Podcast appearances and mentions of Rachel Hawkins

How dare you? That's the first question KJ asked Ally Carter, whose name is “synonymous with hilarious action and heart-pounding romance” (TRUE). Is KJ outraged? Hell no. It's a legit question. Ally's books are so so much fun, with wild action scenes befitting a Bond movie (or a Jason Bourne, OBVIOUSLY) and plots that trot the globe while dancing backwards in high heels and KJ really wants to know—how did Ally give herself permission to just go there? To write the dreamy, wild, sure it could happen but also we don't even care because we're so in it story that scares many of us (especially ex-journo KJ, who wastes far far too much time on such non dramatic questions as “but how would someone with that job pay for health insurance? and “technically, how much snow could that unit make in one night?). Also asked: how did you learn to write action so well? Do you take all kinds of crazy self defense classes? Or dissect movie fight scenes in slo-mo? Are you fun to watch a spy movie with, or terrible?I would have asked her if she used to BE a spy…but then she would have had to kill me.LINKSNational Spy MuseumThe Blonde Who Came In from the ColdThe Most Wonderful Crime of the YearThe Blonde IdentityAlly CarterAlly's rec: Netflix: The ResidenceInstagram @theallycarter The newsletterHey everyone, it's Jenny Nash. This episode happens to feature an Author Accelerator book coach. Author Accelerator is the company I founded more than 10 years ago to lead the emerging book coaching industry. If you've been curious about what it takes to become a successful book coach, which is to say, someone who makes money, meaning, and joy out of serving writers, I've just created a bunch of great content to help you learn more. You can access it all by going to bookcoaches.com/waitlist. We'll be enrolling a new cohort of students in our certification program in October, so now's a perfect time to learn more and start making plans for a whole new career.Transcript below!EPISODE 460 - TRANSCRIPTJennie NashHey everyone, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, the company I started more than 10 years ago to lead the emerging book coaching industry. In October, we'll be enrolling a new cohort of certification students who will be going through programs in either fiction, nonfiction, or memoir, and learning the editorial, emotional and entrepreneurial skills that you need to be a successful book coach. If you've been curious about book coaching and thinking that it might be something you want to do for your next career move, I'd love to teach you more about it, you can go to bookcoaches.com/waitlist to check out a free training I have—that's bookcoaches.com/waitlist. The training is all about how to make money, meaning and joy out of serving writers. Fall is always a great time to start something new. So if you're feeling called to do this, go check out our training and see if this might be right for you. We'd love to have you join us.Multiple SpeakersIs it recording? Now it's recording. Yay! Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. Try to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay. Now, one, two, three.KJ Dell'AntoniaHey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, and this is Hashtag AmWriting the weekly podcast about writing all the things—short things, long things, pitches, proposals, fiction, nonfiction. We're the podcast about getting things done. And I'm going to be solo this week because I am interviewing, and I'm so excited to interview one Ally Carter, whose name, I'm stealing this from her bio, because it was such a great line—is synonymous with hilarious action and heart-pounding romance. And as someone who's read much of it, I can vouch kids. So Ally's most recent big book that you've probably seen around was The Blonde Identity . Her current book that you're going to want to go straight out and grab is The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold, and her other book that she wrote just for me—because it was like exactly what I needed in a book in that moment and I really appreciate it. I'm glad other people got to read it, but it was really, for me— The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year those are her adult books. She's got a ton of young-adult books, also with heart pounding action and hilarious...wait, heart-pounding romance, hilarious action. I feel those are exchangeable. And even some middle grade if you've got some kids who might be reading in those lines. So Ally does all the things, and we're going to find out how, and immediately be able to do it ourselves. Ha! Ally, thanks for coming.Ally CarterThank you so much for having me, KJ. I appreciate it.KJ Dell'AntoniaWe are super excited.Ally CarterI also wrote The Most Wonderful Crime [The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year] just for me, because it's— that's like, I love a mystery, and I pick them up, and I'm like, this would be great. Where's the romance? And then I love a romance, and I pick it up, and I'm like, where's the mystery? And so that's, that's how Most Wonderful Crime [The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year ] came to be. It is two great genres better together.KJ Dell'AntoniaAlso, it's writers in a—like writers in a mansion, with secrets and surprise identities, and things people can do that no one knows they can do, which is my jam. Yeah, really enjoyed it.Ally CarterThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaThank you for that. Not that I didn't I love The Blonde Identity. My daughter has it right now, and she's super excited, because I can give her The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold, early, because I might have gotten an early copy. So she'll be reading that on the beach next week after she finishes the first one.Ally CarterThat is some good cool mom points right there.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell, it is, yeah, and they're rare. But that is a great thing about your—I mean, my daughters are 21 and 19, so they're older, but I would have given the blonde books and The Most Wonderful Crime to, you know, a 16... ?... like, they're not—not that I don't actually give some pretty steamy stuff to my kids, but if you're not somebody who does that, they're steamy, but they're not—anyway...Ally CarterYeah, there are books that, like, grandma and mom and daughter can all read togetherKJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, I was just going to say I would give them to my mom too. Yeah. I mean, they're just super fun. Because sometimes the better test is not “Would I give it to my daughter?” It's “Would I give it to my mom?”Ally CarterYou're exactly right. Agreed, agreed.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo my first question is this: how dare you?! Okay, and now you're like, wait, what?! No, seriously, like, your books are—the plots are so out there, and glorious, and outrageous, and the action scenes are wild, and they're sort of everything you fantasize about in a spy romance novel. And as a former journalist, I spend a lot of time sitting around staring at my plot thinking things like, yes, but how would this person have health insurance? And I feel like you've transcended that. So can you talk to me and all of us about how you've, you know, embraced this world of the wild, glorious, fun, and outrageous in your plotting?Ally CarterYou know, that's a—thank you. First of all, that's a lovely compliment. I really credit it toward, you know, how most things are in my life and my career—it was total accident and sheer dumb luck. So 20 years ago—I realized not long ago—like, literally 20 years ago this spring, I saw it. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. And I was, you know, big dumb kid, didn't know what I was doing, sheer dumb luck, had this amazing idea. And most of all, I had an amazing idea at a time when the YA [young adult] genre was just expanding exponentially—like the shelves of shelf space at Barnes and Noble was getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And so it was a big tent, and there was room for everybody. And so I was lucky in that I got in there. I was especially lucky because I had a brilliant editor named Donna Bray. And Donna could see, like the shift coming—like, she could see Twilight and the, like, the move to paranormal, and the move to, you know, moving away from contemporary fiction to genre fiction. And she was like, we have to get this out fast. And so we crashed it. And so I sold it in, like, April or May of 2005, and then I had to go to copy editing in October, and I had—I had 32 pages.KJ Dell'AntoniaSorry, (laughing)Ally CarterAnd a day job!KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, my goodness!Ally CarterSo I had the summer of absolute deadline. I would come home from my day job, I would eat a fast dinner, and I would write till midnight. But this was also back, like, before we really had smartphones in our pockets all the time—definitely pre, like, social media—and so that's what you did. And I'm like, man, if I did that every day, think about how much writing I would get done today.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterBut because I was so fast, the turnaround there was so fast, I didn't have time to, like, go down a rabbit hole of, well, exactly what type of nylon cord would they use to rappel into such and such—you know, I just got—I made it up, and I got away with it. And so I realized that, you know, I would—I did do a lot of research on actual tradecraft.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterSo the things like the girl—there's a scene where the girls have to go through the boy's garbage. And there's this—you know, there are scenes where they're, you know, planting bugs and those types of things. Those—I watched documentaries, I read a lot of, like, actual decommissioned, sort of old CIA handbooks and things.. The International Spy Museum has a wonderful reference section, and you can actually order...KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, that's cool.Ally CarterOld, like, World War Two training manuals and things. It's really greatKJ Dell'AntoniaI did not know that.Ally CarterSo I did do that. What I did not do was I didn't worry about, like, the brand name of what you might call it. So as a general rule, I tell my readers, like, the more specific something is in the book, the more likely it is I made it up. So when I'm like, well, then she did the one death ski maneuver—and, like, I don't know what the one death ski maneuver is, but they don't either—I made it up. But the actual sort of bones of what the school would teach and how they would teach, it was very accurate.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell, it must have come in handy because you have another school in the current book.Ally CarterYeah. And it's—it was a little harder, because it is, you know, it's not for kids, and so it has to have a little bit more of an air of sophistication. And I wanted to base it off of the actual CIA training facility, “The Farm,” which is at Camp Peary—which is in the book, what I couldn't figure out were things like, do they sleep in apartments? Do they have a dorm? Is there a are there barracks? Are there, you know, is there, like, a big cafeteria? Are they?KJ Dell'AntoniaVery few people will know what's real, and they can't tell you, right?Ally CarterThey can't tell me. And so I actually, when I was on tour for The Blonde Identity, I was in D.C., and I did a wonderful event, had hundreds of readers there, and they were like my Gallagher Girls who had grown up and now they all are spies. I mean, they like, literally work for the CIA. They're literally with, you know, "I'm with Homeland Security." You know, several of them were like, I can't actually tell you where I work, but you were very popular there and so, and I actually did a like, show of hands, like, if you can say so, how many of you have been to The Farm and, like, multiple hands went up.KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, wow!Ally CarterAnd I'm like we're talking when this is finished. So I got a little bit, but not very much, you know. And I guess the thing also with “The Farm” is, you know, they bring in, like, their actual undercover operatives to train there, but there are a lot of different groups that also use that facility. So, for example, I think I'm not dreaming this. I think this is true. Like, if you are an ambassador or an ambassador's family, and you and you are going, maybe not like the ambassador to London, but if you're going to, like, you know, someplace that could be a little bit dangerous, they'll send you there for, like, evasive driving training and things like that. So you get a little bit of training. So it's not just spies who train at Camp Peary, it's multiple groups.KJ Dell'AntoniaI have a new life goal now, which is to never need evasive driving training.Ally CarterRight?! And see, I kind of want to learn how to do it. I don't want to need it…KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah no, no but no, it's not to need it. I don't want to need it.Ally CarterI want to know how to do it.