Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark

Latest Episodes:

T.J. Newman, "Drowning" May 23, 2023

Show notes

"A plane crashes into the ocean, sinks with people trapped inside," T.J. Newman says in describing the premise of this summer's new novel, DROWNING. The writer returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about battling the pressures of following up her debut bestseller, and her gratitude for the opportunity to live her dream as a full-time writer. A former bookseller and flight attendant, Newman's commercial airline centered thrillers sparked bidding wars in publishing and in Hollywood. This time around, deadline pressures were as intense as the burden of expectation, but Newman said she loved writing this intensely emotional book: "At its core, this story would not work if it were not a story of grief and loss and hope and survival and a family coming together" she says.

DROWNING is published by Avid Reader Press, available for pre-order before its May 30, 2023 release.

Newman will be signing books at Changing Hands Bookstore, where she used to work, on Monday May 29, 2023. She'll be at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore the following night. For more on TJ Newman, and to follow the latest developments as both her books head to the big screen, visit her website.

Christina Lauren, "The True Love Experiment" May 16, 2023

Show notes

Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the besties and writing duo who make readers' smiles and hearts grow with every book published under the pen name Christina Lauren, return to the podcast to talk with Olivia about this summer's release. THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT is a stand alone novel focused on "Fizzy" aka Felicity Chen, who readers first met in their instant bestseller THE SOULMATE EQUATION.

"No two people complete each other, it is who is perfect for our heroine or our hero," says Christina, and in this book it's the divorced dad/documentary producer Conner who is clearly meant for Fizzy. The way the relationship unfolds slowly, Lauren explains, is what makes it good. "What more fun can you imagine than taking that person who thinks she knows everything about love and showing her that maybe that's not actually true… they really became friends," she says.

THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT is out May 16, 2023 from Gallery Books. For more on the writers and their book tour, visit https://christinalaurenbooks.com/

Neely Tubati Alexander, "Love Buzz" May 02, 2023

Show notes

A Mardi Gras bachelorette party leads to a chance encounter for bridesmaid Serena Khan that leads her considering blowing up the life she's carefully built just weeks before her thirtieth birthday. As if that's not challenging enough, she'll need to get it back together (or at least look together) before she's featured in a Life at 30 profile she's been anticipating since graduation,

Neely Tubati Alexander joins the podcast to talk about her debut novel, LOVE BUZZ. She chats with Olivia about her favorite parts of the writing process, her approach to inclusion and representation in her work, and what it all has to do with Nirvana.

LOVE BUZZ is out in paperback and audio on May 2, 2023 from Harper Perennial. For more on the author, who has a contract for two more novels currently in the works, visit www.neelytubatialexander.com

Neely will celebrate her book's launch locally at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix on Friday May 12.

Don Winslow, "City of Dreams" Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

"He's driving across America, running from the mob, the feds, the cops, a whole bunch of people just to try to find a place to be and exist," says Don Winslow of where readers find the character of Danny Ryan in his new book, CITY OF DREAMS.

Don returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about the second novel in the crime trilogy that began with CITY ON FIRE. Winslow shares his advice for aspiring writers, and recollections of his stranger than fiction life prior to becoming a bestselling writer of crime fiction.

CITY OF DREAMS is available in hardcover from William Morrow and in audio from HarperAudio. For more on his work, visit https://www.donwinslow.com/

Rebecca Makkai, "I Have Some Questions For You" Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Rebecca Makkai joins the podcast to discuss her novel, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. The book follows film professor and podcaster Bodie Kane's return to her alma mater to teach a two-week course. The environment and her students' interest in producing a true crime podcast about the murder of her former roommate resurrect strong feelings, questions and concerns for Bodie. Rebecca tells Olivia about making changes to the character of Bodie, her interest in the obsession with true crime, the emotional moments that arise on the book tour when readers discuss her highly acclaimed book, THE GREAT BELIEVERS, and her SubMakk substack. She also shares her tribute to her late father, the 84 Books Project.

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU is available in hardcover from Viking and audio from Penguin Audio. For more on the author visit https://rebeccamakkai.com/

Larry Loftis, "The Watchmaker's Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie Ten Boom" Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

Larry Loftis writers non-fiction thrillers. Not a genre Olivia was familiar with before reading his 2023 book THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER, Larry joined the podcast to talk about his approach to telling true stories that read like fiction. "I like thrillers, that's what's fun for me to read, turning the page, getting your heart rate going, so I just merged the two genres."

Larry spends at least a year on research before beginning to write his books- and telling Corrie Ten Boom's story was no different. Once he completes his extensive research, he exercises his creativity in the formatting and pacing of the story. He takes no creative license with the details: "I can't make anything up. What I can do is decide when chapters end, that's up to me. When there's a dead body, a gun, a briefcase stolen… then, I can end the chapter there. The reader says, 'wait, wait, what happened? That's what a thriller is."

