Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark

Latest Episodes:

Rachel Koller Croft, "Stone Cold Fox" Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Screenwriter Rachel Koller Croft's debut novel STONE COLD FOX is a deliciously wicked thriller about a gorgeous woman who has no intention of letting anyone or anything (even her own truth) get in the way of the way of a ring on her finger and millions in the bank. Rachel joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about the story, the journey to get a publisher to say yes, and which character in the book is loosely inspired by someone in her life.

STONE COLD FOX is out February 14, 2023 in hardcover from Berkley, and the audiobook is Penguin Random House audio, read by Carlotta Brentan. Rachel's book tour includes dates in Chicago, California, New York and Arizona. Visit

https://www.rachelkollercroft.com/ for details, or catch her in person with Olivia for her book event at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore on Thursday March2, 2023 at 7pm. https://calendar.time.ly/9plshfqx/event/75299678/20230302190000

Barbara VanDenburgh, USA TODAY Books Editor Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

There aren't many people around who read more than Barbara VanDenburgh, the former Arizona Republic writer turned USA Today Books Editor. When she's not reading or writing about books, she's talking about them, as host of the First Draft Book Club at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix.

Barbara joined the podcast to share some of the early 2023 books she's most excited about, including the current pick for her book club:

NIGHT WHEREVER WE GO, Tracey Rose Peyton LIFE ON DELAY: MAKING PEACE WITH A STUTTER, John Hendrickson

VICTORY CITY, Salman Rushdie

THE CLIMATE BOOK: THE FACTS AND THE SOLUTIONS, Greta Thunberg HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, Grady Hendrix

NEVER NEVER, Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

OSCAR WARS: A HISTORY OF THE OSCARS IN GOLD, SWEAT AND TEARS, Michael Schulman

IMMORTALITY A LOVE STORY, Dana Schwartz LOVE PAMELA, Pamela Anderson

FINDING ME, Viola Davis

Books also mentioned in this episode:

FAIRY TALE, Stephen King

THE GLASS CASTLE and HANG THE MOON, Jeannette Walls

To follow Barbara's work, visit: https://www.usatoday.com/staff/2646127001/barbara-vandenburgh/

Join First Draft Book Club: https://firstdraftbookbar.com/book-club

Elle Cosimano, "Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun" Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

When a misunderstanding at a Panera results in an offer that's impossible to refuse, Elle Cosimano's title character springs to life for readers who can't help but root for her heroine to find love, money, and kick a lot of butt along the way.

Elle returns to the podcast to talk to Olivia about the third book in her series, FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN. This time we see Finlay and her bestie/nanny/accountant, Vero, head off to a citizen's police academy that puts her right in the focus of the police, for better or worse. The author says the situation was inspired by a real-life writer's academy she took part in, which provides a safe space to ask questions that might otherwise make you look like an aspiring serial killer. "My google search probably has me on several very scary watchlists… but the writer's police academy was great for those questions that would be frowned upon for asking anywhere else!"

FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN is available from Minotaur Books on January 31, 2023, and as an audiobook from Macmillan Audio.

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

Dani Shapiro, "Signal Fires" Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Dani Shapiro is the author of eleven books, and the host and creator of the hit podcast Family Secrets. She joined the podcast to talk with Olivia about her most recent novel, SIGNAL FIRES, her first work of fiction in thirteen years. SIGNAL FIRES was named a best book of 2022 by numerous publications, including Time Magazine, and The Washington Post.

Dani tells Olivia about how the idea for SIGNAL FIRES first struck her years ago, and that she felt only recently capable of crafting the moving story in part due to her life experience in recent years, specifically the revelations about her own family she shared in her bestselling memoir, INHERITANCE.

SIGNAL FIRES is available in hardcover from Knopf Doubleday, and in audiobook (narrated by the author) from Penguin Random House. For more on Dani Shapiro, visit her website: https://danishapiro.com/

Dani Shapiro will be part of an author event in Phoenix in March. To request ticket information visit: https://www.brandeisphoenix.org/2023ba.html

Valerie Tejeda, "Self Care by the Signs" Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

2023 is going to be a good year according to astrologer Valerie Tejeda. Tejeda is a bestselling author, an astrologer with a degree in psychology and certificates in astrology and music therapy, and the creator of the digital brand Big Cosmic Energy. She is the writer and narrator of SELF CARE BY THE SIGNS, a #1 Audible bestseller, a #1 Amazon bestseller, an AP bestseller, as well as SELF CARE BY THE MOON, an Audible Top 10 Listen and Editor's Pick for a 2021 favorite in self-development.

She joins the podcast to chat with Olivia (in spite of Mercury being in retrograde messing with reception,) and the powers of the planets and how we can use the stars to better understand ourselves and others. During the chat, Valerie explains why Mercury is messing with us all (and those with Olivia's signs in particular,) and shares the inspiration for her contemporary romance novel GOOD ON PAPER. If you are astrology curious, this conversation is for you! Do you want to know if dogs are guided by their signs? Of course, we do! But you'll have to listen as she shares some insight into her own canine cutie, Dulce.

