Bookwild

This week, I talk with Juliet Izon about her debut contemporary fiction novel The Encore.

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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.  

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 Synopsis

Ana 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 Books

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

History Lessons by Zoe E Wallbrook

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum

The Long Game by Rachel Reid

My Husband by Maud Ventura

Halley's Books

Enormous 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 Synopsis

It'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 Synopsis

This 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 Synopsis

Anabelle 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 Synopsis

Heavily 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 Books

Dead Beat Alex Stern Leigh Bardugo

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead

The Caretaker Marcus Kliewer

Honey by Imani Thompson

Queen of Faces

Gare’s Books

The Secret Lives of Murderers Wives by Elizabeth Arnott

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum

Helpless by Jessica Knoll

Heather by Caitlin Mullen

He...

This week, I talk with L.S. Stratton about the her new YA mystery thriller Sundown Girls. Stratton discusses how the story began as an adult novel and transformed into YA once she shifted the perspective to a sixteen-year-old protagonist, allowing the narrative to flow more naturally.

She shares the real-world inspiration behind the book, including historical sundown towns, racial violence, and real kidnapping cases, and how these histories shaped both the setting and Naomi’s identity as a formerly missing girl.

We discuss her use of themes of belonging, family reunification, generational trauma, and ra...

This week, I talk with historian Heather Ann Thompson about her new non-fiction Fear and Fury, which traces how the 1984 Bernie Goetz subway shooting became a flashpoint for the Reagan-era rollback of public investment, the rise of punitive policing, and the normalization of white vigilantism.

Moving between the lived experiences of the four Black teenagers who were shot and the political, media, and economic forces that quickly transformed Goetz into a folk hero, Thompson shows how fear was deliberately manufactured and redirected away from structural inequality and toward racialized scapegoats.

We compare 1980s New York...

This week, Erin Ashley is back, and we talk about our Last, Current and Next reads, as well as books we are intrigued by on our TBRs.

Kate’s Books

Kill Show — Daniel Swearen-Becker

When the Reckoning Comes — LaTanya McQueen

The Future Saints — Ashley Winstead

Blade — Wendy Walker

Reader Bot — Naomi S. Baron

On Sunday She Picked Flowers — Yah-Yah Scholfield

Girl Gone Wild — Courtney Kocak

Erin’s Books

Truly— Lionel Richie

Tiny Experiments — Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Little One — Olivia...

This week, I talk with Matt Casamassina about his genre-bending sci-fi-horror-thriller Degenerate. He shares his unique approach to audiobook production, how reading Stephen King as a kid influenced his writing, and how one of his co-workers inspired the story.

Degenerate by Matt Casamassina

Mason Kowalski, a twenty-four year-old copywriter for a San Mateo startup, is on the verge of a nervous breakdown when he inexplicably suffers widespread vision loss in one eye. The doctors say it’s macular degeneration triggered by overwhelming stress, but he wonders if it’s something more, especially when the shadows in h...

This week, MacKenzie Green is back, and we talk about 2026 releases we are excited about!

Books MacKenzie Talked About

2026 Releases

Half His Age – Jennette McCurdy
Fear and Fury – Heather Ann Thompson
There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood – Rasheed Newson
Vigil – George Saunders
American Fantasy – Emma Straub
Lady Tremaine – Gretchen McNeil

Other Books

Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Blood in the Water – Heather Ann Thompson
The Gods of New York – Jonathan Mahler
Challenger – Adam Higginbotham
Midnight in Chernobyl – Adam Higginbotham
Frostbite – Nicola Twilley
Lolita...

This week, Yasmin Angoe is back for the fifth year in a row to talk about here new mystery-thriller Behind These Four Walls! We dive into her inspiration for the story, how she created the wealthy, villainous Corrigan family, and Isla's private investigator adjacent job.

Behind These Four Walls Synopsis

Isla Thorne had a rough start in life. Orphaned young, she spent her formative years in a group home where she met her best friend, Eden Galloway. At sixteen, they decide to run away to LA…but Eden never makes it.

It’s been...

This week, Gare, Steph and I share our 2026 bookish goals, and January and February releases we are excited about! Steph also shares a few backlist she will be reading in January and February.

Kate’s Books

Kin by Tayari Jones

Spies and Other Gods James Wolff

Queen of Faces by Petra Lord

On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield 

Unread: A Memoir of Learning (And Loving) to Read on TikTok  by Oliver James

Gare’s Books

A Box Full of Darkness by Simone...

