaii, and California. DOWNLOAD HOLIDAY NOVELLAS https://dl.bookfunnel.com/1z2rd1zjlx You can support the show by buying me a cup of coffee@buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx. Your contribution helps to pay for production costs, but all of my time in researching and recording the show is done for no cost. If you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others can find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to find great books they will love to read. Links to things mentioned in the episode: Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series – books; https://juliaquinn.com/series/bridgertons/ Bridgerton TV show: https://www.tvguide.com/news/bridgerton-season-3-release-date-cast-trailers-news-everything-to-know/ Shonda Rhimes: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722274/ Lisa Kleypas: https://lisakleypas.com/ Jill Shalvis: The Sweetheart List, https://www.jillshalvis.com/the-sweetheart-list Readers Take Denver: https://www.readerstakedenver.com/ Lori Foster Reader Author Get Together: https://readerauthorgettogether.com/ Where to find Michelle online Website: Michellemajor.com Facebook: @Michellemajorauthor Instagram @Michellemajorbooks. Introducing romance author Michelle Major Romance author Michelle Major - feel good books for Christmas Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Michelle. Hello there Michelle, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Michelle Major: I'm so excited to be here. Thank you. Jenny Wheeler: The Christmas Cabin is your newest release. and it's also part of the very successful Carolina Girls series.When I looked at the series, I discovered that this is actually the third Christmas book you've done in that series, so obviously your readers love them. What do you think it is that attracts readers to Christmas stories? Michelle Major: As a reader myself and a writer I think Christmas stories are so special because it's a time of year when we look back at our memories whether we have those rose-colored glasses on and everybody thinks about the perfect, Christmas around the fire though unfortunately, it's not always the reality in the world at large or in a family. And so, I think escaping into a Christmas book where you can just sink into all of those traditions and sweetness is really special at this time of year. Jenny Wheeler: Now the couple in your story, Laura and Ben, were married briefly as youngsters and for quite understandable reasons it didn't last very long. They're now meeting up again quite some time later in their old home territory. I guess you would describe this as a Second Chance Romance, wouldn't you? Michelle Major: I would. And Second Chance Romance is one of my favorites to write, so I loved it. The appeal of Second Chance Romance Jenny Wheeler: Why is that? Why is Second Chance Romance so attractive? Michelle Major: My writing process often starts with character development and the emotions between the two main characters, You know, in movies, I love Love at First Sight shows, and I love those moments of being hit by something. But I think writing Second Chance, it's just so juicy because they have a history and often it hasn't ended well. You can jump in the deep end on the emotional tension.
Emily Bleeker is a best-selling author whose dual-time-line novel When We Were Enemies moves between a World War II prisoner of war camp in Indiana and the feverish fame of contemporary Hollywood in a story that was partly inspired by her own family history. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and today on Binge Reading, Emily talks about intimate betrayals made in the promise of fame and tells the remarkable story of how a serious health crisis gave her the Eureka moment when she was determined to write fiction. Now she's an award-winning best-selling author with 2 million readers worldwide. Our Giveaway This Week Our Giveaway this week is Three Holiday Novellas from my own Of Gold & Blood historical mystery series. They are Book #4 Tangled Destiny, which is a New York Christmas story, Book # 6, Hope Redeemed, a Spanish ranch romance and Captive Heart, Book #8, a Hawaiian Christmas, all romantic sequel novellas, to longer mysteries. Download these three entertaining reads for one week only. The links are in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading.com FREE HOLIDAY NOVELLAS https://dl.bookfunnel.com/1z2rd1zjlx Binge Reading goes fortnightly 2024 Last week I asked listeners should I stay weekly or go fortnightly with the podcast show next year, and thanks to all those who responded. The overwhelming number of you (90 per cent) said yes, you'd be happy with fortnightly episodes. So that's what we'll be doing starting in January. Before we get to Emily a reminder, you can help defray the costs of the production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buy me a coffee.com forward slash Jeannie, J E N NY wheel W H EE Lx. Small x. And remember, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Links to places and things mentioned in the episode Camp Atterbury https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Atterbury-Muscatatuck Operations Allies Welcome https://www.dhs.gov/allieswelcome What Emily is reading now: Terror, Love, and Brainwashing, by Alexandra Stein; https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Love-Brainwashing-Attachment-Totalitarian/dp/1138677973 What You Do To Me by Rochelle Weinstein, https://www.rochelleweinstein.com/books/what-you-do-to-me Strong Like You by Travis (T.L.) Simpson. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/178619792 Where to find Emily online: Website: emilybleeker.com Email: emilybleekerauthor@gmail.com Introducing Book Club favorite Emily Bleeker Emily Bleeker - dual time line saga from WWII POW camp to contemporary Hollywood Jenny Wheeler: But now, here's Emily. Hello, Emily, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Emily Bleeker: Hello, thank you for having me. Jenny Wheeler: Emily, When We Were Enemies, which is your seventh book and the one that we're talking about today, is partly set in a POW camp, a prisoner of war camp in Indiana during World War II. And it dips into aspects of your own family history. I wondered if you'd like to start by just giving us an idea of how it all came together. Emily Bleeker: Yes, sure. It was years and years ago. My dad told me a story about how my grandmother worked in a POW camp in Mississippi, and I had no idea what he was talking about because I did not even know that was a thing. So it went in one ear and out the other. But I have just become more interested in my grandmother's life and her story. I decided to do some research on the topic and found out that was a real thing during World War Two. And the other interesting part of that story about my grandmother is that she met an Italian priest there. She was married to my grandfather and they had a platonic friendship that continued for the rest of his life. He would draw pictures on postcards and send them to her every so often throughout the rest of his life. Italian POWs in US camps Jenny Wheeler: Yes, I must admit,
Darry Fraser writes bestselling, empowering feminist historicals that put women back in the Australian story. Her latest book, her twelfth novel is called The Milliner of Bendigo. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on the show, Darry talks about her fascination with the contribution women have made in every generation, whether recognized or not. And how in all of the books she somehow had the story sparked by a personal or family connection. Christmas Historicals Giveaway https://books.bookfunnel.com/winterhistoricalromance/tehahdyvcv Our Giveaway this week is Free Christmas Romance, a library full of free historical romance books to download, including Captive Heart, Book #6 in my Of Gold & Blood mystery series, a Hawaiian Christmas novella and don't we all know it's time for Christmas novellas. DOWNLOAD FOR FREE https://books.bookfunnel.com/winterhistoricalromance/tehahdyvcv Show Going Fortnightly? On a slightly more personal note, I'm thinking of running the show fortnightly rather than weekly next year, to give myself more time to write and to save on some of the ongoing costs. But I'd like to hear your thoughts before making the change. Would you still support Binge Reading if it was fortnightly. Would you welcome the change because of life just getting so busy Let me know your preferences at Jenny@jennywheeler.biz and I'll report on the response next time. Links to items highlighted in this episode Darry Fraser and Arnott's Christmas Tin: https://www.darryfraser.com/the-drover-comes-homes-for-christma Candice Fox, The Chase, https://www.candicefox.org/ Jodi Taylor, Chronicles of St. Mary's series; https://joditaylor.online/ Rachael Mead, The Art of Breaking Ice https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/152232958 Kate Grenville, A Room Made Of Leaves; https://kategrenville.com.au/books/a-room-made-of-leaves/ Where to find Darry Fraser online Website: www.darryfraser.com Facebook: @darryfraserbooks Instagram: @darryfraser And that's the housekeeping over. Here's our guest for this week. Darry Fraser. Introducing author Darry Fraser Darry Fraser - historical fiction that restores women's place in history Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Darry and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Darry Fraser: Oh, thank you, Jenny. Thanks so much for having me. Jenny Wheeler: Darry, you're a best-selling author, some of your books have reached the Top 100 lists in Australia. And you write “empowering feminist adventures.” That's the way you like to describe them. They're all historicals as well. So tell us, what do you like about writing feminist adventure stories? Darry Fraser: The first thing I hear quite a lot, especially when I'm doing library talks or bookstore events or something is, ‘Gee, all your leading ladies are well ahead of their time.' and so on and so forth. And I had to have a think about and about that and address that women back in the day were just like you and I are in our 21st century, except they had greater restrictions on what they were allowed to do by law or within the family or whatever. But I don't believe that too many women were just wimps. I think they had as strong a personality as people you might meet today. But what fascinated me was how they maintained their own strength and their feminist, - and we're not talking feminazis here, we're talking feminists - being your own true self, within the restrictions that they came across. And... I think when you step back in time, which is basically what I do, and I love doing that, you find these people dotted throughout history, because we don't often have a great glimpse of the ordinary person's day-to-day life. Finding fascinating historical stories That glimpse of strength comes through, and we're finding more and more stories about let's say Australian and New Zealand women who did their own thing within the...
Jim Eldridge had a stellar career writing for TV and radio before he turned to World War II and late 19th century historical mysteries which demonstrate all the page-turning immediacy of the TV shows he cut his teeth on. Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler. And on this week's Joys of Binge Reading podcast, Jim talks about growing up on a London bomb site and staying ahead in an ever-changing publishing world. This week's Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is a BookSweeps draw – a Literary, Historical and Book Club Fiction selection. Be into win a library of great books, plus a brand new E reader, worth $300 in total prize value. :https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/nov23-win-a-bundle-of-literary-historical-book-club-fiction/ Available only for a limited time - the draw closes on November 22. ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW Before we get to hear from Jim, I wanted to take a moment to issue a huge apology to those of you who may have reached out to me through my website contact forms, either through my book site at www.jennywheeler.biz or the podcast at www.thejoysofbingereading.com I've discovered quite recently to my horror, that emails from those sites have been going into a kind of internet nether land for quite a few months. I don't really know how long, never to be seen or heard from again. With the help of Toby, our new webmaster we have solved this problem, and I will answer all genuine inquiries as soon as I can, but unfortunately I can't get any of those historical ones back. Also another reminder, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Links to things mentioned in this episode: The Line of Kings (Tower of London): https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/line-of-kings/ Girton College, Cambridge: https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/ Churchill's War Room: https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms Down St Station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Street_tube_station The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha The Blind Beggar pub: https://www.theblindbeggar.com/ Salvation Army founder, William Booth: https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/activists/william-booth.html The Kray Brothers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kray_twins Dennis May Wilson: https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/dennis-main-wilson/ Georges Simeon: (Maigret author) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9693.Georges_Simenon Maigret: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/IMA/inspector-maigret Ed McBain: (real name Evan Hunter) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Hunter Peter Davison: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/peter_davison V2s: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-terrifying-german-revenge-weapons-of-the-second-world-war Where to Find Jim online: Website: https://www.jimeldridge.com/ Email: Contact form on Jim's website. Introducing mystery author Jim Eldridge Jim Eldridge - historical mystery author and TV script writer But now here's Jim. Hell, Jim and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Jim Eldridge: It's fantastic to be here Jenny and thank you for inviting me on. Jenny Wheeler: You've had a fascinating varied career with a very large amount of experience in TV before you set about doing your fiction writing with your historical mysteries. We're going to be focusing on those historical mysteries and two of your most recent books, Murder at the Tower of London, which is #9 in the Museum Murder series, and Murder at Down Street Station, which is #5 in the World War II mysteries. Tell me, what made you change from doing TV to writing historical mysteries? Jim Eldridge: I think actually what happened was I had my first show on in 1971, which is a long time ago. And over the years, things changed at the broadcasting. I wrote for British, Irish, and American television, TV and radio.
