Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark artwork

Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark

114 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 45 ratings

Think of this as a book recommendation podcast for all walks of readers, whether you’re an avid reader or you want to fall in love with books! It’s a place to come to find your next great read from romance, to thrillers, to historical fiction, non-fiction and so much more. As the title implies, in each episode host Whitney Clark will take you beyond the next chapter. We’ll talk to our favorite authors, local authors and dive into important topics: How can we improve literacy rates in our community? What’s a silent book club? Why are books banned? Audiobooks vs. books? How can I find more time to read? How can I encourage my kids to read? Starting in mid-January, episodes will be released every other Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.

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Episodes

Rebecca Serle on her new book "Expiration Dates"

March 19, 2024 00:00 - 24 minutes - 56 MB

What if every time you met a man, you would know how long you would spend with him? That's the premise of Rebecca Serle's new book "Expiration Dates." Our host Whitney Clark got a chance to talk to Serle about her latest project and the story of Daphne Bell. In this podcast episode, Whitney and Rebecca dive into faith versus free will, the significance of female relationships and how they change throughout your 30's, and Rebecca's secrets to a successful book club! Serle is known for incorpo...

Where you can go to book fairs for grown-ups in the Valley

March 05, 2024 00:00 - 26 minutes - 60.7 MB

Whitney Clark takes us on a trip down memory lane! Her guest this week is Laura Sharp, the owner of a Gilbert-based pop-up bookstore. Literally, A Bookshop is a children's bookstore that also hosts events for grown-ups! Think the Scholastic Book Fair, but instead of your school gymnasium, events for adults are hosted at wine bars and breweries across the Valley. You can buy a book while drinking a beer or a glass of wine, while also connecting with your fellow readers. Laura shares why she s...

What is a Silent Book Club?

February 20, 2024 00:00 - 19 minutes - 44.2 MB

In this episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," our host Whitney Clark introduces us to silent book clubs. What is a silent book club? Think of it as a flash mob, but for readers! You show up with a book and meet other readers. It's less pressure than a traditional book club and is growing in popularity. Whitney talks to the organizers of the Phoenix and East Valley Silent Book Club chapters who say they now have two meetings a month.

Kristin Hannah on her new book "The Women"

February 06, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes - 54.5 MB

In the second episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," our host Whitney Clark talks to the #1 New York Times Bestselling author Kristin Hannah. If you don't immediately recognize her name, you likely have seen her books! Hannah has written more than 20 novels including "The Nightingale," "The Four Winds," and "The Great Alone." Hollywood has also taken note. Her book "Firefly Lane" was the #1 series on Netflix around the world the week it came out and Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group has alr...

Whitney's Reading Origin Story & How to Raise a Reader

January 23, 2024 18:22 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MB

In the first episode of "Beyond the Next Chapter," we'll introduce you to our host, Whitney Clark, and dive into her reading origin story. Some of her earliest memories include her dad reading to her and taking her to the library or the bookstore. Whitney is joined by her dad and Samantha Mears with the Maricopa County Library District, who is raising a young reader herself! Samantha shares how you can encourage your kids to read through the "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten" program.

Welcome to “Beyond the Next Chapter with Whitney Clark"

January 16, 2024 19:10 - 1 minute - 1.51 MB

Think of this as a book recommendation podcast for all walks of readers, whether you’re an avid reader or you want to fall in love with books! It’s a place to come to find your next great read from romance, to thrillers, to historical fiction, non-fiction and so much more. As the title implies, in each episode host Whitney Clark will take you beyond the next chapter. We’ll talk to our favorite authors, local authors and dive into important topics: how can we improve literacy rates in our com...

Steven Rowley, “The Celebrants”

June 27, 2023 00:00 - 28 minutes - 66.2 MB

A group of college friends lose one member of the group to suicide just before graduation in 1995. The loss resonates and shapes their relationships for decades in this funny and moving novel by Steven Rowley. Steven returns to the podcast to talk about his fantastic 2023 release, a story that is personal to the author in many ways, “there’s so much story in these middle years,” he says of the characters who align with his own path.  He talks with Olivia about the book’s success, the screen ...

