Bookwild

This week, I talk with Andrea M. Butler about her debut speculative fiction Mother. We dive into a wide range of topics, including: The origin of the novel’s idea Dreams and spiritual communication Energy work and spirituality Speculative fiction grounded in reality The “predictive” nature of fiction Capitalism, wealth inequality, and food insecurity Religion and evangelical culture Community as resistance Divine feminine energy Hope through storytelling   Mother by Andrea M. Butler Synopsis Having gained control of the world’s food supply, a single corporation, SunRay, holds the fate of humanity in its ha...

As promised, MacKenzie Green and I share our Oscars reactions, and thoughts on just about everything:  - Awards season and Oscar campaigning  - Timothée Chalamet discourse  - Misty Copeland’s performance  - Sinners on Broadway??  - Criticism of Sean Penn winning Best Supporting Actor  - The historical context of Black Oscar winners, and why Michael B. Jordan's win is so HUGE - Comparisons to past controversial Oscar wins (think Green Book vs Black Panther)  - Distinctions between authentic cultural storytelling (like Sinners) and films...

Erin and I both adored Kin by Tayari Jones, and we decided to do a whole episode discussing it!  The first 15ish minutes are spoiler free, so if you haven't read it yet, you can listen and decide if the vibes sound right for you.  After that, we get into everything we loved about the characters, the prose, the plotting and the themes! Kin by Tayari Jones Synopsis Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood, but are fated to live starkly different lives. Ra...

This week, I talk with Keith Giles, Mary Terhune, Zac Cannon and Nish Dubashia about their collective work in Quantum Theology: Volume One. Listen to hear about: How science and spirituality may not be opposites, but different ways of exploring the same underlying reality How ideas from quantum physics—like interconnectedness and entanglement—echo concepts found in mysticism and religious traditions Why many contributors believe the sense of separation between people, cultures, and religions is an illusion, and what recognizing our interconnectedness could mean for humanity. How mystical experiences challenge the limits of language—why some spirit...

Steph has been traveling the world, and now she is back with Gare and me, talking about our Last, Current and Next Reads! Kate’s Last, Current and Next Kin by Tayari Jones The Midnight Taxi by Yosha Gunaseker When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson Alexis Henderson’s Substack About When I Was Death Gare’s Last, Current and Next The Final Hunt Audrey J Cole The Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson The Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass Step...

This week, I talk with Juliet Izon about her debut contemporary fiction novel The Encore. Listen now to hear about: How Izon, a longtime journalist pivoted into fiction, writing secret scenes at night, cold-DMing composers on Reddit for research, and building a debut novel from pure creative obsession Fame, artistic ambition, and complicated family dynamics, especially the mother-daughter tension between Anna and Lottie, and what happens when talent and identity collide The craft details that make this fictional music world feel real: tour bus logistics, conservatory life, perfect pitch, scoring scenes with playlists, and why the...

It's a solo ep today! I get into the full story of my first ever in-person author interview at Wild Geese Bookshop with Kate Alice Marshall!  I give a play by play of what was going on in my head, and share some fun facts about Kate Alice Marshall. For me, the experience ended up being a reminder of how far Bookwild has come. I reflect on the journey from starting a bookish podcast with no audience to finding a community of readers, authors, and indie bookstores who now feel like found family.   Get a co...

This week, I talk with Stephen Graham Jones about his new short story Night of the Mannequins, and the many horror books he's also written. Listen to hear: A behind-the-scenes look at how Stephen Graham Jones writes horror: following first sentences, trusting surprise endings, and letting stories unfold without outlining or theme-driven intent. Insight into why teenage perspectives, slashers, and “final girl” narratives resonate in his work, and how horror can function as a justice fantasy in an unfair world. A deep dive into Night of the Mannequins, including its origin from a title and prank idea...

This week, I talk with Susana M. Morris about her Octavia E. Butler cultural biography Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler. Listen to hear about: Octavia Butler’s journey from a shy, self-diagnosed dyslexic student to a groundbreaking sci-fi author, and how her relentless “positive obsession” with writing shaped her career.   How Butler’s work reflects deep research, historical pattern recognition, and sharp social insight—explaining why her stories feel prophetic even though she chaffed at that comparison.   The personal costs and creative rewards of dedicating your life to meaningful work, and ho...

This week, I talk with Susan Walter about her new airplane thriller Murder at 30,000 Feet.  She shares her inspiration from the story, how she writes such cinematic thrillers, and how she managed multiple POVs. Murder at 30,000 Feet Synopsis It’s a ticket to paradise. Flight 868 with nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over a dozen tipsy passengers are off to a destination wedding. A team of high school baseball players are headed to a tournament. The plane is packed with people eager to escape their lives, and others who can’t wait to return to th...