Reviewers use all sorts of adjectives to describe inspirational fiction author Tessa Afshar's work. Words like whimsical, intriguing, romantic, prophetic, faith-filled, daunting, grace-filled, dangerous, redeeming, heart-pumping, heart-stirring, sad and joyful - all at once. That's Tessa. Hi, I'm your host, Julie Wheeler. And on this week's show, historical fiction author Tessa Afshar talks about her latest release, The Persian King, set in Babylon in the sixth century BC. And she shares something of her remarkable life; at 14 years of age, speaking no English, moving from the Middle East to a British boarding school, and then becoming a Christian in her early twenties and completing a Masters in Divinity at Yale. Best-selling romance author Debbie Macomber says of her work: “No one brings the Bible to life like Tessa Afshar.” Our Giveaway this week Our Giveaway this week is Mystery with Romance, a group of best-selling authors once again joining together to offer a great range of books for you to choose from and download for FREE including Sadie's Vow, Book #1 in my latest trilogy Home At Last. DOWNLOAD MYSTERY WITH ROMANCE EBOOKS https://books.bookfunnel.com/freebookspg13mysteryromance/tm6fhkvpt0 And remember – if you enjoy the show. Leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links for things mentioned in this episode Song from Psalm 137 By The Waters of Babylon Boney M: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FgDles4xq8 And Don Mclean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcBy_b7z_dU Herodotus: Greek historian and biographer; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus Philippians 2: 10 - 11 Every knee shall bow https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202%3A10-11&version=NIV The Medes: https://www.britannica.com/place/Media-ancient-region-Iran The Persians: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/persian-empire/ Women Who Risk by Tom and Joann Doyle: https://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Risk-Secret-Agents/dp/0785233466 The re-telling of Ruth: In The Field Of Grace – Tessa Afshar: https://www.amazon.com/Field-Grace-Tessa-Afshar/dp/0802410979 The Peasant King: https://tessaafshar.com/books/the-peasant-king/ The Hidden Prince: https://tessaafshar.com/books/the-hidden-prince/ Where to find Tessa Afshar online Website: www.tessaafshar.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessaAfshar Instagram: @tessaafashar Introducing historical fiction author Tessa Afshar Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Tessa. Hello there, Tessa, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Tessa Afshar - Fiction in Ancient and Biblical times Tessa Afshar: Jenny, it's an honor to be with you. I'm really looking forward to our time together and I hope that my New Zealand friends will enjoy our conversation, and everybody else around the world who's listening to this podcast. Jenny Wheeler: That's lovely. So you know folk in New Zealand, do you? Tessa Afshar: I don't, it's just one of those gorgeous countries I've always wanted to visit. I've heard so many amazing things about people from New Zealand and what I've seen on TV of your gorgeous country makes me want to come and hang out. Jenny Wheeler: You'd certainly be known here to New Zealand readers because your fiction that you write, the inspirational fiction, both biblically and historically based, is described as “seriously good inspirational fiction.” Tell us about your latest book, which is The Peasant King. That's the one we're going to be discussing today. It is a biblically based story and it goes right back to Babylon in the 6th century BC. A famous period, even to non-believers, that's a famous period in history. Tell us about the background for that book. Babylon and Biblical prophecy Tessa Afshar: Yes, absolutely. I'd be delighted to.
This week on The Joys of Binge Reading. Internationally published Kiwi author, Fiona Sussman. And The Doctor's Wife, a psychological thriller of a close friendship shattered by illness and unexpected death. Nothing in Stan Andino's unremarkable life could prepare him for the day he discovered his wife in the living room naked except for a black apron, bleaching out of stain in the carpet that only she can see. Hi there. I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and on Binge Reading today Fiona talks about writing a story where a group of close friends discover the unexpected about themselves and one another after one of them is diagnosed with severe brain cancer. For Fiona, who was a doctor before becoming a full-time author, it's her first foray into bringing her experience as a medical practitioner to her fiction. This week's Giveaway - win a paperback And as our Giveaway this week, we've got a paperback copy of The Doctor's Wife, which is a finalist in New Zealand's Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards to be decided later this month. Enter the draw to win a copy of The Doctor's Wife here https://the-joys-of-binge-reading.ck.page/de8c1c9777 ENTER DRAW TO WIN A COPY OF THE DOCTOR'S WIFE Links to books mentioned in the episode Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh_Awards Ngaio Marsh; https://www.ngaiomarsh.org/ngaio-marsh Agatha Christie: https://www.agathachristie.com/ Dorothy Sayers: https://www.sayers.org.uk/ Marjorie Allingham: https://www.margeryallinghamcrime.com/biography/ Nadine Gordimer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadine_Gordimer Athol Fugard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athol_Fugard Alan Paton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Paton Geraldine Brooks: https://geraldinebrooks.com/ Kate Greenville: https://kategrenville.com.au/ Elizabeth Strout: https://www.elizabethstrout.com/ Helen Garner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner Graeme Macrae Burnet, This Bloody Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Macrae_Burnet Malla Nunn, A Beautiful Place to Die, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malla_Nunn Fiona Kidman, This Mortal Boy, https://fionakidman.com/ And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for friends to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Introducing Kiwi author Fiona Sussman You'll find Fiona at: Website: www.fionasussman.co.nz (Fiona has suspended her social media for the time being to focus on her writing) Fiona Sussman - The Doctor's Wife - shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Fiona. Hello there, Fiona, and welcome to the show. It's so good to have you with us. Fiona Sussman: Hi, Jenny. It's a real treat to be on the Joys of Binge Reading. Thank you so much for inviting me. Jenny Wheeler: Now, it is an international show, but you're just across a few streets from me. it's wonderful to be able to talk to a local resident today for a change. We're talking about The Doctor's Wife, which is your fourth novel. Often crime novels – and this is categorized as a crime novel, although it's really, as you've said, a domestic thriller - it doesn't start with a death or a murder or a crime exactly. It starts with simmering tension between normal middle class couple and then quickly followed by a husband coming home and finding his wife doing something very unusual. She is naked except for a black apron. She's madly scrubbing at the carpet at an invisible stain that nobody but her can see. And this is a very dramatic way to introduce the fact that this woman is suffering from a serious illness. Tell us about the opening. A tense dinner quickly escalates Fiona Sussman: Yes, Jenny. I guess I was very mindful of the fact that this was a domestic thriller I was writing, so I wanted to escalate the tension fairly early on.
Andrea Penrose is a USA Today, bestselling author of Regency era historical fiction, including the acclaimed Wrexford and Sloane mystery series. Andrea is published internationally in ten languages. She's a three time Rita award finalist and is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including two Daphne du Maurier awards for Historical Mystery. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and today on Binge Reading, Andrea talks about Murder At The Merton Library, # 7 in her best-selling Wrexford and Sloane series. Responding to an urgent plea from a troubled family friend, the Earl of Wrexford journeys to Oxford, only to find the reclusive university librarian has been murdered and a rare manuscript has gone missing. In the words of one reviewer, it's another of Andrea's “well-thought-out mysteries with early forensic science, great details of the era, and a slow burning attraction that creates a compulsive read.” October Romance Giveaway Searching for your next favorite story? Look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new books, including Hope Redeemed, #6 in the Of Gold & Blood mystery series. Hope Redeemed is a Spanish romance mystery novella - She's grieving her intended's death. He's loving her from afar. But will a long-kept secret spoil their chance at everlasting happiness? DOWNLOAD FREE BOOKS And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for people to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Link to items mentioned in this episode Sir John Soanes Regency townhouse: https://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/sir-john-soanes-house-a-slice-of-regency-london/ The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51187948-the-splendid-and-the-vile?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_21 Allison Montclair, and the Bainbridge Sparks series https://us.macmillan.com/author/allisonmontclair C.S. Harris, the Sebastian St Cyr Regency mysteries https://csharris.net/sebastian.php Where to find Andrea Penrose online Website: www.andreapenrose.com Instagram: @andreapenrosebooks Word Wenches blog: https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/ Introducing Andrea Penrose mystery author Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Andrea. Hello there, Andrea, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Andrea Penrose - Regency mysteries Andrea Penrose: Thank you so much for having me here. Jenny. I'm really excited to chat with you. Jenny Wheeler: You're a best-selling author of the Wrexford and Sloane Regency Mystery Series and the next one, number seven, I think it's due to be published next week, isn't it? Andrea Penrose: It actually in the U. S. came out last week. Jenny Wheeler: Oh, great. Murder in the Merton Library, - for those who may not quite remember, the Merton Library is one of the most ancient and revered libraries in Britain, at Oxford University. So, you've got a great location to start, but you did start out writing romance, didn't you? How did you get called into doing the mysteries? Andrea Penrose: I really liked writing romance, but a story really is about the relationship, how the 2 people fall in love, and I found myself more and more interested in developing a greater psychological depth with characters. The idea that a mystery usually will have a series and we'll have the protagonist, the same protagonist in each book. You have a chance to develop the characters and plunge into the depths of friendship and vulnerabilities and how they tie in with their friends. A mystery tests your sense of trust of who you're working with, who you can believe. You question yourself about a lot of things. And I felt it gives me a bigger range to develop the characters and really have a little more complexity and the depth. The story doesn't just revolve around a love st...
Theodore Brun seemed to have everything. A high level, high earning job as a Paris based lawyer, a group of interesting friends and activities, a French fiancé, and yet he knew he wasn't really happy. Something was missing. It took him several job changes and a long-distance cycle ride across Europe before he discovered his calling. And a decade of hard work later, he's published a four-book series of Dark Age historicals, The Wanderer Chronicles, and he's found where he belongs. Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading Today, Theodore talks about the books that critics describe as “thrilling, epic adventure at its very best” and about finding his place as an author in that remarkable ride that opened up his life to new energy and joy. Fantastic Fiction Giveaway For our Giveaway this week, I've teamed up with 50 other fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Women's Fiction and Book Club books in a BookSweeps Lucky Draw. There's two prize winners, but the Grand Prize winner gets a brand new E reader as well as a library of new books. You can win my book Sadie's Vow, #1 in the Home At Last series, plus books from authors like Stephanie Dray, Madeline Martin, and Michelle Cox, all of whom have been on Binge Reading in the past. ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW And remember, if you enjoyed the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Details of things mentioned in this episode: The Second Siege of Constantinople: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11635/umayyad-siege-of-constantinople-717-ce/ The Anglo Saxon poem The Wanderer: https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/English/Wanderer.php Wynfrid of Nursling also known as St Boniface: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Boniface German god Thor: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thor-Germanic-deity Joe Abercrombie: https://joeabercrombie.com/ Hungry Ghosts: Kevin Jared Hosein, https://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Ghosts-Kevin-Jared-Hosein-ebook/dp/B0B31N67Z7/ River Spirit: Leila Aboulela, https://leila-aboulela.com/books/river-spirit/ The Great Reclamation: Rachel Heng, https://www.rachelhengqp.com/ Where to find Theodore Brun online Website: www.theodorebrun.com Instagram: @Theobrun Twitter, @Theodore Brun Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theodorebrunauthor/ Introducing author Theodore Brun Historical adventure author Theodore Brun But now here's Theodore. Hello, Theodore, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Theodore Brun: Hello, Jenny. It's lovely to be here, from the other side of the world, literally. And the other side of the clock. You're 12 hours ahead. Let's get into it. Jenny Wheeler: Yes. Thank you so much. Now we're going to be talking about the four-book series of The Wanderer Chronicles, set in the dark ages of Europe in the seventh and eighth centuries, and I know that these sorts of sagas often have quite a strong element of archetypal fantasy in them as well. So I'm wondering. There's an obvious character in the book who identifies as a wanderer, but there's probably a more overarching archetype as well at play here. Talk to us a bit about how the Wanderer works in these kinds of Viking sagas. Theodore Brun: The Wanderer, it's interesting the name, the Wanderer, for a start, because I came up with that when I was about halfway through drafting the first book. and in searching around to see whether anything else had been made under that name, I discovered that there is actually a very old Anglo Saxon poem called The Wanderer. And as I read this thing, it was the first time I'd read it, I was astonished because it was very similar in terms of archetype to my own protagonist. And it's really about a man, a warrior in this warrior culture, who is forced into exile because his lord and his comrades are all wiped...
