All Episodes

February 3, 2025 61 mins

On this episode, indie author David Jay Collins and I discuss his work writing books in and about Chicago, how he keeps going by honoring his characters, and the unique ways that he connects with his readers. We also discuss his reading life, including a current fast from horror content which blows my mind!

 

Follow David on Instagram 

Order any of David’s books from his website 

Where you can see David in 2025!

 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

 

What Betsy’s reading: 

Lilith by Eric Rickstad 

A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Just Want You Here by Meredith Turtis 

 

Books Highlighted by David:

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 

Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and We Work by Reeves Wiedeman 

Dry. A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs 

The Death of the Artist: How Creators are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech by William Deresiewicz 

The Man With the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion 

 

All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.  

Other books mentioned in this episode:

John Adams by David McCullough 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

24/7 News: The Latest
Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.