The Banderpod

Rachel Donahue interviews Kate Gaston (That Middle Distance Substack), who is well-known for her incisive and witty writing of all kinds. Rachel and Kate chat all about motherhood, homeschooling, bravery in art, Gary Larson, the ‘spiritual gift of awkward hugs’ and her two upcoming books “The Inconvenient Kingdom” (Rabbit Room Press) and “Days Like This” (InterVarsity Press). Everyone’s awed and inspired by her! And it’s not very hard to see why!

Mentioned in this episode:

• That Middle Distance - Kate Gaston’s Substack

• Banderpod S5:E3 - Andy Patton

• Rabbit Room Press

...

Frank Ewert (owner of Work With Words, LLC and author of Embrace Your Writer’s Block) appears on the Banderpod to chat with Annie Beth Donahue all about the ins and outs of developmental editing, how spaghetti sauce relates to writing, and of course, hockey! Frank Ewert is a writer who loves to edit. Or perhaps an editor who loves to write? (He’s never sure which comes first.)

Mentioned in this episode:

• Work With Words, LLC

• Embrace Your Writer’s Block - Frank Ewert

• Blue Ice and Other Stories from the Rink - F...

Matt Mellema (author of Red Rex & the host of the Believe to See podcast) returns to the Banderpod to chat with Carolyn Clare Givens all about his upcoming sequel to Red Rex, titled Quetzo Dawn. Then the conversation wanders into dream narratives!

(“Quetzos” are the nicknames of his Quetzalcoatlus (flying dinosaurs) in the book!)

PREORDER QUETZO DAWN

Mentioned in this episode:

• Red Rex - Matthew Mellema

• The Banderpod Season 2, Episode 7 - Matthew Mellema

• Brothers Mellema YouTube Channel

• Believe to See Podcast

• The Punic Wars

• Q...

Annie Beth Donahue interviews Krista Lynn Weeks about the upcoming release of The Birding Tree on Jan. 19th, 2027 (preorders open soon). Krista discusses how a hobby of birdwatching combined with rediscovering a childhood idea for a story in one of her old notebooks to make the seed of the idea for her new book. As Krista pondered her old idea, she realized it still had immense potential as a Middle Grade novel.

Nine years and several edits later, Krista sent the book to Bandersnatch Books and we loved it! We can’t wait to share it all wi...

Carolyn Clare Givens chats with Betsy Farquhar the Editor-in-Chief of Redeemed Reader, a bookish review site for all types of books. She discusses the origins and mission of Redeemed Reader, along with thoughts on various book prizes, the dangers inherent in reviewing book series before they’re done and the trickiness of navigating social media as a book person. Then Carrie shares her conspiracy theory about the Newbery Medal…

ORDER THE REDEEMED READER

Mentioned in this episode:

Redeemed Reader - www.redeemedreader.com

The Redeemed Reader - Janie Cheaney et al.

Carolyn Clare Givens chats with David Kern about all sorts of bookish topics, including but not limited to, David’s local bookstore (Goldberry Books); his publishing wing with wife, Bethany (Lumen Art); and his podcasts: Close Reads and Withywindle. Then there is also a meditation on midnight conversations with books in closed bookstores…

And of course, the most important question is asked: Cheetos or Doritos?

ORDER FROM GOLDBERRY BOOKS

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Charlatan’s Boy - Jonathan Rogers

• Lumen Art - Bethany Kern

• Withywindle Podcast

• Close...

Rachel Donahue interviews Jonathan Rogers about the new re-release of The Charlatan’s Boy on Oct. 5th, 2026 (preorders open now)! She also discusses how his creation of the writers’ community The Habit has helped her as a writer and hundreds of others.

Along the way, Jonathan and Rachel also discuss naming alligators, feechies, dogs in tuxedos, flintknapping tomfoolery, phrenological scams, the picaresque novel, his love of small talk, disintegration vs. reintegration, writing messy by hand, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and finally who are the writers that make Jonathan Rogers want to write?

Preorder - The Charlatan’s Boy

The Song of the Stone Tiger by Glenn McCarty has been nominated for audiobook of the year by The Selah Awards! To celebrate we’re closing out season five by sharing Glenn reading the first three chapters of the book. Enjoy!

