Podcasts about Literary fiction

Award-winning novelist Missouri Williams on writing strange and ambitious fiction, treating doubt as a generative force, and why idleness is essential to creative work. We discuss How a destabilising illness and a new language can reshape a writer's whole relationship to words. Why style isn't something you construct so much as a way of seeing you're partly stuck with. The case for drafting without thinking about the end result and keeping the stakes low. What an image you can't stop returning to can reveal about the book you need to write. When idleness and empty, unproductive time become the most essential part of the work. How doubt can function as a generative engine rather than a block. A method for layering instability into a narrator who sounds completely in control. What a chorus can do on the page that a single narrator can't. Why being placed outside your depth, where everything has to be relearned, can sharpen a writer. The difference between doubting your work and doubting your right to do it at all. Resources & Links

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I'm joined by Cecile Pin, the acclaimed author of Wandering Souls, to discuss her latest novel, Celestial Lights, and the deeper questions it raises about identity, ambition, and what we sacrifice when we decide who we want to become. Cecile takes us from her multicultural upbringing in Paris and New York City to her study of philosophy in London. We dig into how living between cultures can give a writer real creative range. We also get specific about craft: what it means to write in English as a second language, why rhythm matters, and how she thinks about “show, don't tell” when emotional truth demands something sharper. Cecile and I chat about moving from publishing to writing her own fiction, the vulnerability of touring a deeply personal debut, and why she started Celestial Lights, hoping for distance, only to find that the heart always shows up. From Europa research and NASA details to astronaut memoirs, mission constraints, and the novel's alternating space logs, Cecile shares how she built a believable world without turning the book into a textbook. If you love literary fiction, speculative sci-fi, and character-driven novels that stay grounded in relationships, you'll find plenty to take with you. Subscribe for more author conversations, share this with a friend who loves books, and please leave a review wherever you listen.Cecile PinCelestial Lights, Cecile PinWandering Souls, Cecile PinSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

What a thrill to talk to the prolific author Will Self on the occassion of his latest novel, The Quantity Theory of Morality. We discuss the book and a lot more besides!  Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-MolinaEdited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Step inside a 1980s Kentucky department store as Kayla Rae Whitaker shares the family secrets and ambition behind her novel Returns & Exchanges. Book Gang welcomes acclaimed author Kayla Rae Whitaker to discuss her much-anticipated new novel, Returns & Exchanges. Whitaker's immersive storytelling and meticulous research bring the 1980s era and its consumer culture to vibrant life. Set in Kentucky during the 1980s, this sweeping family drama follows Fred and Fran, a couple whose rags-to-riches ascent as department store owners brings both fortune and unexpected turmoil. As their business thrives, the family's personal lives become increasingly complicated in this messy family saga. Through multiple perspectives and intricate subplots, the novel explores themes of identity, desire, mental health, and the complexities of the American dream in this page-turning story. In this warm and insightful conversation, we discuss:

In this episode, Tamara and Casey critically analyze the second book in a duology, exploring its plot, character development, genre classification, and overall execution. They share candid opinions on what worked, what didn't, and how it could have been improved, providing valuable insights for readers and writers alike.Ep 570Pick up a copy of today's book! Find all the essential links in one spot and follow Tamara!Connect with Tamara:Instagram| https://www.instagram.com/shelfaddiction/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@shelfaddictionConnect with Casey:Instagram| https://www.instagram.com/Casey_heartfullofinkTikTok| https://www.tiktok.com/@heartfullofinkCheck out our sponsors and deals!

Kathleen talks with Martin Cloutier, adjunct assistant professor at the College of Staten Island (CUNY) and author of the novel Waiting for Something Else (Heliotrope Books, 2025). Visit IndoorVoicesPodcast.com for more.

