Book Lights Podcast

Book Lights Podcast

Bestselling author Lisa Kessler interviews authors from every genre, shining a light on the stories, voices, and inspirations behind their books. Each week you’ll discover new reads, fresh perspectives, and the magic that keeps us turning pages. 🔦 Shining a light on good books

Episodes

March 23, 2026 34 mins

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USA Today bestselling author, Dragon nominee, and award-winning journalist, Jeffery H. Haskell, lives and breathes writing. A passion of his from a young age, he can’t remember a time when he wasn’t telling stories. As a full-time author, he now pursues his life’s calling with the help of his amazing family. The only thing he likes as much as spending time with this family, writing, and speaking about writing, is he...

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USA Today Bestselling author, Sonali Dev, writes Bollywood-style love stories that let her explore issues faced by women around the world while still indulging her faith in a happily ever after.

Sonali’s novels have been on Library Journal, NPR, Washington Post and Kirkus Best Books of the year lists. She has won the American Library Association’s award for best romance, the RT Reviewer’s Choice award for best contem...

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Kaira Rouda is an award–winning USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author of contemporary fiction that explores what goes on beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Reviews have touted her novels as “pure genius” (SheReads), “an exceptional psychological thriller” (Publishers Weekly starred review) and promising to “keep you at the edge of your seat” (PopSugar). It is clear, one outlet shares, that “Kai...

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Liisa Kovala is an award-winning Finnish-Canadian author and book coach. Her most recent historical novel, Like Water for Weary Souls, won a Global Book Award for women's fiction. Surviving Stutthof, recounting her father’s experiences as a Finnish merchant marine imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, was short-listed for a Northern Lit Award in 2018 and was translated into Finnish. Liisa is a memb...

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Romance author Maria Jane believes in the power of love. She sees that love may look messy and take a winding path, but there is magic in the journey. Her books are filled with fun moments, sweet gestures, surprising turns, and characters searching for their happily-ever-after. Craving your next HEA and/or HFN read? Find all of Maria’s Perfect romances, formerly writing as Tricia Copeland, and dive into a fun love s...

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Jennifer Lieberman is from Maple, Ontario Canada and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from York University in Toronto. Jennifer has appeared in over thirty stage productions in Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, Europe and Australia; including her Award-Winning solo-show "Year of the Slut". In addition to her performance career she has produced over forty independent film and theatre productions an...

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Wendy Walker is the USA Today Best Selling author of the psychological suspense novels Blade, All Is Not Forgotten, Emma In the Night, The Night Before, Don’t Look For Me, What Remains, American Girl and the Audible Original audio play, Mad Love. Her novels have been translated into 23 foreign languages, topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad, and have been optioned for both television and film.

Wendy hol...

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Andrew Givler is the author of The Debt Collection & Ironbound series. He is also a gaming YouTuber known as Sigils with over 1.4 Million subscribers. He loves making people laugh, video games, and food. (Not always in that order.) He lives in LA.

To learn more about him you can go to his website: https://www.andrewgivler.com/ 

And for more about our host Lisa Kessler visit http://Lisa-Kessler.com 

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Kristine Jensen is a lifelong storyteller whose career has included writing scripts, screenplays, and narratives for some of the world’s most recognizable brands. With a talent for bringing characters and ideas to life, she has spent decades distilling complex ideas into language that resonates.

Born and raised on a farm in South Dakota, Kristine found the spark for her debut novel in a box of handwritten club minute...

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USA Today bestselling author, Mary Leo, writes small town, swoon worthy, sexy romance with enough humor to give you a giggle or two. She loves Italian food, a bubbly flute of Prosecco, meeting her fabulous readers, the company of other writers, and a cup of hot tea every morning. She's a city girl who adores a small town. When she's not writing, she's reading or binging on a great comedy series.

You ca...

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Mia Heintzelman is a bestselling author of novels including Monopolove, The Friendship Contract, and The Accidental Crush. Her work has appeared on Book Riot, Romantically Inclined, and Readers Entertainment Radio. She writes fun, flirty, fiery romances about strong women and men with enough heart to fall for them. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can learn more at her website: https://www.miaheintzelman.com/  En...

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T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon, an author from North Carolina. In another life, she writes children's books and weird comics. She has been nominated for the World Fantasy and the Eisner, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, Nebula, Alfie, WSFA, Coyotl and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.

This is the name she uses when writing things for grown-u...

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Angela Shupe’s debut novel, In the Light of the Sun is available now. Her short stories have appeared in various literary journals, and her essays have been featured in publications such as MetroParent, Women’s Adventure, and Relevant Magazine among others. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Detroit, and has worked as an editor and communications coordinator. She’s a proud member of the W...

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Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author of non-fiction books, and prose writer whose work was described by the American Library Association’s Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror as “consistently dark, unsettling, and frightening.” She is the author of four novels and 200 short stories and is a world-class Halloween and paranormal expert, and her awards include the Bram Stoker Award, the Rondo Hatton Award, and the Black...

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Kelley Armstrong is the author of over 50 novels in mystery, fantasy and horror. believes experience is the best teacher, though she’s been told this shouldn’t apply to writing her murder scenes. To craft her books, she has studied aikido, archery and fencing. She sucks at all of them. She has also crawled through very shallow cave systems and climbed half a mountain before chickening out. She is however an expert c...

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Jeri Bronson was originally from Southern California. She now lives in Texas with her Coroner Investigator husband, who is the perfect resource for suspense novels. They have two grown children and two feisty part Siamese cats. Jeri enjoys outdoor hiking and exploring her new state. She takes long walks in the forest trails near her home for inspiration. In her spare time Jeri is a tennis fanatic sometimes watching ...

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Jason Offutt teaches journalism at Northwest Missouri State University. He's the author of four previous books on paranormal topics, including Haunted Missouri and Paranormal Missouri (Schiffer), in addition to several novels. He has been interviewed on Whitley Strieber's Dreamland, Destination America, Binnall of America, Darkness Radio, The Paracast, and other prominent paranormal podcasts. Visit him at,...

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Alma Katsu is the author of eight novels, most recently Red London, The Fervor, Red Widow, and The Deep. Prior to the publication of her first novel, she had a thirty-five-year long career as a senior intelligence analyst for several U.S. agencies, including the CIA and NSA, as well as RAND. Katsu is a graduate of the master's writing program at the Johns Hopkins University and received her bachelor's degr...

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Maureen Johnson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow (with John Green and Lauren Myracle), and The Bane Chronicles (with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan). Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times,...

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Sandra L. Barone is a writer, storyteller, and community leader whose work blends honesty, humor, and heart. A moderator for The Mom Link, Sandra supports a global community of women, men, and families seeking prayers, healing, and connection after loss. 

Her writing career spans multiple genres, from deeply emotional non-fiction to fiction that explores the complexities of the human spirit. For years, Sandra penned ...

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