Riley Sager, “The Only One Left”

June 20, 2023 00:00 - 25 minutes - 59.1 MB

Riley Sager is back and this creepy, twisty thriller takes readers on a tense ride to reveal what really happened the night of the Hope family murders, and why then 17-year-old Lenora was THE ONLY ONE LEFT. Sager returns to the podcast for the third time to talk about his latest work, his book tour, and the plans for upcoming adaptation of THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE for Netflix. For more on the author visit his website. Riley Sager will be at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale on Ju...

Ashley Audrain, “The Whispers”

June 13, 2023 00:00 - 24 minutes - 56.5 MB

Ashley Audrain, the author of the 2021 powerhouse women’s fiction debut, THE PUSH, returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about her new novel, THE WHISPERS. THE WHISPERS takes us to an affluent street where we experience life, frustration, marriage concerns, parenting failures, heartbreaks, tragedies, embarrassment, suspicions, all through the eyes (and whispers) of four women: Whitney, Blair, Rebecca and Mara. Ashley says her experience during the restrictions of the pandemic helped...

Gretchen Rubin, “Life In Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World”

May 30, 2023 00:00 - 25 minutes - 58.3 MB

Happiness Project Founder and New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about her new  book, LIFE IN FIVE SENSES, another useful tool for the toolkit of anyone  who shares her insatiable desire to understand human nature and find  ways to live a happier life. For this book Gretchen embarks on an experiment to see how a focus  on her senses might change her perspective and discovered she found  greater calm, joy, and connection to the ...

T.J. Newman, “Drowning”

May 23, 2023 00:00 - 35 minutes - 82.1 MB

“A plane crashes into the ocean, sinks with people trapped inside,” T.J. Newman says in describing the premise of this summer’s new novel, DROWNING. The writer returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about battling the pressures of following up her debut bestseller, and her gratitude for the opportunity to live her dream as a full-time writer. A former bookseller and flight attendant, Newman’s commercial airline centered thrillers sparked bidding wars in publishing and in Hollywood. This ...

Christina Lauren, “The True Love Experiment”

May 16, 2023 00:00 - 22 minutes - 51.8 MB

Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the besties and writing duo who make readers’ smiles and hearts grow with every book published under the pen name Christina Lauren, return to the podcast to talk with Olivia about this summer’s release. THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT is a stand alone novel focused on “Fizzy” aka Felicity Chen, who readers first met in their instant bestseller THE SOULMATE EQUATION. “No two people complete each other, it is who is perfect for our heroine or our hero,” says Chr...

Neely Tubati Alexander, "Love Buzz"

May 02, 2023 00:00 - 26 minutes - 60 MB

A Mardi Gras bachelorette party leads to a chance encounter for bridesmaid Serena Khan that leads her considering blowing up the life she’s carefully built just weeks before her thirtieth birthday. As if that’s not challenging enough, she’ll need to get it back together (or at least look together) before she’s featured in a Life at 30 profile she’s been anticipating since graduation, Neely Tubati Alexander joins the podcast to talk about her debut novel, LOVE BUZZ. She chats with Olivia ab...

Don Winslow, “City of Dreams”

April 25, 2023 00:00 - 21 minutes - 48 MB

“He’s driving across America, running from the mob, the feds, the cops, a whole bunch of people just to try to find a place to be and exist,” says Don Winslow of where readers find the character of Danny Ryan in his new book, CITY OF DREAMS. Don returns to the podcast to talk with Olivia about the second novel in the crime trilogy that began with CITY ON FIRE.  Winslow shares his advice for aspiring writers, and recollections of his stranger than fiction life prior to becoming a bestsellin...

