Podcasts about Publishers Weekly

Interview recorded - 14th of September, 2026On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming back Shaun Rein. Shaun is the Founder and Managing Director of the China Market Research Group (CMR), the world's leading strategic market intelligence firm focused on China.0:00 - Introduction1:43 - Overview of markets and the economy4:13 - Chinese property9:06 - Manufacturing12:10 - Chinese subsidies14:08 - Surplus problem18:29 - Geopolitical shifts22:03 - Reconciliation possible?26:53 - Underrated countries?29:47 - Chinese Growth Sustainable?31:23 - Safety nets?35:48 - Asset overview40:21 - One message to takeaway?Shaun Rein is the Founder and Managing Director of the China Market Research Group (CMR), the world's leading strategic market intelligence firm focused on China. He works with Boards, billionaires, Heads of States, CEOs and senior executives of Fortune 500 & leading Chinese companies, private equity firms, SMEs and long/ hedge funds to develop their China growth, political and investment strategies. Rein authored the international best-sellers "The War for China's Wallet: Profiting from the New World Order," "The End of Cheap China"​ & "The End of Copycat China."​ Publishers Weekly named "Cheap"​ a "Top 10 business book for 2012." The Financial Times called "Copycat"​ "Intriguing" and said of Wallet: “Mr. Rein's insider tales of what it takes to work in contemporary China are insightful...a toolbox for those who want to work with Chinese companies make it a worthwhile read.”Rein is regularly featured in the Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. His op-eds have appeared in the New York Times. He frequently appears on CNN, BBC, MarketPlace, CNBC, Bloomberg, PBS and MSNBC. Rein formerly taught executive education classes for London Business School and was a weekly columnist for CNBC and Forbes. He also wrote a column for Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Rein is one of the most sought out keynote speakers focused on innovation, consumer trends and the economy in China.Shaun Rein - Website - http://www.cmrconsulting.com.cn/xsyX - https://x.com/shaunreinYouTube - @shaunrein4708 WTFinance -Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/67rpmjG92PNBW0doLyPvfniTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4X - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas

Nicole Maggi is the author of the award-winning National Park Mystery Series, beginning with A MURDER IN ZION, the first in the National Park Mystery Series (Oceanview Pub), which Publishers Weekly called “a winner.” The book won the 2025 Gold Medal from the FOREWORD Reviews for Best Mystery, the Silver Medal from the Independent Book Publishing Association for Best Mystery, and was nominated for a Golden Poppy Award. The second book in the series, LOST IN YELLOWSTONE, has been praised by Publishers Weekly and Kirkus and hailed as “riveting.” She also penned THE FORGETTING, an International Thriller Writers Thriller Award Finalist, a Junior Library Guild selection and a #1 Kindle Bestseller. Nicole holds a BFA from Emerson College and has spoken at numerous conferences, including Left Coast Crime, Bouchercon, LA Times Festival of Books, and ALA. When she's not writing, she's plotting her next escape to a National Park. Website: https://nicolemaggi.com/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolemaggiauthor/Blue Sky Handle: https://bsky.app/profile/nicolemaggi.bsky.socialThreads Handle: https://www.threads.com/@nicolemariemaggi*****************About SinCSisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sincworldwideInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincworldwide/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sincworldwideBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sincworldwide.bsky.socialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincworldwideLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sisters-in-crime/The SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk www.LearningLeader.com My new book, The Price of Becoming, is a USA Today, LA Times, Success Magazine, and Publishers Weekly bestseller! I think you'll find it useful. This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. My guest: Dr. Martin Seligman is one of the most influential psychologists alive. He's the founder of positive psychology and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Positive Psychology Center. His research reshaped how we understand optimism, resilience, and human flourishing. His books, including Learned Optimism, Flourish, and The Hope Circuit, have sold millions of copies. His latest is Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress. Key Learnings The three parts of agency. Efficacy is the belief you can hit a goal right now, and it drives whether you try. Optimism is the belief you can hit it in the future, and it drives persistence and grit. Imagination is the range of goals you can even picture, and it drives creativity. When a culture has all three, it progresses. When they fall, it stagnates. "Depression and pessimism and happiness and optimism are too important to be left to happy people." Marty calls himself a born depressive and pessimist. He founded positive psychology and still wakes at 4:00 a.m. to a voice telling him he can't do the thing in front of him. What he's built over decades is the skill of arguing back, treating that voice not as truth but as a rival whose job is to make him miserable. The techniques don't come naturally to anyone. A small number of people are born happy. Everyone else has to learn and practice the skills, which is why Marty spent much of his career testing them rather than assuming they work. How you respond to good news matters more than you think. When his wife Mandy won first prize in the biggest black and white photography contest in the world, Marty could have said "congratulations, dear, you deserve it" and moved on. Instead, he named the exact photo that won, asked her to repeat what the editor said word for word, and tied her talent back to how they teach their kids. Ryan's summary of what made it work: specificity and curiosity. Marty calls it active constructive responding, and done consistently, it increases love and commitment and cuts divorce rates. Marty's contrarian take on leadership. He thinks the whole hunt for "what great leaders do" is a wild goose chase, because the great leaders he's met all do completely different things. What good followers have in common is PERMA: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. His advice is to promote the leaders who create the most PERMA, and to hold managers responsible for their people's well-being, not just their output, because well-being predicts productivity. Grit and agency. Grit, the idea made famous by his former student Angela Duckworth, feeds straight into optimism and increases how long people push through adversity. On Angela: "one of the best students I've ever had," and "it's great to be outdone." He credits her rare social intelligence, the ability to build allies instead of enemies. Predicting elections by counting optimism. With his graduate student Harold Zullow, Marty studied a century of nomination acceptance speeches and found the more optimistic candidate usually wins. In 1984, they sealed their prediction of the two nominees in an envelope at The New York Times and got it right. The $17,500 lesson. Convinced by Dukakis's optimistic acceptance speech, Marty flew to Edinburgh to place a legal bet and put his entire life savings on Dukakis at 2 to 1. Then he learned the speech was written by Ted Sorensen, and that Dukakis, in his own unscripted press conferences, was deeply pessimistic. He lost everything. The takeaway that shaped his later work: measure the unscripted moments, not the polished speeches. The 2024 call. Trump and Harris were even on optimism in their convention speeches. But across September and October, tracking how each explained bad events in press conferences, Trump got steadily more optimistic. Marty's team sealed another prediction: Trump winning and possibly by a lot. Why the fired-up CEO speech doesn't work great. After Marty published his method, both political parties asked him how to write optimistic speeches. He sent the protocol, and within a few elections everyone sounded optimistic, and it stopped predicting anything, because the optimism was shallow. People don't internalize a leader saying "we're going to crush it." Real agency shows up in the psychology of the team, and that comes from who you hire and how you train them, not from the speech. What the Army taught him. As lead consultant on the Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, Marty helped train 40,000 drill sergeants and profiled 900,000 soldiers from their first day. Three traits predicted who would later earn awards for excellent work and heroism: optimism, high positive emotion, and low negative emotion. On the other side, catastrophizers were more than twice as likely to develop PTSD at every level of combat. The hiring lesson. Hire optimists and happy people. Avoid catastrophizers. And when you can't pick your team, train the pessimists you already have in the skills of agency. "Put It In Perspective." The tool Marty uses to retrain catastrophizers. Picture the ominous "come see me at 4:00" email. Write down the worst thing that could happen, then the best thing, then the most likely thing, then a plan for that most likely case. Catastrophizers skip straight to the worst case and get paralyzed. The exercise pulls them back to what's actually probable. Marry an optimist. "If you're a pessimist, disaster is to marry another pessimist," because you'll both see the worst in every setback. The wine story makes the point about behavior change: after Mandy told him he'd wrecked a family engagement dinner by sending back a bottle, Marty realized that if she complained as much as he did, he wouldn't want to be married to her. He decided to stop. The critical thoughts never went away, but the behavior did. The gratitude testimonial. Think of someone still alive who did or said something that changed your life. Write a 300-word testimonial in three parts: what they did, what you did because of it, and where you are now as a result. Then deliver it in person and read it out loud. Marty has run this with thousands of people. The usual result is that both people cry, and a month later they test as less depressed and higher in well-being. Reading the minds of the dead. Marty's method for measuring agency across history is counting words. Agentic language like "choose," "compete," "can," and "do" versus language of constraint like "obliged" and "assigned." With Claude and ChatGPT, he can now do in one morning what used to take months: reading whole eras of writing and rating how agentic they are. St. Augustine and a thousand years of stagnation. Before Augustine, around 400 AD, Christian thinkers were highly agentic and taught that you could take part in your own salvation. Augustine's doctrine that grace comes only from God set Church teaching for close to a thousand years, and progress collapsed with it. When agency climbs again, as it does under Charlemagne around 800, progress climbs too. The pattern holds when you line it up against GDP, population, and writing about freedom. The manager's real job. "It's your job as a manager not just to keep productivity going, but to increase the well-being and agency of the people under you." Do that, and you get promoted. Fail at it and your time is up. The Champagne Question... What he'd celebrate a year from now. Marty wants psychohistory taken seriously as a real field, one that measures psychological variables, uses them to understand history, and then changes them to raise future happiness and productivity. Reflection Questions: Marty is 84, founded the field, and still wakes at 4 a.m. to a voice saying he can't do it. What does your version of that voice say, and what does it usually say it about? When it shows up, do you accept it as fact or argue back? Think about the last time someone close to you shared good news. Which quadrant were you in: active constructive, passive constructive, active destructive, or passive destructive? What did you actually say? Marty says a manager's job is to raise the well-being and agency of their people, not just their output. If your team was measured on PERMA tomorrow, what score would they give you, and where's the gap? If you liked this one with Marty, you should also listen to... Episode #703: Angela Duckworth - Why Grit Isn't Enough Time Stamps: 2:34 Angela Duckworth, grit & social intelligence 6:05 Active constructive responding: the Mandy photography story 12:13 Why leadership is heterogeneous, and the case for PERMA 14:49 How grit and agency fit together 16:09 The born pessimist who founded positive psychology 21:20 What the book is really about: founding psychohistory 22:52 Predicting elections & the $17,500 Dukakis bet 25:34 The 2024 prediction 29:17 Why the rah-rah CEO speech doesn't help much 31:07 What the U.S. Army taught him: optimism & PTSD 35:19 "Put It In Perspective," the tool for catastrophizers 38:55 Marry an optimist, and the wine-snob story 42:19 The gratitude testimonial 44:49 Reading the minds of the dead & St. Augustine 48:37 The manager's real job 49:33 What he'd celebrate a year from now 51:05 EOPC  