Kate Gray wrote half a dozen uplifting feel-good novels and then her dark side took over. One night, she had a horrific nightmare and when she woke up shaking, she just knew she had to write it as her next story. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on Binge Reading, Kate talks about the book that came out of that nightmare about a honeymoon gone bad, a psychological thriller called - you guessed right? The Honeymoon. She considers questions like “What if you don't really know the person you've just married?” And tells us about her own experience of being left at the altar, which catapulted her into an adventure that changed her life. Giveaway This Week - Historical Romance Our Giveaway this week is a month of historical romance. If you're searching for your next favorite story, look no further. These best-selling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new books, including my own Hope Redeemed, A Spanish Novella, Book #6 in the Of Gold & Blood historic mystery series. All are just available for a limited time. DOWNLOAD FREE HISTORICAL ROMANCE And remember, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, So others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links to things mentioned in this episode: Katy Colins: Kate's second author name for uplifting women's fiction: https://katycolins.com/ Lisa Jewell: None of This Is True, https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62334530 Hannah Richell: The Search Party https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Search-Party/Hannah-Richell/9781668036068#: The Lonely Hearts Backpacker's series: https://katycolins.com/the-lonely-hearts-travel-club-destination-thailand-by-katy-colins/ Where To Find Kate Gray online Website: KateGrayauthor.com Facebook: @Kategrayauthor Instagram: @Kategrayauthor Katy Colins travel blog https://www.instagram.com/notwedordead/ Introducing thriller author Kate Gray Jenny Wheeler: But now here is Kate. Hello there, Kate, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Kate Gray - psychological thriller author and The Honeymoon Kate Gray: Hi, thanks so much for having me. Jenny Wheeler: Kate, you've done half a dozen feel good, uplifting women's fiction novels, and now this change to a dark psychological psychological thriller, The Honeymoon. Why the change of pace and genre? Kate Gray: I really enjoyed writing my novels as Katy Colins, uplifting, feel good reads. But I just didn't have another idea. And I guess it also happened to be the start of lockdown when I was out of contract. And it wasn't very good for that kind of creativity. The muse wasn't visiting. I have two very young children. And my husband was working quite a lot as a journalist. So, no ideas were coming forward and one night I went to bed and I had this really horrific nightmare and I just knew I had to write it and the nightmare was so scary that this then led me into writing more psychological thrillers and actually I quite like embracing my darker side. Jenny Wheeler: Interesting. This is the first psychological thriller that you've actually published, is it? But have you got others on the boil now? Kate Gray: Yes, I signed a two-book deal. The Honeymoon came out this summer and the second one will be out next summer, which is really exciting. I'm currently editing that second one, which is completely different, they're both standalone novels which is good in a way for my creativity, but difficult because I have a whole new cast of characters and problems to put them in. A story that came out of a bad dream Jenny Wheeler: That's right. When we get to the feel good fiction a bit further on, we'll talk about your four book series with a similar character and similar settings. So you did do a series there, but getting back to that nightmare. How much of the story was formed in the dream?
Christine Wells has a gift for digging out history's hidden stories, and her latest book, The Royal Windsor Secret. is the perfect, delicious mix of fact and speculation that her readers have come to love. In it Christine asks the question “What if it Edward, Prince of Wales, the man who briefly became King Edward VIII, had a love child?” Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and a chance remark from a friend suggesting Edward sowed wild oats during his stay in Australia in his youth. got Christine thinking. The result is another of her engrossing historical fiction tales, with plenty of fascinating historical fact spiced up with some “what if” suggestions. Encore is the show for returning authors, and this is Christine second appearance on the Binge Reading podcast. She was last on back in 2020 talking about her World War II spy stories, like The Juliette Code and Sisters Of The Resistance, the last one featuring Catherine Dior's little known wartime activities. Our Reader Offers - Free and Sales Books Our reader offers this week include a Sale Special on Unbridled Vengeance, Book#5 in the Of Gold & Blood series, as part of the Fall in Love With Historical Romance offer. A rancher faces a trumped up murder charge. His beautiful French neighbor has facts that will clear his name, but she can only speak up at the risk of her own life. UNBRIDLED VENGEANCE SALE https://books.bookfunnel.com/fallinlovehistromance/agj3oedc0x We've also got another Kobo Free Genre List offer running until October 8th with lots of great first in series books and multiple genres. Available for free download, including Poisoned Legacy, Book #1 in the Of Gold & Blood series. Visit the following link(s) to see the promotion: https://www.kobo.com/p/free-ebooks! If you live in a country that isn't included in this promotion, you may have trouble accessing the sale link. If this happens, change the flag at the top of the Kobo homepage to one of the included countries to see the sale link properly. She's a traveling singer. He's an Aussie adventurer. Together, they'll dig up the secrets of a deadly gold mine. FREE KOBO LIST BOOKS Links to things mentioned in the episode Marguerite Meller: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Alibert Duke of Windsor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Alibert Wallis Simpson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson Shepheard's Hotel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepheard%27s_Hotel Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody Mysteries: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40876-amelia-peabody Elizabeth Peters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Mertz Special Air Service History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Special_Air_Service The Cartiers: the Untold Family History by Francesca Cartier Brickell: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/588686/the-cartiers-by-francesca-cartier-brickell/ Cartier designers: https://www.madridluxurydistrict.com/en/asociado/cartier-2/ Paddy Bennett: Ian Fleming's Secretary, the model for Miss Moneypenny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_Ridsdale Mick Herron: https://www.mickherron.com/ Slow Horses: https://www.mickherron.com/titles/mick-herron-6/slow-horses/9781399803052/ Natasha Lester: The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard: https://www.goodreads.com/?ref=nav_hom Where to find Christine Wells online Website: Christine-wells.com Facebook: @christinewellsAuthor Instagram: @christinewells Introducing historic fiction author Christine Wells But now here's Christine. Hello there, Christine. And welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Christine Wells: Hi Jenny, thanks so much for having me. Jenny Wheeler: The last time we talked together on Binge Reading was in May, 2020, and a tremendous amount of stuff has happened since then, including a pandemic. At that time, you were writing about World War II women spies,
Harry Whittaker inherited a heartbreaking task when his mother, the international best-selling author, Lucinda Riley, died in 2021. Millions of readers around the world were eagerly awaiting the last book in her acclaimed Seven Sisters series and Harry accepted the challenge of being the one to finish it. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and on Binge Reading today, we have a special treat. Harry talks about how he tackled the final book in the series, Atlas, The Pa salt story, as the labour of love for his cherished mother. And how he's now moving on finding his author voice with books that are very much his own. BookSweeps Draw This Week We've got a BookSweeps Draw of Literary, Historical and Book Club Fiction. which includes Sadie's Vow, #1 in my Home At Last trilogy. If you haven't read Sadie's Vow, you can enter to win it on BookSweeps today, plus 25+ extra books, exciting literary, historical and book club fiction from a great collection of authors, as well as the brand new E reader. Details for where to enter the draw are on the show notes for this episode on The Joys Of Binge Reading website. (www.thejoysofbingereading.com) And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW Links for Information in this episode Lucinda Riley –Video on conceiving The Seven Sisters: https://youtu.be/KvjD3cxZDwA Lucinda Edmonds/Riley: https://lucindariley.co.uk/about-lucinda/ Bonnie Garmus: https://www.bonniegarmus.com/lessons-in-chemistry https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065033-lessons-in-chemistry Brie Larson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brie_Larson Nick Hornby: https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/21856/nick-hornby High Fidelity: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/285092 Slam: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/411527.Slam About A Boy: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4271.About_a_Boy David Nicholls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nicholls_(writer) One Day: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6280118-one-day The Understudy: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/366842 Starter For Ten: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/107896.Starter_for_Ten Where to find Harry Whittaker online Website: www.harrywhittaker.co.uk Instagram: @HarryWhittakerAuthor Twitter: @HarryTwittaker Introducing author Harry Whittaker Author Harry Whittaker - completing his mother's legacy and starting his own Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Harry. Hello there, Harry, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Harry Whittaker: Hi Jenny, thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited to be talking to you in New Zealand from the UK. We've somehow made it work. Jenny Wheeler: Yes. After a little hiccup this morning. that's right. We're talking about Book Eight of The Seven Sisters. Atlas; The Story Of Pa Salt for the one or two people left in the world who don't know that you inherited one of the most difficult tasks in the world, with this job to complete an internationally beloved series while also dealing with the personal loss of the author of it all. What force do you think has carried you through all of it. Harry Whittaker: That's a good question. In a way there was so much pressure on me that in fact there was no pressure at all. If 50 million readers, a decade worth of mysteries, the fact that I'd only ever written children's books and never a novel, and I knew that this was going to have to be a very beefy novel because it's what Seven Sisters readers expect... The pressure was so ridiculous, and you combine everything I've just said with a really tight deadline. I had one year to do this and there could be no ifs or buts about that. I didn't think about it because if you thought about it for more than 10 seconds you'd want to curl up ...
Loretta Chase is a doyenne of Regency romance with nearly 30 books in her back list. And she still winning awards. Ten Things I Hate About The Duke, won an AWA cherished award, one of the old Rita's now called a Vivian for the best long form historical fiction. And it's just the icing on the cake for a writer who's already enjoyed a fantastic career. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and in Binge Reading today, Loretta talks honestly about getting over writer's block when you've already published 28 books and why she loves writing about impossible men, like the Dis Graceful Dukes in her latest series. That's strictly in fiction, not in real life. No, no, no. Pure Hearts Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is The Magic of Pure Hearts Giveaway. Not just romance, but a delightful full range choice, from adventure with a touch of fantasy as well. For a limited time only Sadie's Vow #1 in the Home At Last series is my contribution to this freebie list. Sadie chases from New York to San Francisco after her wayward sister becomes infatuated by a mob boss and is blind to the dangers she is letting herself in for. DOWNLOAD FREE ROMANCE BOOKS https://books.bookfunnel.com/themagicofpurehearts2/ekkk84hvxg And remember if you enjoyed the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best form of recommendation and you want your friends to know about a show that will recommend great books for them. don't you? Sure you do. Links to items mentioned in this episode The classic romance Loretta read early in her career Kathleen Woodiwiss: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/88445.Kathleen_E_Woodiwiss Edith Layton: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/74459.Edith_Layton Mary Jo Putney: https://maryjoputney.com/ Jo Beverley: https://www.jobev.com/ Who Loretta's Reading Right Now: Carl Hiaasen: https://carlhiaasen.com/ Tim Dorsey: https://www.timdorsey.com/ Terry Pratchett:https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/ Kristan Higgins: https://www.kristanhiggins.com/ Kristan Higgins on The Joys of Binge Reading: https://thejoysofbingereading.com/kristan-higgins-queen-of-love-and-laughs/ Two Nerdy History Girls (Blog and Podcast): https://lorettachase.com/blog/2022/1/10/the-two-nerdy-history-girls-return-engagement Susan Holloway Scott: https://susanhollowayscott.com/ Caroline Linden Books and Rom Cons (Conferences) https://www.carolinelinden.com/index.html https://www.carolinelinden.com/aboutcaroline.html Harry Whittaker: https://www.harrywhittaker.co.uk/ Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt: https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/lucinda-riley/atlas-the-story-of-pa-salt/9781529043525 Where to find Loretta Chase online Website: https://lorettachase.com/ Blog: https://lorettachase.com/blog Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLorettaChase/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorettachaseauthor/ Introducing Loretta Chase - Regency queen But now here's Loretta. Hello there, Loretta, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Loretta Chase - doyenne of Regency romance Loretta Chase: Jenny, I am so honored to be here. Jenny Wheeler: You're one of the doyennes of romance writing. You've written 28 historical romances starting back in the 1990s, and you've won numerous awards. The most recent one, Ten Things I Hate About the Duke, just won an RWA award for the best long historical. That's a great track record you can be proud of. Loretta Chase: I really am. I'm very proud of that book. I was so happy when it won the award. I felt as though those two books, the first two in the Duke series, were strong work. So it was great to have that recognition. Jenny Wheeler: And just as a little aside, they're calling it by a different name. They're calling it a Vivian, aren't they? But is that the same as the old Rita? Loretta Chase: Yes, it is the same. They've changed the award itself.
Amanda Geard has proven herself a master of evocative, triple timeline mysteries, linking generations across the abandoned clues of family history. A faded photograph.... An abandoned house. And a wartime mystery that might have remained buried forever. Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and on the Binge Reading show this week, Amanda talks about her latest book, The Moon Gate, telling a story that reaches from wartime Britain to Tasmania and back to Ireland. And she shares the timeline story that first captivated, her imagination, and inspired her to swap jobs. from being a geologist in the world's far off corners, to a fictional author who's immediately attracted positive reviews. This week's Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is Fall Romance Freebies for the month of September, including Sadie's Vow Book #1 in my latest trilogy Home At Last. You've got a library full of great romances here on offer, and you can select however many you like and Download For Free. And remember if you enjoy the show. leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. DOWNLOAD FREE ROMANCE Things discussed in this episode Listowel Writer's Week: https://writersweek.ie/ What Amanda is reading: Louise Fein: People Like Us: https://www.louisefein.com/people-like-us The Echoes of Love Jenny Ashcroft: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-echoes-of-love-jenny-ashcroft I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31122.I_Capture_the_Castle Where To Find Amanda Online Website: www.amandageard.com Instagram and X: @AmandaGeard Introducing author Amanda Geard Jenny Wheeler: But now, here's Amanda. Hello there, Amanda, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Amanda Geard: Hi, Jenny. Thanks so much for having me. Jenny Wheeler: Amanda, The Moon Gate, which is your second historical timeline mystery refers to a particularly striking architectural feature in an old house in Ireland. It has both symbolic and real significance to the story. Tell us about The Moon Gate. Amanda Geard: Thanks, Jenny. Yes. Gosh, I love moon gates. They're these wonderful follies that are often found in Chinese gardens. But the idea was of course pinched and went around the world with the British Empire, and so you see them in a lot of old British gardens. And they're a circular structure, mostly often made of stone or brick, but timber as well, or willow wicks, but the idea is that they separate one part of the garden from another, but they rise up out of the earth. And, the mentality is that to walk through one is to be reborn. I really wanted to put one of these in what became called The Moon Gate because one of my protagonists, Grace, who's a young woman who leaves Grosvenor Square in London just before the outbreak of World War Two. She travels to Tasmania, where I'm from originally, and she sheds her skin there. And actually the Moon Gate is in the house there at, at the back of the house there in Tasmania, between the small garden around the house and this wild rainforest. She captures her own wilderness, I think. It was just this lovely lovely symbol I wanted to weave in. Organising a Moon Gate Tour? There's a thought! Jenny Wheeler: And are there any actual moon gates in Tasmania? Amanda Geard: Oh, I think there are some in some private gardens. And then here in Ireland, I really want to do a moon gate tour. And I've been collecting a very short list of moon gates, but some people in the UK who've read the book have sent me pictures of moon gates in their nearby big houses, or a lot of people have them in their gardens now as well. They've built them from all kinds of things. I love the ones where people have taken rounds of logs and built them up into an archway that's round and then grown ivy up it.