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. Well, yeah, you could, you could use it. Yeah, I just—it. I miss—your books inspire the writer in me to remember, like you said, that very few people care what brand of nylon rope you would use to repel, and from there, it's a pretty short step to, you know, whether or not you can really stop a cable car halfway.Ally CarterYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, we're and we're not going to but.. It's just...Ally CarterAnd the way I see it is, if you are the person who knows what brand of rope it is... even if i get the rope right, i could get everything else wrong.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou're either not reading this, or you don't care.Ally CarterYeah. There... This is, this is not for them, probably.KJ Dell'AntoniaOr if it is, it they've they're there, like...Ally CarterThey're there.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's fine.Ally CarterYou either buying in or you're out. And that's fine. And I—and nothing but respect to the people who do know that? Because now, I grew up on a farm, and so I can't read, like, cowboy books, because I'm like, oh gosh, geez Louise, of course, your barn burned down. You put that hay in there way too soon—you are you really baling green hay?KJ Dell'AntoniaThey're literally haying in my field right now.Ally CarterRight. You know, I'm like, seriously, seriously. This is, you know, you're, you're, you're not. You didn't do a semen test on your bull? Like—you know?"KJ Dell'Antonia"You are not milking that cow. I know how you're supposed to hold your hands."Ally CarterExactly!KJ Dell'AntoniaSee I did.Ally CarterYeah, I'm, I'm not, I'm not here for and so I'm, like, this is the same thing. Like spies have no reason be reading me. I have no reason reading the things that I do know about. Because it's, you know, it's, it's just, you're also, it's not exciting to me. And so I'm sure most spies, you know, there's a line in...KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah it's not a fantasy.Ally CarterYeah, so…KJ Dell'AntoniaIt can't be a fantasy, because you're too stuck on, you know, the...Ally CarterExactly, and so...KJ Dell'AntoniaThe reality that our hay baling chute is broken, and therefore we will need multiple people tomorrow to go around and pick up each individual bale…Ally CarterYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd put it on a flatbed truck, and drive to the barn, and take each individual bale off the flatbed truck, and then stack them in the barn. Y'all are missing my arm gestures, but Ally knows of which I speak.Ally CarterI know, I know those gestures. You got to buck it up with your knee. It's a whole—it's—it is not easy work. It is very hard work. And so…KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, I'm hoping not to go out there, but I know I will.Ally CarterOh no, you don't want to do that, and you will itch for days.KJ Dell'AntoniaI've done it. I've done it for years and I know I'm going to end up there. It's my birthday tomorrow too.Ally CarterOh no, that's not the…Yeah, so it's the reality. I think it's very easy—also, when reading, as a reader—I hate it when it's very clear that an author has done a ton of research and they're not going to let it go to waste. Yeah. And so there's like, you know, they'll introduce the thing, and then they'll have, like, a paragraph explaining all of the things that they have learned. I'm like, this serves no purpose whatsoever.KJ Dell'AntoniaI also thank my editor for my leaving out the entire history of Prohibition-era alcohol rules between Kansas and Missouri in The Chicken Sisters.Ally CarterYep. See, if you, if you want to write that, the nonfiction is right there, you can— you've got it. So I like to do enough research to inform the story. And, you know, there are definitely things, you know, scenes and lines and wonderful things that have come from the research. But I never do research just so I know, like, what kind of rope it is.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterI—you know, that's that I think then, then, then also, are you doing research, or are you procrastinating?KJ Dell'AntoniaWell...Ally CarterBecause I think most people are just procrastinating.KJ Dell'AntoniaWe all know the answer to that. So how about the action scenes? You write such great action scenes, but I am also not a reader who's like picturing, well, clearly at this point, he's upside down and her hand. You know, that's not how I read anything. I just kind of go (shwoop) through that. So how do you handle writing them? Are you like slowing down action films so you can dissect the movies?Ally CarterNo, I really don't like writing action scenes. They are hard, and it feels like I've done everything, like they're okay. Well, hey, here we are. We're doing that again, but there. They are. They come with the job. And so I think most of all, you just have to remember, sort of the blocking of it. Like, okay, who is where? The other hard thing that that comes and, you know, movies have it so much easier. Like, you don't need a name for the for the six bad guys, that black Willow...KJ Dell'AntoniaRight,, the one on the right, and the one behind... Yeah, yeah, no.Ally CarterAnd so I'm like, Okay, but how is the reader keeping these different so, you know, like, well, one of them has a has glasses, and the other one has a goatee. Okay, well, then from that point forward, I the author just call them glasses...KJ Dell'AntoniaGlasses and goatee. Right.Ally CarterAnd so you have to remember, like, okay, glasses is down. Goatees still at large, you know, or whatever.KJ Dell'AntoniaIs there a special copy editor for that?Ally CarterThey're not special, but that is definitely can fall into a copy editor's purview, especially things like during that fight sequence. Okay, well, it was 100 pages ago, but it was also yesterday that your heroine got shocked. Is she really fighting at full strength? Oh, ouch, you know. So that type of thing, because, again, reader wise, that's, that was, I've, that was the midpoint. I'm to the climax now. But timeline wise, no, that was yesterday.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterAnd so the...KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd probably with some readers, reader wise, that was an hour ago.Ally CarterYeah! So...KJ Dell'AntoniaI mean you know, we're eating this up.Ally CarterExactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo much faster to read than to write.Ally CarterSo you have to think about those types of things. Like I wrote that two months ago, but nope, it's still right there.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterSo that's the kind of thing that, you know, again, you can't really worry about in a first draft. Like, let that. That's future-use problem.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. Now, in contrast to, you know, the wild plotting and the crazy, enjoyable, delicious action, your people feel, you know super, super real. They have, ah, big reasons for being the way that they are, but the feelings feel real. I think that is an amazing um, contrast. Do you start with the, do you start with, like, you know, the person's flaw, or what it would there's some term of art for this which I have forgotten. Or do you start with, I need a person who, or does it vary book by book?Ally CarterThank you. I, you know, it's I spend a lot of time with that.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's why they work.Ally CarterThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaNo, seriously, no one. I mean, The Blonde Identity would maybe be fun if it wasn't also, like, you really want her to figure out who she is, and you really want to know why is this happening, and what is up with and like, you want all that for the character you believe in, in her.Ally CarterAnd that's always I find as much about tone as anything, this particular sub- genre, it can go wacky or kooky really fast, like it's very easy. You know, I like to say that spy movies exist on a spectrum that range from get smart to Zero Dark Thirty.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterAnything along that spectrum is a spy movie. But those could not be more different. And so are we? Are we doing like James Bond, like he's cool and suave, but he also has gadgets, or are we doing like he's, you know, kind of bumbling with gadgets? Or are we doing it's very realistic?KJ Dell'AntoniaWell are we doing Roger Moore James Bond, or are we doing … um…guy who now models for…Ally CarterDaniel Craig?KJ Dell'AntoniaThank you—oy vey—Daniel Craig, which are very different. James Bonds really…Ally CarterVery different James Bonds, because I've heard people the James Bond people talk about the Daniel Craig, James Bond doesn't exist without Jason Bourne.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterThat's who they looked at and so all of these things, you know. And so when I'm trying to figure it out, and I think that's one of the hardest things about genre bending romance, whether you're bending fantasy and romance or horror and romance, or romance and mystery or romance and action, or whatever, you could only really write in the Venn diagram space, where there's overlap. And so I couldn't, you know, the realistic version of this is not something where people are falling in love, like it's, you know, it's too dark. And it's definitely not a comedy, definitely not a comedy. So you're, you have to find the place where, no, they're in real, actual peril. This is really terrible. This is... they really might dieKJ Dell'AntoniaAnd they understand that.Ally CarterAnd they understand that they get that and also, but they still have time to, you know, okay, well, now I'm going to, you know, now we're going to slow dance, you know, you still have to find those times. And the other thing is, you know, you have to figure out just where on the spectrum you want to be and lean into that. Like, if you want to write, like, the kooky, sort of Agent Cody Banks of it all, then you have to do that. But then you have to realize the other parts of the spy kind of world that you can't touch. And so it's—you're just—you're always threading needles. It's, it is a, it is a task of, of absolutely threading needles all the time.KJ Dell'AntoniaI think that, yeah, when it comes to tone, where on the spectrum do you want to be, is like, like maybe one of the greatest questions that I have heard. And it's just one that, you know, I think we all wrestle with.Ally CarterWell, and I've had people that really don't—people who should get it—who don't get it. So, you know, I was in a meeting one time with some Hollywood producers who were looking at some of my stuff, and I said, “Well, tonally, where do you want it to be?” And they were like, “What do you mean?” I said, “Well, do you want it to be like, you know, Mr. and Mrs. Smith or Bourne Identity?” And they said, “Well, those are the same thing.” And I was like…KJ Dell'AntoniaNo, no, no, no!Ally Carter“This meeting is over. Thank you very much”.