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk www.LearningLeader.com My new book, The Price of Becoming, is a USA Today, LA Times, Success Magazine, and Publishers Weekly bestseller! I think you'll find it useful. This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. Key Learnings All the greats have a coach. Strauss is one of the most disciplined humans alive, and he has had one since he was 30. His argument: Tom Brady is an amazing athlete, but would he have performed as well with no coach, or a lousy one? A great coach is objective, encouraging, smart, and experienced. They warn you of obstacles you can't see yet. Strauss doesn't want the Socratic method from his coach. He wants direct advice. He'll use questions when he's leading others. But when he brings a problem to his own coach, he wants to be told: "You have that wrong; you're missing this." So What? Strauss was avoiding a confrontation because he knew the other person would be really upset. His coach said, "So what?" He had the conversation. The person was upset. They got to the other side, and it was better than leaving it out there. Bad news doesn't get better with age. The most effective people are the most open-minded and self-critical. The ones who insist they don't need a coach are usually the ones losing. "Arrogance is the enemy of continued success." Humility isn't pretending you're not good. Strauss says claiming he's bumbling through the job would be silly, and he's proud of what he does well. The humility is in staying open. His team's description of him: strongly held opinions, freely shared, and a mind that changes when the facts do. "You're just a terrible speaker." Strauss was 31, newly president of Vestron, and had written an eloquent after-dinner speech he was proud of. He read it off the page. His boss pulled him aside afterward and told him it was terrible. What two days of media training taught Strauss: Talk about what the audience cares about, not what you want to say Never deliver a written speech unless you're President of the United States Inject your personality Try to make them laugh Be of service to the audience. Strauss opens his class at MIT Sloan by asking the students why they came and what they want out of it. It surprises them every time, because speakers never ask. One meeting with 20 people beats 20 meetings with one person. A young CEO Strauss coaches was sleeping four hours a night and spending 20 hours a week on one-on-ones. Strauss told him to do one weekly meeting with all 20.  Delegate with information. Everyone running a group is in the same room once a week and shares everything, including the problems. If it's business, it goes in the room. If it's personal, they can talk one-on-one. Politics shrink because nobody has information nobody else has. Happy stuff doesn't reach the CEO's desk. If it landed on his desk, it's either bad or genuinely complex. That's the system working. Align the words with the dollar signs. Mission, strategy, culture, and compensation all have to point in the same direction. Say you want to be the best in the world while paying people regardless of performance, and they will follow the money every time. The worst comp structure is CEO discretion. It builds a culture where everyone is trying to please one person, and people think pleasing someone means telling them what they want to hear. Hire the most talented people on earth, then support them through thick and thin. Strauss greenlit Dirty Dancing at Vestron on a $5.5 million budget. The first-time director was too scared to speak, so the team pitched it. They claimed the film would change how women dressed, produce an award-winning soundtrack, and win an Oscar. Strauss thought the pitch was nonsense. He didn't even like the script. He greenlit it anyway because he trusted the team over his own judgment. It became the biggest independent hit of all time to that date, a record it held until The Blair Witch Project. Be a good judge of talent, not of products. Knowing which one you are is the whole thing. Leave the escape hatches open. When competitors poured hundreds of millions into VR and the metaverse, Strauss said no. But Take-Two did enough experimentation to move fast if he was wrong, and got paid for every VR project they took on. They lost nothing on the wrong bet. Be creatively risk-forward and financially risk-averse. A well-run film studio had a 30 percent hit ratio, meaning 70 percent of what it released broke even or lost money. So you build the balance sheet first, then take the creative swings. "If you can't afford to lose, you don't play the game." Carl Icahn won because he was a good poker player with a huge stack of chips. When things went against him, he didn't sit around moaning. He went to the next game. At 68, he's up at 4:45 and in the gym by 6:45, often twice a day. Looking your best is a form of respect for other people and for yourself. If you look sloppy and out of shape, it's harder to lead. The other half is simply feeling good enough to show up with energy and a smile. He refuses to hold anyone else to his own personal standard. Everyone is on their own journey, and he doesn't want clones. Thirty minutes of walking five days a week is genuinely good for you. That person is showing up for themselves too. No AI slop in Grand Theft Auto. Take-Two builds handcrafted, building by building. Their teams will use state-of-the-art tools to do great work more efficiently. What they won't do is push a button on someone else's model and call the output theirs. "That's yesterday's headlines." Strauss's father-in-law's answer whenever anyone congratulated him. Take-Two doesn't do the who's-better-than-us party. They show sincere appreciation for great work, and then they get up the next morning and do it again. Reflection Questions Who is the person in your life who will tell you that you have it wrong?  What is the confrontation you're avoiding right now, hoping it resolves itself? Have that conversation today. Where are you taking real risk without the balance sheet to survive being wrong? And where are you so protected that you aren't taking any risk at all? More Learning #662: Nick Thompson - Move at an Uncomfortable Pace #626: Rob Kimbel - The Power of Grit and Generosity #525: Frank Slootman - Raise Your Standards & Push the Pace Podcast Chapters00:00 Apply for the Learning Leader Circle 01:01 Meet Strauss Zelnick 03:00 President of Fox at 32 06:15 He Greenlit Dirty Dancing and Thought It Would Flop 09:55 How He Finds Talent 11:30 Align the Words With the Dollar Signs 18:56 One Meeting With 20 People 22:33 Up at 4:45, Gym by 6:45 26:20 No AI Slop in Grand Theft Auto 27:55 Why He Doesn't Feel Lonely at the Top 28:53 His Coach's Advice Was "So What?" 29:51 Every Great Leader Has a Coach 32:37 Direct Advice, Not the Socratic Method 35:31 What He Teaches at MIT Sloan 37:03 "You're Just a Terrible Speaker" 39:27 Arrogance Is the Enemy of Continued Success 41:03 Why He Said No to VR 43:52 Creatively Risk-Forward, Financially Risk-Averse 47:20 That's Yesterday's Headlines 49:51 EOPC    

Award-winning novelist Lily King on finding the emotional arc of a novel, writing the scene you keep avoiding, and making peace with ambition, self-criticism and the long road to a first book.You'll learnWhy the scene you most want to avoid is usually the one your book needs.How a small change in the final pages of one section can rebuild an entire novel.What it means to think in emotional arc rather than theme.The difference between being hard on yourself about writing and being hard on yourself while you write.Why giving yourself permission to write about your own life can unlock everything that follows.When a middle section goes flat, and how to find the engine it's missing.How ambition shows up differently for women writers, and the shame that can come with it.A notebook method built on margins, timelines, and a daily writing log.Why a bad review can be more useful than praise.What nine years on a first novel teaches you about patience.Resources & Links

In this week's episode we are joined by Regina Brooks!Ms. Regina Brooks is the founder and CEO of Serendipity Literary Agency in New York, New York. Her agency is the largest African American owned agency in the country and has represented and established a diverse base of award-winning clients in adult and young adult fiction, nonfiction, and children's literature. Her authors have appeared in USA Today, the New York Times, and the Washington Post as well as on Oprah, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSBNC, TV One, BET, and a host of others. In 2015, Publishers Weekly nominated Regina Brooks as a PW Star Watch Finalist, and she was honored with a Stevie Award in Business. Writer's Digest Magazine named Serendipity Literary Agency as one of the top 25 literary agencies. She is currently the President of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) and co-chair of its Communications Committee, co-producer of the U.S. Book Show, a founding member and board member of Literary Agents of Change (LAOC), and a board member of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP). Formerly, she held senior editorial positions at John Wiley and Sons (where she was not only the youngest but also the first African American editor in their college division) and McGraw-Hill.Prior to her publishing career, she worked as an aerospace engineer and made history as the first African American woman to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from The Ohio State University. She is a graduate of The School of the Arts High School in Rochester, NY.She is the author of Essence Magazine's quick pick children's book, Never Finished, Never Done (Scholastic), Writing Great Books for Young Adults: Everything You Need to Know, from Crafting the Idea to Getting Published, 2e (Sourcebooks), and You Should Really Write a Book: How to Write, Sell, and Market Your Memoir and is a well-received blogger for the Huffington Post. Brooks is also on the faculty of the Harvard University publishing program, Western Connecticut MFA low residency programs, and Writer's Digest University and teaches annually at more than twenty worldwide conferences. She has been highlighted in several national and international magazines and periodicals, including Publishers Weekly, Forbes, Media Bistro, Writers and Poets, Essence Magazine, Ebony, Jet, Women on Writing, Writer's Digest Magazine, The Writer, The Network Journal, and Rolling Out.She was named Woman of the Year by The National Association of Professional Women, A New York Urban League Rising Star Award winner, and a finalist for the StevieTM Award for Women Entrepreneurs. Regina Brooks is featured in books such as Guide to Literary Agents and the NAACP-nominated Down to Business: The First 10 Steps for Women Entrepreneurs, How to Build a Platform, and Bill Duke's Dark Girls. She is also listed in International Who's Who under the categories of Professional Management, Technology, Entrepreneurs, and Engineering. In 2010, Brooks partnered with Marie Brown of Marie Brown and Associates and Marva Allen of Hue Man Bookstore to launch a new publishing imprint with Johnny Temple's Akashic Books called Open Lens.Further, Possibiliteas is the brainchild of the literary agent and tea enthusiast, Regina Brooks, who believed that tea—the world's oldest performance-enhancing beverage—could have a beneficial effect on her clients—writers, artists, and other creative professionals who were looking for fuel for their creative fire.She is a pilot and cofounder of Brooklyn Aviation as well as a member of New York Women in Film and Television.Ms. Brooks is the founder and Co-Executive Director of Y.B. Literary Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit organization designed to kindle a passion for literature within high school students and an appreciation for the possibilities and opportunities that reading can provide.When Regina's not agenting, she's gardening, fishing, and flying her own plane (always in a dress).Buy her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/19191/9781402293528Check out her website here: www.serendipitylit.comFollow Serendipity Lit on IG here: www.instagram.com/serendipitylit/Support the show

Kimberly McCreight is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including Reconstructing Amelia, which was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, and Alex Awards and was called Entertainment Weekly's Favorite Book of the Year. A Good Marriage was named a Best Book of the Summer by the New York Times, People, and Publishers Weekly. It was also an Amazon Best Mystery of the Month. A TV adaptation of A Good Marriage is coming soon from Amazon and Nicole Kidman's Blossom Films. A national bestseller, also currently being adapted for television, Like Mother, Like Daughter was named a CBS New York book club pick and was a Book of the Month selection. McCreight's most recent book is Someone Else's Husband. A Katie Couric Book Club selection, Someone Else's Husband was named a best book of the summer by People, the Boston Globe and Forbes, among others, and an Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far. It has been optioned for television by Lionsgate and 3Arts. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her two daughters. Kimberly joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about how she keeps things moving and how she kept going after dealing with rejection, being a literary writer writing thrillers, writing different point of view characters, inserting flashbacks, twists, perfectionism, how running and training relates to writing, and much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded on July 24, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)  