This week, I talk with Amanda Jones, a dedicated small-town Louisiana librarian, about the challenges she faces in her fight against book banning and censorship. She discusses her passion for literature, the importance of representation in books, the defamatory posts about her that spread like wildfire, and the impact of misinformation on community perceptions. Amanda has always championed the importance of diverse literature and the role of libraries as safe spaces for all children, particularly those from marginalized communities.

Read all about Amanda's journey in her book That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America

This week, Halley and I catch up on what we've been reading and watching, and then dive into bookish plans and goals for 2026!

Check Out Author Social Media Packages

Check out the Bookwild Community on Patreon

Check Out My Stories Are My Religion Substack

Get Bookwild Merch

Follow @imbookwild on Instagram

Other Co-hosts On Instagram:

Gare Billings @gareindeedreads

Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland

Halley Sutton @halleysutton25

Brian Watson @readingwithbrian

MacKenzie Green @missusa2mba

This week, I talk with Brittany Penner about her memoir Children Like Us, a haunting, deeply reflective exploration of identity, faith, and survival. Brittany shares what it was like growing up as an Indigenous child adopted into a Mennonite family that fostered dozens of other children, unpacking the long-term impact of the Sixties Scoop, religious indoctrination, and being taught to feel “grateful” for circumstances rooted in colonial harm.

We dive into dissociation, self-abandonment, storytelling as a tool for healing, and the complicated reality of holding love for family while confronting the systems that caused lasting damage.

We...

This week, Gare and I talk about what we've been watching lately, our favorite 2025 reads, and some 2026 books Gare already loves, as well as some 2026 hopefuls!

Our 2025 Faves

Kate's Books

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliot

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang

Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Williams

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Gare's Books

Night Watcher by Daphne Woolsoncroft

This Book...

This week, I talk with Brian Recker about his book Hell Bent, which examines how fear-based teachings about hell distort Christian spirituality, replacing love, connection, and moral discernment with control, shame, and punishment avoidance. Drawing from his upbringing in fundamentalism and later work as an evangelical pastor, he shares how early indoctrination around hell fractures relationships with God, self, and others, discourages intuition and questioning, all while propping up systems of domination—from abusive religious authority to political movements rooted in fear. Rather than abandoning spirituality altogether, he reclaimed Jesus from these systems, reframing faith as a practice of lo...

This week, Halley Sutton is back, and we dive into everything we've been reading and watching - which is quite a lot! We also share a few 2026 books we are excited to read.

What We’ve Been Reading

Everyone Is Lying to You — Joe Piazza

Alchemy of Secrets — Stephanie Garber

Vantage Point — Sarah Sligar
Good Dirt — Charmaine Wilkerson

 

2026 Hopefuls

The Future Saints — Ashley Winstead

All the Little Houses — May Cobb 

The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru — Olyseia Solnikova Gilmore

Vigil — George S...

This week, I talk with John Fram about the creative process behind his new horror-thriller The Midnight Knock, a genre-blending desert nightmare. He dives into selling the book early, wrestling with a complex multi-POV structure, and navigating the behind-the-scenes realities of publishing—from word-count limits to printing costs to foreign rights. He traces the story’s roots from a childhood moment of awe in West Texas to the unsettling idea of an endless highway, explaining how claustrophobia, cosmic horror, indigenous-informed mythology, and a terrifying owl-snake creature all converged in a motel where the guests can’t outrun their pasts—or the d...

This week, Gare, Steph and I share our last, current and next reads!

Kate's Books

Last - Degenerate by Matt Casamassina

Current - Children Like Us by Birttany Penner

Next - Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

Gare's Books

Last - All the Little Houses by May Cobb

Current - Heated Rivalry by Rachel Ried

Next - The House Guests by Amber and Danielle Brown

Steph's Books

Last - Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza

Current...

This week, Kristi DeMeester shares how her new novel Dark Sisters emerged from a collision of personal history, cultural rage, and the disturbing ease with which faith, patriarchy, and power can be weaponized. We discuss purity culture, megachurch hypocrisy, witch-trial history, feminist reclamation, the generational impact of religious fundamentalism, and how horror can become a perfect container for social truth-telling, female rage, and bittersweet hope.