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterIt's... I don't understand how people don't get that, but to me, I spend 90% of my time worried about it. Oh, I remember now what I was going to say earlier. I got my start—and I'm never going to be, like, a full-time or big-time of this—but I've done some screenwriting. . And so there's a screenwriting podcast [Scriptnotes] by two guys who are very big, very dominant—dominant—screenwriter. One of them did, like, the Charlie's Angels movies and the Aladdin remake and all those. The other one does The Last of Us and a bunch of big, like, HBO shows. And, um, they always talk about "the Want song". So in every Disney musical, the first—the first song—sets up the world. It's "Belle," you know, like, you know, wandering through town. The second song is the "whatever she wants." And so, you know Moana, you know, "See the line where the sky and the sea meet, it calls me"—like, Moana wants to travel. She wants adventure. And so I spend a lot of time, when I'm setting up these characters, thinking about what their "Want song" would be. And so, like, for The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, her "Want song" is, "I want to be Eleanor."KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterYou know she wants to be Eleanor Ashley [from The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year], who is my, like, fake off-brand Agatha Christie, and so that's, that's what you have to think about a lot like, you know, what Alex [from The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold] wants is to sort of be free like she wants, she wants to be enough. She wants to pay her—you know? She has paid her debt for—you know, sort of having been born strong and healthy, where her identical twin has been born very, very sick. And so she, she wants—and she wants to never lay eyes on Michael Kingsley [also from The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold], ever again, who was her, you know, on again, off again, partner, slash love interest. And so that's—you know, that I always start with that, what is their wound? What is the thing that hurt them in the past that they're trying to get over? And what is their want?KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterAnd almost always, what would they realize over the course of the book is that the thing that they want is not the thing that they need.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Ally CarterAnd so that's, that's an Ally Carter book. That's an Ally Carter character progress.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's it. Now everyone can do it.Ally CarterYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. Oh, but if it were that easy, everyone would do it, right? Um, no, this... this is amazing and delightful. I hope really helpful for people. I got distracted by taking some notes on what you just said. So, people—for me, for the Post-its on my computer, as well as, oh my gosh, so many Post-its, so many Post-its—let's talk just a little bit about the difference between YA [young adult] and adult when you're—fundamentally—I mean, some people sort of switch genres entirely. You were writing very similarly toned books for different audiences. How? How do you think of that evolution?Ally CarterThat's—in a way—yes, I did switch audiences. In another way, they're the exact same readers. And so that's—that's an interesting and weird thing about YA is, about every three years, you have to make all new readers because they have grown up and they've aged out of you. And even if they haven't aged out of you, they have what I call "cooled out of you."KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, yeah.Ally CarterAnd they're like, I liked those books when I was a little kid, and so current me can't possibly like those books, because those are little kid books. And so I was on the phone during the pandemic with my friend Rachel Hawkins and Rachel had written YA for a long time, and then she switched to adult. And I was talking about... do I...? What do I...? I need to sell something. Do I sell another middle grade? Do I sell a YA [young adult]? Like, what do I sell? And she says, you sell an adult. You sell an adult book that appeals to your Gallagher Girl readers. And I, I said, oh, Rachel, I've spent, you know, 15 years building a career in YA, I've got, you know... And she said, your readers aren't there anymore. They are the girls who read you when they were 12, ten years ago, and are 22 now. And I'm like, oh, that's right, they are. They've grown up. And so I—and I had the idea for “the spy twins” and had tried to do it as YA, and then at one point I even tried to do it as middle grade, and I could never make it work. And the problem wasn't, one of the twins wakes up with amnesia and somebody's trying to kill her—that I could pull off. The problem was, how and why is her identical twin on the run? And what does she have? And, like, you know, she...KJ Dell'AntoniaShe needs a longer history than you can have as a teenager.Ally CarterYeah, exactly. Like, is she actually working for the CIA, like, because then again, we get into Agent Cody Banks territory, then it's, you know, well, we've got a super-secret branch of the CIA who recruits kids. I'm like, no, you don't that's stupid. Like so...KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd she's been there since she was 10, and now she's on the lam.Ally CarterExactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou know, and then at age 12, she went rogue.Ally CarterYeah. And then you've got, like, well, no, you know, it's a Parent Trap situation, and one of them was raised by a spy and one of them was raised by ordinary people. I'm like, oh, maybe... I don't know, but, you know, I just couldn't quite make it work. And so I was talking to Rachel, and I said, what am I supposed to do? Just dust off that old spy twin idea, except now, instead of a super-secret organization, she's just on the run from the CIA? And then I was like, wait a second.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell yes!Ally CarterIf she's 30... she can—so every single problem and logic challenge that I had with that premise went away once those characters became 30. And so I just—and it was the easiest writing I've ever done. I feel almost guilty about how easy that book was to write; because I'd been, I'd been working at it and hammering at that idea for so long. And so it was almost like, instead of starting it at the beginning, I started it at the end of the writing process, where you have that one, like, little linchpin thing that you think, oh, but what if I do this? And then the whole plot just...KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Ally CarterSo I started it there. I started at the...KJ Dell'AntoniaWow!Ally CarterDomino moment. And I'm spoiled, because it'll never be that easy again. But that's, that's how the transition went. And, you know, it's been great because my readers, they're so excited to see me. It's like, they're, I hear from readers all the time, they're like, you know, it feels like you wrote this just for me. I grew up with you, and now you're writing books for me again, and that has been very full circle and very, very fulfilling.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat, that's great. Well, you're writing them for me too. So, love that, and I think for a lot of our listeners—who I really think are going to enjoy this episode.Ally CarterThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo before I let you go, can I ask you what you have read and loved lately?Ally CarterOh, sweet mercy. I have been so underwater, on a—on a book, and it's been the kind of—it's been the kind of deadline and the kind of book... You know how the old adage is so true that you never learn how to write a book—you just learn how to write the book you're writing right now. And so this one has just... and when I get that way, I don't enjoy reading because my inner critic can't turn off. But I will share a show that I loved, and I—they just announced that they're not doing a season two, and I'm heartbroken over it. And that is, on Netflix, there's a Shonda Rhimes show called The Residence, and it's a murder mystery set at the White House. You know, somebody drops dead during a state dinner. And it's got kind of a kooky detective and a wonderful, colorful cast, and it's very, very funny, but it also—it threads that tonal needle, where, like, no, no, there was a murder. This is still serious, but, oh, by the way, I'm going to go look at the body, but first I saw a bird I want to check out, you know. And so it's just—tonally and voice-wise—it does really amazing things. And so if any of your listeners are looking for a really great, like, eight-episode series, it's great. I could not recommend it more—The Residence on Netflix.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat sounds super fun. Well, I am in the midst of The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold. So, you know, I don't normally recommend a book until I know if the writer is going to stick a landing. But I feel quite confident in this one, and have enjoyed—as you can obviously hear from the podcast—the rest of Ally's work. So I am going to just push all of you listeners to, you know, head out there, grab the new one, grab the old one, and have a good time with them.Ally CarterAww, thank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou're welcome. Thanks so much for being here. Oh, should people follow you on social media? Do you do anything fun? Are you...?Ally CarterI do nothing fun. I'm not fun at all. I'm mostly on Instagram; I guess at this point I'm the Ally Carter over there. I have a couple of kind of defunct Facebook pages that I update occasionally. I just updated it for the first time, evidently, in two years. So that was fun. I'm on Threads very seldom. I used to be on Twitter and I still have that account I don't update it very often. Um, but yeah—and of course, my newsletter, like the newsletter is—I think we need to come back. We all need to get back to the newsletter, because it will deliver the news directly to your inbox. And so if you want to make sure you don't miss any like, you know, tour events, which, by the way, I'm coming to Boston on tour in a couple of weeks. So looking forward to that a lot. I think its Lovestruck Books? Is that Boston?KJ Dell'AntoniaProbably yeah.Ally CarterYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's the new romance bookstore there. I've been with Sarina a couple of times, and yeah, it's a great—it is a beautiful store. Like, every detail. Their bathrooms are phenomenal. That's how wonderful this store is. So, very cool. All right, I will link up the newsletter in the show notes, and yeah, about, you know, once every week, I decide to just cancel all the rest of my social media and only do my AmReading email. And then I imagine what my agent would say. And yeah, I don't do it, but...Ally CarterIt's, you know, and I feel like I'm such a broken record, like, oh, you know, go buy my book. Oh, go, you know, I'm going to be here on tour. Oh, this is how you get signed books. But—and I just say over and over and over again—and then inevitably, and this really happened to me one time, I was sitting at the LAX Airport waiting on a flight home, and I got an irate message from a reader that I never come to LA. And I was like, I did an event here last night—like, I was at the Barnes and Noble at The Grove or wherever—last night. And so we said, we—it feels like we are just beating a dead horse letting people know about these things, but it's so easy for things to get lost. And so...KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah! Jess tells the story—that's one of my other co-hosts—about, you know, someone who had come up to her, really one of her biggest fans, “Good new book.” And, “I get your idea, I love this, and I love that you wrote, like, knew a lot.” And then she said, “Oh, well, did you enjoy my latest book?” And they're like, “You have a new book?!”Ally CarterIt happens every time. And so, you know, it's—it's just part of the business at this point.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou've got to do it—it's just part of the business. All right. Well, thank you again...Ally CarterThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd as always, listeners until next week keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game.Jess LaheyThe Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perella. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Librarians Desirae and Sarah talk about this suspenseful novel that follows a woman trying to uncover the truth of her mother's death 30 years prior on the Italian island of Capri. On an annual family visit there, one of their party goes missing, and the decades-old case gets reopened.Also mentioned: The Cloisters by Katy Hays, The White Lotus TV series, Revenge TV series, The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins, Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (see episode 47), Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.Check out books, TV shows and movies at countycat.mcfls.org, wplc.overdrive.com, hoopladigital.com and kanopy.com/en/westallis. For more about WAPL, visit westallislibrary.org.Music: Tim Moor via Pixabay