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pinborough spoke with us about her approach to plotting twists, the stark difference between writing novels and screenplays, and her latest THEY SAY A GIRL DIED HERE. Sarah Pinborough is the New York Times and Sunday Times #1 bestselling author of international hit Behind Her Eyes, published in over 25 territories worldwide. Her latest novel, They Say a Girl Died Here, is describe as “a thrilling, genre-bending mystery about two murdered girls, a town with dark secrets, and a race to break a deadly cycle.” Publishers Weekly called the book, “An addictive tale of Midwestern macabre. . . Pinborough's fierce yet flawed characters are easy to root for, and she doles out the story's shocking secrets at a tantalizing pace. Thriller fans who like it dark will devour this.” Sarah Pinborough was the 2009 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story and also the 2010 and 2014 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and she has four times been short-listed for Best Novel. She is also a screenwriter who has written for the BBC with multiple adaptations in the works. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Sarah Pinborough, Milena, and I discussed: Her former life running a strip club The chance encounter at FantasyCon that led to a three-book deal How she changes gears while shifting mediums Why horror is her favorite genre Hot takes on recent horror films And a lot more! Show Notes: ElevenReader is a new, award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, Web sarahpinborough.com They Say a Girl Died Here: A Novel by Sarah Pinborough (Amazon) Sarah Pinborough Amazon Author Page Sarah Pinborough on Twitter Sarah Pinborough on Facebook Sarah Pinborough on Instagram Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today Will Potter's new book, Little Red Barns, started as a tale about censorship in journalism around industrial agriculture, but became something much bigger: a 10 year investigation look at how factory farming, an ages old mythos of family farms, and the rise of authoritarian politics have all worked in tandem to produce social, economic, and ecological disaster.Will is an investigative journalist and author of Green Is the New Red. In this conversation, we talk about what he found writing Little Red Barns, from the industry's efforts to keep cameras out of factory farms to what that secrecy is really protecting.In this episode, we explore: The story of the “little red barn” that masks a darker truth about industrial agriculture What led Will to spend a decade investigating factory farms and how the project grew beyond ag gag laws How ag gag laws work, and how they've been used to prosecute journalists and whistleblowers Competing visions for what comes next: What role animals play, and should play, in our food system How Will connects factory farming to the broader rise of authoritarian politicsMore about Will:Will Potter is an award-winning investigative journalist and TED Senior Fellow who exposes political repression and the erosion of civil liberties. His reporting and commentary have appeared in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, and Rolling Stone, and has helped overturn prosecutions and challenge censorship laws. He has been invited to testify before the U.S. Congress, the Australian Parliament, and the Council of Europe, advocating for protest rights and press freedom. His landmark book Green Is the New Red revealed how governments and corporations have labeled nonviolent activists as “terrorists.” Counter Terrorism Unit surveillance documents described it as “compelling and well-written.” His new book, Little Red Barns, is the result of a 10-year investigation into factory farms and rising fascism, and was recently named one of Publishers Weekly's most-anticipated releases and a starred review.Will's journalism and scholarship have been heavily influenced by growing up in the hardcore punk scene, and he has collaborated with bands including Rise Against. He was previously a Knight-Wallace Fellow and visiting professor at the University of Michigan, and was named the distinguished journalist-in-residence at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas.————-Agrarian Futures is produced by Alexandre Miller, who also wrote our theme song. This episode was edited by Drew O'Doherty.

In this episode, I reflect on a full-circle reconnection more than 20 years in the making — and on two people who convinced me, once again, that art has the power to change the world. The first is Joni Doherty a former colleague from my teaching days at Franklin Pierce University, who commissioned my very first one-woman show decades ago. After losing touch for two decades, we reconnected when Joni — now Senior Program Officer for Democracy and the Arts at the Kettering Foundation — recommended me as a guest on a podcast hosted by the second powerhouse in this story: Bill Cleveland. Bill is a pioneering arts activist, author, and founder of the Center for the Study of Art and Community, where he trains artists to become community leaders and creative change agents. I share what moved me most from our conversation together on his podcast, Art Is Change — particularly Bill's work bringing art into prisons, and the sense of self-esteem and agency it restored in prisoners serving life sentences. Mentioned in this episode Joni Doherty Senior Program Officer for Democracy and the Arts, Kettering Foundation My guest episode on Art Is Change Bill Cleveland — Founder, Center for the Study of Art and Community; host of Art Is Change My TEDx talk: How I Redeemed 35 Years of Regret — available at triciaroseburt.com or by searching "Tricia Rose Burt TEDx Portsmouth" on YouTube Sponsor Interabang Books — a Dallas-based independent bookstore named one of the country's top five by Publishers Weekly. Shop their curated online collection at interabangbooks.com. Credits Written and produced by Tricia Rose Burt. Produced and scored by Adam Arnone of Echo Finch. Executive producers: Amy Grant, Nancy Perot, and Sage Wheeler. No Time to Be Timid is a presentation of No Time to Be Timid Productions.

Can fantasy, time travel, and storytelling help preserve Cambodia's rich history, folklore, and cultural heritage for future generations? Tune in for an inspiring discussion with Som Phin on her new novel The Dancer's Shadow.Moments with Marianne Radio Show airs in the Southern California area on KMET1490AM & 98.1 FM, an ABC Talk News Radio Affiliate!  https://www.kmet1490am.com Som Phin is a Cambodian-American author dedicated to preserving Khmer history, folklore, and culture through storytelling. Writing across historical fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, and romantasy, she blends ancient mythology with modern themes of identity, family, resilience, and belonging. As an independent author, Som has published more than 35 novels inspired by Cambodian history and mythology. Her work has been recognized by Kirkus Reviews and BookLife by Publishers Weekly, including multiple Editor's Picks. Through her stories, she hopes to introduce readers to Cambodia's rich cultural heritage while inspiring them with unforgettable characters and timeless themes. https://www.somphin.com Order on Amazon: https://a.co/d/01MOm66L Discover inspiring conversations with today's leading authors, celebrities, thought leaders, and change makers. To learn more about the Moments with Marianne Radio Show, explore guest interview opportunities, connect with Marianne, and follow her on social media, visit https://www.mariannepestana.comExplore the Moments with Marianne Book Club and find your next great read: https://www.mariannepestana.com/book-club/Listen to the Moments with Marianne Radio Show on KMET 1490AM & 98.1FM, an ABC News Radio Affiliate, weekdays at 8:06 AM PT / 11:06 AM ET and Sundays at 10:06 AM PT / 1:06 PM ET. Learn more at: https://www.kmet1490am.com/moments-with-marianne

#1 New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter spoke with us about her writing origins, cabin-based creative process, TV adaptations, and her new novel THE SECRETS WE HIDE, a follow-up to #1 hit WE ARE ALL GUILTY HERE.  Karin Slaughter is one of the world's most popular crime thriller writers, a fixture on bestseller lists who has written more than 25 novels. Her work consistently tops the charts and We Are All Guilty Here was her first #1 on the New York Times list. The follow up is to that hit novel is her latest thriller in the North Falls series, The Secrets We Hide. Publishers Weekly wrote of the author, "Slaughter remains as skilled as ever at probing the darker side of life in Georgia."  Karin is published in 120 countries with over 40 million copies sold. The TV series based on her novel PIECES OF HER debuted at #1 worldwide on Netflix, and her beloved Will Trent series is now in its fourth season with ABC. She also wrote the limited series adaptation of The Good Daughter for Peacock, and is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit that supports libraries. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Karin Slaughter, Milena, and I discussed: How she was incentivized to write about dark subjects at a young age The core advice that helps her keep the words flowing Why she writes in sprints that break her brain Where the kernel of her idea for the sequel to We Are All Guilty Here began How to stay prolific by challenging yourself as a writer And a lot more! Show Notes: ElevenReader is a new, award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, Web (00:00) [THE SECRETS WE HIDE]  karinslaughter.com The Secrets We Hide : A Novel By Karin Slaughter (Amazon) Karin Slaughter Amazon Author Page Karin Slaughter on Facebook Karin Slaughter on Instagram Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For centuries, meat has been a cornerstone of cuisines and cultures around the world. Yet as global demand continues to rise, questions about sustainability, food security, human health, animal welfare and the environmental impact of food production have become increasingly urgent. In his new book, Meat, which will be available to purchase, Bruce Friedrich explores a provocative question: How can we continue to satisfy humanity's appetite for meat while addressing the challenges facing our food system? As founder and president of The Good Food Institute, Friedrich has become one of the leading voices in the development of alternative proteins, including plant-based foods, precision fermentation, and cultivated meat. Join us for a timely conversation about the future of food. We will explore the technologies transforming protein production, the opportunities and challenges facing alternative proteins, and the broader questions surrounding nutrition, sustainability, consumer acceptance, and the role of innovation in feeding a growing global population. Whether you are enthusiastic, skeptical or simply curious, this discussion offers an opportunity to examine one of the most important—and controversial—food conversations of our time. About the Speaker Bruce Friedrich is founder & president of the Good Food Institute and author of the new book Meat, which Publishers Weekly selected as a top 10 new release in science and Nature featured Meat as one of its five "best science picks.” The book has earned endorsements from Nobel Laureate in economics Michael Kremer, primatologist Jane Goodall, The Ministry for the Future author Kim Stanley Robinson, bioethicist Peter Singer, SpaceX board member Steve Jurvetson, and others. A Nutrition, Food & Wellness Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Patty James  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ted and Lindsay are joined by Alisa Dean, whose debut novel, The Jezebel List, earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and will be published later this month by Alcove Press.Alisa tells us about the book, which she describes as possibly the first-ever religious trauma rom-com, and how she started to write creatively again after over a decade away due to severe anxiety. She then shares her best writing tip, advice that's sure to resonate with anyone who has ever doubted whether their own particular and distinct voice is actually worthy of committing to the page.In other words, pretty much all of us.Learn more about Alisa and order her book at alisadean.com.

AI transparency is getting more complicated for authors as new European regulations begin affecting Claude users worldwide, a new study challenges assumptions about AI-generated writing, and a record number of Pulitzer winners and finalists disclose AI use. Plus, Publishers Weekly shares fresh publishing industry data, a first-time self-published memoirist sells more than 1,000 copies in five months, Instagram rolls out a new book-focused feature, and YouTube announces much tougher monetization requirements coming in 2027. All that and more in the Self-Publishing News for August 13, 2026.  Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link)  Publishers Weekly: Publishing Sales Hit $33.4 Billion in 2025 - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/101020-estimated-industry-sales-hit-32-5-billion-in-2025.html  European Commission: Guidelines on transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems - https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/guidelines-ai-transparency-obligations  Claude Support: How Claude marks AI-generated content - https://support.claude.com/en/articles/16266773-how-claude-marks-ai-generated-content  Text AI watermarks will always be trivial to remove - https://www.seangoedecke.com/text-ai-watermarks/  The Bottom Line - https://janefriedman.com/subscribe-paid-newsletter/  BBC: AI stories preferred to human-written ones - study - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kmpd6lr80o  Nieman Lab: A record-breaking eight Pulitzer awardees disclosed AI use this year - https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/08/a-record-breaking-eight-pulitzer-awardees-disclosed-ai-use-this-year  The Independent: Instagram's new book feature totally misses the point of reading - https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/books/features/instagram-book-fiction-b3028780.html  Jane Friedman: How I Sold 1,000 Copies of My Self-Published Memoir in Five Months - https://janefriedman.com/how-i-sold-1000-copies-of-my-self-published-memoir-in-five-months/  YouTube Blog: New opportunities to earn and changes to the YouTube Partner Program - https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-partner-program-updates-2027-new-opportunities-earn/  Draft2Digital: YouTube for Authors (LIVE) - https://www.youtube.com/live/T71o5yHGKhY?si=QNHRmImFR58rUgRV  YouTube for Authors by Dale L. Roberts - https://DaleLinks.com/YouTubeBook  Rapid-Fire Newsflash  Kindlepreneur: Writer's Conferences: Where and How to Get the Most out of Them - https://kindlepreneur.com/writers-conferences/ The Indy Author Podcast: Laying the Groundwork for Book Rights Deals with Jane Friedman - #348 - https://youtu.be/1n1LCFvgDZA?si=u15aJRpqK-A7MlTi  Booklinker: Ask Us Anything: Live Book Marketing Advice from Two Experienced Marketers - https://www.thebookmarketinglab.com/Ask-Us-Anything-Book-Marketing Gemsy - https://DaleLinks.com/Gemsy (affiliate link) LAST CALL: Use coupon code DALESUMMER50 for 50% off the annual plan (good till August 20, 2026)   Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Olesya Lyuzna is the author of the Ginny Dugan Mysteries debuting with Glitter in the Dark and the just-released Liars in Paradise (both Simon & Schuster), a queer, female-driven noir series set in the glittering shadows of New York in the Jazz Age. Olesya was Born in Odesa, Ukraine but has spent most of her life in Toronto, where she engages in various creative pursuits, including hosting murder mystery parties and exploring archives for unsolved crimes. Her debut novel, Glitter in the Dark, was recognized in 2020 with a mentorship in the Pitch Wars program, highlighting her talent in the genre. Praise for Olesya Lyuzna's Series Ginny Dugan, her gossip column heroine is pushing hard to do something more meaningful. Witnessing the kidnapping of a famous torch singer at a speakeasy in Harlem, opens the door to becoming a private investigator. https://olesyalyuzna.net/ Ginny sits comfortably among the ranks of classic private eyes, with all the moral ambiguity and world-weariness noir fans could want—plus a welcome dash of queerness, courtesy of a sapphic romance subplot."—Publishers Weekly "This debut turns back the clock with authentic detail and sharply drawn characters and a strong sense of violence and lawlessness."—FirstCLUE "Lyuzna lays on the period detail and springs surprises just where you don't expect them. A colorful period debut that's clearly laying the groundwork for a series."—Kirkus Host Sue Hinkin's Website: https://www.suehinkin.com Music by Peter Tavalin htps://www.petertavalin.com Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gSmxR95Sb94 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/20msqQOX5Du4xqzcCnW7rK Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/olesya-lyunza-the-femme-detectives-ep-3/id687959058?i=1000782999557