Rebecca Makkai, “I Have Some Questions For You”

April 18, 2023 00:00 - 35 minutes - 80.1 MB

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Rebecca Makkai joins the podcast to discuss her novel, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. The book follows film professor and podcaster Bodie Kane’s return to her alma mater to teach a two-week course. The environment and her students’ interest in producing a true crime podcast about the murder of her former roommate resurrect strong feelings, questions and concerns for Bodie.  Rebecca tells Olivia about making changes to the character of Bodie, he...

Larry Loftis, “The Watchmaker’s Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie Ten Boom”

April 04, 2023 00:00 - 29 minutes - 68.1 MB

Larry Loftis writers non-fiction thrillers. Not a genre Olivia was familiar with before reading his 2023 book THE WATCHMAKER’S DAUGHTER, Larry joined the podcast to talk about his approach to telling true stories that read like fiction. “I like thrillers, that’s what’s fun for me to read, turning the page, getting your heart rate going, so I just merged the two genres.” Larry spends at least a year on research before beginning to write his books- and telling Corrie Ten Boom’s story was no ...

Anastasia Ryan, “You Should Smile More”

March 21, 2023 00:00 - 31 minutes - 72.9 MB

Vanessa Blair is most definitely not living her dream life. She’s working as a telemarketer for a judgmental tyrant who wants her out because of her RBF. Her facial expression aside, she’s done everything expected of the employees and then some (hello, office Olympics?) For fans of movies like Office Space and the classic 9-5, Anastasia Ryan’s debut novel YOU SHOULD SMILE MORE is laugh out loud funny and disturbingly relatable to most anyone who has worked in a company claiming to embrace ...

William Landay, “All That is Mine I Carry With Me”

March 14, 2023 00:51 - 32 minutes - 74.4 MB

For attorney turned novelist William Landay, the justice system is a complex beast, and the stories worth telling don’t often resolve simply. The intense emotion of uncertainty of what to believe is what propelled the narrative of William Landay’s 2012 bestselling novel DEFENDING JACOB, recently adapted as a limited series for Apple TV+.  More than ten years later, Landay is back with a new family drama that also involves the courtroom. ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME begins with the di...

Sarah Penner, "The London Séance Society"

March 07, 2023 00:00 - 23 minutes - 54.5 MB

Sarah joins the podcast to discuss her second novel, THE LONDON SEANCE SOCIETY. Book number two comes just two years after her instant New York Times #1 bestseller, THE LOST APOTHECARY. That literary tsunami-style splash was made on the heels of leaving a long, successful career working in finance. Yes, finance! Sarah talks with Olivia about her past career and the perk of traveling regularly to London, where she says, “she felt like I’d lived a previous life there. I felt so enchanted by th...

Wanda Morris, “Anywhere You Run”

February 28, 2023 00:00 - 19 minutes - 44 MB

“When I tell you I’m living the dream Olivia, I’m living the dream!” Wanda Morris returns to the podcast to talk about her second novel, ANYWHERE YOU RUN, published by William Morrow in October, a follow up to her acclaimed debut, ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS. Wanda’s novel is what she calls a “coming of age story, with a few dead bodies thrown in,” is set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1964, focusing on sisters Marigold and Violet and how their lives change when they each leave the only home they’v...

Rachel Koller Croft, “Stone Cold Fox”

February 14, 2023 00:00 - 36 minutes - 83.9 MB

Screenwriter Rachel Koller Croft’s debut novel STONE COLD FOX is a deliciously wicked thriller about a gorgeous woman who has no intention of letting anyone or anything (even her own truth) get in the way of the way of a ring on her finger and millions in the bank. Rachel joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about the story, the journey to get a publisher to say yes, and which character in the book is loosely inspired by someone in her life. STONE COLD FOX is out February 14, 2023 in hardco...