In this episode, we dive into a massive list of the media we're currently loving! From novels and manga to anime, YouTube channels, TV shows, podcasts, and music—we cover a little bit of everything. It's a fun, wide-ranging conversation full of recommendations and fangirling, and we barely scratched the surface. Don't worry, we tried not to overwhelm you (too much)! Plus a little bit of convention news and your feedback. Our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/FiveishFangirls #FiveishFam  TIME STAMPS 00:00:18 Intro 00:03:17 News 00:10:50 Feedback 00:15:42 Currently -00:19:39 Reading -01:08:21 Watching -01:43:58 Listening -02:00:00 Anticipating 02:08:56 Closing Thoughts 02:10:54 Outro Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.  

Pulling themselves away from an Actual Play, David and Jack find themselves drawn into the horror zone of the Audioverse with Beatrix Greene. Written by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, this historical horror story traps a group of sleuths in a haunted house desperate to escape the wrath of a vengeful ghost. Beatrix Greene makes her living by playing pretend. She knows the seances she conducts are fake, but financial freedom for a single woman in Victorian England is hard to come by. So when notorious scientist James Walker makes her a proposition—prove that ghosts are real, once and for all, for a hefty price—she can't resist the temptation. But the ghosts of Ashbury Manor are very real, indeed, and when Beatrix summons one by accident, she and the other guests of the evening are terrified but find the doors of the manor won't allow escape. Only unraveling secrets from the Manor's past will banish the ghost for good.  Beatrix Greene is a Realm production, written by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, and Vicky Alvear Shecter! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pulling themselves away from an Actual Play, David and Jack find themselves drawn into the horror zone of the Audioverse with Beatrix Greene. Written by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, this historical horror story traps a group of sleuths in a haunted house desperate to escape the wrath of a vengeful ghost. Beatrix Greene makes her living by playing pretend. She knows the seances she conducts are fake, but financial freedom for a single woman in Victorian England is hard to come by. So when notorious scientist James Walker makes her a proposition—prove that ghosts are real, once and for all, for a hefty price—she can't resist the temptation. But the ghosts of Ashbury Manor are very real, indeed, and when Beatrix summons one by accident, she and the other guests of the evening are terrified but find the doors of the manor won't allow escape. Only unraveling secrets from the Manor's past will banish the ghost for good.  Beatrix Greene is a Realm production, written by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, and Vicky Alvear Shecter! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In celebration of our backlist fall, we're dedicating this episode to sharing our recommendations for what to read if you want to capture the energy of a popular book!    Romance If you liked The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, you may like Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff and Seven Days in June by Tia Williams If you like Emily Henry's books, you may like You Again by Kate Goldbeck and books by Mhairi McFarlane! If you like Talking at Night by Claire Daverley, you may like Shark Heart by Emily Habeck and Normal People by Sally Rooney If you liked The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan, you may like Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilde, Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins, and Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings    Thriller/Mystery If you liked The Push by Ashley Audrain, you may like Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker, and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Rusell  If you liked The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon, you may like Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka If you liked Yellowface by R. F. Kuang, you may like The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz If you liked The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, you may like Happiness Falls by Angie Kim   Book Club If you liked Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, you may like All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, you may like The Measure by Nikki Erlick, The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, and This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub If you like Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, and The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer   Fantasy If you liked The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, you may like Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow, The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg, and Caraval by Stephanie Garber If you like Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros or A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, you may like From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Lynn Armentrout, and Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti   Lit Fic  If you liked The Wedding People by Alison Espach, you may like We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman and I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue If you liked Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe, you may like The Husbands by Holly Gramazio If you liked All Fours by Miranda July, you may like We Were The Universe by Kimberly King Parsons If you liked Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, you may like Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark   Obsessions Becca: Microstitch tool Olivia: The Burnt Toast Substack by Virginia Sole-Smith   What we read this week Olivia: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, You Know What You Did by KT Nguyen Becca: Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London   This Month's Book Club Pick - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com)   Sponsors Prose - Take your free consultation with 50% off at prose.com/bop. Better Help - Visit BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER to get 10% off your first month   Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter! Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.  

In this chilling episode, we delve into the dark and twisted world of horror literature through the lens of its female authors. Join us as we explore the contributions of groundbreaking writers like T. Kingfisher, Lisa Jewell, and Rachel Hawkins. We'll discuss how these talented women not only redefine the genre but also challenge societal norms, giving voice to female experiences in uniquely terrifying ways. From psychological thrillers to supernatural tales, discover the themes, styles, and influences that set these authors apart and learn how they inspire the next generation of horror writers. Tune in for a spine-tingling conversation that celebrates the power and creativity of women in horror! Follow us on Instagram: @webookedit

I am back home for a few weeks before I return to Sevilla. I love gardenia and jasmine season! Here are my Favorites to Read, Watch, Collect, Eat, and Cook for this month. This is a good one! Oh, and thank you to all my new subscribers. I appreciate your support! Diary of a Serial Hostess is a reader-supported publication. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive new posts and support my work.ReadTable for Two by Amor Towles. A collection of short stories and a longer novella. Fans of Amor Towels will not be disappointed. It is one of those books I want to start reading again the second I finish. Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz is just as captivating as all his previous works, but especially this one, which seems a lot more personal and insightful. I adore his relationship with his sidekick, a retired British policeman. The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. A rich family, a large estate, adoptions, inheritances, and many secrets. Always an interesting topic. WatchJeanne du Barry in Netflix. I laughed, I cried, and I loved every second. The acting is superb, and the scenery, costumes, etc… incredibly beautiful. Yes, it is in French with subtitles but it is so riveting you are not going to multi-task during this movie. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare in movies. The collection of the best-looking men I have ever seen together. It has a bit of spy thriller history, a bit of Ian Fleming and Winston Churchill, and a lot of action. Guy Richie directed it. A Man in Full. Apple TV. Really well done. Bits of the Tom Wolfe book come to the screen just as I imagined them. I loved it. CollectStyle multiplied by a thousand is what Casa Cabana is all about. I have been an avid fan of this publication for ever and subscribe to their newletters and magazines. They make only two issues a year, and each one of them is better than the last. And, are, of course, trully collectibles. Authenticity, creativity, that wonderful mix of european design, and old-world mixes with the best of the new. I am totally smitten. They also have a great online shop: Cabana with the best accesories, clothes, ceramics, glassware…. EatI have to give Trader Joe's total credit for their frozen Tortilla de Patatas. It is really, really good. I thaw it and then cook it on both sides in a saute pan with a bit of olive oil. Grab it if you see it and keep it in your freezer. It is perfect for a quick mid-week supper and to slice into squares for a hearty appetizer. Cook Continuing my healthy eating, even when friends come over and, so, for this ladies' lunch, I served smoked salmon and hard boiled eggs as the protein with a de-constructed room-temperature salad. I also added some goat cheese for those who can indulge. Salad dressings are on the side - creamy ranch and classic vinaigrette and my latest favorite condiment, crispy garlic & onion. This is what I served, but you can always add more of your favorite vegetables depending on the season. * Roasted baby potatoes (warm)* Roasted eggplant (warm) * Roasted Shisito peppers* Artichoke halves (cold) * Sliced tomatoesArranged all the foods on a platter and the baby lettuce greens in a bowl. That way, everyone can serve themselves picking their favorite ingredients. Dessert, to continue with the healthy theme, I served mixed berries dressed with a little orange juice.And with this, I leave you! Sincerely, The serial Hostess From the Archives Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.

Introducing ‘Elevate' – a 6-part mini-series presented by Dietitian Connection to help dietitians stand out as leaders and achieve unparalleled success in their careers. In part one, we sit down with dietitian and digital marketing strategist, Rachel Hawkins, who shares her unique career journey and why professional burnout helped redefine her trajectory and opened the door to a successful marketing business. Tune in for actionable steps and practical examples to help define and promote your personal brand to achieve success in the digital world. In the episode, we discuss: -    Navigating imposter syndrome, business burnout and lack of clarity -    Rachel's career journey transitioning from dietetics to online marketing -    How dietitians can find their ‘unique value proposition' -    Three key steps to define and build your personal brand -    The difference between personal branding and self-promotion Hosted by Brooke Delfino   For the shownotes: https://dietitianconnection.com/podcasts/turning-burnout-into-a-business-idea/ This podcast is not, and is not intended to be, medical advice, which should be tailored to your individual circumstances. This podcast is for your information only, and we advise that you exercise your own judgment before deciding to use the information provided. Professional medical advice should be obtained before taking action. Please see here for terms and conditions.

Episode 135 February 29/March 2, 2024 On the Needles 1:53 ALL KNITTING LINKS GO TO RAVELRY UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.  Please visit our Instagram page @craftcookreadrepeat for non-Rav photos and info     Ilha by Orlane Sucche, SugarPlum Circus sock in Scorpio– DONE!!   Roam by Dawn Barker, Rainbow Peak Yarns super sock in Luminosity II (Lula Faye Fibre) – DONE!!   ADVENTuresome Wrap by Ambah O'Brien, Canon Hand Dyes Victorian Gothic Advent set   OMG heel socks by Megan Williams, Schachenmayr Regia Pairfect Nordland in 6819    Weather or Knot Scarf by Scott Rohr, HolstGarn Coast in Butterfly, Black, Charcoal, Silver Grey, Wisteria, Freesia, Passion Flower   Popped socks by Hunter Hammerson, Three Irish Girls Springvale Sock in Second Star to the Right (nov 2012)-- revamp of original march 2009 pattern   Slinky Slinky Sly Sweater by Caitlin Shepherd in Miss Babs Katahdin in Beanstalk and Malabrigo Lettuce.   On the Easel 14:20 Quarter 1 project Big florals for Open Studios STILL Flower Drawing on-line workshops On the Table 16:20 Sweet Potato Fries X Food Imperialism from Material Girls Podcast scholarly podcast about pop culture    Yossy Arefi's chocolate skillet cookie with walnuts & cherries     Alfredo e Pepe Recipe - by Ali Slagle   Beans 'n' Cheese | Cup of Jo   Peanut Chicken with Sauteed Vegetables   Chicken Marsala with gnocchi from Smitten Kitchen Everyday Snacking Bakes Review! 27:39 On the Nightstand 43:28 We are now a Bookshop.org affiliate!  You can visit our shop to find books we've talked about or click on the links below.  The books are supplied by local independent bookstores and a percentage goes to us at no cost to you!   Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, trans by Eric Ozawa   Trust by Hernan Diaz (audio)  Reykjavík: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdottir, trans by Victoria Cribb Going Zero by Anthony McCarten (audio) The Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore    The Fury by Alex Michaelides The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai (transl. Jesse Kirkwood) The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Well friends, we are finally doing it: We are embarking on a journey into the Sarah J. Maas universe and we're doing it WITH YOU! In this episode, we answer a number of your questions including what our schedule will look like, will there be spoilers, and what exactly graphic audiobooks are. We are starting with A Court Of Thorns and Roses - grab your copy and start reading! Join our SJM book club for beginners on Fable! Join our SJM book club for the veterans on Fable! Also, we introduced a NEW segment in this episode: instead of what we added to our TBR, we're sharing what we're taking off of our TBR because let's be honest, a long TBR list can be overwhelming so it's time to unload some of the books we know we'll never get to.   Currently reading: The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas The Black Witch by Laurie Frost Going through the Amazon Improbable-Meet Cute short stories   Removed from our TBR: When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole A Deadly Education by Naomi Novak You Have a Match by Emma Lord Anxious People by Fredrik Backman A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins   Come hang out with us on Instagram:   Podcast: @itgetsgoodpodcast Kyleigh: @alltheroseyreads Micaela: @whatmicaelareads_ Hannah: @readwithhannahjo