Author Judy Batalion joins host Jacob Shymanski to talk about her debut historical fiction “The Last Woman of Warsaw.” The novel tells the story of two very different Jewish women in Warsaw in the late 1930s as they unexpectedly come together in search of their missing mentor.   Judy and Jacob chat about the research she did to capture 1930s Warsaw, including the fashion, art and architecture. She also describes the real-life experiences that influenced the story and its characters.   This episode was produced by Andrika De Lanerolle.  Audiobook Café is broadcast on AMI-audio in Canada and publishes two new podcast episodes a week on Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. ET. Follow Audiobook Café on Instagram @AMIAudiobookCafe We want your feedback!Be that comments, suggestions, hot-takes, audiobook recommendations or reviews of your own… hit us up! Our email address is: AudiobookCafe@ami.ca About AMIAMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaInc Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Galley Beggar Press's forthcoming books, and we talk to Professor Caroline Bicks about her  new book, Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear With Stephen King, which draws on her time researching King's notes and early drafts, her talks with him, and finding synergies between King's work and Shakespeare's. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-MolinaEdited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Join us for a really fun, fascinating discussion with writer David Keenan discussing his latest novel, Boyhood.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-MolinaEdited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Debut novelist Debra Curtis on teaching herself to write by copying poems by hand as a dyslexic child, using contemporary novels as craft manuals to learn structure, meeting the Dalai Lama, the importance of radical forgiveness & publishing her first novel in her sixties after years of rejection.  You'll learn: Why copying poems by hand into a composition notebook secretly teaches a dyslexic child to write. The hospital-bed moment with her dying father that became a three-decade family motto. A vision at a marina, a prescription bottle, and the woman who became her protagonist. What hundreds of rejections actually teach you about persistence. Using contemporary novels as instructional guides while drafting your own. How a psychic's prophecy and a chance encounter in Paris both pointed toward the same agent. Finding your future agent's name in the acknowledgments of a book you've never read. The big editorial note that hurts to hear, and why listening anyway is still the right call. Radical forgiveness as the emotional heart of a novel. The writing ritual built around a sleep mask, noise-cancelling headphones, and a sound machine. Resources & Links:

Send us Fan MailHannah and Laura are welcoming Oli Schmitz, a bookseller at Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to answer some of our burning questions about independent bookstores! Indie Bookstore Day 2026 is April 25th! Go support your local indie bookstore!You can find Oli online at:Oli's Staff Recommendations | Boswell Book Companyand be sure to see them in person for book recommendations at Boswell Book Company! Media Mentions:Legends & Lattes by Travis BaldreeThe Raven Scholar by Antonia HodgsonRemarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltThe Music of Bees by Eileen GarvinThe Boy and the Dog by Seishu HaseAll the Lonely People by Mike GayleHank Green's worksN.K. Jemisin's worksJohn Green's worksKatee Robert's worksJames Patterson's worksHer Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O'SullivanBetween Two Fires by Christopher BuehlmanWarrior Cats series by Erin HunterColleen Hoover's worksDonna Tart's worksFreida McFadden's worksMadeline Miller's worksRainbow Rowell's worksNghi Vo's worksThe City in Glass by Nghi VoSarah Dessen's worksNotes from a Regicide by Isaac FellmanThe Felicity Complex by August ClarkeAmal El-Mohtar's worksTamsyn Muir's worksSupport the showBe sure to follow OWWR Pod!www.owwrpod.com YouTube: @owwrpodBlueSky: @OwwrPodTikTok: @OwwrPodInstagram: @owwrpodThreads: @OwwrPodSend us an email at: owwrpod@gmail.comCheck out OWWR Patreon: patreon.com/owwrpodOr join OWWR Discord! We'd love to chat with you!You can follow Hannah at:Instagram: @brews.and.booksThreads: @brews.and.booksTikTok: @brews.and.booksYou can follow Laura at:Instagram: @goodbooksgreatgoatsBlueSky: @myyypod

In this episode of Friday Conversation, we sit down with acclaimed author Lincoln Michel, known for Metallic Realms, The Body Scout, and his thought-provoking work across fiction and criticism for a deep dive into the craft, business, and future of storytelling.Lincoln walks us through his writing journey, from discovering his voice through art and literature to navigating MFA programs, publishing, and teaching creative writing. We explore how genre fiction, constraints, and experimentation shape his work, and how he blends sci-fi, noir, and literary influences into something uniquely his own.We also get into the realities of modern publishing, the shrinking “midlist,” and what it means to be an author in a world increasingly influenced by AI. Along the way, Lincoln shares insights on creativity, storytelling structure, and why constraints can actually unlock better writing.Plus, we preview his upcoming novel Haunted Hills, a haunted house concept with a wild twist and talk about influences ranging from Kafka and Calvino to Stephen King and cyberpunk classics.If you're a writer, reader, or just someone who loves great conversations about books, this is one you don't want to miss.Send us a message (I'm not able to reply)Support the showPage Chewing BlogPage Chewing ForumFilm Chewing PodcastSpeculative Speculations Podcast Support the podcast via PayPalSupport the show by using our Amazon Affiliate linkJoin Riverside.fm Co-Hosts:JarrodVarsha ChrisJoseCarl D. Albert (author)Thomas J. Devens (author)Alex French (author)Intro and Outro Music by Michael R. Fletcher (2024-Current)