Valerie has contributed to Self Magazine, Vanity Fair, MTV, Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, among other publications, and is working on her next book, COSMIC CARE.

To learn more about Valerie, purchase her books, or schedule an astrological reading, visit valerietejeda.com

Mary Kubica, "Just The Nicest Couple" Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Queen of suspense Mary Kubica opens the year with her latest suspenseful mystery, JUST THE NICEST COUPLE, to be released January 10th. The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author joins the podcast to talk about her twisty tale of two seemingly perfect couples, and the secrets that are exposed between them when one of the husbands disappears. Mary joins the podcast to talk with Olivia about her previous career as a teacher, how she constructs her storylines, and how motherhood helped to launch her successful career.

Mary will celebrate her books birthday with an event at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale on January 10th. For event information or to pre-order a copy of JUST THE NICEST COUPLE, visit https://poisonedpen.com/ To learn more about the author visit https://marykubica.com/

Kiersten Modglin, "A Quiet Retreat" Dec 27, 2022

Show notes

"You are cordially invited to visit the new Black Hills Manor Writing Retreat," says the invitation received by five mystery/thriller writers, what could go wrong? That's the lure that leads protagonist Blakely to a remote southern manor with a dark history in Kiersten Modglin's novel, A QUIET RETREAT. Kiersten joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about writing strong women who save themselves, how she maintains her intense writing schedule with a goal of a book every other month (!), and why she can only enjoy her own fiction, such as IF YOU'RE READING THIS, once it becomes an audiobook.

An Amazon bestselling author who is a favorite for so many readers, don't miss the conversation with the talented writer whose books always embody the theme: Love, Lies, Alibis. To download her full book list, visit: https://www.kierstenmodglinauthor.com/

SANTA, BRING US THE BOOKS (and Mary Kay Andrews!) Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

The countdown to Christmas is ON! Whether you're looking for the festive audiobook to listen to while shopping or gift wrapping, or a gift idea for the bookworm on your nice list, this episode is here for you. Olivia shares recommendations and future holiday favorites straight from her own TBR. This is followed by a revisiting of a festive 2021 conversation with New York Times bestselling novelist Mary Kay Andrews, author of THE SANTA SUIT.

Also mentioned in this episode:

HOLIDAYS ON ICE, David Sedaris

SKIPPING CHRISTMAS, John Grisham

LOVE ALWAYS, CHRISTMAS, Karen Schaler

ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Karen Schaler

CHRISTMAS SHOPAHOLIC, Sophie Kinsella

Once Upon a Book Club monthly subscription service: https://www.onceuponabookclub.com/

Ben Lytle, "The Potentialist: Your Future in the New Reality of the Next Thirty Years" Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

Ben Lytle is a potentialist and invites all readers of his book to become one as well. He joins the podcast this week to discuss with Olivia the philosophy of potentialism, including his annual ritual of self-assessment, asking himself "am I doing what's making me happy? Am I contributing to life in the way I want to? Doing that, for me has always kept me vibrant."

When Lytle began outlining what became his debut book, THE POTENTIALIST: YOUR FUTURE IN THE NEW REALITY OF THE NEXT THIRTY YEARS, his intended audience was exclusively the future generations of his own family. Luckily for the public, the CEO/entrepreneur decided to share his wisdom more broadly, publishing THE POTENTIALIST as the first of a three-book series.

His business resume includes launching and leading five successful companies, including Anthem, currently twentieth on the Fortune 500. Lytle is considered an expert on healthcare policy, a revolutionary thinker and leader devoted to inspiring individual and collective human potential through innovation and creative thinking.

THE POTENTIALIST was released in hardcover by Amplify Publishing Group. To find out more about the author, explore the ten principles of the New World reality over the next thirty

years, and find out if your child is ready for the future, visit https://potentialistfuture.com/

During this podcast, these books were recommended:

ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT by Stephen King

BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert

Katherine Corcoran, "IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF: A Murder, a Coverup, and the True Cost of Silencing the Press" Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

"We are actually heading into the direction of Mexico, while Mexico is trying to be more like us, a country of free press that supports the free press," says Katherine Corcoran about the emergence of independent journalism in Mexico that has simultaneously sparked a rise in violence against journalists.

Corcoran joined the podcast to talk with Olivia about her non-fiction book, IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF: A Murder, A Cover-Up, And The True Cost of Silencing The Press. Corcoran's work as a bureau chief for the Associated Press gave her the interest and the access to begin investigating and writing about the murder of Proceso reporter Regina Martinez, who Corcoran had spoken to only months before her death. "What does it mean? Why should people read this story?" she reflects, "When things started to get worse for journalists in the United States, which was something I hadn't anticipated at all, all of a sudden it was very easy to understand why the book was important."

On her time in Mexico, Katherine shares her love of Oaxaca, Guanajuato, and Mexico City, and recommends an article written by a fellow journalist as a guideline for a visit to the capital city: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/17/travel/things-to-do-mexico-city.html

IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF: A Murder, a Coverup, and the True Cost of Silencing the Press is published in hardback from Bloomsbury Publishing.

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