Olesya Lyuzna is the author of the Ginny Dugan Mysteries debuting with Glitter in the Dark and the just-released Liars in Paradise (both Simon & Schuster), a queer, female-driven noir series set in the glittering shadows of New York in the Jazz Age. Olesya was Born in Odesa, Ukraine but has spent most of her life in Toronto, where she engages in various creative pursuits, including hosting murder mystery parties and exploring archives for unsolved crimes. Her debut novel, Glitter in the Dark, was recognized in 2020 with a mentorship in the Pitch Wars program, highlighting her talent in the genre. Praise for Olesya Lyuzna's Series Ginny Dugan, her gossip column heroine is pushing hard to do something more meaningful. Witnessing the kidnapping of a famous torch singer at a speakeasy in Harlem, opens the door to becoming a private investigator. https://olesyalyuzna.net/ Ginny sits comfortably among the ranks of classic private eyes, with all the moral ambiguity and world-weariness noir fans could want—plus a welcome dash of queerness, courtesy of a sapphic romance subplot."—Publishers Weekly "This debut turns back the clock with authentic detail and sharply drawn characters and a strong sense of violence and lawlessness."—FirstCLUE "Lyuzna lays on the period detail and springs surprises just where you don't expect them. A colorful period debut that's clearly laying the groundwork for a series."—Kirkus Host Sue Hinkin's Website: https://www.suehinkin.com Music by Peter Tavalin htps://www.petertavalin.com Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gSmxR95Sb94 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/20msqQOX5Du4xqzcCnW7rK Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/olesya-lyunza-the-femme-detectives-ep-3/id687959058?i=1000782999557

National bestselling novelist Diane Les Becquets joins Stories from Real Life for an unforgettable conversation about survival, faith, creativity, and the remarkable healing power of nature.Known for literary novels that immerse readers in America's wild landscapes, Diane has earned acclaim for Breaking Wild, The Last Woman in the Forest, and her newest novel, Where the Water Meets the Sky. Her latest work is a moving coming-of-age story set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that explores grief, memory, forgiveness, and the restorative power of community and the natural world.But during the writing of this novel, Diane faced a life-changing challenge of her own.Diagnosed with five brain aneurysms, she underwent complex surgery and emerged with a transformed perspective on writing, faith, family, and purpose. Following her recovery, she returned to Michigan's Upper Peninsula—traveling to the very locations that inspired her novel—as both a celebration of life and a pilgrimage of gratitude.In this deeply personal episode, Diane shares how beauty, wonder, and wilderness continue to shape both her stories and her life.In This Episode* The inspiration behind Where the Water Meets the Sky* Why Michigan's Upper Peninsula became the heart of the novel* Surviving five brain aneurysms* Finding peace after trauma* Faith, surrender, and creativity* Nature as a source of healing* Why place can become a character* Living with gratitude after facing mortality* What she hopes readers carry with them long after finishing her booksAbout Diane Les BecquetsDiane Les Becquets is the award-winning, national bestselling author of Breaking Wild, The Last Woman in the Forest, and Where the Water Meets the Sky.Her novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews, been featured on NPR's Morning Edition, and earned numerous literary honors, including the Colorado Book Award and the New Hampshire Outstanding Work of Fiction.Drawing from years spent exploring wilderness alongside archaeologists, wildlife biologists, conservationists, and foresters, Diane creates stories where landscape becomes as important as the people who inhabit it. She now lives in New Hampshire and continues to write from her backyard writing studio, “Wild Spaces.”Books Mentioned* Where the Water Meets the Sky* Breaking Wild* The Last Woman in the Forest* Nuremberg, MississippiConnect with Diane Les Becquets

Poet Maya C. Popa on writing with wonder, the ruthless craft of revision, and building a sustainable life in poetry. You'll learn Why wonder has more in common with the sublime — the beautiful and the terrible — than with simple delight. How a poem loses its charge the moment its ending is visible from the opening line. What “negative capability” asks of a writer stuck in the dark middle of a draft. The question worth asking when the work feels uncomfortable and you're certain something has gone wrong. A ruthless method for finding a poem's true entry point — often buried three-quarters of the way down. When to cut the images you love most, even the ones that took hours to invent. How to write about longing and love without collapsing into confession. Why asking your writing to carry your finances can quietly poison your relationship with it. What to guard at all costs while holding space for other writers. The freedom that arrives once rejection stops meaning anything at all. Resources & Links

Send us Fan MailWe spend billions of dollars each year funding scientific discovery - but what happens if the people making those discoveries can't communicate them? Today we're exploring why communication may be just as important as innovation itself, and why some of the world's brightest scientists never receive the recognition their work deserves.Nancy Ancowitz ( https://www.nancyancowitz.com/ ) is career strategist, executive presentation coach, author, educator, and one of the country's leading experts on helping professionals communicate their expertise with clarity, confidence, and authenticity.Nancy has spent more than two decades teaching communication, presentation skills, and career strategy at New York University ( https://www.sps.nyu.edu/faculty-directory/10734-nancy-h-ancowitz.html ) while coaching everyone from emerging professionals to CEOs on how to translate knowledge into influence. Nancy is the author of the acclaimed Self-Promotion for Introverts® ( https://www.amazon.com/Self-Promotion-Introverts-Quiet-Guide-Getting-ebook/dp/B00394U8DS?ref_=ast_author_dp&th=1&psc=1 ), recognized by Publishers Weekly as one of the year's best business books, as well as Zoom to Success and Business Writing: Say More With Less.Before launching her coaching practice, Nancy spent twelve years on Wall Street, leading marketing communications for multibillion-dollar businesses as a Vice President at JPMorgan Chase and earlier at Citibank, where she was recognized for innovation in global marketing communications. Along the way, her insights have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Psychology Today, and she has spoken at organizations ranging from the National Institutes of Health to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.Today, we're taking Nancy's work in a slightly different direction. Here on Progress, Potential and Possibilities, we spend much of our time with scientists, physicians, engineers, biotech founders, and technology innovators who are developing extraordinary breakthroughs - but often struggle to communicate those breakthroughs beyond their laboratories, companies, and research institutions.In an age where groundbreaking discoveries compete with endless streams of information, social media, and artificial intelligence, is communication becoming just as important as innovation itself? Can brilliant ideas change the world if their creators never learn to tell their story?We explore why communication, authenticity, and thoughtful self-promotion may be some of the most underrated drivers of scientific and technological progress.#ScienceCommunication #STEM #Innovation #Leadership #PublicSpeaking #CommunicationSkills #Scientists #Biotechnology #ArtificialIntelligence #InnovationLeadership #Entrepreneurship #CareerDevelopment #PresentationSkills #PersonalBranding #AuthenticLeadership #ProgressPotentialPossibilitiesSupport the show

Today I am interviewing Bruce Friedrich, the author of the newly published book "Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity's Favorite Food―and Our Future." Bruce Friedrich is the president and founder of the Good Food Institute, one of the leading think tanks working to make the global food system better for the planet, people, and animals. As an international network of organizations, they advance alternative proteins to help meet climate, global health, food security, and biodiversity goals. Bruce Friedrich serves as GFI's chief thought leader and relationship-builder, working in close partnership with GFI's global teams and food system stakeholders around the world. Before founding the Good Food Instiute, he served as Director of Policy for four years at Farm Sanctuary. Prior to that, he worked at PETA for 15 years as Head of Public Campaigns, leading many of the organization's highest-profile and most memorable campaigns. Bruce has penned op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Nature Food, Wired, and many other publications. He has represented GFI on the Ezra Klein Show, Making Sense (Sam Harris), TED Radio Hour, New Yorker Radio Hour, PBS News Hour, and a variety of other podcasts and TV programs. Bruce's TED talk has been viewed almost 2.5 million times and translated into 30 languages. Nature featured Bruce's 2026 book Meat as one of its five “best science picks,” and Publishers Weekly selected Meat as one of the 10 best new releases in science, writing: “This packed account makes food science feel like an urgent and essential undertaking.” The book has also received praise from Nobel Laureate in economics Michael Kremer, primatologist Jane Goodall, and science fiction master Kim Stanley Robinson, among many others. Bruce graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown Law and also holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University, the London School of Economics, and Grinnell College. This episode was produced by Jack Lucas Chang.