M.J. Porter has developed an enthusiastic readership for her ninth century Saxon Chronicles set in the depths of a divided Britain. She writes action-packed and completely addictive Dark Ages historicals that have readers howling for more. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on Binge Reading, M.J. talks about the books that critics describe as “Game of Thrones meets The Last Kingdom.” Our Giveaway this week is called Is Your Library Fully Booked? It features a great range of stories from many different authors, all free to download, including Sadie's Vow Book #1 in my Home At Last series. https://books.bookfunnel.com/fullybooked/1qbif7i7yc DOWNLOAD SADIE'S VOW for free And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for people to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Things mentioned in this episode First Viking Age: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Viking-people Lindisfarne: https://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/ King Alfred: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-king-of-Wessex Dark Age Britain: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Anglo-Saxon-Kingdoms-Dark-Ages/ Bede: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Bede-the-Venerable Ceolwulf: Last King of Mercia: https://www.britannica.com/place/Wessex-historical-kingdom The Battle of Brunanburh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brunanburh King Athelstan: https://www.athelstanmuseum.org.uk/malmesbury-history/people/king-athelstan/ Bernard Cornwell: https://www.bernardcornwell.net/ Uhtred series: https://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-last-kingdom-series/ Queen Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aethelflaed The Last Kingdom BBC series: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08jnzwp Ealdorman: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/ealdorman Ealdorman Athelwine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelwine,_Ealdorman_of_East_Anglia Queen Elfride: https://www.history.org.uk/historian/resource/8630/elfrida-the-first-crowned-queen-of-england Ethelred II: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ethelred-the-Unready M J Porter: Custard Corpses, https://mjporterauthor.blog/the-custard-corpses-a-delicious-1940s-mystery-is-on-tour-with-the-coffee-pot-book-club/ Michelles Salter: https://www.michellesalter.com/ Sarah Hawkswood: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sarah-Hawkswood/author/B00MLCK41U Theodore Brun: https://www.theodorebrun.com/ Simon Turney: https://simonturney.com/ Jane Adams: Murder On The Farm, https://www.amazon.com/MURDER-gripping-mystery-twists-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BL86FQ9Q#: Where to find MJ Porter online Website: www.mjporterauthor.com Twitter or X: @coloursofunison Introducing historical fiction author M.J. Porter Jenny Wheeler: But now here's MJ. Hello there MJ and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. M.J. Porter: Hello, thank you so much for inviting me on today. I'm really looking forward to our chat. Jenny Wheeler: MJ you've developed a terrific following of historical fiction readers fascinated by the stories of ancient Britain, and we're talking basically ninth and tenth centuries, mainly Saxon Britain. Tell us first off, what is the appeal of this period for people who haven't perhaps delved into it before? M.J. Porter: The appeal of the period for me is that it's quite exciting. We're at the very beginning of what would become known as the First Viking Age. We've had our attack on Lindisfarne and then the records go a little bit quiet, we don't hear a lot more, and then all of a sudden in about the 830s we start to get a little bit of a rumble, and therefore, it's quite exciting. We haven't had the great heathen army yet of the 860s. We've got this king in Wessex who's going to be King Alfred's grandfather,
T.A. Williams writes highly entertaining, escapist romance and cozy mysteries. that take you to exotic locations without you having to leave your armchair. Great in a time like this. Hi there. I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and T.A. or Trevor as his friends called him, came very close to getting published in his early twenties. And then he waited 40 years for the chance to come around again. When it did, he grabbed it with both hands and hasn't looked back since. This Week's Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is another BookSweeps Draw. This one is the Read and Reflect Literary, Historicals and Book Club Fiction draw - 40 books, $450 in value and a new E reader to the Grand lucky winner. Take a chance and enter the drawer, get yourself a library of literary historical and book club fiction. You'll have reading for the next season, including Sadie's Vow, Book #! in the Home At Last series. ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW Links to thing mentioned in this episode: Cathy Rentzenbrink: thttps://cathyreadsbooks.com John Le Carré: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_le_Carré Agatha Christie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie Hilary Mantel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Mantel Via Francigena: https://www.viefrancigene.org/en/ Sigoric The Serious – founder of the Via Francigena:: https://www.onefootabroad.com/blog/explanation-via-francigena/ Where to find T.A. Williams online Website: www.tawilliamsbooks.com Facebook: @tawilliamsauthor X: @TAWilliamsbooks And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Introducing author T.A. Williams Jenny Wheeler: But now here's T.A. or Trevor. Welcome to the show, Trevor. It's great to have you with us. T.A. Williams - (Trevor) Moves easily from romance to cozy mystery in escapist locations T.A. Williams: Thank you, Jenny. It's very kind of you to invite me on. Jenny Wheeler: You've been writing very successfully fiction for a number of years now, but you did have a very successful entrepreneurial career and it is a later in life thing for you. Tell us how you got into the writing T.A. Williams: To be honest, my first ever attempt at a book was at age 14. It was called it was a shameless rip off of Arthur Ransom's story, set up on Lake Windermere, Swallows and Amazons. That obviously didn't get very far, all 44 handwritten pages of it. But in my twenties, I wrote a thriller - I was quite into thrillers in those days. And I still have a letter from Collins publishers before they became Harper Collins, where they actually read the manuscript that I sent them twice, and then came this letter saying, “We liked it a lot, but due to the parlous economic situation in the country at the moment, we can't splash out on a new author.” So that rather shot that one. So yes, had that all worked, then back in the seventies, I might have been a published author. As it is. I had to wait until 2013, 10 years ago. A medieval trilogy which captivated him Jenny Wheeler: Did you continue to write in that interim? T.A. Williams: I wrote another couple of thrillers. They are just sitting there, gathering dust. But I got hooked, to be quite honest, on medieval history. And I wrote a series of three books set around the time of the Crusades. And then - I don't know if you've come across people called the Cathars in southern France. They were basically a Christian sect, but they were deemed heretical by the Pope at the time, mainly because they weren't prepared to pay their subs to Rome. And as a result of which, he sent a crusade against them. It was the only crusade called by Christians on Christians in Western Europe. I got hooked on that, and wrote the books. Needless to say, nobody wanted to publish them, and it was over the course of years that I gradually changed from that to...
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Sharon Sala is a queen of romantic suspense with more than 130 books published in multiple genres, but particularly she concentrates on writing small town romance and thrilling romantic suspense. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And on Binge Reading today, we've got a real treat. Multiple award-winning author Sharon Sala talks about her latest two releases; Don't Back Down, her new romantic suspense and a new series, and the small town romance The Next Best Day. She also talks about her remarkable gift for dreaming the stories she writes and the native American heritage from two great grandmothers she is happy to claim as her own. Our Giveaway this week Our giveaway this week is free genre fiction on Kobo, a fantastic range of popular genre fiction from top authors. Take your pick, whether you like mystery, romance, sci-fi or audio books, all of them freely available for a limited time. That includes Poisoned Legacy Book #1 of my Of Gold & Blood mystery series. And we've also got a Box Set 30% Off Sale. Visit the following link(s) to see the promotion: https://www.kobo.com/p/free-ebooks! If you live in a country that isn't included in this promotion, you may have trouble accessing the download link. If this happens, change the flag at the top of the Kobo homepage to one of the included countries to see the sale link properly. FREE GENRE FICTION DOWNLOAD BOXED SET 30% OFF SALE I've got the first three books in Of Gold & Blood included; that's Poisoned Legacy, Brother Betrayed and Double Jeopardy - all available in a Boxed Set E-book at 30% off Visit the following link(s) to see the promotion: https://kobo.com/p/august-boxset-sale! The promo code for this campaign is: AUGBOX. bOXED SET SALE 30% OFF And remember if you enjoy the show, leave a review so others will find us too. Links to things mentioned in the episode Dinah McCall: https://www.fictiondb.com/series/prophecy-dinah-mccall~37613.htm https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/40571.Dinah_McCall Dreamcatcher: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71819.Dreamcatcher The Survivors: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243251.The_Survivors There's A Squirrel in the Attic: https://www.amazon.com/Theres-Squirrel-Attic-Sharon-Sala/dp/0989628671 Killers of the Flower Moon: (Books) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killers_of_the_Flower_Moon Killers of the Flower Moon movie: (Due for release later this year) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killers_of_the_Flower_Moon_(film) John Harte: https://www.johnhartebooks.com/ The Last Child: (John Harte): https://www.amazon.com/Last-Child-Novel-John-Hart/dp/031238033X Where to find Sharon online Website: www.sharonsalaauthor.com Blog: https://www.facebook.com/sharonsala Contact: https://sharonsalaauthor.com/contact/ Introducing Sharon Sala romance author Sharon Sala - Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award author of romance and romantic suspense But now here's Sharon. Hello there, Sharon, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Sharon Sala: Thank you. Glad to be here. Jenny Wheeler: You're a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, you've got 132+ plus books published in seven different genres, first published in 1991, and you still have a passion for writing 40 years later. What drives that passion? Sharon Sala: Oh, I don't know. I always loved storytelling. I was a reader from a very early age and a dreamer. I just daydreamed. Everything in my sleep was dreams. It's like going to the movies when I go to bed. I just wanted to put them on paper and share them with people who like to read. Jenny Wheeler: And so, did you start writing at a very young age? Sharon Sala's latest books Sharon Sala: No. I was just an avid reader. It was probably the early 80s when I first thought about it, and I wrote two books and put them under the bed and ne...
Australian author Kerry McGinnis makes the Australian landscape come alive in suspenseful, best selling rural mysteries that capture the soul and spirit of the Outback. Hi I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and today on The Joys of Binge Reading Kerry McGinnis talks about her childhood in the bush with her father and four siblings – years that helped form her deep understanding of nature, and how she got established as a best selling author while working an outback cattle station with her siblings. This Week's Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is historic fiction freebies for August including Sadie's Vow Book #1 in my Home At Last Series. HISTORICAL FICTION FREEBIES Sadie's Vow, Book #1 in Home At Last INCLUDED A bunch of top authors have got together and offered a great range of historic fiction - Take your pick. https://books.bookfunnel.com/historicalfictionfreebiesaugust2023/dm9y0sujx9 download free historic fiction Audio Book Sale Offer AUDIO BOOK SALE Offers are Audio books Galore sale ENJOY BOOKS EVERYWHERE PROMO Poisoned Legacy, Book #1 in Of Gold & Blood INCLUDED https://books.bookfunnel.com/audioeverywhereaug2023/kgr0xzcoio ENJOY BOOKS EVERYWHERE AUDIO SALE And we also have an Audio Book Sale – Enjoy Books Everywhere – with a range of entertaining fiction – including Poisoned Legacy – Book #1 in Of Gold & Blood series – available at special sale prices for a limited time. Links to follow up on these offers in the show notes for this episode on the website at The Joys of Binge Reading .com. A mention too, that my latest mystery romance Rosie's Rebellion - #3 in the Home At Last series – is on preorder at a special launch price of .99 cents for two weeks. Order online at your favorite E book store.. And remember – if you enjoy the show. Leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links to things in this episode The Bombing of Darwin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Darwin Katherine: https://northernterritory.com/katherine-and-surrounds Adelaide River: https://northernterritory.com/darwin-and-surrounds/destinations/adelaide-river-town The Waddi Tree, Kerry McGiness: https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/the-waddi-tree-9781742280141 Kerry's Two Memoir books: Pieces of Blue: https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Blue-Kerry-McGinnis/dp/0655632727 and Heart Country: https://www.amazon.com.au/Heart-Country-Kerry-McGinnis/dp/0670899216 Siege of Tobruk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tobruk The Renmark Flood: https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/disaster/flood/display/51616-the-1956-flood#: Meanjin Quarterly: https://meanjin.com.au/ Charters Towers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charters_Towers Kerry's Fantasies: Far Seeker: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=far+seeker&i=stripbooks-intl-ship&crid=3EFWXC6Q2YS1V The Burning Mountain; https://www.amazon.com/Burning-Mountain-Far-Seeker-Trilogy/dp/064680667X The Crow Road: https://www.amazon.com/Crow-Road-Kerry-McGinnis/dp/0646833707/ Kerry's Favourite Authors Kate Morton: https://www.katemorton.com/ Robert Galbraith: https://robert-galbraith.com/ Jodie Picoult: https://www.jodipicoult.com/ Reginald Hill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Hill Robin Hobb: http://www.robinhobb.com/ Linwood Barclay: Lindwoodbarclay.com Rebecca Yarros: https://www.rebeccayarros.com/ Mary Stewart: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Stewart_(novelist) Where to find Kerry McGiness https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/kerry-mcginnis Introducing author Kerry McGiness Australian mystery author Kerry McGiness and Outback stories Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Kerry. Hello there, Kerry, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Kerry McGinnis: Thank you, Jenny. Thank you for asking me. It's great to be here.