The Heiress - Rachel Hawkins  With unexpected twists and heart-throbbing pacing, it draws you into a captivating mystery set within the claustrophobic Ashby House. The secrets hidden behind its closed doors, along with its notorious and heartless inhabitants, add to the intrigue.    The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown  Told against the backdrop of the Great Depression, The Boys in the Boat is narrative non-fiction of the first order; a personal story full of lyricism and unexpected beauty that rises above the grand sweep of history and captures instead the purest essence of what it means to be alive.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WARNING: This episode contains spoilers! Spoilers begin at timestamp 17:16   Join us as we chat all about our January Book Club pick, Powerless by Lauren Roberts! To no surprise, Micaela loved it and rated it 5 stars. Hannah and Kyleigh on the other hand rated it 3.5 and 4 stars respectively. But overall, we all enjoyed the book (although we had a few qualms) and encourage you to read it too!   Next month we'll be reading A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross, read with us and come chat on Fabel!   Currently Reading:   When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas The Black Witch by Laurie Forest House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden   Added to TBR:   The Alice Network by Kate Quinn The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins  When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker A Prince So Cruel by Ingrid Seymour On These Black Sands by Vanessa Rasanen Until the Stars Fall by Vanessa Rasanen The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce   Come hang out with us on Instagram:   Podcast: @itgetsgoodpodcast Kyleigh: @alltheroseyreads Micaela: @whatmicaelareads_ Hannah: @readwithhannahjo

Barbara Peters in conversation with Rachel Hawkins discusses The Heiress

Happy new year, book worms and dragons! In this episode, we wrap-up 2023 and look forward to what 2024 has in store for us. We also discuss the surplus of popular book clubs, along with recent reads and acquisitions.  Here are the 2024 new releases mentioned this episode: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins- 1/9 House of Sky and Breath by SJM- 2/15 A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen- 2/27 One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon- 6/11 Bride by Ali Hazelwood- 2/6 A Whisper in the Walls by Scott Reintgen- 4/23 The Women by Kristin Hannah- 2/6 The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson- 2/30 Funny Story by Emily Henry- 4/23 Fate Breaker by Victoria Aveyard- 2/27 The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo- 4/9 The Fury by Alex Michaelides- 1/16 Middle of the Night by Riley Sager- 6/18 A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher- 8/20 The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes- 7/30 Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose- 4/30 End of Story by A.J. Finn- 2/20 How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin- 3/26 The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields- 5/14 A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna 9/10 Lady MacBeth by Ava Reid- 8/6

We're baaaaack! On today's show: everything that happened over the summer break! From Ariana Grande telling us it's not our business whose dick she rides, to host Jo Koy bombing at the Golden Globes, the Selena Gomez/Taylor Swift gossip session that was watched by the world, the viral trend that suggested Paul Mescal… runs away from his one-night stands, a brand new relationship between star of the moment, Barry Keoghan, and Sabrina Carpenter, convicted killer Gypsy Rose Blanchard becomes social media's hottest new influencer, and an explainer on the Real Housewives finale that everyone's been talking about. This week Zara recommended All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien, ‘How to Discover Your Own Taste' on the Ezra Klein Show, and Past Lives. Mich recommended The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, Boy Swallows Universe on Netflix, and Emerald Fennell's interview on Vanity Fair's podcast, Little Gold Men. Subscribe to our newsletter, Smart Dumb Stuff, right here. This episode was audio produced by Annabelle Lee. Big thanks to Dan's Daily for making this episode possible. Whether you want to up your cocktail game, expand your wine knowledge, or discover what's trending in the world of drinks, dansdaily.com.au is the place to go. Want to support our show? We are sending air kisses, air tea, and air hugs (too far?) to anyone who clicks ‘follow' on Apple and Spotify. (Bonus hugs for anyone who leaves a five-star review, too!)  Still not enough? Well! Our hearts! See below for everything else. Click here to subscribe to ShameMore: http://apple.co/shamelesspod Subscribe to the weekly ‘ASK SHAMELESS' newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gFbYLT  Join our book club: https://www.instagram.com/theshamelessbookclub/  Check out our website: https://shamelessmediaco.com/ Write to the Shameless Mailbag: Email hello@shamelessmediaco.com Thanks for listening! We are very big fans of yours.

 Inspired by Niah Freed, @NovelNiah's, idea If You Didn't Like This, You'll Like This, in this episode, we're talking about If You Like This, Try This - Book Edition. What can I say? I'm an optimist. If you tend to read stand alone books that don't belong to a series, but don't want to give up on the same trope or overall feeling, try one of my suggestions.TBR (To Be Read) List:Romance:Morbidly Yours by Ivy FairbanksMr. Fixer Upper by Lucy ScoreTechnically Yours by Denise WilliamsBetter Than Fiction by Alexa MartinThriller:27 Minutes by Ashely TateI Did It For You by Amy EngelFirst Lie Wins by Ashley The Last Time I Lied by Riley SagerEveryone Here is Lying by Shari LapenaBook List:The Upside of Falling by Alex Light and Begin Again by Emma LordHello Stranger by Katherine Center and It's A Date Again by Jeneva RoseSurvive the Night by Riley Sager and Five Total Stranger by Natalie RichardsFinal Girls by Riley Sager and The Only Survivors by Megan MirandaReckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins and The River At Night by Erica FerencikFor more, follow along on Instagram @whereileftoffpod.

Books and Bubbly by Month* January: Prologue with Hi Prosecco* February:Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus with Bolla Prosecco* March: The Maid by Nita Prose with Cantine Regie Prosecco * April: Black Cake by Charmain Wilkerson with Gancia Prosecco* May: Book Lover by Emily Henry with Caposaldo Prosecco* June: The Measure by Nikki Erlick with Guisti Asolo Prosecco * July: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood with Biagio Prosecco* August: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins with Villa Prosecco* September: Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes with Plumeria Prosecco* October: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz with Torresella Prosecco * November: Never Never by Colleen Hoover with Zufini Proseco* December: Epilogue with Epic Run ProseccoOther MentionsAmy's cabi ClothingWendy's Marathon ChallengeSupport the show

We discuss The Kiss Curse by Rachel Hawkins.

Hear about the somewhat new genre of "witchy" romance novels and related "witch heist" (or magic heist) books, as recommended by Laurie Dreyer, manager of the Lansingburgh branch of Troy Public Library. Also hear short reflections on how romance novels may provide new approaches to examining women's power and roles in society, as well as family and "found family" relationships. Laurie also talks about the rise in interest in romance novels, even among men. Books discussed: "The Ex Hex: A Novel" (Sterling, aka Rachel Hawkins, 2021); "Payback's a Witch" (Harper, 2021); "Witches of Moonshyne Manor" (Marais, 2022); "Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches" (Mandanna, 2022); "Mr. and Mrs. Witch" (Bond, 2023); "A Letter to Three Witches" (Bass, 2022); "Witch Please" (Aguirre, 2021); and "Witcha Gonna Do?" (Flynn, 2022). For details, visit www.thetroylibrary.org. To find other libraries in New York State, see https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/#Find. Produced by Brea Barthel for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

We discuss The Ex Hex by Rachel Hawkins.

Spooky season has begun! And what better way to celebrate then with a romance book full of witches, magic, halloween, and SPICE?! Join romance book mega-fan and host Kate Whitley as she breaks down her own thoughts and feelings about this book.

In this week's episode, our podcast co-host, Jessica Gardner, sits down with ACE member and volunteer Rachel Hawkins (@rachello26) to chat about the recent Lone Star Coasterthon event held at Six Flags Over Texas. Rachel takes us through the logistics and excitement of this event and explains how it has gained popularity over the years. Tune in for all the exciting details! Moving on, we have a fantastic lineup of upcoming ACE events to kick off  peak season for coaster enthusiasts: [0:50] Meet Rachel Hawkins [4:15] Lone Star Coasterthon Recap [18:00] June Events Overview Don't forget to like and follow the ACE Facebook Page, as well as the regional pages that interest you.  If you're passionate about roller coasters and amusement parks, consider joining the team of ACE volunteers. It's a great way to make an impact on the future of ACE, have rewarding experiences, develop friendships, and share your talents. We value your ideas and thoughts about this podcast. Feel free to share your feedback via email at podcast@aceonline.org. To learn more about the American Coaster Enthusiasts, visit ridewithace.com. Podcast Volunteer Team: Hosts: Jessica Gardner & John Davidson Producer: Derek Perry Editor: Bob Randolph Show Notes: Liz Tan Project Manager: Corey Wooten

Working without pre-pandemic crutches, doomsday clock, Erin Sterling, writing Hex Hall, the fickleness of the industry, writing queer fiction, a new Jane Eyre and writing for hire, the creative process, creative cryptonite, work life balance, and more. Listen in!This originally streamed 5/16/2020 on Instagram live.Follow Victoria @veschwabFollow Rachel @ladyhawkins