Larry Loftis is the author of: THE PRINCESS SPY, CODE NAME: LISE, INTO THE LION'S MOUTH, and 2023's THE WATCHMAKER'S DAUGHTER, published by William Morrow and is also available as an audiobook from Harper Audio.

Anastasia Ryan, "You Should Smile More" Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

Vanessa Blair is most definitely not living her dream life. She's working as a telemarketer for a judgmental tyrant who wants her out because of her RBF. Her facial expression aside, she's done everything expected of the employees and then some (hello, office Olympics?)

For fans of movies like Office Space and the classic 9-5, Anastasia Ryan's debut novel YOU SHOULD SMILE MORE is laugh out loud funny and disturbingly relatable to most anyone who has worked in a company claiming to embrace a meaningful corporate culture. When Vanessa and her peers turn her termination into a challenge, they learn from the tenets of THE ART OF WAR, realize that friendships were the true perk of the job, and find a way to a happier ending that can incorporate gainful employment, kittens, and maybe even love.

Anastasia talks to Olivia about the jobs and interviews that inspired her story, her own history as a foster mom to kittens, and why being an introvert feels like an obstacle to selling books! For more on the author visit https://anastasiaryan.com/

Follow her on IG, TikTok and Twitter: @byanastasiaryan

YOU SHOULD SMILE MORE is available in paperback and for e-readers from Sourcebooks.

William Landay, "All That is Mine I Carry With Me" Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

For attorney turned novelist William Landay, the justice system is a complex beast, and the stories worth telling don't often resolve simply.

The intense emotion of uncertainty of what to believe is what propelled the narrative of William Landay's 2012 bestselling novel DEFENDING JACOB, recently adapted as a limited series for Apple TV+.

More than ten years later, Landay is back with a new family drama that also involves the courtroom. ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME begins with the disappearance of a suburban mother of three, Miranda Larkin, spouse of a prominent criminal defense attorney. The investigation, fears, suspicions, and absence of the matriarch and questions of the father's involvement fuel the moving story that spans decades, grappling with the uncertainty of never knowing what to truly believe.

"It is human beings in a jury box, human beings who are judges and lawyers, and mistakes are made. So I wanted to capture some of that uncertainty – which is a difficult thing, when working toward a conclusion is the whole heart of the story," Landay says as he joins Olivia on the podcast. He shares the journey over the years to write his fourth novel, and what advice he has for other writers who sometimes find the craft full of challenges. ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME published in hardcover by Bantam Books, and is available in audio.

For more on the author, visit www.williamlanday.com

Sarah Penner, "The London Séance Society" Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

Sarah joins the podcast to discuss her second novel, THE LONDON SEANCE SOCIETY. Book number two comes just two years after her instant New York Times #1 bestseller, THE LOST APOTHECARY. That literary tsunami-style splash was made on the heels of leaving a long, successful career working in finance. Yes, finance! Sarah talks with Olivia about her past career and the perk of traveling regularly to London, where she says, "she felt like I'd lived a previous life there. I felt so enchanted by the old brick alleyways... really enamored of it all. I knew I wanted to set my first book there and ended up setting THE LONDON SEANCE SOCIETY there as well."

Sarah talks about researching her Victorian-era novel, writing strong female characters like Lenna and Vaudeline, and her own adventure gaining perspective of a séance, digging deeper into what grieving people are seeking when they desire connection with those who have passed, and how those emotions can make us vulnerable.

THE LONDON SEANCE SOCIETY is released March 7, 2023 by Park Row Books. For more on the author visit sarahpenner.com Also mentioned in this podcast: HESTER by Laurie Lico Albanese. To hear Olivia's previous conversation with Laurie about this book, listen to this podcast episode from October 20, 2022.

Wanda Morris, "Anywhere You Run" Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

"When I tell you I'm living the dream Olivia, I'm living the dream!" Wanda Morris returns to the podcast to talk about her second novel, ANYWHERE YOU RUN, published by William Morrow in October, a follow up to her acclaimed debut, ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS.

Wanda's novel is what she calls a "coming of age story, with a few dead bodies thrown in," is set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1964, focusing on sisters Marigold and Violet and how their lives change when they each leave the only home they've ever known, to save their own futures.

ANYWHERE YOU RUN is available in hardcover from William Morrow, and in audio from HarperAudio.

For more on the author visit https://wandamorriswrites.com/

Wanda will be part of the Brandeis Books & Author event in Phoenix on March 13. For ticket info: https://www.brandeisphoenix.org/2023ba.html

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