Send us Fan MailA teenage girl grows up in a Montana cabin with no school, no neighbors, and one constant lesson from her father: modern life is a trap and authority is the enemy. Then she finds a photograph that doesn't fit the story she's been told, and the only way to learn the truth is to run straight toward the world he fears most: 1990s San Francisco at the birth of the internet boom.In this episode, I'm joined by New York Times bestselling author Janelle Brown to talk about her novel What Kind of Paradise and the real-life early tech era that shaped it, from Wired to the first wave of digital optimism. We get into why writing about technology in the present tense is so hard, and what it means to look back on the web's “revolutionary” promise after decades of addiction, distorted discourse, and an always-on life.We also go deep on craft, character, and point of view. Janelle explains why she wrote the father's backstory in second person—the "you" voice—making it a psychological shield and a subtle manipulation. For this novel, Janelle researched extremism, including works on Ted Kaczynski, while still making a complicated father feel frighteningly human. Along the way, we unpack legacy, parenting, identity, and her sharp question for all of us: how much are we letting technology dictate who we become, and what guardrails do we actually want for AI and platforms?If you like literary thrillers, author interviews, and big conversations about technology and society, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review wherever you listen.THE NARRATIVE EXCHANGEJANELLE BROWNWHAT KIND OF PARADISESupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Our guest is writer Angela Flournoy who joined us to talk about her novel, The Wilderness, a book about sisterhood and chosen family that explores four friends' experiences during our turbulent times. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-MolinaEdited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

This week, the hosts dive into The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and for once, they don't see eye to eye. In a rare twist, one host connected with the book while the other didn't, not because of the story itself, but because of its unique vignette-style format. Even with that divide, the conversation proves why this modern classic continues to resonate, sparking thoughtful discussion around voice, identity, and storytelling. You'll have to tune in to find out who was on which side. Cheers!! *Please be advised this episode is intended for adult audiences and contains adult language and content. We are expressing opinions on the show for entertainment purposes only. Dedication: To our patrons as always!! We love you!Moni: Happy 90th B-day grandma Barbie. Sending love to all my family!Kat: To Victor Glover https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/astronauts/victor-j-glover/To "First Contact Day" in the Star Trek  https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/First_Contact_Day, and to Dawn Staley https://www.instagram.com/dawnstaleyTitle: The House on Mango StreetAuthor: Sandra Cisneros: https://www.sandracisneros.com/mylifeandworkPublisher: Vintage Books (a division of Penguin Random House)Original Publication Year: 1984Genre: Coming-of-age / Literary fictionFormat: Series of short vignettes (not a traditional novel structure)Page Count: Typically ~110–130 pages (varies by edition)Notes:Source: The Washington Post: Israeli teens face military drafthttps://share.google/JotMjnrWf8HiLKcFqJosh Johnson's take on Manosphere:https://youtu.be/_JoshJohnsonManosphere**Stranger than Fiction:

Len Deighton, a British master of the spy thriller has died. Sam's a fan. And we had a great time talking with writer Eoghan Walls about his latest novel, Field Notes From An Extinction.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-MolinaEdited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Sam finally makes it to the movie theater to see Wurthering Heights, and writer Joanna Kavenna talks to us about her engaging novel, Seven, which hops around the globe following a group of philosopher friends obsesssed with box theory, lost things, and a board game called Seven.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Steph has been traveling the world, and now she is back with Gare and me, talking about our Last, Current and Next Reads! Kate's Last, Current and Next Kin by Tayari Jones The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunaseker When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson Alexis Henderson's Substack About When I Was Death Gare's Last, Current and Next The Final Hunt Audrey J Cole The Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson The Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass Steph Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth Sundown Girls by L.S. Stratton The Two Deaths of Lillian Carmichael by Paulette Kennedy Other Books Discussed The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett The Mothers by Brit Bennett History Lessons Zoe B. Wallbrook An American Marriage by Tayari Jones Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally Breakneck Bay by Faith Gardner The Spin Faith Gardner Heather by Caitlin Mullen Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba

This week, the hosts review Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, a sweeping multi-generational novel that traces the descendants of two half-sisters from 18th-century Ghana into the modern era. One sister, Effia, lives above the dungeon of Cape Coast Castle; the other, Esi, is imprisoned below and sold into American slavery. From that pivotal separation, the book follows their children and grandchildren across centuries, continents, and systems of power. Through alternating chapters, Gyasi explores the legacy of slavery, colonialism, identity, belonging, resilience, and generational trauma. Each descendant wrestles with the inherited shadows of the past, from plantations and Jim Crow to migration, incarceration, and cultural disconnection. The hosts unpack the book's structure, thematic depth, and emotional resonance, reflecting on how history lives in individual lives long after its origins. It's a layered, compassionate conversation that centers legacy, memory, and the ways personal story intertwines with collective history. Cheers!Please be advised this episode is intended for adult audiences and contains adult language and content. We are expressing opinions on the show for entertainment purposes only. Dedication: To our patrons as always!! We love you! Moni & Kat: To the ancestors, old and new!About the  Book: :https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/533857/homegoing-by-yaa-gyasi/Title: Homegoing Author: Yaa Gyasi Genre: Historical Fiction Published: 2016 (Moni states 2026 in error) Pages: 320 (first edition)About the Author:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaa_GyasiYaa Gyasi is a Ghanaian-American novelist. Her work, most notably her 2016 debut novel Homegoing and her 2020 novel Transcendent Kingdom, features themes of lineage, generational trauma, and Black and African identities.WikipediaBorn: 1989 (age 37 years), Mampong, GhanaParents: Kwaku Gyasi, Sophia GyasiEducation: Stanford University, Grissom High School, University of IowaAwards: PEN/Hemingway Award, Audie Award for Literary Fiction & Classics, American Book AwardF.A.B. Episodes mentioned on the show:https://www.spreaker.com/episode/GreatGatsbyEpisodehttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/-review-of-ketera-of-punishment-island-on-netflix--56231879**Stranger than Fiction:

We talk to author Álvaro Enrigue about his latest novel in English, Now I Surrender, an account of the mythlogized Apache warrior, Geronimo, and the contemporary narrator's reflections on colonization and identity. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Sharing my January reading wrap-up covering 25 contemporary books read as both a coping mechanism during a heavy month and as advance reading for upcoming spring and summer 2026 reading guides. I revisit seven books from a January reading vlog (due to poor video/audio quality) and then discuss 18 additional books not previously shared, grouped by vibe: romance, mysteries/thrillers, and literary/general fiction.Romance highlights include How to Write a Love Story (Catherine Walsh), Toe to Toe (Fallon Ballard), The Starter Ex (Mia Sosa), No Matter What (Cara Bastone), and Abby Jimenez's The Night We Met (the author's best). Mystery/thriller picks include The PI and Mash Detective Agency (J.D. Brinkworth), Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief (Benjamin Stevenson), Pomona Afton Can Totally Catch a Killer (Bellamy Rose), Missing Sister (Joshilyn Jackson), and Tana French's The Keeper. Literary/general fiction discussed includes A Lake Effect (Cynthia Sweeney), the literary horror ghost story Valley Eventful Ghost (Kim Fu), Celestial Lights (Cecile/Cecily Pin), and Almost Life (Kiran Millwood Hargrave).

Sam looks forward to the lastest film adaptation of Wurthering Heights, and we talk to writer and art critic James Cahill about his latest novel, The Violet Hour.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Debut author Lauren Morrow joins us to discuss Little Movements, a sharp, funny, and deeply perceptive literary novel set in the world of professional dance.Lauren Morrow joins Book Gang to discuss her satirical novel, Little Movements, which follows Layla, a Black choreographer navigating a fragile marriage, a long-delayed hope of motherhood, and a career-defining opportunity at a prestigious arts institution.When Layla relocates alone to create a new piece from the ground up, she finds herself confronting not just the physical demands of dance but the subtler pressures of tokenization, institutional expectations, and who gets to define what her work "means."Drawing from Morrow's background in dance and arts publicity, Little Movements offers an insider's view of how cultural organizations frame progress, how money shapes artistic freedom, and how women—especially Black women—are often asked to carry symbolic weight they never volunteered for.In this fascinating conversation, we explore:

