Tag

Podcast

Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Oct 22: Joe Hart’s Novel Will Make You Question How Well You Know Your Lover

October 22, 2025

I Become Her — A Thriller

I Become Her with author Joe Hart

When Imogen Carmichael’s honeymoon shifts from bliss to a nightmare in the blink of an eye, paranoia builds and trust unravels. Is Imogen going crazy, or is something more sinister going on?

Master of psychological suspense, Joe Hart, joins us to discuss I Become Her.

We explore the story behind a honeymoon gone disastrously wrong. Joe shares how he developed the voice of a strong female protagonist, and some of the most challenging aspects of writing a thriller.

We also look at how memories — factual or dramatized — often shape how we see the truth. And, Joe shares insight into how he’s successfully crossed genres, something many authors struggle to do.

Meet Joe Hart

Joe Hart is an Edgar Award–winning and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 17 novels, including Or Else, The River Is Dark, Obscura, and The Last Girl. He’s also written several novella’s and dozens of short stories. Known for his taut pacing and psychological depth, Hart crafts stories that keep readers on edge until the final page. He lives in Minnesota with his family and continues to explore the darker side of human nature through fiction.

Continue reading
Creativity, Essays, Memoir, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

Oct 15: Quiet Reflections on Faith, Aliveness, & Wonder with Grammy Nominated Songwriter

October 15, 2025

Peter Himmelman Author of Suspended By No String

Suspended By No String with musician, songwriter, and author Peter Himmelman

A quiet, reflective conversation about some of Peter Himmelman’s thoughts and experiences on issues we all deal with at some point in life.

Sharing insights from his book, Suspended By No String: A Songwriter’s Reflections on Faith, Aliveness, and Wonder (2024), we discuss what Peter means by creativity and some of the significant turning points in his life, including how his mentors influenced him, and lessons learned along the way.

Written as a pathway through Peter’s own struggles, his essays focus on what we can control and influence, exploring how to find inspiration and wonder amid the daily onslaught of negative news headlines and social media.

Meet Peter Himmelman

With over 25 critically acclaimed recordings to his credit, this singer-songwriter has been inspiring fans worldwide with his spiritually tinged Americana rock and roll for more than 40 years. Peter Himmelman is the founder of Big Muse, a company that teaches creative thinking, leadership skills, and deeper levels of communication in all facets of life – from personal to professional. His clients include The Wharton School, UCLA, and The Ross School of Business, The United States Army War College, and international brands such as McDonald’s, Adobe, and Gap Inc.

Continue reading
Fiction, Nature, Suspense, Wildlife, Writers on Writing

Oct 08: Suspense Novel Inspired by Author’s Love of Wildlife

October 8, 2025

Alice Henderson’s A Ghost of Caribou

Alice Henderson’s Alex Carter series has a strong, smart female protagonist, whose career as a wildlife biologist gets her into the kind of trouble leading to suspense and murder.

We last talked to Alice about A Ghost of Caribou, the third in her series. Set in the in the Selkirk mountains of Washington State, what begins as a search for evasive caribou leads Alex Carter down a slippery dark road.

We discuss the story of A Ghost of Caribou, and how Alice developed her strong female protagonist. We also explore the increasing plight of wild caribou in our vanishing wilderness. And why reframing how we view climate change could help create the shift we need to see.

Meet Alice Henderson

A Ghost of Caribou is the third book in the Alex Carter series. The Vanishing Kind is the fourth in the series, and book five, Storm Warning, is expected in Spring 2026. A prolific writer with 26 books behind her, Alice Henderson is also a sanctuary monitor for the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, where she checks remote cameras, documents mapping, and delivers wildlife surveys to determine what species are present and that there’s no evidence of poaching. She’s surveyed for the presence of grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, jaguars, endangered bats, and more. Alice has also written media tie-in novels, including official novels for the TV shows Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While working at LucasArts, Alice wrote content for Star Wars video games.

Continue reading
Non Fiction, Personal Development, Relationships, Women's Issues

Oct 01: Susan Shapiro Barash on When to Mend or End Female Friendships

October 1, 2025

Estranged

Estranged with author Susan Shapiro Barash

Female friendships can be complicated. Despite all the talk of women supporting women, many don’t. Along with the good aspects of friendship, there are times when jealousy, competitiveness, gossip, and pettiness get in the way.

Renowned author and gender studies expert Susan Shapiro Barash joins us to with her most recent book, Estranged.

We ask questions such as how to know when we should try to mend a friendship versus end it? Do we tolerate more from galpals than platonic male friendships? Or even non-platonic male relationships? If so, why? How to approach difficult conversations. How to set healthy boundaries. And if you’ve ever experienced the hurt and confusion of being ghosted – seems cowardly, right? – why do people ghost?

Meet Susan Shapiro Barash

Susan Shapiro Barash has written over a dozen nonfiction books, including Tripping the Prom Queen, You’re Grounded Forever, But First Let’s Go Shopping and Toxic Friends: The Antidote for Women Stuck in Complicated Friendships. For more than 20 years she taught gender studies in the Writing Department at Marymount Manhattan College and has guest taught creative nonfiction at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. For her fiction, Between the Tides, A Palm Beach Wife, A Palm Beach Scandal, and Maribelle’s Shadow, she writes as Susannah Marren.

Continue reading
Arts, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology

Sep 24: Amy Herman, Fixed: The Fine Art of Problem Solving

September 24, 2025

“Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.” ~ Wayne Dyer

Amy Herman with Fixed: The Fine Art of Problem Solving

Sometimes, solving a problem really is as simple as changing your perception, and Amy Herman helps facilitate those paradigm shifts in her book Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem Solving.

Using art forms, from paintings and sculptures to mixed media and photography, Amy shares how learning to view something differently helps shake up our default way of thinking – whether we’re making everyday or major decisions.

Amy also provides insight into what the FBI, NATO, the State Department, Interpol, Scotland Yard, and many other organizations and their leaders use to solve their most difficult problems. 

Meet Amy E. Herman

Amy E. Herman developed The Art of Perception, Inc., in 2000 to improve medical students’ observation and communication skills while she was the Head of Education at The Frick Collection in New York City. Herman adapted the program for a wide range of professionals, including the New York City Police Department, FBI, French National Police, Department of Defense, Interpol, State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, military, and intelligence community.

Continue reading
Fiction, Relationships, Writers on Writing

Sep 17: Samsun Knight with Likeness

September 17, 2025

A different kind of love – A People Magazine “Best New Book”

Likeness with author Samsun Knight

A sweet summer evening turns sour when Anne’s husband casually tells her his lover is pregnant … this is just weeks after Anne discovers she too is expecting. Did she throw her dinner plate at him? Well, you’ll have to listen in to find out.

Told from the two women’s different perspectives, author Samsun Knight navigates the ups, downs, twists, and turns of plural love in his short novel, Likeness.

We discuss how Samsun captured the two women’s distinct voices, and how each of them deals with jealousy, anger, loneliness, joy, and self-doubt. He also shares insights into the challenges he faced in writing about unconventional love and identity, and how relationships can shape who we become.

Meet Samsun Knight

Samsun Knight is a writer and graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he was a Truman Capote Fellow. His second novel, Likeness, was recently published and named a People Magazine “Best New Book” of July 2025. Knight is also an assistant professor at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and a faculty affiliate at the University of Toronto School of Cities, where he studies quantitative marketing, optimal targeting and machine learning.

Continue reading
Fiction, Mystery, Writers on Writing

Sep 10: Vianne with Award-Winning Author Joanne Harris

September 10, 2025

Spellbinding prequel reveals secrets, magic, & the making of a heroine

Vianne with author Joanne Harris

Joining us today, a multiple award-winning writer who is often called one of contemporary literature’s most beloved voices, Joanne Harris — an internationally bestselling author whose magical realism enchanted millions of readers worldwide.

You may know Joanne best for her novel, Chocolat, which introduced us to Vianne Rocher and later became an Academy Award–nominated film.

In Joanne’s latest work, Vianne, she takes us back in time to explore the origins of her unforgettable character in a much-anticipated prequel.