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 253 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. For full show notes with photos check out my website.    This week's segments included: Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair In my Travels KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Zach's 1st Birthday Teddy Yarn: Knit Picks Brava in the Dove Heather, Silver, Mint, Tranquil and Marina colorways Hooks: D (3.25 mm) for stuffed parts & H (5.0mm) for Granny Square Pattern: Theo the Teddy Bear from book: Snuggle & Play Crochet: 40 Amigurumi Patterns for Lovey Security Blankets and Matching Toys by Carolina Guzman Benitez Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Winter Mint Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the Winter Mint Colorway (Yarnable December 2022) You can see more of the December 2022 Winter Mint themed packaged in my Vlogmas 2022: Day 2 video Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway: mint green with specks of gray and blue Progress: Turned heel of first sock   Zebra Stripes Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Yarn: Patons Kroy in the Zebra Stripes Colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway: Progress: Turned heel of first sock and knit several inches on the foot during our trip to Nantucket   Musselburgh Hat   Pattern: Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague ($7.77 US/ 6 GBP knitting pattern available on Ravelry or on Ysolda's website) Yarn: YarnBaker Fingering in the Blazer Colorway & On The Round Nimble Sock (unsure of colorway) Needles: US 2 (2.75) circular- 32 in (magic loop for beginning & end of project & US 2 (also called US 2.5) 3.0 mm 16-inch circular for the body of the hat Ravelry Project Page Size: Adult Medium Progress check- More than half way done. Added in second color   Mini Skein Hexagon Blanket Pattern: Basic Crochet Hexagon Pattern & Tips from Make Do and Crew Website & YouTube Tutorial Hook: F (3.75 mm) Yarn: Mini skeins from 2022 agirlandherwool Advent Calendar, 24 Days of Cheer Swap minis + other scraps/swap yarn Ravelry Project Page I've been closing the end of each hexagon with this join- link to Instagram post 4 rounds per hexagon. 3.75 inches each. Likely need over 300 Twin sized blanket is 60x80 inches. 17x22 hexis- 374. Learned double magic circle from this YouTube video. The trick is to know how to pull both loops to tighten the loop. 196 hexagons done by 4/25/23 (151 washed/ 45 unblocked) More than half way there if my goal is 374   Children of Time Spinning Fiber: Into the Whirled Cheviot (4 oz) in the Children of Time colorway Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Ravelry Project Page About the Fiber: purple, plum, tans, browns and blues Progress: Finishing spinning all 4 oz   Benjamin's Christmas Stocking Pattern: Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Family Circle Magazine. Available in this web archive link. I've also saved it to my podcast Gmail Google Drive in case it disappears! web.archive.org-Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Our Archives.pdf Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Cherry Red, Hunter Green and White Hook: G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: finished green panel. Finished the last ~20 rows of the red side on the train this week.   From the Armchair   The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. "You Just Need to Lose Weight" and 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   I'm also excited for new book from Virginia Sole-Smith- Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture. Check out Episode 265 of the Forever 35 Podcast & Episode 30 of the Struggle Care Podcast for Interviews with Virginia Sole-Smith about her book. Virginia also has her own podcast called Burnt Toast (and a Substack by the same name) which I've just started listening to.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   In My Travels   Check out our 2 part Nantucket Vlog series on my YouTube Channel: Part 1 & Part 2     KAL News Splash Pad Party Registration Opens May 1st. Sign up using this Google Form. To confirm you're signed up, check the Stats/Registration Spreadsheet here. The 8th Annual Splash Pad Party opens on Friday May 26th and runs through July 31st.   Events Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 6 & 7th at the Howard County Fairgrounds Mom & I are planning to attend NH Sheep & Wool: May 13 & 14 in Deerfield, NH Massachusetts Sheep & Wool: May 27 & 28th at the Cummington Fairgrounds Maine Fiber Frolic: June 3-4th at the Windsor Fairgrounds Vermont Sheep & Wool: Sept 30 & Oct 1 at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds Check out some West Coast (US) Events on the Seattle Knitters Guild site (thanks Kristen- kips206)   Contest, News & Notes Thanks to test knitters testing my Mas Vidas shawl   Life in Focus   I checked off two things on my 23 in 2023 list #1- Read 23 Books- now at 24! #23- Create a new music playlist. Riley's. Plus CMA fest artists.   On a Happy Note Walking at the beach with Megg & Maria before Oisin's boat race. His team set the course record for the day! Laura came in from NY that evening and joined us for Tom's birthday dinner. On Sunday, I drove down to Orleans where Laura was house sitting to watch the Love is Blind "live" Re-union debacle on Netflix. Training at the gym & the energy that comes with it! Going w/ Riley and Mom to get our nails done before Nantucket. Riley took us for boba smoothies afterwards. We had a great time. Riley was showing a friend a nail polish in TJ Maxx that looks like mine and it was the exact color of OPI I always get- Don't Bossa Nova Me Around- and she bought it for me. So sweet! Nantucket! 4 day weekend was just the break I needed from work. The candy and cookie taste tests were a fun way to do something memorable without having to spend a ton of time or money. Getting Mom to watch on Love is Blind Watching The Sinner on Netflix with Dan. Working on a slide show for my friend's son's Bar Mitzvah.   Quote of the Week Writer and psychoanalyst Marion Milner on the work required to be happy:   "Let no one think it is an easy way because it is concerned with moments of happiness rather than with stern duty or high moral endeavour. For what is really easy, as I found, is to blind one's eyes to what one really likes, to drift into accepting one's wants ready-made from other people, and to evade the continual day to day sifting of values."   Source: A Life of One's Own   ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

We're so excited to discuss Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman, a 2 time BOP book club author! This book fits right in the venn diagram of Becca and Olivia's differing book tastes. We discuss how we felt about the friendship between the characters in the past vs present timeline (and between teenage girls in general), if we saw the twists coming, the Amanda Knox parallels, thoughts on the ending, and ask ourselves the question ‘who would you go to if you were suspected of murder?'    If you like this book, listen to the The Shit No One Tells You About Writing interview with Ella Berman, and for more books similar to Before We Were Innocent, check out The Comeback by  Ella Berman, The The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, and I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai.    Obsessions Becca: Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs Olivia: Memes about Drew Barrymore's interview style    What we read this week! Olivia: Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman Becca: Yellowface by RF Kuang (out May 16)   May's Book Club Pick - Coming soon!   Sponsors A Thing or Two - If you're looking to add a new podcast to your lineup, give A Thing Or Two with Claire and Erica a try. Prose - Take a FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order at Prose.com/bop   Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter! Like and subscribe to RomComPods and Bone Marry Bury! Available wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Welcome to Episode 26 of Thrillers by the Bookclub Podcast! Join your hosts Chelsea and Olivia as we talk about the latest in thrillers including shout outs for Pub Day and a deep dive into two books we love. Chelsea's Book: THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins (available now!) - Similar Suggestions: Nice Girls by Catherine Dang, We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz, Her Dark Lies by JT Ellison Olivia's Book: I DIDN'T DO IT by Jaime Lynn Hendricks (out 5.23.23!) - Similar Suggestions: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, It Could be Anyone by Jaime Lynn Hendricks Christianna's Book: COLD DECIET by Toni Anderson (available now!) - Similar Suggestions: Other books in the Cold Justice series, Concrete Evidence by Rachel Grant, the Killer Instinct series by Cynthia Eden Jeff's Book: DROWNING by T. J. Newman (out 5.30.23!) - Similar Suggestions: 70s disaster movies (Towering Inferno), Falling by T. J. Newman Contact Us! Email: thrillersbythebookclubpod@gmail.com Instagram: Chelsea: ⁠⁠@thrillerbookbabe⁠⁠   Olivia: ⁠⁠@oliviadaywrites⁠⁠     ITW: ⁠⁠⁠@internationalthrillerwriters Happy Pub Day! A CRUEL LIGHT by Cyndi MacMillan BEFORE WE WERE INNOCENT by Ella Berman THE SOULMATE by Sally Hepworth YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN by Rebecca Keller AFTER HE'S GONE by Katherine Bolger Hyde DIRTY LAUNDRY by Disha Bose Other Entertainment Mentioned: (Twitter)  https://twitter.com/MPaloozaNxt2Die

With construction finished or nearing completion on so many long-anticipated new coasters, our roving band of reporters are out in the field and around the world, riding these new attractions and sharing their experiences with us.     Join us as co-hosts Jessica Gardner and John Davidson get the lowdown on three exciting new coasters: TRON: Lightcycle / Run, Xander Lee (ACE Member Benefits Manager) Mission Ferrari in Abu Dabhi, Teresa Zakova (ACE Europe Assistant Rep)  Aquaman: Power Wave, Rachel Hawkins (Six Flags Over Texas) In this episode: [01:00] Gather round as Xander Lee tells us about TRON: Lightcycle Run in Disney World's Magic Kingdom [13:30] Learn about the Virtual Queue (TRON will use this when it opens) [22:20] Accessible seats on the TRON: Lightcycle Run trains [33:07] Teresa Zakova tells us about Mission Ferrari at Ferrari World, Abu Dabhi  [35:00] Teresa cut the ribbon for Mission Ferrari! [47:00] Aquaman: Power Wave opened at Six Flags Over Texas.  Rachel Hawkins joins John for a discussion about this exciting new water coaster.   Check out Teresa cutting the ribbon for Mission Ferrari!   Join the team of ACE volunteers. Volunteering offers different ways to share your talents by: Having an impact on the future of ACE Providing opportunities for rewarding experiences Developing friendships in a small group Learning new skills or sharing your talents with ACE Share your ideas and thoughts about this podcast via email: podcast@aceonline.org. Visit ridewithace.com to learn more about the non-profit organization American Coaster Enthusiasts.   Podcast Volunteer Team  Hosts: Jessica Gardner & John Davidson Producer: Derek Perry Editor: Bob Randolph Show Notes: Liz Tan  Project Manager: Corey Wooten  

It's time to throw open your windows, turn on some good music and do some spring cleaning! Courtney and Bailey share the unusual things you may not be cleaning on a regular basis, the 6-10 Cleaning List and all of the tools and cleaning gadgets on their radar.    Favorite Things Bailey:  Pizza nights on Sunday Digit Savings App   Favorite Things Courtney: Disco Balls Paprika Tiktok    PATREON: Support us on Patreon here! You will get access to a new monthly bonus episode, future live Q&A calls and we'll send you a love letter.    Episode Notes and Resources:  This month we are celebrating the 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Project 333, The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More. To celebrate, I'm mailing signed bookplates to anyone who purchases the book in March 2023. If you've already read it, get your signed bookplate by reviewing the book here. Once you buy the book or leave your review, fill out this form and I'll send your signed bookplate.   Books:  The Guest List by Lucy Foley  Layla by Colleen Hoover  The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen  Verity by Colleen Hoover  The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz  The Villa by Rachel Hawkins  The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins  The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley    Golden Coil Planner    Unexpected ways to give back  Random Acts of Joy and Kindness   If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of Soul & Wit, contact us here: soulandwitpodcast@gmail.com   Where you can find us: Bailey: @beautifuldetour or www.beautifuldetour.com Courtney: @bemorewithless or www.bemorewithless.com  