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Selah Awards - 2026

https://www.blueridgeconference.com/2026-selah-award-finalists/

• The Song of the Stone Tiger Audiobook - Audible

https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Song-Stone-Tiger/dp/B0G1TZ74QK

• The Song of the Stone Tiger Audiobook - Spotify

• The Song of the Stone...

Rachel Donahue interviews Dr. Carolyn Weber about how poetry has shaped her life and faith, and also her newest release, Four Questions God Asks. Carolyn is best known for her memoir Surprised By Oxford, which has been turned into a movie (available on Apple, Angel or Amazon) but Carolyn is also a poet and the trajectory of her entire life has been altered by how deeply she engaged with a John Donne poem which helped her understand the gospel as a graduate student.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Surprised by Oxford (2022)

• Four Questions God Asks...

Annie Beth Donahue interviews Bethany Faulk about the newest Bandersnatch Book release, Seichō Summer! Bethany describes Seichō Summer as a kind of 90’s Little House on the Prairie, albeit with sushi rather than smoked meats! But both Faulk and Laura Ingalls Wilder lightly fictionalized their own childhoods to make a story that could resonate with all generations about feeling misplaced somewhere… until you slowly grow up and connect the dots. (成長 - Seichō is Japanese for “growth”) Bethany started with her own teenage journals to remember the joys and angsts she’d forgotten and to lovingly recreate the 90’s and to write this comin...

Carolyn Givens interviews Melissa Woodruff about her path to being a reader, then a homeschool mom who writes novels, works at her church, and now has become a full partner in Bandersnatch Books! From Radio Shack to camp counseling, Melissa has weaved through life with energy, love and engagement with everyone who God sends her way. When she stumbled into Bandersnatch Books’ booth in the Great Homeschool Convention in 2023, she was mostly looking for good things to read, to fill her inexhaustible need for good books for herself and her kids, but instead she discovered three new friends and sp...

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews S.D. Smith (The Green Ember) about where the Green Ember came from, how he seeks to serve his audience, how he stumbled into a grace-filled vocation (albeit with hard work and a calling) and the strange concatenation of events that could possibly align to allow for an entire barbecue restaurant to be filled with only bearded men on a Tuesday! Sam is also releasing a new Green Ember book: The Lost Legend!

Carrie and Sam further discuss his role in the Oscar nominated short film Forevergreen directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy...

A.B. Donahue interviews Ambre Sautter about “Reshelving Alexandria” a bookish community on Facebook and later on Substack (organized originally in 2017). Ambre is a wife and mother of five living in the picturesque landscapes of Iowa, and she aims to be a guide for others on their literary journeys, especially in curating their own home libraries. Though she is a homeschooling parent, Ambre doesn’t primarily use her home library for syllabi, but mostly as a place to track all the souvenirs of the places that books have taken her.

(Also did you know the librarians of the Li...

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews Square Halo’s Théa Rosenburg about co-writing and compiling Strong Allies after Leslie Bustard’s death. Thea had originally planned to be an editor and a collaborator on Leslie’s book Strong Allies, a book that expounds upon the Hebrew word ezer which can be translated as helper, but is perhaps better translated as ‘Strong Ally’. Expounding this concept was Leslie Bustard’s focus in her life but she was unable to complete her book before her death, so Thea stepped in to be a strong ally and weave together a vignettes, essays and other materia...

Rachel S. Donahue interviews Rabbit Room’s Andy Patton (Darkling Psalter) about where and how the logistics of productivity overlap with the creative process, and much much more having to do with 3.5x-speed-audiobooks, the Toyota Way, LitRPG, and yellow slime (yes, yellow slime!) and the various niche corners of the internet where LitRPG represents a new kind of publishing model, that’s really a revamp of a very old model: Serial Publishing.

Note: Bandersnatch Books has recently joined forces with Flicker.Press a serial publisher for all things good, true and beautiful

Mentioned in this epis...