Barbara VanDenburgh, USA TODAY Books Editor

February 07, 2023 00:00 - 38 minutes - 88.7 MB

There aren’t many people around who read more than Barbara VanDenburgh, the former Arizona Republic writer turned USA Today Books Editor. When she’s not reading or writing about books, she’s talking about them, as host of the First Draft Book Club at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix. Barbara joined the podcast to share some of the early 2023 books she’s most excited about, including the current pick for her book club: NIGHT WHEREVER WE GO, Tracey Rose Peyton LIFE ON DELAY: MAKING PEAC...

Elle Cosimano, “Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun”

January 31, 2023 00:00 - 23 minutes - 54.1 MB

When a misunderstanding at a Panera results in an offer that’s impossible to refuse, Elle Cosimano’s title character springs to life for readers who can’t help but root for her heroine to find love, money, and kick a lot of butt along the way. Elle returns to the podcast to talk to Olivia about the third book in her series, FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN. This time we see Finlay and her bestie/nanny/accountant, Vero, head off to a citizen’s police academy that puts her right in the focus of ...

Dani Shapiro, "Signal Fires"

January 24, 2023 00:00 - 43 minutes - 100 MB

Dani Shapiro is the author of eleven books, and the host and creator of the hit podcast Family Secrets. She joined the podcast to talk with Olivia about her most recent novel, SIGNAL FIRES, her first work of fiction in thirteen years. SIGNAL FIRES was named a best book of 2022 by numerous publications, including Time Magazine, and The Washington Post. Dani tells Olivia about how the idea for SIGNAL FIRES first struck her years ago, and that she felt only recently capable of crafting the mo...

Valerie Tejeda, "Self Care by the Signs"

January 17, 2023 00:00 - 34 minutes - 77.8 MB

2023 is going to be a good year according to astrologer Valerie Tejeda. Tejeda is a bestselling author, an astrologer with a degree in psychology and certificates in astrology and music therapy, and the creator of the digital brand Big Cosmic Energy. She is the writer and narrator of SELF CARE BY THE SIGNS, a #1 Audible bestseller, a #1 Amazon bestseller, an AP bestseller, as well as SELF CARE BY THE MOON, an Audible Top 10 Listen and Editor's Pick for a 2021 favorite in self-development. ...

Mary Kubica, “Just The Nicest Couple”

January 03, 2023 00:00 - 31 minutes - 72.8 MB

Queen of suspense Mary Kubica opens the year with her latest suspenseful mystery, JUST THE NICEST COUPLE, to be released January 10th. The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author joins the podcast to talk about her twisty tale of two seemingly perfect couples, and the secrets that are exposed between them when one of the husbands disappears.  Mary joins the podcast to talk with Olivia about her previous career as a teacher, how she constructs her storylines, and how motherhood helped...

Kiersten Modglin, “A Quiet Retreat”

December 27, 2022 00:00 - 32 minutes - 75.2 MB

“You are cordially invited to visit the new Black Hills Manor Writing Retreat,” says the invitation received by five mystery/thriller writers, what could go wrong? That’s the lure that leads protagonist Blakely to a remote southern manor with a dark history in Kiersten Modglin’s novel, A QUIET RETREAT. Kiersten joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about writing strong women who save themselves, how she maintains her intense writing schedule with a goal of a book every other month (!), and why...

SANTA, BRING US THE BOOKS (and Mary Kay Andrews!)

December 20, 2022 15:35 - 36 minutes - 83 MB

The countdown to Christmas is ON! Whether you’re looking for the festive audiobook to listen to while shopping or gift wrapping, or a gift idea for the bookworm on your nice list, this episode is here for you. Olivia shares recommendations and future holiday favorites straight from her own TBR. This is followed by a revisiting of a festive 2021 conversation with New York Times bestselling novelist Mary Kay Andrews, author of THE SANTA SUIT.   Also mentioned in this episode: HOLIDAYS ON I...