In a Crime Time FM/Verve Special Editor Jenna Gordon chats to author Laura Sims about her new novel, The Man, Vivian Maier, Diane Argus, Hitchcock and Highsmith, Rear Window, obsession, perspective and the male gaze. The Man: From the highly acclaimed author of How Can I Help You comes a masterful domestic suspense novel that follows a 1960s housewife turned amateur photographer who begins to fear for her life when she notices the dark silhouette of a man in the background of her self-portraits. The photos Judith Stanley takes are just for her, a private passion to fill her suburban days. But when she shares them with Paul Sorenson, her new photography instructor, she's unprepared to hear his astonished praise. 'Stunning,' he calls her photos. 'Extraordinary.' She has an uncanny eye, he says, and should consider publication. He could help. Except Judith has no interest in sharing her work; in fact, the mere idea of it frightens her. Still, emboldened by Paul's encouragement, Judith ventures out beyond her quiet neighbourhood to the city in search of increasingly striking images. When she starts to notice the dark shape of a man in the corner of her self-portraits, Judith is certain he's an attacker from her past. She doesn't know why he has returned, but she's sure of his presence: the hoarse sound of his breathing, his hard grip on her elbow. Perhaps it would appease the man if she were to put her camera down and give up her private passion. But she can't; she refuses. Until one night when the man finally emerges from the shadows, and Judith's story suddenly and irrevocably becomes his own. Chilling and heart-poundingly propulsive, The Man explores the inescapable fear of living as a woman, the tantalizing seduction of artistic freedom and the very real dangers that lurk both inside and outside the confines of the mind.Laura Sims's third novel, THE MAN, Verve/Putnam, July 2026. Her novels HOW CAN I HELP YOU (2023) and LOOKER (2019) have been on Best Books lists in The New York Times, Vogue, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, Publishers Weekly, and more. An award-winning poet, Sims has published four poetry collections; her essays and poems have appeared in The New Republic, Boston Review, Lit Hub, and Electric Lit. She lives in New Jersey, where she works part-time as a children's librarian. Recommends: In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B Hughes, Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, Sea Wife by Amity Gage.Jenna Gordon is the Editorial Director at Verve BooksProduced by Junkyard DogCrime TimeCrime Time FM is the official podcast ofGwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2023 & 2025CrimeFest 2023CWA Daggers 2023-2026 & National Crime Reading Month& Newcastle Noir 2023 and 20242024 Slaughterfest,  

A new Craftwork conversation with April Dávila, author of Sit Write Here: 6 Mindfulness Practices to Help You Write More and Suffer Less (St. Martin's Essentials). April Dávila is an award-winning author, speaker, and writing coach. Publishers Weekly called her debut novel, 142 Ostriches, a "vivid, uplifting debut" and the book went on to win the WILLA Award for Women Writing the West. Writer's Digest listed her blog (at aprildavila.com) as one of the Best 101 Websites for Writers and she is the creator of the Sit Write Here writing coaching program, helping writers quiet their inner critics, overcome writer's block, and edit more effectively. *** Today's episode is brought to you by Rula. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high-quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.rula.com/otherppl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started. *** ⁠⁠⁠Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠⁠⁠ is a weekly literary podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠, etc. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠Brad Listi's email newsletter⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠proud affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠⁠⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are everywhere, but are they dangerous shortcuts, life-changing tools, or both?   In this episode of The Body Wisdom Podcast, Jamie Belz, FNTP, MHC, and nutrition expert Kelly Dorfman examine both sides of the GLP-1 debate, including the risks, benefits, and unanswered questions surrounding semaglutide, tirzepatide, weight loss, blood sugar, food noise, and metabolic health.   Kelly Dorfman, M.S., L.D.N., is a leading expert in using therapeutic nutrition to support brain function, energy, and mood. She has appeared on CNN's American Morning and in The Wall Street Journal, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Goop. Her award-winning book, Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connections Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments, was praised by Publishers Weekly for its "fascinating and potentially life-changing advice."   GLP-1 medications are criticized as an easy button for weight loss. They can cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, dehydration, nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss, bone loss, and other serious side effects. Questions remain about their long-term effects, what happens when someone stops taking them, and whether users may need them for life.   At the same time, GLP-1s are life-changing for some people. They may help those who have spent years battling obesity, insulin resistance, constant hunger, food noise, or a body that will not respond despite consistent effort. These medications may quiet obsessive thoughts about food, reduce overeating, improve metabolic markers, and remove shame from a struggle not always solved by discipline.   So, are GLP-1s really that bad? Or have both sides become too absolute?   Jamie and Kelly explore: • How Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, semaglutide, and tirzepatide differ • Why appetite, food noise, overeating, and weight are not simply matters of willpower • How GLP-1s affect digestion, blood sugar, inflammation, and reward pathways • Why rapid weight loss can mean losing muscle, collagen, and essential nutrients • The benefits of reducing overeating and improving metabolic health • The risks of digestive problems, dehydration, nutrient deficiencies, and diminished desire • Why protein, fiber, hydration, nutrients, and professional support matter • Whether GLP-1s are temporary tools or lifelong commitments • What may happen when someone stops taking a GLP-1 • How GLP-1s may affect alcohol cravings and other compulsive behaviors • Why foundational health habits still matter • How to make an informed, bio-individual decision without shame, hype, or fear   GLP-1 medications are neither all good nor all bad. For the wrong person, they may create more problems than they solve. For the right person, with the right dose and support, they may be genuinely life-changing.   Jamie encourages listeners to give the Foundations of Health an honest try and seek individualized guidance from a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.   This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.   Other Episodes Mentioned: ⁠S2E5 (about protein)⁠ ⁠S1E7 Dehydration Nation⁠ ⁠S1E35 (on childhood obesity)⁠ Find Kelly Dorfman Online at ⁠www.kellydorfman.com⁠. Get Kelly's book:⁠ Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments ⁠ Connect with Jamie on Instagram:  ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamiebelzfntp/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stories/thebodywisdompodcast/⁠⁠ Work with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP): ⁠⁠NTP in Private Practice⁠⁠ ⁠⁠NTP at NTA Health ⁠⁠  Check out the ⁠Nutritional Therapy Association ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Join a webinar to see if the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Program is right for you!⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ Please give The Body Wisdom Podcast a five-star review and share this episode with a friend. THANK YOU!

Struggling to heal no matter what you try? Your body (not your mind) may hold the real pathway to self-healing, wholeness, and lasting well-being.

CANREADS Book Review described The Divided Brain as "a practical and insightful guide," noting that it "explores how emotion and logic shape decision-making in branding and communication" by translating complex psychological concepts into accessible strategies.  The CANREADS win follows earlier recognition from BookLife by Publishers Weekly. The Divided Brain received a perfect 10/10 BookLife Prize score, was named a BookLife Editor's Pick, and was recognized as a BookLife Prize Semifinalist. Together, these honours position the book as a timely resource for leaders, marketers, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and communicators who want to understand the behavioural forces behind attention, trust, and influence.  Larche's perspective is grounded in decades of real-world business, media, and audience experience. He founded Larche Communications, which grew to five radio stations and a branding agency, earned more than 25 industry awards, and completed successful exits. The principles in The Divided Brain grew from behavioural branding ideas Larche developed, tested, and refined while building media brands and competing for audience attention in crowded markets."People do not choose with logic alone," said Larche. "That is true whether you are building a brand, leading a team, selling an idea, asking for support, or trying to communicate through the noise. I wrote The Divided Brain to make human behaviour easier to understand and more useful in the real world."Since the book's release, Larche has brought its message to broader audiences through national and international podcast appearances, interviews, and keynote speaking engagements. His central message is direct: people make decisions emotionally before they explain them rationally, and anyone trying to lead, sell, or build trust needs to understand that human reality."After years in broadcasting, branding, and business ownership, you learn that attention and trust are earned," said Larche. "The book is about the human side of decision-making, and about how professionals can be more effective by understanding behaviour more clearly."The Divided Brain: Understanding Human Behaviour in Branding and Business is available through Amazon and major booksellers. The audiobook is available on AudibleBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

According to Publishers Weekly, traditional publishers released more than 18,000 business and economic books over the past year. Self-published authors released thousands more. Add to that the business podcasts, seminars, and articles produced each year, and it could be easy to be overwhelmed with the volume of business insight that's available to us. But the ... The post Business Wisdom appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Samina Najmi joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about growing up under a military dictatorship in Pakistan, the colonial legacy in South Asia, writing about migration, race, and gender, teaching as a secular Muslim woman in the aftermath of 911, living displaced lives, leaning into bursts of memory, anchoring ourselves in moments, writing an essay collection over 10 years, learning from realistic fiction, lyrical essays grounded in research, allowing our writing to spill over into different categories, embracing an expansive literary community, how home is less a place than a moment in time, willing to be vulnerable on the page, building trust with readers, and her new memoir Sing Me a Circle: Love, Loss, and a Home in Time.   Ronit's upcoming workshop: Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story   Also in this episode: - entering writing contests - our expansive literary community - the different kinds of displacement  - fragments that come together later   Books mentioned in this episode:  - Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall - The Names by N. Scott Momaday - The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston - You and Yours by Naomi Shihab Nye   Samina Najmi teaches multiethnic US literature at California State University, Fresno. Her memoir-in-essays, Sing Me a Circle: Love, Loss, and a Home in Time, won the Aurora Polaris Award in Creative Nonfiction and was published by Trio House Press in Oct, 2025. It has received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and is featured among Poets & Writers' five nonfiction debuts of the year and Debutiful's Best Nonfiction Debuts of 2025. The Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) includes it among notable 2025 nonfiction debuts and its recommended reading lists for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month 2025 and Women's History Month 2026. Daughter of multiple migrations, Samina grew up in Pakistan and England, began her American life in Boston, and has called Fresno home since 2006.  Connect with Samina: Website: saminanajmi.com Instagram: samina.najmi Facebook: Samina Najmi Purchase book: https://www.triohousepress.org/samina-najmi – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book.   More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social

Gayle Feldman is a journalist who has covered the book publishing industry for decades for Publishers Weekly and The Bookseller, among many other publications. Her new book is Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built, published by Random House with legendary editor Bob Loomis. In this episode, Gayle traces Bennett Cerf's improbable arc from Jewish Harlem to Columbia University to Wall Street and finally to the founding of Random House.She tells the stories behind some of the most consequential moments in American publishing history: the legal battle to publish James Joyce's Ulysses, the creation of The Cat in the Hat and Beginner Books, the publication of Portnoy's Complaint, and more from the early days of Random House.Photo credit: Michael Lionstar

In this episode, Merideth Hite Estevez joins me to talk about what happens when a lifetime of chasing excellence quietly empties out the joy that started it all. We dig into the idols hiding inside performance and perfectionism, why she redefines art not as a talent for the gifted few but as something anyone can do out of love, and what it means to create as an act of worship instead of proof of worth. It's a conversation about shame, recovery, and the spiritual thread running through every creative act - whether you call yourself an artist or not.Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez is a coach, educator, oboist, and author of The Artist's Joy. Through her workshops, her award-winning podcast Artists for Joy, and her one-to-one coaching, she is a spiritual space-maker for artists, leading thousands in various fields to creative recovery. Dr. Estevez has performed with top orchestras and holds degrees in oboe from The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music. Her writing, which Publishers Weekly calls “expansive and joyful,” illuminates the spiritual journey of the artist. Her next book, Art Is How God Loves Us, debuts in July 2026. She hails from Abbeville, SC, but now lives in Metro Detroit, Michigan, with her husband, Rev. Dr. Edwin Estevez, and their two children.Merideth's Book:Art is How God Loves UsMerideth's Recommendation:CounterweightsConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.comGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeSupport the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Support the show