Today we're talking all about the mystery books you need to read if you loved White Lotus! This episode includes book recommendations for cozy mysteries, traditional mysteries, and even a thriller novel that has a cozy mystery author for a main character!    Buy the books!   Be My Ghost by Carol J. Perry - https://amzn.to/3yfFm5E   Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie - https://amzn.to/3IWWYIv   The Maid by Nita Prose - https://amzn.to/3kRy199   The Villa by Rachel Hawkins - https://amzn.to/3IWAlE2   Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano - https://amzn.to/3SVhi1g    Get Cozy Podcast Episodes: Carrie Doyle - https://open.spotify.com/episode/54FZ30npQ1JRM1ioMnMCRi?si=W3ie5xtvTu-cSADQ74zq2g   

Join Tracy as she chats with Akeylah, Amanda, and Colleen about the mystery genre. Listen as they discuss what they like about this series, and what mystery novels and shows they enjoy.  Books Mentioned: All of Us by N.F. Carter The Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by George Gould and Walter Pyle  A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia Diagnosis: Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries by Lisa Sanders  The Dresden Files Series by Jim Butcher The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold The Hardy Boys Series by Frank W. Dixon It's Always the Husband by Michele Campbell The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth and Other Curiosities from the History of Medicine by Thomas Morris  The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco Nemesis by Agatha Christie The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith Perry Mason by Earle Stanley Gardner Possession by AS Byatt Promise Boys by Nick Brooks The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery Series by Mia P. Manansala The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

In this episode, Audra and Sadie wrap up their discussion on The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/litandlibation/message

As James and Beatrix attempt to flee the manor, his past comes back to haunt him. Episode written by Rachel Hawkins. Fear: Beatrix Greene is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out our merch at: merch.realm.fm Find and support our sponsors at: www.realm.fm/w/partners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Audra and Sadie discuss “The Villa” by Rachel Hawkins. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/litandlibation/message

On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing: Bookish Moments: a great library newsletter and a reading milestone Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: taking a look at the feminist rage trope and diving in hard The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down!  We are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). The goal here is to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your laundry detergent, if you recently got obsessed with switching up your laundry game) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!*   . . . . 1:26 - Bookish Moment of the Week 1:40 - Milwaukee Public Library on Instagram 4:21 - Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann 5:07 - Current Reads 5:17 - Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley (Mary) 10:06 - Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylen (Kaytee) 14:00 - Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult  15:19 - Join the CR Patreon to hear Kaytee's spoiler filled discussion on Mad Honey w/Sarah from Sarah's Bookshelves Live 17:09 - Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (Mary) 17:22 - Good Omens by Niel Gaiman and Terry Pratchett 21:35 - The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton (Kaytee) 22:48 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend 24:46 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston 25:43 - Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson (Mary) 28:00 - Storygraph 31:44 - The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff (Kaytee) 32:02 - Fabled Bookshop 35:48 - Deep Dive: Books that Unleash our Feminist Rage 38:51 - The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff 40:11 - Circe by Madeline Miller  40:36 - The Power by Naomi Alderman 40:40 - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 41:52 - Vox by Christina Dalcher 42:04 - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte  42:09 - The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins 42:10 - The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell 42:11 - Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 42:27 - Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente 43:09 - Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson 43:35 - When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill 45:15 - The Change by Kirsten Miller 47:43 - Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski 48:36 - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 49:26 - The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by BIanca Marais  52:26 - Meet Us At The Fountain I wish publishers or creators would create specific ASMR rooms alongside the publishing of a new novel. (Mary) 53:05 - The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling I wish we could “gamify” our reading lives. (Kaytee) Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast and www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading

Host Victoria Horn is joined for a second time by special guest Katie Rider, Odell's Youth Programming Coordinator! Katie and Victoria discuss their most-anticipated 2023 book releases and play a round of "Real or Fake Book Release." On V's Verses, Victoria recommends poetry about everyday experiences and reads her original poem, "Making Library Books." As always, listen 'til the end for behind-the-scenes antics! Odell Outreach Newsletter Odell Public Library Facebook page Odell Public Library website Victoria Horn's poetry Katie's Most-Anticipated Make Way for Butterfly by Ross Burach (4/18/23) Happy Place by Emily Henry (4/25/23) The Celebrants by Steven Rowley (5/31/23) Tap, Tap, Tap! Dance, Dance, Dance! by Herve Tullet (5/16/23) Victoria's Most-Anticipated I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (2/21/23) Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy (2/21/23) One Smart Cookie by Mika Song (8/15/23) We Don't Lose Our Class Goldfish by Ryan T. Higgins (3/28/2023) Y/N by Esther Yi (3/21/23) "Real or Fake Book Release" Wizkit: An Adventure Overdue by Tanya J. Scott (4/4/23) The Dogs Who Play Baseball by Thomas Louis Carroll The Dare by Cynthea Liu The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (1/3/23) August Blue by Deborah Levy (6/6/23) Chlorine by Jade Song (3/28/23) Pageboy by Elliot Page (6/6/23) Poems about Everyday Experiences “Fund Drive” by Terri Kirby Erickson “The Chairs That No One Sits On” and “Cheerios” by Billy Collins “At the Student Poetry Reading” by Kim Stafford “To the Garbage Collectors in Bloomington, Indiana, the First Pickup of the New Year” by Philip Appleman

It's time for our first book club of 2023! This month we're talking about The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. We've heard a lot from our listeners about this book, and we're so excited to talk about it finally!   We share our thoughts about the two timelines, our theories about the ending, and play amazing listener voicemails with thoughts and theories about the book. We also discuss what sets The Villa apart from a typical thriller, how it plays with the idea of the self-help guru, and how this book was inspired by the circumstances in which Frankenstein was written.     If you liked The Villa, you might love The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins, Groupies by Sarah Priscus, and Sister Stardust by Jane Green.   Obsessions Olivia: Puffer vests Becca: Halfbaked Harvest Creamy White Chicken Chili   What we read this week! Becca: All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, (check for content warnings for these two!), and Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren. Olivia: The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland.    February's Book Club Pick: Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan (check for content warnings before picking it up!)   Sponsors: Prose - Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today at Prose.com/bop. Zocdoc - Go to Zocdoc.com/BOP and download the Zocdoc app for FREE to find and book a top-rated doctor today. Better Help - Visit betterhelp.com/BADONPAPER today to get 10% off your first month.   Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

It's time for a 2023 book preview! We brought on some of our favorite book people on the internet to share 2 books they're excited about this year, and boy has our TBRs grown! We also ask the age-old question: If you had to bring a book character to a chain restaurant, who are you picking and where are you going?   Follow our guests! Megan Prokott - @the_spines Traci Thomas - @thestackspod Taylor Choi -  @bookswithtay Jenny Jackson - @jennyjacksonpineapple Giselle Gonzalez - @hopelessbooklover_   Becca's Picks Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (out Mar 7)   Olvia's Picks The Whispers by Ashley Audrain The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley   Megan's Picks I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (Out February 21) Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (Out May 16)   Traci's Picks Waco by Jeff Guinn (Out January 24), Waco Rising by Kevin Cook (Out January 31),  Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco by Stephan Talty (Out April 11) Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Out May 2!)    Taylor's Picks Just My Type by Falon Ballard (Out February 7!) Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Out March 14!) Bonus rec: The Truly Devious Series by Maureen Johnson   Jenny's Picks Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey (Out January 17) Games & Rituals by Katherine Heiny (Out April 18).   Giselle's Picks Powerless by Elsie Silver (Out February 10) Happy Place by Emily Henry (Out April 25!)   Obsessions Becca - Ginny & Georgia Season 2 Olivia - Amelia Dimoldenberg's Golden Globes Interview with Andrew Garfield    What we read this week! Becca - Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert,    This Month's Book Club Pick: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

For our first episode of the new year, we're talking about our 2023 goals! We reflect on what we achieved and what didn't pan out in 2022, and we're giddy to share our personal and professional goals for 2023!   If you want to catch up on the 2022 goal lore, check out our 2022 Goals Setting Episode Becca recorded with Grace in January, and our 2022 Goals Mid Year Check-in we recorded in June where Olivia also announces her goals.    If you wanna hop on the 5-year journal train, this is the one Olivia uses!   Obsessions Becca: New Year Energy Olivia: Puzzles, coloring, and playing board games with family.    What we read this week! Olivia:  The Fell by Sarah Moss A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone   Becca:  Before I let go by Kennedy Ryan Happy Place by Emily Henry (out Apr 25) Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn (out Jan 24) The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (out Jan 3) Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (out March 7)   January's Book Club Pick: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins   Sponsors: The Villa - Listen to The Villa wherever audiobooks are sold!  Better Help - Visit BetterHelp.com/badonpaper to get 10% off your first month.    Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

“One island, six visitors, countless secrets!” Hear my take on the fun and twisty murder mystery Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins.