This week, MacKenzie Green (who auditioned for ANTM) and I talk about the cultural implications of America's Next Top Model documentary Reality Check.  We also share fiction and non-fiction books that relate to the themes of the documentary. Hear us dive into: How pop culture—especially America’s Next Top Model—shaped beauty standards, body image, and the way women learned to critique themselves and each other. A broader conversation about “girl-on-girl” dynamics: internalized patriarchy, reality TV as a mirror of culture, and why shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race offered a more affirming counterpoint. How being a consc...

This week, I talk with Wendy Walker about her new ice skating thriller Blade! We dive into her past with ice skating, how she developed her cast of characters, and how she chose the unique plot structure.Blade SynopsisAna Robbins was an Olympic star in the making—until tragedy forced her to leave that world behind. At the age of sixteen, she gave up her dream and never looked back. Fourteen years later, she’s a successful defense attorney, revered for her work with minors. But when her former coach turns up dead, Ana land...

This week, Halley Sutton is back, and we catch up on what we've been reading and watching, as well as our thoughts in Emerald Fennell's upcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation. We also share romance-adjacent book recommendations for Valentine's Day.Kate's BooksA Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia WilliamsHistory Lessons by Zoe E WallbrookThis Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany CrumThe Long Game by Rachel ReidMy Husband by Maud VenturaHalley's BooksEnormous Wings by Laurie Frankel<...

BONUS EPISODE!!MacKenzie Green and I were set to record yesterday (the morning after the Benito Bowl) for a Friday episode, but all we could talk about was Bad Bunny's performance, so I decide for timing's sake, it made sense to release it today!We discuss it all: why it felt historic rather than merely entertaining, how the show functioned as protest art, communal storytelling, and cultural affirmation, especially for Latino and Afro-Latino audiences. We also dive into how intentional details—language, symbolism, ancestry, refusal to translate or explain—created a moment that centered people who...

This week, I talk with Jeff Rake and Rob Hart about the first installment of their new series Detour. Jeff shares how he got the idea for the story originally for TV, but when he mentioned it to a friend they said it sounded like a novel. When he got connected to Rob, their partnership was instantly born, and they went on to write an entire full-length novel without meeting in person until the very end.They share what their process was like, how they developed such a large cast of characters, and how being fathers themselves...

This week, Gare and I chat with May Cobb about her new, messy thriller All the Little Houses! She shares the inspiration for the story, how she managed multiple POVs, and what it was like on the set of The Hunting Wives.All the Little Houses SynopsisIt's the mid-1980s in the tiny town of Longview, Texas. Nellie Anderson, the beautiful daughter of the Anderson family dynasty, has burst onto the scene. She always gets what she wants. What she can't get for herself… well, that's what her mother is for. Because Charleigh Andersen, bl...

This week, Gare and I talk with Ashley Winstead about her new contemporary fiction (tragi-comedy but don't tell Ashley's publicists we said so) The Future Saints! We dive into her inspiration for the book, how it changed over the years through rounds of edits, and her fascination with ambitious women and how the world reacts to them.The Future Saints SynopsisThis is a love story, but not the one you’re expecting.When record executive Theo meets the Future Saints, they’re bombing at a dive bar in their hometown. Since the trag...

This week, I talk with Petra Lord about her debut genre bending fantasy-sci-fi-dark-academia book Queen of Faces. She shares the eight year journey of writing the book, how she injured herself while writing it, and how fantasy worlds are so effective for social commentary.Queen of Faces SynopsisAnabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. In Caimor, where the magical elite buy and swap designer bodies like clothes, Ana can’t afford to escape her tattered form. When she fails the entrance exam to the prestigious Para...

This week, I talk with Amy Meyerson about her new mystery thriller The Water Lies. We dive into her inspiration for the book, how audiobooks changed her approach to pacing, and how she grappled with intuition, pregnancy and motherhood.*This was supposed to be released on January 1, but I put it in my release calendar for February 1, so some of our conversation may seem dated!*The Water Lies SynopsisHeavily pregnant with her second child, Tessa Irons has enough on her mind without her toddler throwing tantrums at the local coffee shop. The...

This week, Gare and Steph and I attempt to predict which books will be some of our favorite books in 2026!Kate’s BooksDead Beat Alex Stern Leigh BardugoHot Girl Murder Club by Ashley WinsteadThe Caretaker Marcus KliewerHoney by Imani ThompsonQueen of FacesGare’s BooksThe Secret Lives of Murderers Wives by Elizabeth ArnottThis Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany CrumHelpless by Jessica KnollHeather by Caitlin MullenHe...