Check out the book here:

Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester

Check Out Author Social Media Packages

Check out the Bookwild Community on Patreon

...

This week, MacKenzie Green is back and we dive into the complexities of pop culture, the deeper meanings embedded in modern media, how storytelling has evolved, the impact of anti-intellectualism, and the importance of critical engagement with entertainment.

We discuss the intersection of identity and societal issues, emphasizing that every piece of content carries a message, whether overt or subtle, and the necessity of understanding historical context in shaping narratives amidst a growing trend of superficial engagement with media.

We also share how finding and creating communities that value intellectual rigor and deeper analysis of...

This week, I talk with Keith Giles about how the early Christian world was far more diverse and mystical than most people realize. He unpacks the history of suppressed gospels, the erasure of Mary Magdalene’s authority, and how non-duality, interconnectedness, and compassion sit at the heart of Jesus’s original teachings. We dive into deconstruction, Christian nationalism, biblical misuse, and how theology shapes our relationships with ourselves and others.

Keith offers a grounded, hopeful vision of spirituality rooted not in fear or hierarchy, but in transformation, justice, and shared humanity.

The Quantum Gospel of Mary...

This week, Gare, Steph and I all chose one of our own favorite plot devices and recommended books in that vein! This episode definitely has a book for just about everybody!

Kate's Books - Books with Dramatic Irony

I, Medusa

Stalker

Dark Sisters

Sky Full of Elephants

Happy Land

Gare's Books - Thrillers with Sex Work

Boom Town

Real Easy

These Women

Things We Do in the Dark

The Girl in 6E

Steph's...

Audra McElyea returns to talk about her new locked-room, cancel-culture thriller Not Good People, a twisty ensemble mystery set in a blizzard-stranded Blue Ridge Mountain castle. Audra shares how a decades-old British play inspired her to blend popcorn-thriller pacing with a deeper moral reckoning, how she crafted eleven interconnected characters through actor-based mannerisms, and why the story’s escalating secrets force readers to examine not just the cast—but themselves.

Check Out Author Social Media Packages

Check out the Bookwild Community on Patreon

Check Out My Stories Are My Religion Substack

Ge...

This week, I talk with Erin Crosby Eckstine about her debut Southern Gothic, Junie. She shares how the book developed across years of writing, the importance of portraying enslaved characters with full humanity rather than stereotypes, and why she crafted Junie as a flawed, emotionally real teenager navigating a world she can’t yet fully understand. Erin also explains Gothic and Southern Gothic traditions, the role of ghostly elements like Minnie, the influence of literature within the story, and how intergenerational family history shaped both the novel and her own life.

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This week, Gare, Steph and I share books we think are good discussion starters for book clubs!

Books We Talked About

Kate's Picks

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

Dominion by Addie E. Citchens

My Husband by Maud Ventura

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson

Gare's Picks

Keep it In the Family by John Marrs

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

American Psycho...

This week, I talk with Wen-Yi Lee about her adult fantasy debut When They Burned the Butterfly—a fierce, Sapphic story of rage, inheritance, and transformation set in post-colonial Singapore. She shares how her homecoming to Singapore shaped this deeply personal book, how real history and mythology intertwined to form her world of fire magic and girl gangs, and why female rage and found family remain at the heart of her storytelling. We also dive into her creative process, from “chasing the shiny thing” when writing to reimagining real-life places and histories that have since disappeared. If you love Jade C...

This week, Gare and I got to chat with bestselling author Nic Stone to talk about her adult debut thriller, Boom Town—a gritty, sexy, and socially sharp story set in Atlanta’s iconic strip-club scene. Nic opens up about her path from YA to adult fiction, the inspiration behind Boom Town (and why she wrote it before anyone else could), and how she approached portraying sex work, power, and autonomy with authenticity and respect. We also discuss banned books, Atlanta’s strip club culture, Nic’s dad’s unforgettable reaction to the audiobook, and the sheer joy of writing co...

This week, Steph and I got chat with Kirsten Miller about her newest novel The Women of Wild Hill. She shares the evolution of her writing process, and the inspirations behind her sharp, witchy, and deeply human stories.

She dives into her love of flawed “unlikable” women, and her view of witchcraft as a metaphor for women’s power and connection to nature. She unpacks how setting, character, and “vibe” shape her work; how hope underpins even her darkest stories; and how The Women of Wild Hill extends the feminist universe begun in The Change, spanning generations of women u...