Ben Lytle, “The Potentialist: Your Future in the New Reality of the Next Thirty Years”

December 06, 2022 00:00 - 43 minutes - 100 MB

Ben Lytle is a potentialist and invites all readers of his book to become one as well. He joins the podcast this week to discuss with Olivia the philosophy of potentialism, including his annual ritual of self-assessment, asking himself “am I doing what's making me happy? Am I contributing to life in the way I want to? Doing that, for me has always kept me vibrant.” When Lytle began outlining what became his debut book, THE POTENTIALIST: YOUR FUTURE IN THE NEW REALITY OF THE NEXT THIRTY YEA...

Katherine Corcoran, “IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF: A Murder, a Coverup, and the True Cost of Silencing the Press”

November 29, 2022 00:00 - 40 minutes - 93.2 MB

“We are actually heading into the direction of Mexico, while Mexico is trying to be more like us, a country of free press that supports the free press,” says Katherine Corcoran about the emergence of independent journalism in Mexico that has simultaneously sparked a rise in violence against journalists. Corcoran joined the podcast to talk with Olivia about her non-fiction book, IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF: A Murder, A Cover-Up, And The True Cost of Silencing The Press. Corcoran’s work as a bu...

Books We Are Thankful For, with Whitney Clark

November 22, 2022 00:00 - 40 minutes - 93.5 MB

Whoa, the holidays are upon us (and the cost of dinner is up 20% on average!) So, let’s talk about what we’re thankful for: BOOKS! In particular the really special ones that stay with us well past the last page. News anchor Whitney Clark is an avid reader (44 books and counting this year) and shares her top five for 2022 on this week’s podcast. Olivia couldn’t stick to such a tight list, but shares a few others that are worth recommending.  So escape the family, close the bedroom door and ...

Nora McInerny, “Bad Vibes Only (And Other Things I Bring to the Table)"

November 08, 2022 07:00 - 35 minutes - 81 MB

When Nora and her husband Aaron collaborated on his obituary her grief was introduced to the world, alongside the creative spirit and humor she and her son’s dad shared. Since then, Nora has become a beloved voice for others trying to see their way out of the darkness- or want to know how to support someone else who is in the thick of the worst. Nora is the host of the podcast “Terrible, Thanks for Asking” and joined the Olivia’s Book Club podcast to talk about her new collection of essays, ...

Lisa Unger, "Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six"

November 01, 2022 00:00 - 31 minutes - 71.5 MB

Luxury cabin out in the middle of nowhere, what could go wrong? Readers of the November thriller SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX. “I’ve been writing since I was a kid. I never wanted to do anything else but write- ever. The fact that I get to do it… to live in this world of stories and characters and I get to share them with people, not just my mom, not just my grandma,” Lisa Unger says with a laugh about her career she considers to be “a dream come true.” New York Times bestselling author Lis...

Sulari Gentill, "The Woman in the Library"

October 25, 2022 00:00 - 46 minutes - 107 MB

“Things like structural edits, what the characters do, that’s really the choice of the writer,” quips Sulari Gentill, while discussing communications with the devoted fan base of her Rowland Sinclair series, and her new stand-alone literary mystery, THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY. All the way from Australia, the author chats with Olivia in the Arizona podcast studio before meeting her readers and leading writing workshops at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale. Sulari talks about playing ...

A Moment With Margaret

October 18, 2022 00:00 - 51 minutes - 118 MB

It has been too long since the podcast caught up on what Margaret is reading. Olivia’s favorite reader to turn to for book recommendations, the once weekly A Moment With Margaret conversation is the sole focus of this week’s podcast! Devoted audiobook listener and reality TV watcher, Margaret shares the books she consumed over the last few months and the emoji that best captures her feelings about each one. She talks with Olivia about her reasoning for each, and they discover they disagree ...

Alex Finlay, "The Night Shift"

October 11, 2022 00:00 - 28 minutes - 65.7 MB

When writing the conversations between teenagers targeted in a 1999 New Year’s Eve massacre at a Blockbuster video in THE NIGHT SHIFT, Alex Finlay says he tapped into the years of eavesdropping while shuttling kids to activities, “you become invisible to your kids and their friends.”   Finlay, who writes under a pen name, is an appellate lawyer who is following up his hit thriller EVERY LAST FEAR with THE NIGHT SHIFT. He joins the podcast to talk with Olivia about the book, his writing pro...

