Author Nova McBee discusses her latest book, Calculated, which will appeal to readers both young and old who enjoy mission-impossible-type stories. Nova blended several sources of inspiration to write this book: living in Asia, the issue of human trafficking, and Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. Her novel, Calculated, involves a math prodigy, high stakes intrigue and fast-paced action. It is the first book in the series,...

Author Donna Galanti discusses her latest middle grade novel, Unicorn Island. It is the first book in a new series about a young girl who discovers a mysterious island off the coast of South Carolina, an island full of mythical beasts and darker dangers. After writing several books for adults, Donna tried her hand at books for kids and found her niche with middle grade stories. Unicorn Island is her second MG series. Her first seri...

Author Darryl Bollinger discusses his latest novel, The Healing Tree. Darryl has written seven medical thrillers, with his plots revolving around hospitals, big pharma and the healthcare industry. Darryl worked in healthcare for 28 years, and he has no shortage of inspiration for his thrilling novels. The Healing Tree is his most recent book, and it, too, involves plenty of danger and deception. But, above all, it is the story abou...

Author McKenna Dean discusses the first two books in her Redclaw Origins paranormal romance series: Bishop Takes Knight and Bishop’s Gambit. Set in the 1950’s, the stories center around Redclaw Security, part detective firm and part enforcement agency, which regulates matters involving the growing population of shifters that has emerged since the onset of the nuclear age. McKenna also discusses her writing journey and some of the s...

Author M.K. Tufft discusses her middle grade series for kids, Putney and the Magic eyePad. She writes stories with a STE(A)M theme -- science, technology, engineering, art and math. Marsha is a retired engineer with degrees in mechanical, aerospace and materials engineering. She enjoys developing experiments for kids to give them fun experiences with STE(A)M. If you like her stories, check out her website, putneydesigns.com, to fin...

Authors Kathy Chiu and Rebecca Pebble discuss their new novel, Endowed. The story involves four women who meet in an improv troupe and become friends. The characters are all from very different backgrounds, but they find the common bond of friendship as they help each other navigate life, loss and love. Both Kathy and Rebecca are improv troupe veterans. As they wrote, they used improv concepts such as “yes and,” and the story is wr...

Author Esther Jantzen discusses her middle grade novel, WALK: Jamie Bacon’s Secret Mission on the Camino de Santiago. WALK is one of the first books for kids written about the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile walk beginning in France and continuing across Spain. It has been a pilgrims’ route since the beginning of the 9th century. Esther has walked the Camino three times, which was a life-changing experience for her, and she hopes th...

Author Shery Knowlton discusses her latest novel, Dead on the Delta, which is the fifth book in her Alexa Williams suspense series. Dead on the Delta follows Alexa Williams to Africa for an adventurous ride filled with wild animals, amazing locales, pressing environmental issues and, of course, murder. In this book, as with all of her stories, Sherry uses her fiction to address a number of social issues, and she pairs her storyline...

Award-winning author Donald Quist discusses his linked story collection, For Other Ghosts. The stories take place in settings across the world with characters that are equally varied. Donald approached this story collection as a means of radical empathy, pushing himself to write beyond what he knows and to find connections to and amongst his characters and his readers. Donald also authored the acclaimed essay collection, Harbors, w...

Author Marina Brown discusses her latest novel of historical literary fiction, The Orphan of Pitigliano. This novel won the 2020 Published Book of the Year award, as well as a gold medal, in the Royal Palm Literary Awards competition. The Orphan of Pitigliano is a sweeping story involving a small Italian village, Jews in Italy during WWII, Etruscan grave robbers, a modern-day medical mystery and old-world superstitions, including i...

Author Michelle R. Young discusses her debut novel, Gear Heart. It is the first book in a new sci fi trilogy that marries a retro, futuristic, steam-punk vibe with an espionage thriller. She found inspiration for her story from a vivid dream that she dreamt over and over for year before she finally began to write the story. As a young person, Michelle dealt with two learning disabilities and hated writing in school. Now, however, s...

Author Michael Wiley discusses his new series starring Private Investigator Sam Kelson. The most recent installment is Lucky Bones, book #2 in the series. Sam Kelson is not your typical PI. He suffers from disinhibition, and his inability to keep his mouth shut is not a helpful trait for a private investigator. However, it does make for some very interesting storylines.  Michael found inspiration for his character’s affliction from...

Author L.E. Perez discusses her new series, The Reaper Trials. It's a paranormal fantasy series that she is writing with co-author and friend, Mia Ellas. The first book in the series, Reaper Revealed, is available now, with second installment to arrive in Spring 2021. These dark, twisty, paranormal fantasy stories, featuring an amazing world filled with diverse characters, follow the main character’s journey as she tries to sur...

Author Dr. Joel Shulkin discusses his debut novel, Adverse Effects. What would you do if you were the only passenger riding an otherwise empty bus and, when the bus makes a stop, a stranger gets on and sits down in the seat directly behind you? If you are Joel Shulkin, you write a book about it. When Joel found himself in that exact situation, the inspiration for his book, Adverse Effects, was born. Adverse Effects is a medical and...

Author Stephanie Harper discusses her latest novel, Wesley Yorstead Goes Outside. It is the story of a 33-year-old graphic novelist who suffers from agoraphobia and has not left his apartment in over five years. When Wesley meets a charming and spunky grocery delivery woman named Happy, his orderly world—both physical and mental—becomes unsettled and is changed for the better. Stephanie’s novel is a mediation on fear and anxiety, a...

Author Ismée Williams discusses her latest contemporary young adult novel, This Train is Being Held. The inspiration for this book came from a ride on the NYC subway, the same subway line that she took every day to go to work at the hospital where she was a pediatric cardiologist. This Train is a Being Held is a romance with characters of Latinx identity, and it shows a slice of NYC life. Ultimate, it’s a story about expectations—a...

I’m celebrating the 100th episode of The Bookshop at the End of the Internet. There have been so many wonderful guest authors who visited the Bookshop to discuss their books and their writing journeys. In this 100th episode, I’ll talk about the wide variety of authors and books that have been featured on the podcast, I’ll hit some of the interview highlights over the past two years, and I’ll marvel at the amazing authors who were g...

Author Megan Fuentes discusses her historical romance series, Love Affairs at the World’s Fairs. The first two books, In Barcelona With You and In Buffalo with You, are out now. Megan loves historical settings for her stories and the challenge of getting her characters out of tricky situations without the use of modern technology. She chooses her World’s Fairs carefully. Some are successful ones, others are disasters, but all of th...

Author Mathieu Cailler discusses his debut novel titled, Heaven and Other Zip Codes. It is a contemporary story about the fracturing of a family. Told from four different points of view-–that of a lonely wife, her unfaithful husband, their awkward son and his tutor-–this novel explores family, guilt, manipulation, betrayal and love. Heaven and Other Zip Codes is Mathieu’s first novel, but he is the award-winning author of 5 other b...