Annie Beth Donahue interviews Doraine Bennett about writing In the Grip of the Ice, Bandersnatch Books’ most recent adventure. Doraine shares her previous experiences as a writer which prepared her for this epic adventure told from the perspective of real-life stowaway Perce Blackborow, and his journey upon a famous Antarctic exploration ship (Endurance) interspersed with accounts from their valiant leader Shackleton. Doraine’s novel in verse communicates the longing, fear, and courage of the intrepid men who survived this harrowing journey into the unknown, and how they found their way back home.

Mentioned in this episode:

In...

Rachel S. Donahue again interviews Ben Palpant (creator of Brightwing Tales) to learn how a poet approaches a foray into children’s literature. Ben is our first return guest on the podcast (you may remember him from Season 3: Episode 9 where we discussed his poetry book, An Axe for the Frozen Sea). Ben is back after completing a new work of children’s literature in the whimsically adventurous tradition of Wind in the Willows, Watership Down and Winnie the Pooh.

Mentioned in this episode:

* Brightwing Tales 1: Mole’s Misadventure - Ben Palpant

* PREORDER (May 1st...

Melissa Woodruff interviews her friends and colleagues Carolyn Clare Givens, Rachel S. Donahue and Annie Beth Donahue for this end of season question & answer episode filled with as many questions that we could answer, taken from all the questions that you listeners sent in. Thank you for sending questions, thank you for listening and thank you for taking an interest in Bandersnatch Books! Also we touch on the future directions that Bandersnatch Books will be moving into for 2026 and beyond!

Preorder Joe the Fourth and the King’s Crown

Preorder I’ve Got a Bad Case...

Rachel S. Donahue interviews her friend and colleague Carolyn Clare Givens (author of Rosefire and The King’s Messenger). In this discussion, Carolyn shares the multiple roots of her career as an author and the many origin points of each of her stories. Every author tends to be inspired differently, and Carolyn describes how poetry, shoofly pie, music, and classroom settings all variously sparked little ideas that grew into big stories, and eventually found paper and an illustrated cover along their path to your hands as a reader!

Mentioned in this episode:

* Carolyn Clare Givens

Annie Beth Donahue interviews our newest Bandersnatch Books author and illustrator Mary Barrows (author of Joe the Fourth and the King’s Crown). About ten years ago, Mary switched careers and started writing her Middle Grade novel Joe the Fourth while also making an effort to begin working as a freelance illustrator. As her illustration business grew, so did her confidence and the scope and size of her hilariously adorable kid’s adventure Joe the Fourth and the King’s Crown. We interview Mary about all the steps and obstacles that stood in her way as she struggled to create...

Rachel S. Donahue interviews Emily J. Person (illustrator of I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry) about a behind the scenes look at all the stresses and joys of illustrating such a huge project while simultaneously navigating several life changes and moving her studio and all her art supplies from state to state to state!

* Emily J. Person

www.emilyjperson.com

* PREORDER: I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry

Mentioned in this episode:

* The Rabbit Room

* Andrew Peterson

* Every Moment Holy

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews our “fairy godmother” Diana Pavlac Glyer (author of our publishing company’s namesake book Bandersnatch!) about her life’s work reinterpreting the Inklings (J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and their friends) not as a group of solitary men occasionally meeting together, and keeping their creativity strictly boundaried from each other. Instead, Glyer challenged the academic standard story about the Inklings by demonstrating from painstaking research the evidence of all the collaborative sparks that caught fire among a group of men who all served as resonators for one another. She highlights that in her academic...

Annie Beth Donahue interviews Amanda M. Brindley & Sofia Rector (author & illustrator of Doodle’s Mountain) about the unexpected joys and pitfalls of two friends collaborating as author and illustrator for a children’s picture book. During the nap times of their littles, Sofia and Amanda slowly pieced together the ideas for this picture book and slowly shepherded Doodle’s Mountain toward becoming a reality. From that experience, Amanda and Sofia learned a great deal and they gladly share all their lessons with us!

Mentioned in this episode:

* Doodle’s Mountain

* Hutchmoot

* Rabbit R...