We're finishing 2022 on a strong note by talking about our favorite books of 2022! We cover our favorite reads spanning 6 different categories, and play voicemails from YOU about your favorite books! Favorite Book Club Pick Olivia: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Becca: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, You Made a Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi Listeners: Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson   Favorite Romance Olivia: Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Becca: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Listeners: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, Thank you for Listening by Julia Whelan, A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera, After Hours on Milagro Street by Angelina M. Lopez   Favorite Mystery, Thriller, or Suspense  Olivia: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka Becca: Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins   Favorite Literary Fiction Olivia: Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Becca: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close Listeners: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki   Favorite Wildcard  Olivia: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt  Becca: The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E Smith, The ARC by Tory Henwood Hoen Listeners: Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen, I'm Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, The Wreckage of my Presence by Casey Wilson, The Selection by Kiera Cass   Favorite Book of the Year  Olivia: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman Becca: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub Listeners: Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Babel by R.F. Kuang, Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen   More Listener Reccomendations!!! Human Kind: a Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman, A Promised Land by Barack Obama, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel, Heartless by Elise Silver, Fool Hearts by Emmy Sanders, Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score, Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score, Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C Ford.    Obsessions: Becca: Basking in glow of christmas tree lights Olivia: For the Love of Pickles Facebook Group   What we read this week! Olivia: Scandalized by Ivy Owens, These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant, The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark Becca: The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk   Sponsors: Uncommon Goods - To get 15% off your next gift, go to uncommongoods.com/BOP Better Help - Learn more and save 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/badonpaper Zocdoc - Go to Zocdoc.com/BOP and download the ZocDoc app for free to start your search for a top-rated doctor today.   Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.  

Written by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, this historical horror story traps a group of sleuths in a haunted house desperate to escape the wrath of a vengeful ghost.   Beatrix Greene makes her living by playing pretend. She knows the seances she conducts are fake, but financial freedom for a single woman in Victorian England is hard to come by. So when notorious scientist James Walker makes her a proposition—prove that ghosts are real, once and for all, for a hefty price—she can't resist the temptation.   But the ghosts of Ashbury Manor are very real, indeed, and when Beatrix summons one by accident, she and the other guests of the evening are terrified but find the doors of the manor won't allow escape. Only unraveling secrets from the Manor's past will banish the ghost for good.  As time runs out and death stalks the halls, Beatrix and James must work together or risk being the haunting's next victims.  For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Fear: Black Friday is a Realm production. Listen away. Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out our merch at: merch.realm.fm Find and support our sponsors at: www.realm.fm/w/partners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Halloween! This week, we're back in Houston, Texas, for a spooky'ish themed visit to Murder By the Book, one of the oldest and coolest mystery bookshops in the nation! Bookseller John McDougall shares the history of this great store and shares some favorite mystery reads. Books We Talk About: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson, Louise Penny's Gamache series, The Silence of hte Lambs by Thomas Harris, The Stranger Diaries by Ellly Griffiths, Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series, Sherlock Holmes by Sir A.C. Doyle, The Murder She Wrote series, SJ Bennett's Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series, Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club series, The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood, Stephanie Graves' Olive Bright Pigeoneer series, The Spite House by Johnny Compton and The Villa by Rachel Hawkins, plus several other mystery writers!The Wealthy Coach Podcast Hey Coaches, Practitioners & Healers! Go from 0 clients to a 6-Figure Online Biz!Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Oddity Poddity: A Paranormal PodcastTerrifying tales of the supernatural! Love a good haunt? A spine-tingling urban legend?...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

This week on the Handsell, The Kiss Curse author Erin Sterling (a.k.a. Rachel Hawkins) recommends some spooky reads as we dream of Fall. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. BOOKS DISCUSSED: The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling (The Ex Hex) The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen BOOKS MENTIONED: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Lana Harper (The Witches of Thistle Grove) Ann Aguirre (Fix-It Witches) Not Your Average Hot Guy and Mr and Mrs Witch by Gwenda Bond Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine (June 2023) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bianca and Mirandia are back with a new episode, number two to be exact. As always they are sharing their love of reading and this month both read separate books to review and explain to the other one.    Bianca gives us a wonderful and intriguing look at The Wife Upstairs a mystery/thriller by Rachel Hawkins. Mirandia then brings the chills with her breakdown of Horror Hotel by Victoria Fulton and  Faith MaClaren.    They then both bring you a new segment called “adaptation minute” where they tell you shows or movies they have recently watched that are an adaptation of a book.    Of course as promised here is a full list of books mentioned, discuss, or reviewed on this episode, in order of mention:    Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Book Lovers by Emily Henry  Vampire Knitting Club Series by Nancy Warren The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins  Horror Hotel by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren  Ellie Is Cool Now (not yet available) by Victoria Fulton and Faith MaClaren  The Push by Ashley Audrain  The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark  I let You Go by Claire MacIntosh  A Night to Die For by Lisa Schroeder  The Summer I Turned Pretty Series by Jenny Hanh  Love and Gelato by by Jenna Evans Welch  The Vampire Diaries series by LJ Smith    Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman  Curious Incident of the Dog in Nighttime by Mark Haddon  One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus  I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston  Orchid Club Paris Trilogy by Lila Dubois  Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins  And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie  The Icabog by J.K. Rowling

It's finally time to talk about Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman! We loved this book and we're so excited to talk about it. We share our feelings and respond to listener calls about the book, its characters, its two timelines, and if we think the book accurately reflects how Hollywood operates today.  We also talk about the celebs we pictured as Gabe Parker, Olivia shares her celebrity interview stories, and we defend our celebrity crushes.  Obsessions  Becca: Pineapple Spindrift Olivia: Birkenstock EVA Sandals (Becca also loves these foam faux Birkenstocks!)  What we read this week! Olivia:  This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins  Cover Story by Susan Rigetti Becca: Flying Solo by Linda Holmes This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane June's Book Club Pick: Cover Story by Susan Rigetti Sponsors: Night: Go to discovernight.com and use code BADONPAPER for 20% off almost everything on the site, including all of their pillowcases. Tradlands: go to tradlands.com/badonpaper and use code BADONPAPER (all caps) for 20% off your order.  Prose: Take your FREE in-depth hair consultation and get 15% off your first order today at Prose.com/bop.   Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Welcome to Read the Room, our monthly book club. For April we decided to choose the book The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. This thriller is set in Birmingham, Al where we are from and we thought that would be really cool to read about. Listen to find out what we rated the book

Stories we can't get enough of: Sandr Bullock gave some great couch on Colbert last night. She talks about how she came "Full On, Face To Face" with Channing Tatum's manhood In "The Lost City". LOJ Book Club: Reckless Girl, by Rachel Hawkins! Plus, Lori has some fun music news.

February.  The month of commercialized love aka Valentines Day.  While buying chocolates and teddy bears is a questionable way to show you love someone; it is a good reminder that we need to show support and be vocal about appreciating those who love us, especially those who have stood by us in our worst moments.   Brain injury is a unique circumstance in a relationship where roles change quickly.  Suddenly an independent partner has increased needs and the significant other becomes a caregiver.  This is a really hard time for the survivor and spouse.  This month, we talk with some amazing couples who have stuck together through the hard times.  A true in sickness and in health test.   For our first in the series, stroke survivor Tymiak and his beautiful wife Rachel Hawkins provide their perspectives on what was needed for their relationship to thrive post injury.  Join us as we listen to them converse about communication, mindfulness, honesty and the roles they play in keeping a solid relationship post brain injury.  Links to any resources mentioned:  Becoming the Light: Navigating the Darkness after Stroke by Tymiak Hawkins.  https://tymiakhawkins.com/ (Buy here.) Reach out to: Tymiak on IG https://www.instagram.com/twothet2.0/ (@twotheT2.0) Tymiak on facebook https://www.facebook.com/tah989 (@tymiakamirhawkins) http://www.tymiakhawkins.com (www.tymiakhawkins.com): free guide for survivors and caregivers.  Buy the book http://www.tymiakhawkins.com (here) Eryn on IG https://www.instagram.com/eryn_makingheadwaypodcast/ (@eryn_makingheadwaypodcast) MHP on IG https://www.instagram.com/makingheadwaypodcast/ (@makingheadwaypodcast ) Go to our website http://www.makingheadwaypodcast.com (www.makingheadwaypodcast.com) for full show notes and resources Stroke Recovery with Motus Nova: https://motusnova.com/makingheadway/ (https://motusnova.com/makingheadway/)  The Headache Nutritionist: https://www.headachenutritionist.com/ (https://www.headachenutritionist.com/)  Using our Amazon links to buy products gives us a small kickback.  Thank you for your support! Buy Tymiak's book on Amazon using https://amzn.to/3osun4k (this link.) Support us at:  https://www.patreon.com/MakingHeadwayPodcast (Patreon) Donate section on https://www.makingheadwaypodcast.com/donate (our website).  10% of profits go to our favorite non-profit of the moment HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!  We are a podcast for brain injury survivors by brain injury survivors. If you dug this episode head on over to Apple Podcasts and kindlyhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-headway/id1534964037 ( leave us a rating, a review and subscribe!) Ways to subscribe to the Making Headway Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-headway/id1534964037 (Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts) https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ishnxgh8xbJfV8BtbCtZw (Click here to subscribe via Spotify) https://making-headway.captivate.fm/listen (Click here to subscribe via RSS) https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/making-headway (You can also subscribe via Stitcher)   https://www.makingheadwaypodcast.com/ (Visit the Making Headway Podcast website) to learn more about Eryn and Mariah and our journey to podcasting. Follow us onhttps://www.instagram.com/makingheadwaypodcast/ ( Instagram), Twitter, orhttps://www.facebook.com/makingheadwaypodcast ( Facebook). HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! If you dug this episode, kindly leave us a rating, a review, and subscribe! Visit the Making Headway Podcast website at www.makingheadwaypodcast.com to learn more about Eryn and Mariah and our journey to podcasting. Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/makingheadwaypodcast Follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/makingheadwaypodcast Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/makingheadwaypo As an Amazon Associate, Making Headway may earn from qualifying...

Rachel Hawkins' 2020 release of “The Wife Upstairs” was a huge hit. The contemporary thriller inspired by “Jane Eyre” was the first release outside of the YA genre and showed she can craft a page-turner for a variety of audiences. Rachel talks with Olivia about “Reckless Girls” (published January 2022) that tracks Lux and her boyfriend Nico as they sail off from Hawaii in search of Meroe Island, a remote location with a dark, menacing history with other twenty-somethings in search of adventure and packed with secrets. Rachel talks about her recent success under the pseudonym Erin Sterling, choosing a new name, her love of literature, and her next thriller in the works. In a special Moment with Margaret, Margaret Stewart recommends a 2010 book with a nautical theme, “Bloody Jack” by L.A. Meyer, and explains why she has no interest in slowing down her audio speed.