New York Times bestselling author and Shakespeare Professor Emeritus, Eloisa James, spoke with us about balancing literary scholarship with romance writing, leaving academia to write full-time, and her new “gothic adjacent” novel, THE LAST LADY B. Eloisa James is a New York Times bestselling author who has lead a “double life” as both Mary Bly—a Harvard, Oxford, and Yale-educated Shakespeare professor—and Eloisa James—a powerhouse of historical romance (recognized for her Regency and Georgian-era romances). Eloisa, called “a reigning queen of romance” by CBS Sunday Morning and a newly retired Shakespeare professor, continues to reinvent herself with her latest novel. THE LAST LADY B is a sharp, contemporary take on historical romance and her first foray into near-gothic storytelling—described as Jane Austen meets The White Lotus in the Scottish Highlands. Publishers Weekly said of the book in a starred review, "As the intrigue ramps up—complete with death, scandalous revelations, criminal allegations, and the potential for supernatural interference—sparks fly …" Eloisa James inherited a fascination with literature from her father, American Book Award-winning poet Robert Bly; her mother, short story author Carol Bly; and her godfather, Pulitzer Prize winner James Wright. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Eloisa James, Milena, and I discussed: The burnout she experienced as a professor and former head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University Why she decided to break the fourth wall and write her latest in first person What the romance genre offers writers in creative freedom and experimentation Her Popular course on writing genre fiction “Dragons, Daggers, and Dukes” How she collaborated with co-author Julia Quinn And a lot more! Show Notes: ElevenReader is a new, award-winning audio app for iOS, Android, Web Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/files! #squarepod eloisajames.com  The Last Lady B: A Novel By Eloisa James (Author) Eloisa James on Facebook Eloisa James on TikTok Eloisa James on Instagram Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Markya Biaggio, author of the book Margery and Me. Maryka is a former professor of psychology and practicing clinical psychologist. She began writing novels in her middle years, and she's been writing up a storm since then. Now she's an award-winning novelist specializing in historical fiction based on real people. She loves unearthing the stories of people overlooked by history and bringing them back to life—portraying their challenges and foibles and rekindling their emotional world. She prides herself on carefully researching the period and people and providing readers with an immersive experience.   Her fiction has won several accolades, including Willamette Writers Award, Oregon Writers Colony Award, Historical Novel Society Review Editors' Choice, La Belle Lettre Award, an Upper Peninsula of Michigan Notable Books Award, a Regional Arts & Council grant, and a Publishers Weekly pick.   She's an avid opera fan and enjoys gardening, art films, and, of course, great fiction. She lives in Portland, Oregon.   In my book review, I stated Margery and Me is a historical fiction by Maryka Biaggio. Mina Crandon to her friends - and Margery to the world - discovers she has an amazing ability. She can talk to the dead - specifically, her brother, Walter, who died in a train accident. Before long, she has captured the attention of some very famous people and organizations - some of whom believed in her spiritual abilities and some who did not. Her biggest opposition was Harry Houdini.   This story is told from the voice of Walter, and he doesn't hold back. It seems Margery isn't a prim and proper lady. Although married to a doctor, she loves to flirt and finds comfort in many of her male supporters. And Walter does his best to dissuade her from making a mess of things - or more of a mess than she's already made.   Can she really summon the dead? Do psychics really exist? What would you have decided back in the 1920s?   Maryka based this book on the true story of Margery Crandon, and I love how she finds people that history forgot! I loved The Gun Girl and the Tall Guy, and I loved Margery and Me, too! Pick up a copy and you won't be sorry!   Subscribe to Online for Authors to learn about more great books! https://www.youtube.com/@onlineforauthors?sub_confirmation=1   You can follow Author Markya Biaggio Website: https://marykabiaggio.com/ FB: @ParlorGames IG: @authormaryka LinkedIn: @Maryka Biaggio   Purchase Margery and Me on Amazon: Paperback: https://amzn.to/4djIKAD Ebook: https://amzn.to/48PTu8n   Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor IG: @terimbrown_author X: @terimbrown1   Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/onlineforauthors   #marykabiaggio #margeryandme #historicalfiction #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Internationally acclaimed scriptwriter, creator, and film producer, Soren Sveistrup, discusses his new release, HIDE AND SEEK. A woman goes missing…her phone is full of texts from a chilling children's counting rhyme. Recognizing the rhyme from a horrendous crime committed decades earlier, Detectives Thulin and Hess will risk everything to stop the killer before they strike again. "Scandi noir at its best. Sveistrup proves himself a master of his craft." ⎯ Publishers Weekly (starred review) Listen in as we chat about how childhood fears influence his work, who makes the best detectives, and Soren's pic for favorite slasher films of the 80s! (BTW: If you haven't seen the hugely popular Netflix adaptation of THE CHESTNUT MAN, add it to your viewing list, because HIDE AND SEEK will be out on Netflix soon!) To learn more, follow Soren on instagram @soren.sveistrup. https://www.mariesutro.com/twisted-passages-podcast ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Søren Sveistrup is an internationally acclaimed scriptwriter of the Danish television phenomenon The Killing which won various international awards and sold in more than a hundred countries. Sveistrup also wrote the screenplay for Jo Nesbø's The Snowman. Sveistrup obtained a Masters in Literature and History from the University of Copenhagen and studied at the Danish Film School. He has won countless prizes, including an Emmy for Nikolaj and Julie and a BAFTA for The Killing. His debut novel, The Chestnut Man, was an international bestseller, and a highly successful Netflix show. Hide And Seek is coming soon to Netflix.

In this week's episode of The Watchung Booksellers Podcast, authors Judith Lindbergh and Stephanie Cowell discuss their decades long writers' group, the importance of writing with other writers, and how to find your own writing community.Judith Lindbergh's award-winning new novel, Akmaral, about a nomad woman warrior on the ancient Central Asian steppes, was called “crackling” by Publishers Weekly and “a gripping saga” by Christina Baker Kline. Her debut, The Thrall's Tale, about women in Viking Age Greenland, was an IndieBound Pick praised by Pulitzer Prize winners Geraldine Brooks and Robert Olen Butler. She has published with the Smithsonian and provided expert commentary for History Channel documentaries. Judith received a 2024 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. She is the Founder/Director of The Writers Circle, a creative writing center based in New Jersey.Stephanie Cowell has been an opera singer, balladeer, founder of Strawberry Opera and other arts venues including a Renaissance festival in NYC. She is the author of seven novels, including Marrying Mozart, Claude & Camille: a novel of Monet, The Boy in the Rain, and The Man in the Stone Cottage: a novel of the Brontë sisters. Her work has been translated into several languages and adapted into an opera. Stephanie is the recipient of an American Book Award. She has lived in NYC all her life.Resources:Writers Circle WorkshopCasey KellyMontclair Literary FestivalBooks:A full list of the books and authors mentioned in this episode is available here.Register for Upcoming Events.The Watchung Booksellers Podcast is produced by Kathryn Counsell and Marni Jessup and is recorded at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ. The show is edited by Kathryn Counsell.Original music is composed and performed by Violet Mujica. Research and show notes by Caroline Shurtleff.Thanks to all the staff at Watchung Booksellers and The Kids' Room!If you liked our episode please like, follow, and share!Stay in touch!Email: wbpodcast@watchungbooksellers.comSocial: @watchungbooksellersSign up for our newsletter to get the latest on our shows, events, and book recommendations!

David Heska Wanbli Weiden is an award winning author, professor, and an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota nation. He received his MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts, his law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He's professor of English and Native American and Indigenous Studies at Stony Brook University and also serves on the faculty of the Cedar Crest Pan-European MFA Program. He lives in New York and Colorado with his family. Hw is the author of Wisdom Corner, forthcoming in July, 2026 from Ecco/HarperCollins. He's also the author of the national bestseller Winter Counts (Ecco, 2020), which was the winner of many awards, and was a New York Times Editors' Choice, an Indie Next pick, main selection of the Book of the Month Club, and named a Best Book of the year by NPR, Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, The Guardian, and other magazines. The novel is included in Time magazine's list of the 100 best mystery and thriller novels of all time. We talk about his book Wisdom Corner, Native Americans, his book Winter Counts, the broken criminal justice system on Indian Reservations, Native American boarding schools, the word "Indian" and whether or not it is offensive, the Sicangu Lakota Nation, Native American history, bison, life of the Indians before Europeans came, the slaughter of the bison, passages from the book, religion, Buddhism, Lakota spirituality, treaties made and broken, the future of Native Americans, football, writing a best seller as a first novel, the role of fiction in bringing about social change, teaching creative writing, writing dialogue, books, short stories, favorite authors, movies, the Native American Literary renaisance, and more.

What did you think of this episode?Are you using the most important piece of your novel-writing puzzle? You're not alone. Get ready to hear today's story behind the story with DiAnn Mills. Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. I'm your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. I'm so glad you're listening in. During this episode, we continue a new addition to Your Best Writing Life with The Story Behind the Stories series.My industry expert, DiAnn Mills, is a bestselling author who invites readers to expect an adventure through heart-pounding suspense, romance, and faith-filled stories. Her novels have landed on the CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists and won numerous awards. DiAnn mentors writers nationwide. She lives in Houston, Texas. Connect with DiAnn at diannmills.com, or on her social media platforms on her website. We all want to know the story behind Canyon of Deceit! Yet I can't help but tap into your writing craft prowess with my first question - 1.     What is the most important puzzle piece of writing a novel?2.     You have talked to us before about research. What went into the research for Canyon of Deceit?3.     Tell us about the songs that accompany the book.Writer's tips.Tip 1: Journal…Tip 2: Research…Tip 3: Pray… don't be afraidOvercoming your fear of research - downloadListener giveaway… Sacred Seasons of the Heart download – poems & quotesAs we wrap up – tell us about your Suspense at Sea Reader Cruise - Join me and Traci Abramson Suspense at Sea Reader Cruise – Writers too!January 16-23, 2027 https://diannmills.com/event/suspense-at-sea-reader-cruise/Royal Caribbean: https://www.purplekoalacruises.com/GroupRegistrations/view/136564/cruiseWhile at sea, we have scavenger hunts, games, contests, and just plain fun!Mastering the Art of Writing Fiction Question for DiAnn - Email her!You can find out more about DiAnn below:SOCIAL LINKS:https://www.diannmills.com https://www.facebook.com/diannmills/ https://www.instagram.com/diannmillsauthor/ https://www.youtube.com/user/diannmills https://x.com/diannmillshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/81639.DiAnn_MillsBOOK LINKS:Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/2jjh2886Website: https://diannmills.com/product/canyon-of-deceit/Visit  Your Best Writing Life website.Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing LifeYour host - Linda Goldfarb#1 Podcast in the "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers in 2024".Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy PodcastAwarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast

In Episode 227, Sarah talks with book industry analyst Brenna Connor about the behind-the-scenes world of book sales, bestseller lists, and publishing trends. Brenna shares insight into how sales data is gathered and used across the publishing industry, from tracking pre-orders and audiobooks to measuring the impact of celebrity book clubs and award recognition. They also discuss what makes a book commercially "successful," what current reading trends are revealing about 2026 so far, and what Brenna is watching for in the second half of the year. Plus, Brenna shares her own book recommendations. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Why tracking book sales is far more complicated than most readers realize — including what Circana can and can't actually measure. A behind-the-scenes look at bestseller lists and the role Circana data plays in lists like the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. The famously secretive methodology behind the New York Times Bestseller List. The impact celebrity book clubs and reading lists from Reese, Oprah, and Obama have on book sales. What current sales data is revealing about 2026 reading trends — and how the economy may be shaping book buying habits. Brenna shares the books she recommends — and the trends she's watching for the rest of the year. Brenna's Book Recommendations Two OLD Books She Loves The Unseen World by Liz Moore (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:13] Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:00]   Other Books Mentioned The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (2024) [40:22] Long Bright River by Liz Moore (2020) [40:23]   Two NEW Books She Loves Whale Harbor by Mary Beth Keane (November 3, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:07] Joyride by Susan Orlean (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:01] Other Books Mentioned Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (2019) [45:12] The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane (2023) [45:14]  The Library Book by Susan Orlean (2018) [46:12]  One Book She DIDN'T Love Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:29] Other Books Mentioned The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (2019) [47:51] These Precious Days by Ann Patchett (2021) [47:57]  Whistler by Ann Patchett (2026) [48:55]  One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About Life Out of Order (The Time Traveler's Wife, 2) by Audrey Niffenegger (October 6, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:25] Other Books Mentioned The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (2003) [49:37]  Books From the Discussion Untitled (A Court of Thorns and Roses, 6) by Sarah J. Maas (October 27, 2026) [9:38] Untitled (A Court of Thorns and Roses, 7) by Sarah J. Maas (January 12, 2027) [9:38] Strangers by Belle Burden (2026) [11:54]  Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018) [15:35]  The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin (2023) [15:45] Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (2022) [15:53] The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) [25:52]   No One's Coming by Kevin Hazzard (2026) [31:38]  London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe (2026) [31:53]  Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021) [33:35] Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, 1) by Matt Dinniman (2024)* [33:40]  Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (2026) [36:58]  Life Out of Order (The Time Traveler's Wife, 2) by Audrey Niffenegger (October 6, 2026) [37:00]  Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (2025)* [38:39]  *Publication year reflects the later traditionally published edition. These titles were originally self-published. Other Links Publishing Confidential, on Substack | "A Tale of Three Bestseller Lists" by Kathleen Schmidt