Adrienne Chinn's Three Sisters, Great War series offers readers an epic sweeping historical saga, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, and we've got The Paris Sister, Book #2, of this evocative saga, featured on the show today. Hi there. I'm your host Jenny Wheeler. And on this week's show Adrienne follows the Fry sisters as they enter the Roaring Twenties, forever changed by their experiences during the devastating years of war. Bound by love, but separated by distance, their lives unfold in different corners of the globe, as they come to realize that the most important bond of all is family. This week's Book Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is Historic Fiction Freebies in August offering some lovely books. They're free to download, including Sadie's Vow Book #1 in my own Home At Last series. HISTORIC FREEBIES - AUGUST Get your selection of historic novels free to download. historic freebies download https://books.bookfunnel.com/historicalfictionfreebiesaugust2023/dm9y0sujx9 ENJOY BOOKS EVERYWHERE AUDIO SALE We have an Audio Book Sale, Enjoy Books Everywhere, with a fantastic range of entertaining fiction, including Poisoned Legacy, Book #1 in my Of Gold & Blood series available at special sale prices, or a limited time. AUDIO BOOK SALE Sales Special on Audio books for a limited time! https://books.bookfunnel.com/audioeverywhereaug2023/kgr0xzcoio I mentioned too, that my latest mystery romance Rosie's Rebellion Book #3in the Home At Last series is on pre-order at a special launch price of 99 cents for two weeks from August 16. Order online at your favorite e-book store this week. And remember, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links to items mentioned in this episode Syrie Maugham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrie_Maugham The background to The Lost Letter, Adrienne's first novel: Amazighs Culture: https://minorityrights.org/minorities/berbers/#:~:text=Amazighs% What Adrienne is reading now: Sarah Waters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Waters Lawrence Osborne: https://www.lawrenceosborne.net/ Isabella Allende: https://www.isabelallende.com/en Aala Al Aswany: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaa_Al_Aswany Elif Safak: https://www.elifsafak.com.tr/home Stacey Halls. www.staceyhalls.com Where to find Adrienne Chinn online Website: https://www.adrienne-chinn.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriennechinnauthor Introducing Adrienne Chinn best selling author Adrienne Chinn, interior decorator and best selling novelist Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Adrienne. Welcome to the show, Adrienne. It's great to have you with us. Adrienne Chinn: Thank you so much, Jenny. I'm delighted to be here. Jenny Wheeler: You've made a name for yourself as the author of beautifully crafted historical fiction. Not to say that it doesn't have a lot of action as well, but you're very much known for the beauty of your locations, the sensory detail. And that's often more associated with standalone books and you have done some standalones, but you're now engaged in this series, with Book #2 recently published. Tell us, how did you translate from doing standalones to your Fry Sisters project? Adrienne Chinn: It has been a learning curve for me, I have to say, but I've always been really fascinated about women's development and women's lives from the first 20th century. I felt that required more than one book to do it properly. I was very much inspired by some of the stories of my great aunts, and my grandmother. I decided to develop a series of four books starting in 1913 and covering the First World War in the first book, Love in a Time of War. And then the second book, as you said, which has just come out, The Paris Sister, set in the 1920s.
On Binge Reading today, USA Today bestselling author A.W. Hartoin talks about her World War II, Stella Bled spy thriller series, and the young American honeymooner who becomes a double agent, trapped into working for both Germany and England. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today, A.W. talks about the sixth book in the series, Her London Season. It's 1940 and the Battle of Britain rages in the skies overhead. Stella is stuck, frustrated, in a lowly administrative job at the Special Operations Executive, the SOE. Until a mysterious set of orders arrives. A.W. talks about crafting a story that challenges all the assumptions you may make about truth and power. Our Book Giveaway this week Our Giveaway this week is another Kobo Free Genre offer, a wonderful range of books from several genres - mystery, thriller and romance, and all of them First in Series, including Poisoned Legacy, my Book #1 in the Of Gold & Blood series. Find the download link in the show notes for this episode on The Joys of Binge Reading website, that's www.thejoysofbinge reading.com. FREE KOBO GENRE LIST BOOKS https://www.kobo.com/nz/en/p/free-ebooksKobo And remember. If you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will definitely want to read. Links to subjects mentioned in today's episode Kristallnacht: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kristallnacht (*See Editor's note at the end of the transcript.) Kelly Rimmer, The Paris Agent, https://www.kellyrimmer.com/books/the-paris-agent Pam Jenoff, The Lost Girls of Paris, https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Girls-Paris-Pam-Jenoff/dp/0778308618 Martha Hall Kelly: Lilac Girls, https://marthahallkelly.com/books/lilac-girls/ Janet Evanovich: https://evanovich.com/ Jana DeLeon: https://janadeleon.com/ Brian Cann, photographer: https://brian-cann.format.com/about Laser guided bomb systems: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser-guided_bomb The House Witch by Delemhach https://www.amazon.com.au/House-Witch-Humorous-Romantic-Fantasy/dp/1039410251 Stephen King: The Shining, https://stephenking.com/works/novel/shining.html EM Powell: Stanton and Barling series. https://www.empowell.com/stanton-and-barling-mysteries Liane Moriarty: What Alice Forgot, https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781743535493/ The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson: https://www.amazon.com/Splendid-Vile-Churchill-Family-Defiance/dp/0385348711. The Rape of Europa by Lynn K Nicholas: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/121563/the-rape-of-europa-by-lynn-h-nicholas/ Kristin Hannah The Nightingale: https://www.amazon.com/Nightingale-Novel-Kristin-Hannah/dp/1250080401 Where to find A.W. Hartoin online Website: https://www.awhartoin.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/A.W.Hartoin/ Introducing mystery author A. W. Hartoin A.W. Hartoin - Best Selling mystery author. Jenny Wheeler: But now here's A.W. Hello there, A.W. and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. A.W. Hartoin: Hi Jenny. Thanks for having me. Jenny Wheeler: You've done a remarkably wide range of genres. You've done fantasy, you've done YA. But I think the bulk of your work has been in mystery, either Second World War, a series with Stella Bled, or a more contemporary cozy mystery series with Mercy Watts. So we'll be focusing on those two today because most of our listeners are really interested in those mainstream genres. I wondered first what has attracted you to the mystery genre. A.W. Hartoin: I've always loved my mystery since I was a child, but I think it's the puzzle pieces and how they come together, and planting little clues here and there. I've always loved plotting and mystery's all about the plotting And Cozy Mystery in particular is about characters and having really interesting people in t...
Madeleine Eskedahl is the best-selling author of crime thrillers set in seaside, New Zealand. Local policemen, Bill Granger is hoping for a quiet off season, but when a narcotics drop goes badly wrong and a man ends up overboard a straightforward case turns into a complex web of small town secrets. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and on binge reading today, Madeleine talks about growing up on a beautiful Norwegian island. and then exchanging it all for the Kiwi coastline, as well as about the creative spark she's always felt within her and has always nurtured. Giveaway This Week In our giveaway this week, Cool Off With A New Book, a wonderful selection of entertaining fiction, free to download for a limited time. It includes Susannah's Secret my own #2 book in the Home At Last series set in 19th century San Francisco. DOWNLOAD FREE BOOKS https://books.bookfunnel.com/cooloffwithanewbook/8tho8xx8vh Details for where to find the books to download, as well as links to the things we discuss including Madeleine talking about the book she's reading at the moment, can be found in the show notes for this episode on the website, www.thejoysofbingereading.com. And remember if you enjoy the show, do leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best form of recommendation and a wonderful way for people to find the show and great books they will love to read. Links in Madeleine Eskedahl episode Scandinavian Writers Madeleine loves: Camilla Lackberg: https://camillalackberg.se/en/ Mari Jungstedt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari_Jungstedt Linda Olsson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Olsson Anna Jansson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Jansson Other books she is reading: Nikki Crutchley: To The Sea and In The Blood. https://www.nikkicrutchley.com/ Paul Cleave: The Pain Tourist. https://www.paulcleave.com/ https://www.paulcleave.com/books#/new-gallery-1 Vanda Simon: Expectant and the Sam Shepard series. https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/authors/Vanda-Symon/157008107 Jane Harper: Exiles. https://janeharper.com.au/ Adrian McKinty: The Chain. http://officialadrianmckinty.com/ Tom Mitchell: The Penguin Lessons.. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/26192990 Ngaio Marsh Awards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh_Awards Where to find Madeleine Eskedhal online Website: https://www.madeleineeskedahlauthor.com/ Instagram: @madeleineeskedahlauthor/ Facebook: @madeleineeskedahlauthor/ Email: madeleineeskedahlauthor@gmail.com Introducing Madeline Eskedahl thriller author Madeleine Eskedahl - Matakana Seaside thrillers Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Madeleine. Hello, Madeleine, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Madeleine Eskedahl: Hello, Jenny. Thank you so much for having me on the show. Jenny Wheeler: It's really fun to be able to interview a fellow Kiwi because this is an international show. And you're not that far away from me, are you? Give international readers a sense of where you are in New Zealand. Madeleine Eskedahl: I'm located north of Auckland, about 70 km. iI's about an hour's drive in an area called Matakana, which is quite a famous wine area. And it's full of beautiful beaches, incredible bushwalks and just the most beautiful environment. And we have lots of visitors come through both in the summer and on a weekend. It makes it the perfect place to sit a pacey crime thriller. How Madeleine settled on the crime genre Jenny Wheeler: That's it. And this book we're going to be talking about today, Rings On Water, is the second in a crime series called The Matakana Series. So very appropriate. When I first met you, which was quite a few years ago now, we were both vaguely circling in the romance writer area. And I was assuming you would be writing romances, so what made you get into the crime genre? Madeleine Eskedahl: I don't write romance,
This week on Binge Reading, Annabel Monaghan and the ultimate summer nostalgia read about an engaged woman who comes face to face with her first love who she hasn't seen in 14 years. What happens next calls into question, everything she thought she knew about their love story and herself. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today, Annabel talks about Same Time Next Summer, her latest funny good-hearted romcom, just the thing to get through the winter or to laugh over at the beach. Giveaways - more than 100 books on offer We've got a great lucky dip of Giveaways this week from a BookSweeps mystery draw, to Kobo free genre fiction, and Bookfunnel free books. Three different offers. with in total more than 100 books available, so get online to make your choice. I've teamed up with 40 fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Mysteries, Thrillers & Suspense novels to 2 lucky winners! Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader?
Mark Brandi is an award-winning crime novelist whose fifth book. Southern Aurora - as one reviewer noted, “takes hold of your heart. Breaks it a little, as well as fills it with childlike hope and compassion.” Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And on Binge Reading today, author Mark Brandi talks about how his own experience as an Italian-born Australian has attracted him to write stories about young boys coming of age in hard times, Like Jimmy his lead in Southern Aurora, a character who as one critic said was “impossible not to fall in love with. There's a Mark Twain innocence and inner wisdom to Jimmy one far beyond most adults as he skirts his underprivileged life, seeking meaning and dreaming of a larger existence.” That's coming up with Mark in a moment or two Links mentioned in this episode Wimmera, Mark's award-winning debut novel: https://www.hachette.com.au/mark-brandi/wimmera-the-bestselling-australian-debut-from-the-crime-writers-association-dagger-winner The Rip: https://www.hachette.com.au/mark-brandi/the-rip-from-the-award-winning-author-of-wimmera The Others: https://www.hachette.com.au/mark-brandi/the-others Jane Harper's The Dry: https://janeharper.com.au/ Willy Vlautin: https://www.willyvlautin.com/ Sofie Laguna: http://sofielaguna.com/ Tony Birch: https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/tony-birch-202213710733 The Overland train: https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/journeys/overland/ Mark's Writing teacher: Ania Walwicz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ania_Walwicz The Southern Aurora: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Aurora ‘Grief Invites This Kind Of Magical Thinking.” https://www.theage.com.au/culture/books/mark-brandi-grief-invites-this-kind-of-magical-thinking-20211109-p597eo.html The Anniversary, Stephanie Bishop: https://www.amazon.com/Anniversary-Stephanie-Bishop/dp/0802161677 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_(novel) Where to find Mark Brandi online Website: www.markbrandi.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markbrandiwriter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mb_randi/ Twitter: @mb_randi/ Ultimate Murder She Wrote Booksweeps Draw For our giveaway this week, we've got the BookSweeps, Ultimate Murder She Wrote Swag Pack and Book Basket Draw. For mystery fans, what a prize! $550 worth in full value. A library of mysteries and Murder She Wrote Swag, including an adorable Angela Lansbury t-shirt and tote bag. Included is my Of Gold & Blood Book Bundle 2 - a full length historical mystery - Poisoned Legacy - and a New York Christmas novella, Tangled Destiny. Enter the draw in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading.com. enter ultimate murder she wrote draw https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/july2023-win-the-ultimate-murder-she-wrote/ And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Introducing award winning author Mark Brandi Australian literary crime author Mark Brandi Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Mark. Hello there, Mark, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Mark Brandi: Hi, Jenny. It's great to be with you. Thanks for inviting me on. Jenny Wheeler: Southern Aurora is the book we're talking about particularly today. It's your fifth novel, but it's set in similar locations to the first books that you've written. They're all small town, rural Australia, with characters who generally live on the wrong side of town. They're seen as literary crime novels. That's how they're defined. But the crime aspect in Southern Aurora is slightly downplayed. It's more of a coming of age novel. Would you agree with that? Mark Brandi: Yes, I think that's a fair assessment. Jenny.
Kelly Rimmer's sweeping World War Two historical suspense has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and made international best seller lists, including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And on Binge Reading today, Kelly talks about her latest historical saga, The Paris Agent and two otherwise ordinary women who become spies in World War II France. It's a powerful story which threads their lives - they are real life woman - into history, leaving an indelible story of courage and family ties. Giveaway This Week - Beach Books In our Giveaway this week, we have Page Turners For The Beach, a wonderfully entertaining, light hearted holiday mix to download for free including Hope Redeemed, a Spanish novella, #6 in my own Of Gold & Blood California mystery series. You'll find the links for where to download these free books in the show notes for this episode on the website, The Joys Of Binge Reading.com. DOWNLOAD BEACH pageturners https://books.bookfunnel.com/pageturnersforthebeach/imv7lrf7i4 And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for other people to discover the show and great books they will love to read. Links to people and places in the episode Violette Szabo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violette_Szabo F Section of SOE: F-Section, Diana Rowden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Rowden SOE Special Operations Executive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Executive M. R. D. Foot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._R._D._Foot Henri Dericourt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_D%C3%A9ricourt Nicolas Bodington: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Bodington Kelly Rimmer, The Things We Cannot Say: https://www.amazon.com.au/Things-We-Cannot-Say/dp/1525823566 Scrivener Writing Software: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview Aeon Timeline: https://timeline.app/blog/introducing-aeon-timeline-3/ CSIRO Parkes Observatory: https://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/ Wernher von Braun: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun. Polin: Polish Museum of Jewish History: https://polin.pl/en/about-museum Irena Sendler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irena_Sendler. Irena's Children: https://www.amazon.com.au/Irenas-Children-Extraordinary-Warsaw-Ghetto/dp/1476778515 All Adults Here by Emma Straub: https://www.amazon.com.au/All-Adults-Here-Emma-Straub/dp/1594634696 Dear Mrs Bird by A. J. Pearce: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Mrs-Bird-AJ-Pearce/dp/1501170066 Bookouture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookouture Where to find Kelly online Website: Kellyrimmer.com Twitter: Kelrimmerwrites Instagram: kelrimmerwrites Facebook: @kellymrimmer Introducing historical suspense author Kelly Rimmer But now here's Kelly. Hello, via Kelly and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Kelly Rimmer: Hi, Jenny. It's so good to be here. Kelly Rimmer Historical suspense author Jenny Wheeler: Now I think you are somewhere in Central New South Wales, Australia. And for, we've got a lot of international listeners. So for them, new South Wales is the state that has Sydney as its main Kelly Rimmer: right. That's right. As you know, it's quite a big state, and there's this big mountain range at the edge of Sydney, and then there's this whole beautiful countryside on the other side. Jenny Wheeler: That's wonderful. you've written about something a long distance from Australia. The Paris Agent is your latest book. It's a fascinating dual timeline mystery with multiple romance lines moving from England and World War Two to the 1970s with the daughter of one of those people that was involved in the war. You've written more than a dozen novels and the most recent ones have all been historical. I'm interested in how you made that transition and how you feel about hist...
A small town scammed by one of their own in a Ponzi scheme. That's the scenario for bestselling author Fiona Lowe's, latest contemporary fiction, The Money Club. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today, Fiona unpicks the moral quagmire of those who trade on the bonds of their closest friendships and families for money. This week's Giveaway In our Giveaway this week, Mystery Thriller and Suspense Freebies for a limited time. Once again, we're giving you a library of choice, including my Hawaiian Christmas novella Captive Heart. It's a mixture of romance and history, #8 in the Of Gold & Blood mystery series. FREE MYSTERY & SUSPENSE https://books.bookfunnel.com/mtsnewsleter_endsjul15th/ze5yu8o9ad And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a comment so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best form of recommendation. Links to things mentioned in the show Ponzi Scheme: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_scheme# ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) https://www.abc.net.au/ Grey (Gray) Nomads https://www.thegreynomads.com.au/ Fiona Lowe Books: A Home Like Ours (Women's fiction on the theme homelessness among older women) https://www.amazon.com/A-Home-Like-Ours/dp/B08SR7PSPV/ Family Of Strangers; https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/89575506 The books Fiona is reading now American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. https://www.amazon.com/American-Dirt-Novel-Jeanine-Cummins/dp/1250209765 And the controversy over American Dirt https://www.vulture.com/article/american-dirt-book-controversy-explained.html The Running Club by Ali Lowe: https://www.hachette.com.au/ali-lowe/the-running-club-the-gripping-new-novel-full-of-twists-scandals-and-secrets One Of Those Mothers: Megan Nicol Reed. https://www.amazon.com/Those-Mothers-Megan-Nicol-Reed-ebook/dp/B0BNGZ2BHJ/ Where to find Fiona Online Fionalowe.com Introducing author Fiona Lowe Fiona Lowe Contemporary women's fiction author Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Fiona. Hello there, Fiona, and welcome to the show. It's so good to have you with us. Fiona Lowe: Oh, thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here. Jenny Wheeler: Fiona, you've got a very impressive back list in the romance area where you started writing You've got prize winning books that have won RITAs. That's the US romance prize and the RUBY, the Australian prize. But you've turned in more recent years to women's fiction and this one that we're going to be talking about today, The Money Club is actually about the sixth one of these women's fiction ones, if I counted correctly. Why did you make that change from more straight romance to very much women's fiction? Fiona Lowe: Oh, I was published with Penguin Random House in America around about the time that they merged. And I had a series, and the first book had done well. The second book release coincided with the merger and it was absolute chaos. They sacked my editor and they didn't get the books out of the warehouse. And then they said, ‘oh, we're not publishing those types of books anymore.' I had lived in the States and I was writing books set in America, but when that all happened, I had an absolute hankering to write a book set in my own back garden in Australia. A forced change of direction that worked out well I wanted to move beyond looking at one couple and one relationship, and I wanted to roam over all sorts of things and write books about family and communities. I changed direction, but that said, the emotion that I write into my books now, I probably couldn't have done without all those years of having written the romance fiction up until that point. Jenny Wheeler: And are you still with the same publisher, just doing different types of books? Fiona Lowe: No. I'm with Harper Collins, Australia now, have been for the last seven books. Jenny Wheeler: Oh, fantastic.
This week on Binge Reading, delightfully fresh and funny romcom from Amy Poeppel. Her latest romp, The Sweet Spot is a tale of spurned love, revenge, and the healing power of friendship. Hi there. I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and today Amy talks about her fourth laugh out loud escapade. The Washington Post said of The Sweet Spot; “She puts more planes in the air than an ambitious air traffic controller, and gracefully lands each one.” Marathon Mystery Giveaway In our giveaway this week, a Marathon Mystery Giveaway. Fifty books from popular fiction authors, including one from my own in the Gold & Blood mystery Series, an old California series. Book#1, Poisoned Legacy, a full length mystery, and Book #4, a New York Christmas novella, a romance with a mystery element and a prequel to the series. Take your pick, just go to the link for free downloadable books. There's forty-nine others as well as my own, so you've got plenty of choice. FREE MARATHON MYSTERIES https://books.bookfunnel.com/mysterymarathon/pvjp91o04m You'll find the link in the show notes for this episode on the website, www.the joysofbingereading.com. And remember, if you enjoy the show, do leave us a review somewhere so others will discover us and great books they love to read. Links in the show Links to things mentioned in the episode: Amy's Funny book promo videos: The Sweet Spot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrCKEkNcXtE Musical Chairs; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IffxAo-QMh4 Books Amy loves or is reading right now: Kaye Gibbons: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Kaye-Gibbons/1240808 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Ellen-Foster/Kaye-Gibbons/9781442343290 Steven McCauley: https://stephenmccauley.com/ https://stephenmccauley.com/ Elinor Lipman: https://elinorlipman.com/ Steven Rowley: https://www.stevenrowley.com/the-celebrants The Celebrants: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62049729 The Guncle: https://www.stevenrowley.com/the-guncle Barbara Kingsolver: Demon Copperhead (A Pulitzer Prize winner) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60194162-demon-copperhead Curtis Sittenfeld: Romantic Comedy, https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62628727 Where to Find Amy Poeppel online Amypoeppel.com Facebook and Instagram: @amypoeppel Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15061378.Amy_Poeppel Please Note: this is a “near as” transcript, not a word for word rendering, but an account which intended to convey accurate meaning and intent – as the spoken and written words differ. Introducing Romcom author Amy Poeppel But now here's Amy. Hello there, Amy, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Amy Poeppel: Well, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to talk. Amy Poeppel - fresh and funny romcoms Jenny Wheeler: You're an established romcom author. And this is the fourth book that you've written. They've all done very well. This one has got a lovely premise. Three women, Lauren, Olivia, and Melinda, all with totally different motives and not necessarily at the beginning, good motives, get involved in either caring for or at least investing time in the welfare of a little baby who happens to be without his parents because of difficult circumstances. That's part of the setup of the story. You describe it as “a love letter to family friendships and Greenwich Village.” Tell us something about this fourth novel. Amy Poeppel: I wanted to write a book that took place in Greenwich Village because that's where I live. That is my neighborhood. It's beautiful. I happen to live in faculty housing at one of the biggest universities here, which is N Y U. I live in this large, very strange faculty dorm almost, which is I think a novel in and of itself at some point. I think that should be the next novel that I write. But I walk around this neighborhood all the time and you see faces over and over agai...
Juliette Fay is the award-winning, best-selling author of tender novels that raise questions of loss, regret, second chances, and the influence families play in life-changing decisions. Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today, Juliette talks about her latest novel, The Half Of It, described by the critics as “an immensely satisfying page turner, perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Jojo Moyes." Helen and Cal enjoyed one perfect night, and then 40 years of buried hurt. They've got one chance to make it right. But can the past ever be fixed? Take A Break Free Book for the Beach Our Giveaway this week is Take A Break With A Free Book. Get ready for the beach - or the winter fire - with Book Bundle 2 in my Of Gold And Blood series, Poisoned Legacy and Tangled Destiny which is included in the offer. with 60+ other great mysteries and thrillers. That's a full length mystery and a New York Christmas novella and prequel along with a library of selections. An excellent range of choice there, so it's highly likely you'll find something you love. TAKE A BREAK WITH A FREE BOOK https://books.bookfunnel.com/takeabreak/jtcmnk059p (FOR IF THE BUTTON DOESN'T WORK) And remember if you enjoyed the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still by far the best way for others to discover the show and great books they want to read. Links to things mentioned in the show Books Juliette is reading now: The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes. https://www.jojomoyes.com/books/the-giver-of-stars/ The Exiles by Christina Baker Klein: https://www.amazon.com/Exiles-Novel-Christina-Baker-Kline/dp/0062356348 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman https://www.amazon.com/Eleanor-Oliphant-Completely-Fine-Novel/dp/0735220689 Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld: https://www.amazon.com.au/Romantic-Comedy-Curtis-Sittenfeld/dp/0399590943 Where to find Juliette Online Website: Juliettefay.com Facebook @JulietteFayAuthor Twitter, @JulietteFay Instagram: juliette_fay Introducing author Juliette Fay Juliette Fay - tender and touching family stories But now here's Juliette. Hello there, Juliette. And welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Juliette Fay: Oh, it's wonderful to be here. Thank you so much for having me. Jenny Wheeler: We're talking about your latest book The Half of It. It's a perfectly executed second chance love story. And I wondered right at the beginning, how would you define it in terms of genre fiction? Is it a romance, is it a second coming of age story? How would you classify it? Juliette Fay: I would classify it as contemporary fiction. It's not really a classical romance story in that there's a lot more going on. It's really about the entire life of the main character Helen Spencer, who's 58 years old, and it's about her relationships with her friends and her children. There is a romance at the center of it, or a potential romance. But I like that phrase, second coming of age. I think that she's at a point in her life where she really needs to make a course correction and that's the crux of it. Jenny Wheeler: It's interesting as the population in general is growing older, we probably have a little bit more time to regroup, and in fact, it becomes necessary if you're going to just keep on living to have a chance to regroup, look back on your life, decide whether there are things you would've done differently. Take stock a little bit, isn't there? Juliette Fay: Yes, absolutely. And one of the things that was so fascinating to me writing this story is that looking around there aren't very many books with main characters in their fifties and sixties. It's very few. I mean, you have to really dig. It seems that there's books of characters in their seventies, eighties, and nineties, and then twenties, thirties and forties. I Feel like everybody is in their thirties in most...
Monty Soutar is a respected New Zealand historian who took a big step and turned his life upside down to write a game changing novel. Kāwai For Such A Time As This, is the first instalment in what is to be a three book family saga, which went straight to the top of the bestseller lists in New Zealand and stayed there for 22 weeks. Hi there, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And it's quite likely no one else but Monty has the knowledge and understanding to undertake a book like it, in the tradition of Alex Haley's Roots, introducing readers to pre-European Maori life in much the same way as Alex Haley's tale of tracing his roots back to Africa captivated an international audience. Monty tells the fascinating tale of how he came to write it and explains how all of his life experience seemed to be leading up to this point. A perfect preparation for writing a trilogy, telling a story of nation building through the eyes of its original people. Our Giveaway for this week is Free Historical Fiction for June and Sadie's Vow, my Book #1 in the Home At Last trilogy is included in a good range of other selections. GET YOUR FREE HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS Https://books.bookfunnel.com/historicalfictionfreebiesjune2023/7xpm3hb0wa (FOR IF THE BUTTON DOESN'T WORK) And don't forget if you enjoy the podcast, leave a review. So others will find us too, Links for Monty's Episode: Alex Haley Roots: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roots:_The_Saga_of_an_American_Family NZ East Coast and Gisborne: https://www.newzealand.com/int/feature/auckland-to-wellington-east-coast-journey/ https://www.tairawhitigisborne.co.nz/ Whakatane: https://www.whakatane.com/ NZ Wars of 1860s: https://teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars# Ngati Porou: https://ngatiporou.com/ Ngati Awa: https://ngatiawa.iwi.nz/ Monty Soutar Nga Tamatoa: The Price of Citizenship: C Company 28 , (Maori Battalion) 1939 - 45, in the Second World War https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/5509025 Monty Soutar: Whiti Whiti Whiti, Maori in the First World War: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51092025-whitiki-whiti-whiti-e Captain James Cook: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Part: https://www.amazon.com.au/Things-Fall-apart-Chinua-Achebe/dp/0385474547 Victoria Hislop, The Island: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/922991.The_Island The Red Tent, Anita Diamant: https://www.amazon.com.au/Red-Tent-Novel-Tenth-anniversary/dp/0312427298 Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall: https://www.amazon.com.au/Wolf-Hall-Hilary-Mantel/dp/0312429983 The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333230-the-luminaries Patricia Grace, Tu: https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/tu-9780143019206 Witi Ihimaera: https://www.penguin.co.nz/authors/witi-ihimaera Where to find Monty Online Publisher website: https://www.batemanbooks.co.nz/product/kwai-for-such-a-time-as-this/Amazon Facebook: @montysoutarauthor Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/kawai-monty-soutar/book/9781776890309.html Amazon.com.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/K%C4%81wai-Such-Time-As-This-ebook/dp/B0BPJNP3QC/ Introducing Kawai author Monty Soutar Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Monty. Hello there, Monty, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us Dr Monty Soutar, respected historian and author of a new NZ historical series Monty Soutar: Thank you, Jenny. I'm pleased to be beyond the show. Kia ora ki a koe. (Ed note: Greetings and Hello to you.) Jenny Wheeler: Kia ora. (Hello Yes.) Now we've mentioned in the intro about how Roots was partly the thing that sparked this and. Alex Haley's roots was published way back in the late seventies when you were just a wee toddler. So how did you come to be aware of it and what sort of an impact did it have on you when you were a younger boy? Monty Soutar: Well, no, I wasn't a toddler. I was at secondary school when I saw the series.
Jill Santopolo is an international best-selling author who writes sweeping love stories about decisions, regrets, second chances and how families influence the choices we make. Her fourth novel, Stars in an Italian Sky moves from World War II in Italy, to today's New York in a tender-hearted family saga. Hi there. I'm your host, Julie Wheeler, and in Binge Reading today, Jill talks about how writing helps her understand her own life and why she believes books are essential, not just for our children, but for our human future. Our Giveaway today is the Booksweeps Family Saga and Historical Fiction that was due to close today has been extended for a few more days. I'm putting that up again, so you have a chance to enter and win that library of 50 plus historical and family saga books. Included in it is one of mine – Book Bundle #2 - actually two books, one full length mystery, Poisoned Legacy, (Book #1) and a New York Christmas novella, Tangled Destiny (Book #4). ENTER BOOKSWEEPS HERE The links for where to enter that giveaway can be found in the show notes for this episode on the website, www.thejoysofbinge reading.com, along with the other details, like Jill's social media contacts and where the books that she recommends can be found as well. And don't forget if you enjoy the show, do leave a comment somewhere online. so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still by far the best recommendation. Links to things mentioned in the interview The Light We Lost, Jill Santopolo: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32956365-the-light-we-lost Philomel Penguin Children's Imprint: https://www.penguin.com/philomel/ Same Time Next Summer: Annabel Monaghan: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62562931 Nora Goes Off Script: Annabel Monaghan: https://annabelmonaghan.com/nora-goes-off-script/ Carley Fortune: Meet Me At the Lake: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61797464-meet-me-at-the-lake The Favor: Adele Griffin: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/63107458 Kristen Harmel, The Paris Daughter: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62327255 The Daydreams, Laura Hankin: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61913611 Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow Where to find Jill Santopolo Online Website: www.jillsantopolo.com Instagram: @jillsantopolo Facebook: @jillsantopoloauthor Introducing author Jill Santopolo Author Jill Santopolo - Sweeping love stories But now here's Jill. Hello there, Jill, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Jill Santopolo: Thank you. Thank you for having me. Jenny Wheeler: Now you are in New York and I'm a New Zealand, so it's really fun to be able to make these connections. You've got the most amazing range of roles on your CV, which we probably will get into a little bit later on, but the real reason we are here today is to talk about your latest book Stars in an Italian Sky. It's your fourth novel and it's a sweeping dual timeline romance that starts in Genoa in World War II and then moves quite quickly to New York in the 2020 ones. Is this the first one where you've had a truly historical aspect to your work? Jill Santopolo: Yes, I think so. My first book, The Light We Lost, starts in 2001. By some definitions now people are calling that historical, which is crazy to me. But this is the first one that feels truly - it's set in 1946 - It's post-war, it feels truly historical to me in a different sense. Jenny Wheeler: Yes, that's right. All of your books are about heart searching decisions, about where to go in life, missed opportunities, and how families influence our choices. And I wondered what particularly appeals to you about this territory. Love in all forms, not just romantic Jill Santopolo: I feel like love in all its forms is what connects people.
Amy Vansant writes gritty thrillers and cozy mysteries which have one thing in common – they're all funny because as Amy says – she tried to do serious books but they always ended up full of jokes. Hi there I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and today Amy talks about her Shee McQueen series about a family friendly team of mercenaries, and her Pineapple Port cozies, set in a 55+ Florida resort. This Week's Giveaway Our Giveaway is another Booksweeps draw – Link To The Past - Historical and Family Saga stories - 51 books, and an E-Reader. It's open internationally... Included in this is my Of Gold & Blood Series 2 Book Bundle consisting of Books 1 and 4 in the series.. Poisoned Legacy and the New York Christmas novella Tangled Destiny, the prequel. 50+ novels, 1 E-Reader $550 value I know many of you will appreciate that because we have listeners from all over the world, so this is your chance to win a library! enter booksweeps draw Or - if button doesn't work - https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/may23-win-a-bundle-of-historical-fiction-and-family-sagas/ You can now look for Binge Reading on YouTube if you like to consume your podcasts that way – as increasing numbers of listeners like to. And don't forget, if you enjoy the show leave us a positive comment so others will find us too – word of mouth is still the best publicity anyone can get! Links to things in the show Amy Vansant – Kilty urban fantasy series: https://amyvansant.com/books/kilty-urban-fantasy Loggerhead Florida: https://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/sea-turtles/nesting/loggerhead/ Authors XP: https://authorsxp.com/ Life Hacks: https://amyvansant.com/lifehacks Where to find Amy Vansant https://amyvansant.com/ https://amyvansant.com/enter-to-win-kindle-books But now here's our show. Hello there, Amy. And welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Amy Vansant: Thank you. It's great to be here. Thriller and cozy mystery author Amy Vansant with Archer the bordoodle Jenny Wheeler: You're a USA Today and Wall Street Journal best selling author, and you're writing across a range of genres, from thrillers to cozy mysteries, some romcoms and fantasy. How did you get started on this trip? Amy Vansant: I was always a writer ever since I was young. Ever since I could barely write anything, it just seemed like what I was supposed to do. I was the East Coast editor of Surfer Magazine for about five years, and I did a lot of freelance writing for magazines and I wrote a non-fiction book about surfing. And right about then was the time that the internet started to get big. I started to do web design as a side gig, and it turned out that was the next big thing. I ended up doing websites, and I started a web firm for 20 years. I still have it. And then one day I woke up and said, what am I doing? Why am I not writing? I was always supposed to be a writer, so I went back to it. Shee McQueen and the family friendly mercenaries Jenny Wheeler: That's fabulous. And this Shee McQueen series, which is one of the ones we're talking about today. It's your thriller series. One of the critics has got a gorgeous line to describe it. They say, “Think Stephanie Plum goes to Florida. Full stop. With Jack Reacher.” That just seems to me to say it all, and we are looking at number five in the series, which is The Girl Who Saw The Truth. Now, this whole thriller series is built around troubled mercenaries looking for redemption, and once again, I wondered where did that concept spring from? Amy Vansant: I think it mostly just came from the fact that my other series, which is a cozy mystery is so tame that I wanted to do something that had a little more bite to it, to just to break it up for me more than anything. I came along with this idea and put the hotel that the father runs where my house is in real life. I pretended there was a hotel here instead of my house and took it from ther...
