Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark

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Books We Are Thankful For, with Whitney Clark Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

Whoa, the holidays are upon us (and the cost of dinner is up 20% on average!) So, let's talk about what we're thankful for: BOOKS! In particular the really special ones that stay with us well past the last page.

News anchor Whitney Clark is an avid reader (44 books and counting this year) and shares her top five for 2022 on this week's podcast. Olivia couldn't stick to such a tight list, but shares a few others that are worth recommending. So escape the family, close the bedroom door and enjoy this reading list!

Whitney's Recommendations:

-CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, Taylor Jenkins Reid

-THE PARIS LIBRARIAN, Mark Pryor

-CRYING IN H MART, Michelle Zauner

-ATLAS OF THE HEART, Brene Brown

-ONE ITALIAN SUMMER, Rebecca Serle

Olivia's Recommendations:

-FAIRY TALE, Stephen King

-WE ARE THE LIGHT , Matthew Quick

-I'M GLAD MY MOM DIED, Jennette McCurdy

-FINDING ME, Viola Davis

-THE GOLDEN COUPLE, Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

-BAD VIBES ONLY, Nora McInerny

-VERITY, Colleen Hoover

-LA WEATHER, Maria Amparo Escandon

-LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, Bonnie Garmus

-LOOK CLOSER, David Ellis

Nora McInerny, "Bad Vibes Only (And Other Things I Bring to the Table)" Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

When Nora and her husband Aaron collaborated on his obituary her grief was introduced to the world, alongside the creative spirit and humor she and her son's dad shared. Since then, Nora has become a beloved voice for others trying to see their way out of the darkness- or want to know how to support someone else who is in the thick of the worst. Nora is the host of the podcast "Terrible, Thanks for Asking" and joined the Olivia's Book Club podcast to talk about her new collection of essays, BAD VIBES ONLY (And Other Things I Bring to the Table.)

Nora now lives in Phoenix with her second husband and kids, and enjoys life dehydrating in the desert sun.

BAD VIBES ONLY is available in hardcover from Atria books, and on audio from Simon & Schuster Audio.

For more on the author, visit https://noraborealis.com/

Lisa Unger, "Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six" Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Luxury cabin out in the middle of nowhere, what could go wrong? Readers of the November thriller SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX.

"I've been writing since I was a kid. I never wanted to do anything else but write- ever. The fact that I get to do it… to live in this world of stories and characters and I get to share them with people, not just my mom, not just my grandma," Lisa Unger says with a laugh about her career she considers to be "a dream come true."

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger joins the podcast to talk about her twenty-year writing career and SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX. Lisa tells Olivia about her writing routine, the pandemic escapes that inspired this story, and what mystery/crime writers are really like. SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX is published by Park Row, also available in audio from Harlequin Audio. For more on the author visit https://lisaunger.com/

Lisa will celebrate the book's release in Scottsdale on November 8, 2022 at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore at 7pm. Signed copies are available for pre-order.

Sulari Gentill, "The Woman in the Library" Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

"Things like structural edits, what the characters do, that's really the choice of the writer," quips Sulari Gentill, while discussing communications with the devoted fan base of her Rowland Sinclair series, and her new stand-alone literary mystery, THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY.

All the way from Australia, the author chats with Olivia in the Arizona podcast studio before meeting her readers and leading writing workshops at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale.

Sulari talks about playing with genre and the blurring of fact and fiction, with her novel about a novel, written by protagonist Hannah, whose early draft THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY READER is spending most of our time with.

THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY is now available in paperback from Sourcebooks, hardcover from Poisoned Pen Press, and as an audiobook by Dreamscape Media. For more on the author, visit: http://sularigentill.com

A Moment With Margaret Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

It has been too long since the podcast caught up on what Margaret is reading. Olivia's favorite reader to turn to for book recommendations, the once weekly A Moment With Margaret conversation is the sole focus of this week's podcast! Devoted audiobook listener and reality TV watcher, Margaret shares the books she consumed over the last few months and the emoji that best captures her feelings about each one. She talks with Olivia about her reasoning for each, and they discover they disagree about at least one review!

Here's her list of books to help you determine which are a must for your TBR pile, and what you may she's reviewing, and telling Olivia why they inspired these emojis.