Laurie Lico Albanese, "Hester"

October 04, 2022 00:00 - 25 minutes - 59.2 MB

Laurie Lico Albanese, author of HESTER, a reimagining of the story behind THE SCARLET LETTER, joins the podcast to talk about her latest work of historical fiction. The story focuses on Isobel Gamble, a seamstress who moves from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1800s. Laurie says her heroine’s “gift is her curse, and her curse is her gift,” who is descended from an accused witch and ends up crossing paths with Nathaniel Hawthorne. She talks about the research that went into wr...

Michelle Wolett of Once Upon a Book Club

September 13, 2022 00:00 - 35 minutes - 80.3 MB

Once Upon a Book Club is a bookworm’s dream come true: a monthly delivery service of an oversized book box filled with a surprise book selection and an array of specially curated gifts to bring that book to life. The Arizona based business is the brainchild of Michelle Wolett, who also owns Chick-Lit Designs (recreating favorite books into cell phone and tablet cases).   Michelle joined Olivia for the podcast to talk about the business that originated as a gift for her Mom- to motivate ...

Amina Akhtar, “Kismet”

September 06, 2022 00:00 - 27 minutes - 62.8 MB

Amina Akhtar is a former fashion writer turned novelist, who uses her current home of Arizona as the setting for her thriller KISMET, where enlightenment and danger go hand in hand. Amina joins the podcast to talk about the book, her move from NYC to just outside Sedona, and writing a character that reflects her own culture and color. “I was trying to find out what kind of person would want a guru,” recalls novelist Amina Akhtar when crafting her KISMET protagonist, Ronnie Khan, the char...

Karin Slaughter, “Girl Forgotten”

August 30, 2022 00:00 - 18 minutes - 41.5 MB

Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, and she joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about her latest work of crime fiction and her passion project, the non-profit Save the Libraries. “I primarily think she did it to annoy her mother,” says Karin, of protagonist Andrea’s career as a US Marshal in her new novel GIRL, FORGOTTEN. GIRL, FORGOTTEN revisits the characters her readers and viewers of the Netflix series “Pieces of Her” already k...

Jennifer Hillier, “Things We Do In the Dark”

August 23, 2022 00:00 - 28 minutes - 65.8 MB

“Jimmy was one of my favorite characters… even though he’s dead. Dead from the first word!” declares Jennifer Hillier, when talking about the character of Jimmy Peralta in her new thriller, THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK. When Jimmy is found dead, his wife Paris is arrested for his murder. Jennifer joins Olivia on the podcast to talk about her approach to the plot, why this book feels her most authentic yet, how distance learning and her writing collided, all-nighters, chicken adobo, and ...

Dolen Perkins-Valdez, “Take My Hand”

August 16, 2022 00:00 - 35 minutes - 80.5 MB

Historical fiction at its finest, TAKE MY HAND is a fictional retelling of a truly shocking practice in Alabama in the early 1970s: the forced sterilization of poor, mostly Black, women and girls. Dolen Perkins-Valdez joins the podcast to talk with Olivia about the moving novel, told from the perspective of Civil Townsend, a nurse at the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, who must advocate for her patients in ways she never expected. After researching the history of the time and events, sh...

Bonnie Garmus, “Lessons In Chemistry”

August 09, 2022 00:00 - 36 minutes - 82.6 MB

Widely praised as one of the best books of 2022, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY is the debut novel about the reluctant host of 1960s cooking show from Bonnie Garmus. Bonnie joins Olivia for the podcast to talk about the sensation of debuting as a bestseller decades after first dreaming of becoming a novelist, and her own frustrating professional moment that sparked the unique character of Elizabeth Zott. LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY is now in production as a limited series for Apple+ starring Brie Larsen, and...