Many literary fiction authors feel caught in the middle, shut out of a traditional literary establishment that foregrounds their genre, but also out of indie advice urging marketing methods that feel misaligned. Orna Ross explores the psychology of literary writers who feel uneasy about selling their work, shares her own marketing shifts as a literary novelist and poet, and explains why literary fiction is not a special case—simply another genre with its own reader psychology and buying behavior. Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookfunnel. Do you have reader magnets, ARCs, and direct digital sales? Want to join multi-author promotions? Thousands of authors trust BookFunnel for seamless delivery and real human support. Visit BookFunnel.com. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. About the Host Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

We talk to Caleb Klaces about his wonderful, Sebaldian novel, Mr. Outside.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

What happens when identity, power, and morality collide at the turn of a millennium?In this intellectually charged episode of Mindset Mastery Moments, Dr. Alisa Whyte sits down with author T. Awdry Winks to explore his critically acclaimed novel At the Millennium: Paradise Crossed — a modern mythology that confronts identity, oppression, justice, and belonging in contemporary America.Through allegory and symbolism, Paradise Crossed reimagines Eden in a capitalistic, warmongering epoch shaped by racial, immigrant, sexual, and gender identity struggles. This conversation goes beyond politics and into philosophy — examining trans identity as an expression of becoming, the moral architecture of oppression and injustice, and the role of immigration in shaping modern consciousness.Recognized by Midwest Book Review and recommended for community, college, and university literary collections, this episode challenges listeners to think deeper about who we are, who we exclude, and what stories still have the power to reshape society.This is not a light listen. It's a thinking episode — for readers, leaders, creatives, and anyone willing to interrogate the moment we're living in.

Author Simón López Trujillo joins us to talk about his novel Pedro the Vast, a multitudinous novel that explores manuel labor, parenting, religion, and corporate greed. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Struggling to make your stories truly land? Years of writing taught us that sentences have a job, stories have an inner logic, and vision organizes a life—not just a project. This course condenses that transformation into three live modules with hands-on practice.

Sam's farming career, and we talk to writer and musician Austyn Wohlers about her intriguing and beautifully written novel, Hothouse Bloom.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

What we will be reading over the holidays, and we welcome writer Xiaolu Guo to talk about her latest novel, Call Me Ishmaelle. (Hint: There could be a white whale!). Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Celebrate the solstice with a story that intertwines the magic of the Nutcracker with the urgency of world peace and environmental and climate action. Jack Eidt reads from his short story ‘Nutcracker and the Shapeshifter,' a re-imagined classic that dances to the tune of environmental and social justice. Featuring a blend of fantastical characters and real-world issues, this episode of EcoJustice Radio is a call to action, wrapped in the wonder of a holiday tale, set to the enchanting music of Tchaikovsky's ballet. Enjoy this tale of rebellion, peace, and the power of the natural world. On this show, Solstice Celebration Story: Nutcracker and the Shape Shifter. Co-host and Producer Jack Eidt, in his role as a Literary Fiction writer, reads an excerpt of his short story based on The Nutcracker, a two-act ballet, with an 1892 score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet libretto was adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Here we present Jack's own pro-peace-environmental re-imagining of that story, called The Nutcracker and the Shape Shifter, published in 2022 in the Fifth Fedora Anthology of Weird Noir and Stranger Tales, Published by Borda Books. We also feature excerpts of Tchaikovsky's ballet, the Nutcracker, Opus 71, recorded by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek [https://youtu.be/tk5Uturacx8?si=TIKVwp0zz_7R_zaH]. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer and Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Story by Jack Eidt Background Music: The Nutcracker, Opus 71, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Performance by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 201

Elizabeth Birkelund is not just a novelist and journalist. She's a traveler of landscapes, both worldly and emotional, and a gifted listener to the human heart. Her newest book, A Northern Light in Provence, sweeps us from the crystalline silence of Greenland's ice fields to the golden, lavender-scented slopes of Provence. With her unmistakable tenderness and immersive storytelling, she reminds us how profoundly place can shape our imaginations, our choices, and our inner lives. Drawing on her own adventures, from the raw, rugged beauty of the Arctic Circle to the quiet, contemplative corners of rural France, Elizabeth writes with the authenticity of someone who has breathed these worlds in. In this episode, she invites us behind the scenes of her creative life: what it's like to research remote settlements at the edge of the map, how she absorbs the slow, sunlit rhythms of Provence, and why stepping outside familiar boundaries can spark the most unexpected insights.With wit, wonder, and a generosity of spirit, Elizabeth reflects on how landscapes mirror our private truths, how displacement can open doors we didn't know were locked, and how surrendering control in the creative process can make a story sing with honesty.For anyone who loves travel, transformation, and the quiet magic of being reshaped by the world, this conversation with Elizabeth Birkelund is a luminous journey and one you won't want to miss.Only on Speaking of Travel!Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