“The hyperreal is the real. The surreal is the real in The United States. We've reached that point. The absurd is the real. And so that's what I was trying to capture in the book.” — Ben Fountain Our absurdist-in-chief wants a $250 banknote with his face on it. But the satirist Ben Fountain gives the President something even more valuable. In his new novel Rasputin Swims the Potomac, Fountain delivers something quite priceless: a book that Trump deserves. In Fountain's novel, a sitting president, running for a third term, enlists a world champion professional wrestler, Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin, to help secure his re-election. Born Patrick Walsh Strickland in Buffalo, New York, Rasputin served in special forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, spent six years in a monastery, became fluent in Russian, and claims to be a real Russian monk. Evangelicals start defecting to Rasputin. A pandemic of “weeping sickness” sweeps the nation. It's almost as unbelievable as a sitting President wanting a $250 banknote glowing with his orange face. Fountain's parallels with late Tsarist Russia are hard to miss — the chasmic wealth inequality, the impossible get-rich schemes, the quack religions, the gilded decadence, the dying social classes, the mad politicians. It's scary stuff. Fountain says that we should even be careful taking his summer novel to the beach. Rather than Jaws-dropping, Rasputin Swims the Potomac, he warns, might bite us back. Maybe we should put Ben Fountain's face on that $250 bill. Five Takeaways •       The Hyperreal Is the Real: America Has Beaten Its Satirists: When Fountain sat down to write the book in early 2023, he was thinking about the blurring of the line between reality and fantasy in American life. Trump, throughout his career, has blurred that line to masterful effect. Fountain's question: what would be the next step on that continuum? His answer: professional wrestling — famously fake, scripted, and yet real, happening in real flesh and blood. Suppose a wrestler ran for president as his wrestling persona, with the fake baked in and everyone knowing it's fake. Suppose the country buys it. Because the hyperreal is the real. The surreal is the real. America has already reached that point. •       Why Wrestling, Not Politics: Jesse Ventura — “Jesse the Body” — ran for governor of Minnesota and won. But he ran as Jesse Ventura himself. Fountain's innovation: a wrestler who runs as his or her wrestling persona, with the character fully intact. Rasputin — born Patrick Walsh Strickland in Buffalo, special forces veteran, six years in a Russian monastery, world champion wrestler in Japan, legally changed name — never breaks character. He is the historical Rasputin, back from the dead, a holy man of the Russian Orthodox Church. Evangelicals start defecting to him because he's speaking their language. The fake is the real. •       Late Tsarist Russia and Contemporary America: Striking Parallels: Fountain read three or four biographies of the historical Rasputin. The deeper he got, the more striking the parallels. Late Tsarist Russia: extreme wealth inequality, get-rich schemes everywhere in St Petersburg and Moscow, quack religions and spiritualists plying their trade, extreme decadence among the upper classes. A social structure that could not be maintained. People's emotional responses to chaos. Fountain: not just in material terms but in terms of how people were feeling, the parallels to the United States are really striking. Gogol, not Baudrillard, is his natural ancestor. •       The Satirist as Realist: Andrew raises Baudrillard and hyper-realism. Fountain's response: he is a realist down to his bones. Whatever he does, it has to be anchored in some fundamental sense in the real world, as he understands it. American life has become such that the surreal is the real, the comical is the real, the absurd is the real. He didn't set out to write satire. He set out to write the story as genuinely and authentically as he could. The question of genre came afterwards, asked by other people. He is just a realist. It's just that American reality is Rasputin swimming the Potomac. •       Living in the Belly of the Beast: Dallas and North Carolina: Fountain lived in Dallas, Texas for forty-one years — what he calls the most American city of all, better and worse. In Dallas, the free market and capitalism are so much a part of daily consciousness that there's very little awareness that there might be different ways of living. Fountain: it's very conservative and very conservative. For someone to the left of Gandhi, his assumptions are always being challenged. He has to think about how he's thinking about things. That productive discomfort — not Brooklyn, not Los Angeles — is where this book comes from. About the Guest Ben Fountain is the author of Rasputin Swims the Potomac (Flatiron Books, June 9, 2026), Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (National Book Critics Circle Award winner, National Book Award finalist), Beautiful Country Burn Again, and Brief Encounters with Che Guevara (PEN/Hemingway Award). He is the recipient of the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, the Thomas Wolfe Prize, and a Whiting Writers Award. He lives in New Bern, North Carolina. References: •       Rasputin Swims the Potomac by Ben Fountain (Flatiron Books, June 9, 2026). Named a Best Book of Summer by the LA Times, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Boston Globe, Newsday, and New York Post. •       Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain (2012) — the predecessor referenced throughout. •       Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and Revolution by Ben Fountain (2018) — his 2016 election nonfiction, referenced in the conversation. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters: (...

Drop us a note about the podcast. “I am the gate for the sheep.” That single line from John 10 forces a decision: do we actually believe Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, or do we try to climb in some other way through politics, tradition, self-help, or a softer gospel that never confronts us? We read John 10 and sit with the difference between the Good Shepherd who lays down His life and the hired hand who runs when danger shows up. The question underneath it all is practical, not abstract: whose voice are we following, and where is it taking us?From there, we move into the messier parts of real life. We talk about national tragedy, the limits of a free country, and why we think mass illegal immigration and cultural incompatibility can crush liberty. Then we shift into prayer for our leaders and for the people who stand between our communities and evil: military, law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS. Faith is not a weekend hobby here. It's the foundation we either build on or ignore at our own cost.We also read 1 Corinthians 7 and address Christian marriage advice straight from Scripture: mutual duty, consent, seasons of prayer, and the need for self-control. We push back on churches that get offended by the Bible being read plainly, and we reinforce a simple standard for every Christian home: the first place we go for marriage truth is the Bible, and everything else must agree with it.If this conversation challenges you, share it with someone who needs it, subscribe for more, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What's the hardest part of John 10 for you to accept or apply?#BibleScripture #ChristianNation#ContinentalCongress Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribeCountryside Book Serieshttps://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2 

Acclaimed debut author Darby Bozeman spoke with us about her journey from middle school English teacher to published author, and her debut thriller, SUMMER'S NEVER OVER. Darby Bozeman, originally from Portland, Oregon, relocated to the American South for graduate school, earning a master's degree in teaching from the University of Georgia. Before pivoting to full-time writing, she spent five years as a middle school English teacher. Her dual-timeline debut thriller, Summer's Never Over (Berkley Trade Original; on sale June 9, 2026), is described as We Were Liars meets God of the Woods, and is set at a summer camp where a counselor died in a suspicious fire five years prior. The book was recently chosen as a June selection for the Book of the Month Club. Publishers Weekly called it an “Impressive debut…an addictive thriller ideal for summer reading.” Bestselling author Ashley Winstead wrote, "Darby Bozeman has the perfect beach read in this sinister summer camp thriller, where the paradisical woods of Dread's Cove hide not only hot bodies and cold waters, but dark secrets.” [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Darby Bozeman, Milena, and I discussed: How she gleaned inspiration from her teaching The science of narrative writing, including tension building and sentence-level craft Why her book was pitched as “Carly Fortune writing a murder mystery” How she secured an agent and got a two-book deal Why she prefers the coffee shop to her own coffee And a lot more! Show Notes: darbybozeman.com Summer's Never Over : A Novel By Darby Bozeman (Amazon) Darby Bozeman on Instagram Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kimberly explores the surprising science of sun exposure with Rowan Jacobsen, challenging common fears about sunlight and revealing its profound health benefits. Learn how to balance sun safety with the need for natural light to improve health, mood, and longevity.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Sunlight and Health02:52 The Historical Perspective on Sunlight06:00 Understanding Skin Cancer and Sun Exposure08:50 The Benefits of Sunlight Beyond Skin Cancer12:02 Sensible Sun Exposure and Aging14:56 Circadian Rhythms and Sunlight17:56 Alternatives to Natural Sunlight20:58 Vitamin D and Its Importance24:41 The Vitamin D Dilemma29:59 Sunlight and Fertility33:40 In Defense of Sunlight38:53 The Impact of Light on Children43:44 Sunscreen InsightsSponsor: ANIMA MUNDI OFFER: Anima Mundi is giving Feel Good Podcast listeners they're largest discount of the year. It's a great opportunity to treat yourself or a friend to some soothing self-care by going to AnimaMundiHerbals.com and use the code: SOLLUNA20 for 20% off your purchase. USE LINK: AnimaMundiHerbals.com Code: SOLLUNA20 for 20% off your purchase.Rowen Jacobsen Resources: Book: In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure (June 16th, 2026) (Simon & Shuster) Website: rowanjacobsen.com Social: @unrealrowanjacobsen Email: rowanjacobsen@gmail.comBio: Rowan Jacobsen writes about science and nature and the less-explored corners of the world for Harper's, Outside, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Smithsonian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, MIT Technology Review, Businessweek, and others, and his work has been anthologized in The Best American Science & Nature Writing and other collections. He has received awards from the James Beard Foundation, the Society of American Travel Writers, and the Overseas Press Club. He is the author of nine books, including A Geography of Oysters, Fruitless Fall, and Truffle Hound, which have been named to Best Book of the Year lists by the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, NPR, and Publishers Weekly. He has performed with Pop-Up Magazine, lectured at Harvard and Yale, and appeared on CBS, NBC, and NPR. He has been an Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellow, writing about endangered diversity on the borderlands between India, Myanmar, and China; a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, focusing on the environmental and evolutionary impact of synthetic biology; and a Nova Media Fellow, researching the science of sun exposure. His new book, In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure, will be published by Scribner on the Summer Solstice, 2026.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every standout book has one thing in common: a strong editorial process behind it.  In this episode of “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA),” the Editorial Freelancers Association's Director of Professional Development Asher Rose Fox demystifies what it really takes for independent publishers, author-publishers, and authors to transform a manuscript into a market-ready book—covering every stage of editing, what you can expect to invest, and how to collaborate effectively with editors. If you're serious about publishing a book that readers—and reviewers—take seriously; this is an episode you can't afford to miss. PARTICIPANTS Asher Rose Fox (they/them) has been an editor and activist for over 30 years. A longtime member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, Asher is proud to serve the freelance editing community as the EFA's Director of Professional Development. They've held staff editorial roles at Publishers Weekly, About.com, PCMag, and The Annals of Improbable Research; freelanced for innumerable clients, including Strange Horizons, Popular Mechanics, nonsense nyc, Anesthesiology News, and many individual authors; and volunteered with 10%+, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, Arisia, Readercon, and Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives. Asher has also co-edited the groundbreaking and award-shortlisted anthology Long Hidden, delighted Twitter as GRAMMARHULK, and played a human aerodrome for paper airplanes at the Ig Nobel Awards. They make things better. Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 4,000 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He's also passionate about indie publishing, because he's an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures. LINKS Learn more about the Editorial Freelancers Association at https://www.the-efa.org/ Follow the EFA on: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/EFAFreelancers Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/efafreelancers/ Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/efafreelancers.bsky.social YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@efa1970/featured?themeRefresh=1 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/efafreelancers/ Follow IBPA on: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/independent-book-publishers-association This episode is presented by Friesens Corporation. Learn more at https://www.friesens.com/