Keep up with her reading list by following @overbookedandoverdue on Instagram

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese (historical fiction/spooky vibes) - 👍

The Office BFFs by Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey (nonfiction) - 👍

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (suspense/thriller) - 👍

More Than You'll Ever Know by Kate Gutierrez (women's fiction, suspense) - 😏

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (women's fiction) - 👍👍

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell (suspense/thriller) - 😏

The House Across the Lake (suspense/thriller) - 😏

The Island by Adrian McKinty (suspense/thriller) - 👎

Love Me as I Am by Garcelle Beavais (non fiction) - 😏

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (suspense/thriller) - 👎

The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle (rom/com) - 🤗

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin (fiction) - 👍😭

Alex Finlay, "The Night Shift" Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

When writing the conversations between teenagers targeted in a 1999 New Year's Eve massacre at a Blockbuster video in THE NIGHT SHIFT, Alex Finlay says he tapped into the years of eavesdropping while shuttling kids to activities, "you become invisible to your kids and their friends." Finlay, who writes under a pen name, is an appellate lawyer who is following up his hit thriller EVERY LAST FEAR with THE NIGHT SHIFT.

He joins the podcast to talk with Olivia about the book, his writing process, the old manuscript he dug up that he can objectively say now was not good, then teases his 2023 thriller WHAT HAVE WE DONE.

Finlay will join Olivia's Book Club to discuss his novel with readers of October 18. Register here: Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwof-mprjsiEtJSy9vIi_EvP5b4AjHj4fQy

For more on the author, visit: https://alexfinlaybooks.com/

Laurie Lico Albanese, "Hester" Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

Laurie Lico Albanese, author of HESTER, a reimagining of the story behind THE SCARLET LETTER, joins the podcast to talk about her latest work of historical fiction. The story focuses on Isobel Gamble, a seamstress who moves from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1800s. Laurie says her heroine's "gift is her curse, and her curse is her gift," who is descended from an accused witch and ends up crossing paths with Nathaniel Hawthorne.

She talks about the research that went into writing the book, shares advice for writers on approaching historical fiction, her own relationship with embroidery, and discusses what her character of Isobel has in common with singer Billie Eilish.

HESTER is available in hardcover and audio from St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio, respectively.

For more on the author, visit: https://www.laurielicoalbanese.com/

Michelle Wolett of Once Upon a Book Club Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

Once Upon a Book Club is a bookworm's dream come true: a monthly delivery service of an oversized book box filled with a surprise book selection and an array of specially curated gifts to bring that book to life. The Arizona based business is the brainchild of Michelle Wolett, who also owns Chick-Lit Designs (recreating favorite books into cell phone and tablet cases). Michelle joined Olivia for the podcast to talk about the business that originated as a gift for her Mom- to motivate her to read Kristin Hannah's THE NIGHTINGALE. Michelle tells Olivia about how she quickly went from idea to action, navigating the growth of the business, how she approaches book selection, and how she wants the gifts to appeal to all the senses, adding touch or scent to bring the books to life. "The magical experience of it is really the selling point," she says. Started in 2016, Once Upon a Book Club has garnered national attention, and grew from 220 monthly subscribers to a peak of delivering book magic to as many as 8,000 subscribers per month! Michelle says she is most proud and pleased to hear from people who say the boxes have made them readers again. Boxes can be ordered on an individual basis when supplies allow, or on a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription. One book box is $49.99, longer subscriptions come at a monthly discount. To find out more about Once Upon a Book Club, visit: https://www.onceuponabookclub.com/

Amina Akhtar, "Kismet" Sep 06, 2022

Show notes

Amina Akhtar is a former fashion writer turned novelist, who uses her current home of Arizona as the setting for her thriller KISMET, where enlightenment and danger go hand in hand.

Amina joins the podcast to talk about the book, her move from NYC to just outside Sedona, and writing a character that reflects her own culture and color.

"I was trying to find out what kind of person would want a guru," recalls novelist Amina Akhtar when crafting her KISMET protagonist, Ronnie Khan, the character who ultimately follows Marley Dewhurst, "a Gwyneth Paltrow wannabe" to Sedona. Sedona is far from zen in KISMET, once members of the wellness community murdered.

KISMET is published in hardcover by Thomas & Mercer, with the audiobook presented by Brilliance Publishing. For more on the author visit: https://www.aminaakhtar.work/

Karin Slaughter, "Girl Forgotten" Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, and she joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about her latest work of crime fiction and her passion project, the non-profit Save the Libraries.

"I primarily think she did it to annoy her mother," says Karin, of protagonist Andrea's career as a US Marshal in her new novel GIRL, FORGOTTEN.

GIRL, FORGOTTEN revisits the characters her readers and viewers of the Netflix series "Pieces of Her" already know, as Andrea completes her training and begins a specialized protection detail that leads to the investigation of a decades old unsolved murder. For more on Karin Slaughter, visit https://www.karinslaughter.com/ and learn how to support Save the Libraries: http://www.savethelibraries.com/

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