We celebrate the publication of Galley Beggar Press's latest book, Telenovela by Gonzalo C. Garcia, and Gonzalo joins us for a wonderful discussion about the novel's themes of artistic failure, family dynamics, and political-social upheaval in Pinochet's Chile.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Support Us: Donation Page – LibriVox Free AudiobooksSet in 1925, this is a novel of the Jazz Age; of ambition, of the careless rich, of wild parties and flappers and bootleg booze; and the efforts of a dreamer to reunite with his lost love. - Summary by KaraGenre(s): Literary Fiction, RomanceLanguage: EnglishKeyword(s): fiction (1588), jazz age (8)Support Us: Donation Page – LibriVox Free Audiobooks

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Bruce Holsinger about stories, community, publishing, teaching, and the craft behind his latest novel, Culpability. Bruce brings a rare lens to contemporary fiction. As a medievalist at the University of Virginia, he teaches medieval literature and applies his enthusiasm to craft classes where the basics—point of view, character arcs, structure—become living tools. He explains why paratext—chat logs, interviews, and excerpts from Lorelei's AI book—lets a novel breathe beyond exposition, capturing how we really encounter the world: through fragmented feeds, competing voices, and the uneasy mix of intimacy and spectacle. Culpability Synopsis:When the Cassidy-Shaws' autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver's seat, with his father, Noah, riding shotgun. In the back seat, tweens Alice and Izzy are on their phones, while their mother, Lorelei, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. Yet each family member harbors a secret that implicates them in the accident.During a weeklong recuperation on the Chesapeake Bay, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash. Noah tries to hold the family together as a seemingly routine police investigation jeopardizes Charlie's future. Alice and Izzy turn strangely furtive. And Lorelei's odd behavior tugs at Noah's suspicions that there is a darker truth behind the incident—suspicions heightened by the sudden intrusion of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet's teenage daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.Subscribe, share with a reader friend, and tell us: which moment changed how you see the story?Culpability, Bruce HolsingerBruce HolsingerBruce Holsinger Episode #163 The Bookshop PodcastSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

The wonderful writer Sarah Hall returns to the podcast, this time to talk about her latest novel Helm, in which the Helm Wind of Cumbria, England's Eden Valley has her own puckish point of view about the folly of humans through the centuries.Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.If you've ever felt intimidated by literary fiction, this episode is your warm invitation in.I'm joined by reader and library advocate Laura Bird to talk about eight accessible, emotionally rich literary fiction novels — all written by women. We chat about what makes literary fiction “friendly” for beginners, why libraries are democracy's secret weapon, and how you can support your local branch beyond borrowing books.Whether you love short, quiet novels that pack a punch or intergenerational stories about women's resilience, Laura's recommendations will expand your TBR and your heart.

Brad Fox makes his second appearance on the podcast, this time with Another Bone-Swapping Event about his year in the Peruvian jungle under the direction of a local traditional medicine healer. Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Writer Anbara Salam joins us for a discussion of her binge-worthy new novel, The Salvage, about a sunken shipwreck off the coast of Scotland and the mystery surrounding its disappeared treasure. Oh, and there's a ghost as well!Thank you for listening! If you like what you hear, give us a follow at: X: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonInstagram: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang Books, Lori Feathers, Sam JordisonFacebook: Across the Pond, Galley Beggar Press, Interabang BooksBluesky: @acrossthepondbooks.bsky.socialThe Big Book Project https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojectTheme music by Carlos Guajardo-Molina Edited and Mixed at ATX Audio Post

Indyana Schneider—international opera singer and novelist—shares practical ways to write rhythm and desire on the page, craft scene-level tension, and shape compressed-time narratives; plus lessons from drafting her debut on the Tube.  You'll learn:How to build sentence-level cadence: vary lengths and read aloud to tune flow.A simple spine for short-timeframe novels: day-by-day beats, rising stakes, a final choice.Where to start and stop scenes so pages move (start late, leave early).Writing desire without cliché: stay in character voice; revise for rhythm and clarity.Turning musical training into prose: sensory sequencing that guides attention.When to query (and what “ready” looked like) plus handling editorial feedback.Smart ways to measure success beyond sales and keep momentum across careers. Resources and Links: