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Relationships

Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Sep 23: New Thrills in Target Down – A Matthew Redd Thriller

September 24, 2026

Aaron Decker needs to collect on a 20-year-old debt, and Matthew Redd races to the challenge.

Target Down – A Matthew Redd Thriller with Ryan Steck

Ryan Steck returns to discuss Target Down, the craft of writing, and what a decade-plus of storytelling has taught him.

Aaron Decker faked his own death twenty years ago to protect his family. Now someone’s found him, and the only man he trusts to help is former Marine Raider Matthew Redd, a man who doesn’t leave debts unpaid. That’s the spark behind Target Down, the fifth entry in Ryan Steck‘s Matthew Redd series, blending military-thriller tension with the soul of a modern Western.

We dive into the full story, how Redd and this cast have evolved across five books, and the instincts Ryan has sharpened over more than a decade in the thriller world. We also learn why connections are important to authors, and why Ryan says his “bosses” are his readers.

Meet Ryan Steck

Ryan Steck is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Real Book Spy, one of the thriller genre’s most trusted voices, and author of the bestselling Matthew Redd series, including Fields of Fire, Lethal Range, Out for Blood, Gone Dark, and now Target Down. He also continues the late Ted Bell’s iconic Alex Hawke series, most recently with Warmonge; and has launched a new series with The Second Son. Ryan lives in Michigan with his wife and six children.

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Health & Wellness, Non Fiction, Relationships, Self-help

Sep 09: Physician Turned Author Says Connection Is the Cure – Dr Beth Ricanati

September 9, 2026

The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Ritual of Making Challah.

The Braided Prescription with Dr. Beth Ricanati

Reduce stress & anxiety, reconnect with yourself & others, get your mojo back!

When Dr. Beth Ricanati began a life-changing journey to relieve stress in her life, she simply wanted to get well and share her story. But along the way she discovered the Seven Practices for Living Well that she includes in her new book The Braided Prescription.

A balance of science, psychology, Dr’s notes, and personal stories, we share insight into those 7 Practices, including how Dr. Beth uses the making of Challah bread as a metaphor for living well with intention. And how this ongoing journey has reshaped her own life as well as thousands of others.

Meet Dr. Beth Ricanati

Dr. Ricanati is a board certified MD in internal medicine. She’s built her career around bringing wellness and wellbeing into everyday life through traditional medical clinics, wellness programs – and now, as an author and speaker. At the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Ricanati worked with Dr. Mike Roizen to create Lifestyle180 – a groundbreaking lifestyle modification program to treat chronic diseases with nutrition, exercise, and stress management. Dr. Ricanati’s first book was her memoir, Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs. Today we discuss her latest book The Braided Prescription: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Ritual of Making Challah.

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Inspirational, Non Fiction, Women's Issues

Aug 26: She Come By It Natural – Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs

August 26, 2026

Sarah Smarsh explores how Dolly Parton’s musical storytelling influenced women in poverty – including her own family.

She Come By It Natural with Sarah Smarsh

With the sad loss of a great American icon yesterday, we dug through our archives to bring you an interview with journalist Sarah Smarsh on her 2020 book, described as a loveletter to Dolly Parton, She Come By It Natural.

Growing up amid Kansas wheat fields and airplane factories, Sarah Smarsh witnessed firsthand the particular vulnerabilities, and strengths, of women in working poverty – playing in the background, country songs by female artists told powerful stories about life, men, hard times, and surviving.

In her family, Sarah writes, “country music was foremost a language among women. It’s how we talked to each other in a place where feelings aren’t discussed.” And no one provided that language better than Dolly Parton.

Meet Sarah Smarsh

Journalist and award-winning author Sarah Smarsh is recognized as one of the most important commentators on socioeconomic class in America. She’s written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Harper’s. She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs is Smarsh’s second book. Her first, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, was a New York Times Bestseller, and a finalist for the National Book Award. She has a much-anticipated new book coming out next month: Bone of the Bone Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class.

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Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Self-help

Aug 19: Coach Bridgit Dengel Gaspard Helps You Get Unstuck

August 19, 2026

What are your inner selves & how do they help or hold you back?

The Final 8th: Enlist Your Inner Selves to Accomplish Your Goals with Bridgit Dengel Gaspard

Many listeners loved Bridgit Dengel Gaspard’s deeper dive into The Final 8th and want to know more (Deper Dive recently aired here). Sohere’s our first conversation with Bridgit, while we were still recovering from the pandemic. Bridgit’s work is more relevant than ever in today’s chaos-filled world, when so many lives are being flipped upside down.

If you’re ready to get unstuck, dive in! We learn how Bridgit, a former actor and comic turned psychotherapist, got involved in this work and how she’s developed it. Most importantly, we learn how using the tools discussed in The Final 8th can help you get unstuck or help you get over the finish line with that project that’s almost done, but you’ve been procrastinating on finishing. 

Bridgit handles the inner critic beautifully – explaining when you might want to listen to it, and when you should ignore it. We also discuss often overlooked nonverbal signals, such as tension, insomnia, frustration. How to figure out which of your inner selves is helping or hindering. Which is the perfectionist or procrastinator. And, why they sometimes have conflicting motives.

Meet Bridgit Dengel Gaspard

As a therapist and founder of the NY Voice Dialogue Institute, Bridgit Dengel Gaspard has led workshops for Omega Institute, New York Open Center, and many other organizations. She’s a former performer and comic, and as therapist and voice dialogue expert, specializes in overcohttps://bridgitdengelgaspard.com/final8th/ming creativity blocks. The foreword to The Final 8th: Enlist Your Inner Selves to Accomplish Your Goals is written by the original creators of voice dialogue, Hal and Sidra Stone.

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Craft of Writing, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Uncategorized, Writers on Writing

Jul 15: A Mother’s Reckoning – Kate White on Her 19th Novel, I Came Back For You

July 15, 2026

What it takes to write a page-turning psychological thriller.

I Came Back For You with Kate White

Unwilling to let her daughter Melanie’s murder stay buried, Bree begins unraveling a past that turns out to be far more complicated – and far more dangerous – than she ever imagined. The deeper Bree digs, the more she’s forced to question everything she believed: About the crime, the killer, and the daughter she thought she knew inside-out.

Kate White joins us to talk about what it really takes to build a psychological thriller, from plotting and pacing, to the art of the slow-burn reveal.

Kate also takes us behind the scenes of her own remarkable story: Her years as editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, her life now in Uruguay, her passion for eco-tourism. And advice from a fellow author that changed how she approached writing novels. It’s a conversation about craft, reinvention, and the courage it takes to keep chasing the truth – on, and off, the page.

Meet Kate White

Although she loved her magazine career, Kate White decided to leave it behind 12 years ago to concentrate full-time on another passion: Writing suspense fiction. She is now the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 19 novels of suspense: 11 standalone psychological thrillers, including the latest I Came Back for You and eight Bailey Weggins mysteries. A former Glamour magazine Top Ten College Women Contest winner and cover girl, Kate had a long career in the media world, which included running five national magazines. For 14 years she was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, which under her leadership, became the most successful magazine in U.S. single-copy sales.

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Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery, Writers on Writing

Jul 01: Joanne Harris Returns to the World of Chocolat with Vianne

July 1, 2026

Secrets, love, betrayal, magic, & storytelling

Vianne – A Novel with author Joanne Harris

Few writers have woven magic into everyday stories quite like Joanne Harris. The multiple award-winning, internationally bestselling author, enchanted millions with her signature blend of magical realism – including the revered Chocolat, the novel that introduced the world to Vianne Rocher.

In Vianne, Harris returns to France where it all began. Her long-awaited prequel leads us on a journey into the untold origins of one of contemporary fiction’s most unforgettable characters.

On this episode, Joanne talks craft: How she builds characters that linger long after the final page, what it takes to move fluidly across genres without losing her voice, and the storytelling instincts that have defined a career spanning decades. Plus, we learn a few surprising, fun facts about the woman behind the magic.

Meet Joanne Harris

With a French mother and English father, maybe it was a given that Joanne Harris (OBE, FRSL) would blend both worlds to create magic. While teaching fulltime Joanne published three novels, including Chocolat (1999), which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche.

Since then, she has written more than 20 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.

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Craft of Writing, Creativity, Essays, Humor, Memoir, Non Fiction, Short Stories, Writers on Writing

Nov 26: Gary Lippman Sends Wishes to His Muse & Others

June 17, 2026

From fantastical to deeply personal, Lippman explores wishes in I Wish, Therefore I Am

I Wish, Therefore I Am with author Gary Lippman

What would you wish for if you really let yourself?

Never content to color inside the lines, Gary Lippman‘s writing breaks form on purpose. He’s self-reflective, critical, humorous, philosophical, creative, constantly pushing the envelope as a writer and author. And he’s not afraid to share and discuss his own neuroses.

I Wish, Therefore I Am; or, This Here Is a List of Humble Appeals to Dame Fortune is exactly what it sounds like; and nothing like you’d expect.

We discuss: Why Gary strives to shatter traditional narrative structure. The writers and mentors who shaped how he views the world. And what this strange, funny, surprisingly vulnerable book taught him about himself.

We read some of Gary’s wishes aloud – from anxiety and self-doubt to love, longing, and the things we’re almost too embarrassed to admit we want. It’s a conversation about human nature. The big questions. The small questions. The petty, funny, and deeply relatable ones too.

Meet Gary Lippman

Gary Lippman served as an attorney on a pro bono basis with The Innocence Project before focusing on his writing. As an author, journalist, and cultural commentator, Lippman is known for his inventive storytelling and keen eye for the eccentricities of human nature. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vice, and numerous literary journal. His novel, Set the Controls for the Heart of Sharon Tate, won praise for its originality and darkly comic voice. Lippman’s latest book, I Wish, therefore I Am; or, This Here Is a List of Humble Appeals to Dame Fortune, showcases his signature blend of humor, insight, and genre-bending.

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Creativity, Inspirational, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Self-help

Jun 03: You’re so close. The finish line’s in sight. Then you stop. Stall. Self-sabotage. Sound familiar?

June 4, 2026

A Deeper Dive Into Reaching The Final 8th with Bridgit Dengel Gaspard

The Final 8th: Enlist Your Inner Selves to Accomplish Your Goals with Bridgit Dengel Gaspard

If you’ve ever stopped working toward a goal you swore you wanted – a promotion, relationship, creative dream – right before it became reality, returning guest Bridgit Dengel Gaspard says: You’re not weak. You’re not broken. You’re definitely not self-destructive. You’re simply human … and not every part of you wants what you think you want.

Picking up where our last conversation ended, we drill down into Bridgit’s groundbreaking work with inner selves, exploring what it really takes to cross the finish line.

We unpack more neuroscience behind inner selves. What happens in your brain when different “parts” of you pull in different directions. How culture impacts you. How to turn your inner critic into an ally – it’s not your enemy; it’s a protector in a bad disguise.

We explore why we stay too long in jobs, relationships, and situations that no longer serve us. Inner dynamics that keep us stuck. And The Final 8th – that last stretch between where you are and where you want to be, and why it’s often the most psychologically loaded terrain of the entire journey

Meet Bridgit Dengel Gaspard

A psychotherapist, voice dialog coach, author, and founder of the NY Voice Dialogue Institute, Bridgit Dengel Gaspard has led workshops for Omega Institute, New York Open Center, and many other organizations. She’s a former performer and comic, and as therapist and voice dialogue expert, specializes in overcoming creativity blocks. The foreword to The Final 8th: Enlist Your Inner Selves to Accomplish Your Goals is written by the original creators of voice dialogue, Hal and Sidra Stone.

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Coming of Age, Fiction, Writers on Writing

Apr 22: How Paula Saunders Dance Experiences Inspired A Successful Sequel

April 22, 2026

Starting From Here – A Novel

Starting from Here with author Paula Saunders

Write what you know, they say, and sometimes that’s good advice. In this case, award-winning author Paula Saunders leveraged her own experiences in the predatory world of dance to write Starting From Here.

A sequel to The Distance Home, the Starting From Here is set in the 1970s competitive world of ballet, where protagonist René faces everything from cults to sexual exploitation, industry predators, and the worst kind of betrayal. As much as she wants success, at heart she longs for someone to love and accept her just the way she is – dancer or not, successful or not, perfect or imperfect.

Paula shares her own experiences as an aspiring ballet dancer, and what led her to become a writer and author. We look at how writing Starting From Here helped Paula see her own mother differently. And grab a sneak peek at what it’s like writing a book when you’re married to another author.

Paula reveals how she developed her unique characters, how she defines creativity. And with 50+ years of progress since the ’70s, how times have changed for today’s young women. Or have they?

Meet Paula Saunders

Paula Saunders 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. Her novel Starting From Here begins in Rapid City, South Dakota, which is also where Paula Saunders grew up.

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Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Apr 01: New York Times Bestselling Author Kate White with I Came Back For You

April 1, 2026

When her daughter’s murderer makes a deathbed confession, a mother risks everything in search of truth and justice.

I Came Back For You with Kate White

“Bree will do anything to find justice for her daughter and finish this nightmare forever. The real killer could still be out there, and as Bree begins digging through her daughter Melanie’s past, she questions everything she was led to believe — about the crime, the killer, and Melanie.“

Kate White joins us with her 19th novel, and new psychological thriller, I Came Back For You.

We discuss everything from the storyline and plot, and what it takes to keep a psychological thriller moving and suspenseful, to Kate White’s experience as editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan, living in Uruguay, eco-tourism, and winning advice she received from other authors when she first began writing novels.

Meet Kate White

Kate White is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 19 novels of suspense: 11 standalone psychological thrillers, including the latest I Came Back for You and eight Bailey Weggins mysteries.

A former Glamour magazine Top Ten College Women Contest winner and cover girl, Kate had a long career in the media world, which included running five national magazines. For fourteen years she was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, which under her became the most successful magazine in single copy sales in the U.S. Though she loved her magazine career, she decided to leave twelve years ago to concentrate full-time on another passion: Writing suspense fiction.

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