Ann Parker is the award-winning author of the Silver Rush mystery series set in 19th century Colorado. And yes, that is Silver Rush as distinct from the possibly more well known Gold Rush. Hi there I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and today Ann talks about how a close family relationship led to her writing the Colorado based Silver Rush series, how she's combined being a science writer by day with being a fiction writer by night, and why she says being a science writer has been a big advantage in writing the series. Book Giveaway this week Our Giveaway is Murderous May Mysteries, including Book #2 in my Of Gold and Blood mystery series Brother Betrayed, which has also now out in audio for anyone who prefers to listen to their stories. Links for that Give away and all the other things we discuss in this episode can be found in the show notes for this episode at the website, the joys of binge reading.com. And you can now look for Binge Reading on YouTube - audio only, no video. If you like to consume your podcasts through YouTube, now you can hear Binge Reading that way. And don't forget, if you enjoy the show, leave us a positive comment, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best publicity anyone can get. GET FREE MAY MURDER MYSTERIES Links to this episode Leadville Colorado https://www.leadville.com/ Barbara Hambly Benjamin January series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/50581-benjamin-january Louisa Locke: https://mlouisalocke.com/https://www.goodreads.com/series/50581-benjamin-january Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini mysteries: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Marcia-Muller-Bill-Pronzini/ Carpenter and Quincannon series: https://us.macmillan.com/series/carpenterandquincannon Sulari Gentile, Rowland Sinclair mysteries: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3856582.Sulari_Gentill Kerry Greenwood: Phryne Fisher series: http://phrynefisher.com/ Michelle Black, Victorian West mysteries: https://www.michelleblack.com/ Edgar Allan Poe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe Camille Minichino, the Periodic Table mysteries: http://www.minichino.com/ Silver Lies: https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Lies-Ann-Parker-audiobook/dp/B00A31112C/ Iron Ties: https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Ties-Silver-Rush-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07VMH5B8C/ Fort Sumter: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-sumter Where to find Ann Parker online Website: annparker.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annparker.writer Email: annparker@annparker.net But now here's our show. Introducing historical mystery author Ann Parker Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Ann, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Ann Parker - Historical mystery author of Silver Rush Colorado series Ann Parker: Oh, and it's so great to be here. Thank you, Jenny. Jenny Wheeler: Now just to get our geography straight before we begin. You are in Northern California and I'm in New Zealand and we're about 16 hours apart. I'm right about Northern California, am I? Ann Parker: That's correct. Yep. About 50 miles away from San Francisco. Most people know of San Francisco, so yeah. Jenny Wheeler: That's not that far. I must assume that I have driven up that Captain Cook Highway in the part in the past. Ann Parker: Oh, Captain Cook Highway? I don't know what that is.. Jenny Wheeler: Oh, I thought that it was the Coastal Road. I thought it was called Captain Cook Highway. Maybe I've got that wrong. Ann Parker: oh. You could, I think you're talking highway 1 0 1, but in any case along the coast, it's beautiful. Yeah. Jenny Wheeler: It's gorgeous. You are an award-winning writer with eight books to your credit and they're called the Silver Rush Mystery Series, and they're set initially in Leadville, Colorado, although the most recent book, which we're going to be talking about today, you've moved to San Francisco.
From Carol Drinkwater, the beloved star of the English TV show. All Creatures Great And Small comes a heart-wrenching World War II romance about a French village that opened its arms as the Nazis closed in Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler. And Carol, our Binge Reading guest author today, is well known for her series of bestsellers about her life on an olive farm in Provence, made into a series of popular nonfiction books and a TV show called Carol Drinkwater's Secret Provence. But Carol also writes fiction and her latest novel An Act of Love is based on a true story that took place in a mountain village not far from where she lives. It's a fascinating story. Links to items mentioned in the show: All Creatures Great and Small TV show (2020 Version) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10590066/ 1978 Series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Creatures_Great_and_Small_(1978_TV_series) Carol Drinkwater's Olive Farm series: http://www.caroldrinkwater.com/gallery/mediterranean_gallery.htm http://www.caroldrinkwater.com/books/theolivefarm Carol Drinkwater's Secret Provence Tv series (All different areas have different providers – search your location...) https://www.channel5.com/show/a-year-in-provence-with-carol-drinkwater/ Or Prime: https://www.primevideo.com/hp/video/detail/Carol-Drinkwaters-Secret-Provence/0KPNV7QZY4K2Q0U3FI9AOLF1HE You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmi4nFcUuHiBZSZXVzB79ghqqwgWm_kR_ Occupied and Free France in World War II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vichy_France# Golden Pennies: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0222566/ James Herriot penname – real name James Alf Wight https://www.jamesherriot.org/life-and-times/ Beyond Borders Film Festival: https://beyondborders.gr/en/ https://filmfreeway.com/BeyondBorderInternationalFilmFestival Companion Piece – Ali Smith: https://www.amazon.com/Companion-Piece-Novel-Ali-Smith/dp/0593316371 Seasonal Quartet: Spring and Winter, Ali Smith: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40545817-spring Oh William, Elizabeth Strout: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56294820 Where to find Carol Drinkwater Online Website: http://www.caroldrinkwater.com/ Book Giveaway - Ultimate Reacher Swag Pack $550 in value - two winners - includes Reacher Jacker and 30 books by other thriller authors Book Giveaway: In our Book Giveaway this week, something for Jack Reacher fans or the men in their lives. Only for a Limited Time so enter now! A Booksweeps promotion featuring Reacher swag - a swag pack and book basket containing essential merchandise to add to your collection. Plus 30 awesome books by best-selling and award-winning authors perfect for Reacher fans and fans of the show. https://bit.ly/reacher-may2023 (in case button doesn't work) enter booksweeps Ultimate reacher And remember, if you enjoy Binge Reading, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read. But now here's Carol Hello there. Carolyn. Welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Introducing author Carol Drinkwater Carol Drinkwater: Oh, it's an honor. Hello? Hello, New Zealand. TV actress and best selling author Carol Drinkwater Jenny Wheeler: We should start by establishing our geographical location. As you've mentioned, I'm in New Zealand, and where are you for our listeners benefit? Carol Drinkwater: At the moment, I'm in the south of France overlooking the Bay of Cannes. Jenny Wheeler: Beautiful. Now that's on your olive farm, is it? Carol Drinkwater: That's our olive farm. Indeed. Yes. We have two homes in France. One is in the north outside Paris, and the south is the olive farm. Jenny Wheeler: Wonderful. You've had a fantastic career. You started out with a wonderful career in tv, including a starring role on a famous show of a few years ago now.
This week on The Joys of Binge Reading, Strange Sally Diamond, the latest, dark and twisted thriller from award-winning Irish novelist, Liz Nugent. Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today, Liz talks about her gripping new psychological bestseller, always laced with black humor, and explains how Sally is pretty like herself; “Liz, without a filter.” She tells us what she's learned from TV shows like Breaking Bad and how she came to set part of her story in New Zealand. We've got our usual book give away, Historic Fiction with Strong Female Leads this week, including one of my books. Sadie's Vow book one in my latest Home At Last series. Sadie makes a death bed promise to her mother to protect her younger sister, but when an infatuated Phoebe debunks with a mob boss, Sadie has her work cut out. GET FREE HISTORICALS https://books.bookfunnel.com/strongfemaleleadsmay2023/tugfi9kl88 And don't forget, if you enjoy this show, leave us a review wherever you listen to the podcast, so others will find us too. It really does help spread the word. Links mentioned in the show Unravelling Oliver: https://www.liznugent.com/unravelling-oliver The Girl On A Train: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22557272-the-girl-on-the-train Gone Girl: https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Gillian-Flynn/dp/0307588378 Craig Sisterson: https://thespinoff.co.nz/authors/craig-sisterson Ngaio Marsh Awards: https://newzealandbooks.com/product-category/awards/ngaio-marsh-awards/ Otago University Centre for Celtic Studies: https://www.otago.ac.nz/ciss/index.html Professor Liam Mcilvanney: https://www.otago.ac.nz/ciss/people/otago716926.html Liam.mcilvanney@otago.ac.nz Our Little Cruelties: https://www.liznugent.com/little-cruelties Skin Deep: https://www.liznugent.com/skin-deep Lying In Wait: https://www.liznugent.com/lying-in-wait Sarah Hilary, Black Thorn; https://sarahhilary.com/ Vanda Simon: https://www.vandasymon.com/ Paul Cleave: https://www.paulcleave.com/ Fiona Sussman: https://www.fionasussman.co.nz/ Dame Fiona Kidman: https://fionakidman.com/ The Secret History by Donna Tartt: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29044.The_Secret_History The Book of Evidence by John Banville (Booker Prize winner): https://www.amazon.com/Book-Evidence-John-Banville/dp/0375725237 Light A Penny Candle - Maeve Binchy: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Penny-Candle-Famous-Firsts/dp/045121143X Where to find Liz online Website: https://www.liznugent.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.nugent.399 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liznugentwriter/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizzienugent But now, here's the show. Introducing thriller writer Liz Nugent Award winning best selling thriller author Liz Nugent Hello there, Liz and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Liz. Hello there, Liz, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Liz Nugent: Hi Jenny. Thank you very much. It's nice to be virtually in New Zealand. I wish I was there for real. Jenny Wheeler: I think that you have visited here, haven't you, but we'll talk about that a bit a little bit later. You've had a brilliant career as a novelist. You're onto book five, we're going to be talking about today, but right from the very start, you've had bestsellers and lots of very positive attention. You've won numerous Irish book awards We should mention if people don't realize it from your accent that you are talking from Ireland. How did you manage to hit the ground running like that? Liz Nugent: I don't know. I think, I think my first novel Unraveling Oliver, it came. It came at it. It's a domestic noir story in the same way that Girl On A Train and Gone Girl were those sort of domestic stories. They weren't like police detective thrillers, they're about things that happen within families or within bro...
On Binge Reading this week, biographical fiction author Marie Benedict talks about her latest best seller, The Mitford Affair, the story of the beautiful and notorious Mitford sisters. Famous as the debutant daughters of an English Peer and then infamous as World War II traitors Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and critics rave about Marie Benedict's uncanny ability to unearth untold woman's stories - from Albert Einstein's first wife to the hidden life of Agatha Christie - from JP Morgan's personal librarian- to Andrew Carnegie's maid, she's written about them all. On Binge Reading today, Marie talks about where her passion for storytelling comes from and how she works on excavating stories like a literary archaeologist. Historic Romance Giveaway Looking to fill your library? A raft of best selling authors have got together to offer this free library… Take your pick!! Lots of variety, including Books #5 and #6 in Of Gold & Blood.. Our giveaways this week, two of the books from the Of Gold & Blood old California series - books, #5 (Unbridled Vengeance) #6 (Hope Redeemed) are free to download. That's a full length rancher mystery, and a Spanish romantic novella. HISTORIC ROMANCE GIVEAWAY https://books.bookfunnel.com/freehistromanceapr1523/vl97ws0m6p Historical Romance Sale Lots of Romance Fiction here too, not free but reasonably priced And Books #7 (Tainted Fortune) and #8 (Captive Heart) are here. Can a sugar heiress and a winemaker solve a puzzling murder before their vintage turns deadly? That's a San Francisco mystery and A Hawaiian Christmas Novella. ROMANCE BOOKS SALE https://books.bookfunnel.com/histromanceapr1523/xcktnmd6c8 Links to things discussed in this episode The Mists of Avalon – the book that got Marie hooked on history: : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mists_of_Avalon Mists of Avalon TV series; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244353/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Mists-Avalon-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0345350499 Lord Redesdale (The Mitford daughter's father: https://spartacus-educational.com/SSredesdale.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mitford,_2nd_Baron_Redesdale The Mystery of Mrs Christie, by Marie Benedict: https://www.authormariebenedict.com/the-mystery-of-mrs-christie.html Mileva Einstein: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-forgotten-life-of-einsteins-first-wife/ The Other Einstein, by Marie Benedict: https://www.authormariebenedict.com/the-other-einstein.html The Personal Librarian: https://www.authormariebenedict.com/the-personal-librarian.html Victoria Christopher Murray – Marie's Co-Author and author in her own right of more than 30 books: https://victoriachristophermurray.com/ Belle da Costa Greene: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_da_Costa_Greene Mick Herron: The Slough House series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Herron Mary McLeod Bethune: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McLeod_Bethune Eleanor Roosevelt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt Where to Find Marie Benedict Online Website: authormariebenedict.com Facebook: @authormariebenedict Instagram: @authormariebenedict Don't forget if you enjoy the show, do leave us a review so others can find us too. But now here's Marie. Introducing Author Marie Benedict Biographical fiction author Marie Benedict Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Marie, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. Marie Benedict: I am absolutely delighted to be here as, as I said to you right before you hit the record button, obviously I love to talk books, but oh my gosh, I love New Zealand and it's just such a delight to get to talk with you while you were there. Jenny Wheeler: That's wonderful. Now you've made a name for yourself. write a bestselling historical fiction about real women's stories. Some of them well-known women, others of them not so well known at all,
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