Julia Whelan, “Thank You For Listening”

August 02, 2022 00:00 - 51 minutes - 119 MB

Julia Whelan is a multi-hyphenate, multi-talented actor and writer. Her new novel, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, is published by AVON Books (8/2 release.) When not writing, you’ll find her narrating for authors like Kristin Hannah, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Gillian Flynn, she’s earned endless accolades: Earphone Awards, Audies, Society of Voice Awards, even honored with Audiofile Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Golden Voice Award in 2020. Julia’s also an accomplished actress who debuted on ABC’...

Katherine Center, “The Bodyguard”

July 26, 2022 01:04 - 31 minutes - 72.8 MB

“Like, is that too fun?” Katherine Center says she wondered, about THE BODYGUARD plot that places Hannah, an executive protection agent, in the enviable position of posing as the girlfriend of a handsome movie star named Jack Stapleton. Originally considered more grounded careers for her client of Hannah’s protection (scientists, etc.,) Katherine tells Olivia that ultimately “during the pandemic, there was no such thing as too fun, we went maximum fun,” adding that she felt compelled to writ...

David Ellis, “Look Closer”

July 19, 2022 00:00 - 27 minutes - 63.5 MB

LOOK CLOSER is a wildly entertaining domestic thriller with so many twists and turns - even the savviest readers will fail to figure out who or what to believe until the very last page. The story centers on Simon and Vicky, a Chicago couple approaching ten years of marriage, and what (if any) connection they have to a woman found dead in a neighboring suburb. Author David Ellis joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about writing a tricky plot, his previous work with James Patterson, and discus...

Delia Owens, “Where the Crawdads Sing”

July 15, 2022 01:30 - 42 minutes - 96.9 MB

Delia Owens’ marsh girl story is a fiction phenom, on the bestseller lists 166 weeks and counting, and holds the New York Times Bestseller List record for the most weeks at #1. The WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING novelist joins the podcast to talk to Olivia about seeing her story made for the big screen, and “meeting” the characters she imagined, on the set of the Hello Sunshine and 3000 Pictures film. Owens shares who inspired the title of the book and movie, and updates the status of her next nove...

Daniel Seddiqui, “Piecing Together America”

July 12, 2022 00:00 - 28 minutes - 66 MB

Summertime is road trip season, and this week’s podcast guest is the perfect guide to inspire our sense of adventure. Daniel Seddiqui joins Olivia to talk about his new book, “Piecing Together America: Serving the Best Features and Craftsmanship of Every Major City,” and the original book that put him on the map,”50 Jobs in 50 States.” Daniel reflects on some of his most rewarding moments, encourages consumers to buy American, and shares some of his strategies for connecting with people an...

Jenny Mollen, “City of Likes”

July 05, 2022 00:00 - 31 minutes - 71.8 MB

When Meg Chernoff moves from LA to NYC and becomes friends with Instagram influencer Daphne, everything changes, including her own priorities. Jenny Mollen, the New York Times bestselling author of I LIKE YOU JUST THE WAY I AM and LIVE FAST, DIE HOT joins the podcast to talk with Olivia about her first novel. Celebrity status and the feeling of being celebrity adjacent is a concept that Jenny knows well, as daughter to Arizona TV favorite, Dr. Art Mollen, and wife to actor Jason Biggs. In ...

Taylor Hahn, “The Lifestyle”

June 28, 2022 00:00 - 41 minutes - 95.4 MB

A very modern, NYC retelling of the Jane Austen classic, “Emma,” Taylor Hahn’s “The Lifestyle” is a beach read that will make you blush! The lawyer turned novelist joins Olivia in the podcast studio of her Arizona hometown to talk about the research she did- and didn’t do- to learn the swinger lifestyle for her sexy story. The married attorney turned novelist talked about the eye-opening research that went into writing the story of Georgina Wagman (think Cher from Clueless, but smart and g...

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