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Bloomsbury, Minotaur, and subscription addiction. Then, stick around for a chat with Lori Foster! Lori Foster is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than 100 titles. She's known for her fun, very sexy contemporary romance novels revolving around alpha males who meet (and fall in love with) strong, independent women. Lori's been a recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance. Even more fun, Lori's been a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle, a clue in the USA Today Quick-cross puzzle, and the sensual and sexy Too Much Temptation was Amazon's 2002 top-selling title in Romance. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week's episode of The Beet, Jacques chats with backyard chicken expert Lisa Steele about why chickens might just be the hardest-working members of the garden team. From weed patrol to soil-scratching benefits, they discuss how chickens can boost your growing space while earning their keep. Plus, Lisa shares practical tips for getting started with a backyard coop without getting in over your head. Connect with Lisa Steele: Lisa Steele is the O.G. of backyard chicken keeping, sharing expert flock advice since 2009. From her farm in Maine, she's built a trusted resource with hundreds of practical articles on raising chickens, ducks, and geese, as well as gardening and DIY coop projects. She's also the author of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook, a Publishers Weekly starred pick and Amazon Editors' Pick for Best Cookbooks, Food & Wine. Find more from Lisa on her website: https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/ Find more from Lisa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fresheggsdaily/ Support The Beet: → Shop: https://growepic.co/shop → Seeds: https://growepic.co/botanicalinterests Learn More: → All Our Channels: https://growepic.co/youtube → Blog: https://growepic.co/blog → Podcast: https://growepic.co/podcasts → Discord: https://growepic.co/discord → Instagram: https://growepic.co/insta → TikTok: https://growepic.co/tiktok → Pinterest: https://growepic.co/pinterest → Twitter: https://growepic.co/twitter → Facebook: https://growepic.co/facebook → Facebook Group: https://growepic.co/fbgroup → Love our products? Become an Epic affiliate! https://growepic.co/3FjQXqV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the inspiring journey of author Sara Driscoll/Jen J. Dana from infectious diseases research to successful writing career, including overcoming personal loss, managing deadlines, and navigating the publishing industry. Chapters: 00:00 The Journey from Science to Storytelling 05:03 Navigating Loss and Continuing a Legacy 09:56 The Discipline of Writing: Deadlines and Word Counts 14:59 Persistence in Publishing: Finding the Right Fit 19:58 The Evolution of Publishing: Choices and Control 24:08 Upcoming Releases and Connecting with Readers Author's Website: https://jenjdanna.com Social Media Links: https://www.facebook.com/JenJDanna/ https://www.instagram.com/jenjdanna/ https://bsky.app/profile/jenjdanna.com https://www.threads.com/@jenjdanna Author Bio: Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna, coauthor of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries and author of the FBI K-9 Mysteries and NYPD Negotiators series. After over 30 years in infectious diseases research, Jen hung up her lab coat to concentrate on her real love—writing “exceptional” thrillers (Publishers Weekly). She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and lives with her husband and four rescued cats outside of Toronto, Ontario. You can follow the latest news on her books at saradriscollauthor.com. Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Countdown-NYPD-Negotiators-Sara-Driscoll-ebook/dp/B0FKX56VXK Love this episode? Rate it ⭐️ Thumbs Up

What if picking up a book could become a form of prayer? In this conversation, host John Terrill sits down with Jeff Crosby — publisher, author, and lifelong champion of the written word — to talk about his book World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading (Paraclete Press, 2025).Jeff brings more than four decades in bookselling and publishing to a deeply personal question: why should we read? His own reading life began with Sunday comics in the Indianapolis Star and baseball biographies, until one book — The Admiral's Daughter, heard about on Good Morning America — “flipped a switch” and opened, in his words, “this idea of a world of wonder.” From there, a career took shape: 13 years as a bookseller, 24 years at InterVarsity Press (ultimately as its publisher), and now as president of ECPA, the trade association of Christian publishing.In this episode, John and Jeff discuss:How a liturgy before reading — drawn from Douglas McKelvey's Every Moment Holy — can transform how we approach any bookWhy reading diverse voices (across gender, ethnicity, and genre) is a pathway toward becoming more human and more ChristlikeThe practice of rereading: how books like Markings by Dag Hammarskjöld and Kent Haruf's novels serve as lifelong companionsThree practical strategies for becoming a wiser reader — including the one question Jeff asks almost everyone he meetsWhy Jeff's bookstore friend was counseled to fast from books — and what that revealed about his relationship to scriptureHow reading together (from team check-ins at ECPA to hosting 75–100 person “Books in Nature” dinners) transforms communityJeff's next book: The Spirit in the Sky — on music, spirituality, and 17 artists from Paul Simon to Marvin Gaye (Bloomsbury, October 2025)Jeff recorded this conversation the day before his mother's memorial service, turning to the Psalms and a poetry collection called Joy (edited by Christian Wiman, Yale University Press) as companions in grief. His witness here is as much lived as written.Guest BioJeff Crosby is the president and CEO of ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) and has worked in bookselling and publishing for more than 40 years — from running a Lagos bookstore near Indiana University to 24 years at InterVarsity Press to leading the trade association of Christian publishing. He is the author of World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading (Paraclete Press, 2025) and The Language of the Soul. His writing has appeared in Publishers Weekly, Books & Culture, CRUX Journal, and other publications. He lives in the Chicago area with his wife, author Cindy Crosby. Resources MentionedJeff's website: jeffreycrosby.netWorld of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading — Jeff Crosby (Paraclete Press, 2025)The Spirit in the Sky: The Power of Music and Our Search for Graceland — Jeff Crosby (Bloomsbury, October 2025)Every Moment Holy — Douglas McKelveyMarkings — Dag HammarskjöldReading for the Love of God — Jessica Hooten Wilson (Brazos Press)Joy (poetry anthology) — edited by Christian Wiman (Yale University Press)The Meaning of Your Life — Arthur C. BrooksSend us Fan MailCONNECT WITH USSubscribe to The UpWords Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and visit slbf.org/studio to learn more about our work at the intersection of faith, the academy, and the marketplace.This episode was created by the SLBF STUDIO at Upper House.Produced by Daniel Johnson and Dave ConourEdited by Dave Conour

Photo by Michael Lionstar Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built is the latest book by veteran journalist and author Gayle Feldman. Published by Random House in January 2026, this biography explores the life of a driven young man who vowed to become a great publisher – and did. Feldman has served as a senior staff editor for Publishers Weekly and a U.S. correspondent for The Bookseller. Her features, reviews, and essays have appeared in a wide range of periodicals, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Times of London, The Nation, and The Daily Beast. Feldman's previous books were You Don't Have to Be Your Mother and Best and Worst of Times: The Changing Business of Trade Books. Fellow biographer and BIO member Lisa Napoli interviewed Gayle Feldman.

Our next episode drops on April 7th! In our off weeks, we air episodes of The Gaily Show. It's the only daily LGBTQ radio news and talk show in the US. John conducts a lot of author interviews on there!In this episode, Skylar Lyralen Kaye (of the hit web series Assigned Female at Birth) joins us to discuss their new memoir: Bachelorx. THEN: For Bobuq Sayed's debut novel No God But Us, Publishers Weekly named Bobuq one of PW's Spring 2026 Writers to Watch. They join us to talk all about No God But Us. Connect with Skylar and order Bachelorx here: https://lyralenkaye.com/writing/downloadable-books/Watch all of Skylar's web series here: https://www.youtube.com/c/AnotherCountryTVConnect with Bobuq here: https://bobuqsayed.com/homePre-order No God But Us: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780063419469Watch on YouTubeWe're in video too! You can watch this episode at youtube.com/@thegailyshowCreditsHost/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change)Executive Producer: Jim PoundsProduction and Distribution Support: Brett Johnson, AM950Marketing/Advertising Support: Chad Larson, Laura Hedlund, Jennifer Ogren, AM950Accounting and Creative Support: Gordy EricksonSupport the show

Maya C. Popa joins Kevin Young to read “Artless,” by Brenda Shaughnessy, and her own poem “The World Was All Before Them.” Popa is the author of “Wound Is the Origin of Wonder” and “American Faith,” the latter of which won the North American Book Prize. Her third collection, “If You Love That Lady,” will be published by W. W. Norton this July. Popa serves as the poetry editor of Publishers Weekly, and teaches in the undergraduate and M.F.A. programs at New York University. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We know what fate befell Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 B.C., but how does ancient Rome's treatment of its adversaries and allies and compare to the current American “excursion” in Iran and overall US foreign policy? Barry Strauss, the Hoover Institution's Corliss Page Dean Senior Fellow and a military historian specializing in the rise and fall of Rome, separates fact from fiction regarding Caesar's the events leading up to his assassination, as well as Rome's belief in “preventive” wars, strategic alliances and great-powers competition. Also discussed: Hollywood's fascination with all things Rome; similarities between Caesar and Donald Trump (communicative skills, strategic risk-taking, neither suffering from a lack of self-esteem); how the history of the republic differs (or doesn't) if Caesar hadn't met up with a horde of knife-wielding senators on that fateful day in mid-March.  Recorded on March 10, 2026. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Barry Strauss is the Corliss Page Dean Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is also the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor of Humanistic Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, where he taught for over four decades. Strauss is a military and naval historian with a focus on ancient Greece and Rome and their lessons for today. “No one presents the military history of the ancient world with greater insight and panache than Strauss,” wrote Publishers Weekly. His books have been translated into twenty languages and include several bestsellers, The Battle of Salamis (2004), Masters of Command (2012), The Death of Caesar 2015), Ten Caesars (2019), The War that Made the Roman Empire (2022), and Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire (2025). Strauss is a winner of the 2025 Bradley Prize, honoring his lifelong dedication to the study and teaching of Western civilization and classical and military history. Follow Barry Strauss on social media: LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram Bill Whalen, the Virginia Hobbs Carpenter Distinguished Policy Fellow in Journalism and a Hoover Institution research fellow since 1999, writes and comments on campaigns, elections, and governance with an emphasis on California and America's political landscapes. Whalen writes on politics and current events for various national publications, as well as Hoover's California On Your Mind web channel. Whalen hosts Hoover's Matters of Policy & Politics podcast and serves as the moderator of Hoover's GoodFellows broadcast exploring history, economics, and geopolitical dynamics. RELATED SOURCES Masters of Command (2012) The Death of Caesar (2015) Ten Caesars (2019) The War that Made the Roman Empire (2022) Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire (2025) ABOUT THE SERIES Matters of Policy & Politics, a podcast from the Hoover Institution, examines the direction of federal, state, and local leadership and elections, with an occasional examination of national security and geopolitical concerns, all featuring insightful analysis provided by Hoover Institution scholars and guests. To join our newsletter and be the first to tune into the next episode, visit Matters of Policy & Politics.