We explore the rich storytelling that makes Joanne’s work so compelling. We discuss character development, the craft of writing, and how Joanne has managed to successfully navigate across so many genres. We also learn a couple of fun facts about the author herself.

Meet Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris (OBE, FRSL) was born in Barnsley, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at Cambridge and was a teacher for 15 years, during which time she published three novels, including Chocolat (1999), which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche .

Since then, she has written over 20 more novels, plus novellas, short stories, game scripts, the libretti for two short operas, several screenplays, a stage musical (with Howard Goodall) and three cookbooks. Her books are published in over 50 countries and have won a number of British and international awards.

Continue reading
Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Sep 03: #1 NYT Author Lisa Gardner with Kiss Her Goodbye

September 3, 2025

Missing persons’ locator Frankie Elkin in latest domestic thriller

Kiss Her Goodbye with author Lisa Gardner

Kiss Her Goodbye: When love and loss collide, every character becomes a mystery, and every decision could be one that leads to disaster. When a young Afghan refugee goes missing, and her four-year-old daughter’s life is on the line, can Frankie Elkin save an entire family from its haunting past?

Today we venture beyond the plot and characters of Kiss Her Goodbye, and explore the emotional and moral undercurrents running through Lisa’s new story.

We also learn how the idea for this story came to Lisa while on sabbatical, and some of the research that left her astounded.

Meet Lisa Gardner

Lisa Gardner, a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist, has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide). Lisa’s books have received awards from across the globe. Her novel, The Neighbor, won Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers, and the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle in France. She was also recognized with the Daphne du Maurier Award in 2000 for The Other Daughter.

Continue reading
Fiction, Thriller, Uncategorized

Aug 27: I Become Her with Edgar Award-winning Author Joe Hart

August 27, 2025

Ever wonder if you really know the person you love? Joe Hart’s new thriller dares you to find out.

I Become Her with author Joe Hart

Joe Hart, master of psychological suspense joins us to discuss his chilling new novel I Become Her.

The story follows Imogen Carmichael, a newlywed whose honeymoon turns into a nightmare when her husband Lev falls overboard during a heated argument—he survives, but with no memory of what happened. As paranoia builds and trust unravels, the question becomes: Is Lev hiding something sinister—or is Imogen losing her grip on reality?

In our conversation we explore what inspired the central premise of a honeymoon gone disastrously wrong. How Joe developed the voice of a strong female lead. The most challenging aspects of writing a thriller. And, how memory—real or imagined—can shape the truth we cling to.

Meet Joe Hart

Joe Hart is an Edgar Award–winning and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 17 novels, including Or Else, The River Is Dark, Obscura, and The Last Girl. He’s also written several novella’s and dozens of short stories. Known for his taut pacing and psychological depth, Hart crafts stories that keep readers on edge until the final page. He lives in Minnesota with his family and continues to explore the darker side of human nature through fiction.

Continue reading
Fiction, Writers on Writing

Aug 20: Paula Saunders – Starting From Here

August 20, 2025

Award-winning Author of The Distance Home

Starting from Here with author Paula Saunders

Often called a writer’s writer, Paula Saunders joins us today with her second novel, Starting From Here. The sequel to The Distance Home, this coming-of-age story is semi-autobiographical, sparked by Paula’s own life experiences.

Like the author, protagonist Rene left home at a young age to pursue dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Set in the 1970s, Rene finds herself vulnerable in a predatory world, facing situations she’s ill-equipped to deal with – from cult like mentors and sexual exploitation, to industry predators and heartbreaking betrayal.

We discuss the writing of Starting From Here, including character development, challenges, favorites, and how the author defines creativity. Paula shares how writing this novel helped her view her own mother differently. And, we question, with 50+ years of assumed progress since the seventies, have times really changed for young women of today?  

Meet Paula Saunders

Paula Saunders grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota, where her new novel Starting From Here begins. She is a graduate of the Syracuse University creative writing program, and was awarded a postgraduate Albert Schweitzer Fellowship at the State University of New York at Albany, under Schweitzer chair Toni Morrison. Her first book, The Distance Home, was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and named one of the best books of the year by Real Simple. 

Continue reading

  • Categories

  • Past Shows