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews Andrew Mackay (co-creator of Story Warren publisher of the Green Ember series) about publishing, brand new Green Ember video games and how Story Warren got started in the first place. There are wonderful side discussions abou the smell of giant printing presses, why Carrie is a “Newsletter Ninja”, why Andrew is “human Benadryl” and many more. By the end of this episode, you’ll be hard pressed to decide whether Andrew Mackay’s has a deeper fascination with the history, lore and intricacies of book publishing or instead the much maligned Olympic sport of Curling.

Mentio...

Annie Beth Donahue interviews Katherine Ladny Mitchell (author of the new mystery novel Not To Be) about why mysteries are about so much more than just whodunnit. Mysteries scratch a deep itch inside our souls, the longing for justice and the revelation of truth behind the lies. The conversation also winds its way into homesteading, emus, goats and tractors!

Visit Katherine Ladny Mitchell’s Substack:

katherineladnymitchell.substack.com

Mentioned in this episode:

* Not to Be - Katherine Ladny Mitchell

* Cup & Quill

* Dorothy Sayers

* Agatha Christie

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews Carolyn Leiloglou (author of The Restorationist Trilogy) about her just-released book three: Beyond the Far Horizon! The conversation also delves into the origins of Carolyn Leiloglou’s love of art, how great artwork inspires her craft of writing, and the importance of building writing communities (specifically her writing partnership with recent Bandersnatch author Glenn McCarty).

Visit Carolyn’s site: www.carolynleiloglou.com

Mentioned in this episode:

* Glenn McCarty

* The Restorationist Trilogy

* Hutchmoot

* Russ Ramsey

* Makoto Fujimura

* Vivienne To...

Rachel S. Donahue interviews Glenn McCarty (creator of The Song of the Stone Tiger and the Tumbleweed Thompson books) about his love of children’s literature and the origins of his newest book set in the mysterious mountains of western North Carolina. His book will be released at the one-year mark of the devastation of Hurricane Helene in those same mountains, and so it is important to us to highlight the magic of the region as it rebuilds!

Mentioned in this episode:

* Glenn McCarty

* The Song of the Stone Tiger

* The Tu...

S.D.G Morgan hosts the last episode of The Banderpod–Season 3, where Katherine Ladny Mitchell reads from her upcoming cozy mystery Not to Be (the first in the Pen & Paintbrush mystery series).

PREORDER “NOT TO BE”

Annie Beth Donahue also reads the first chapter in her middle grade mystery No Clues, You Lose.

Finally, all our guests this season share their favorite mysteries to fill up your TBR list for a summer vacation to the beach or wherever you take your books to relax!

The Fu...

Rachel S. Donahue interviews Ben Palpant (creator of An Axe for the Frozen Sea and Letters from the Mountain) to have a conversation about conversations with seventeen powerful poets of the 21st century. These conversations cover an entire range of life experience, including grief, hope, culture, the writing craft, family life, and the imagination.

Mentioned in this episode:

* An Axe for the Frozen Sea: Conversations with Poets about What Matters Most

* Letters from the Mountain

* Brightwing Tales: Mole’s Misadventure

Also Mentioned in this episode:

* Dana Gioia

Rachel S. Donahue interviews Kelly Belmonte (author of the The Mother of All Words) about how Maine, food and “the mother of all words” have all impacted her collection. These poems are Kelly's expression of love to a world that is sometimes hard to love!

Mentioned in this episode:

* The Mother of All Words - Kelly Belmonte

* York, Maine

* Letters from the Mountain - Ben Palpant

Also Mentioned in this episode:

* Walking on Water - Madeleine L’Engle

* The Word in the Wi...

A. B. Donahue interviews Ken Priebe (author of Goblabet) about some good and beautiful uses of darkness in art, and how delight can be a weapon against the darkness. (Also discussed: the occupational hazards of working with goblins, and why gnomes prefer to sing in cheese forests.)

Still some time get in on the Kickstarter for I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry!

Mentioned in this episode:

* Goblabet - Ken Priebe

* “In and Out of Weeks” - Ken Priebe Substack

* “In Defense of Mysteries” - A. B. Donahue - Bandersn...

Rachel S. Donahue interviews Graeme Pitman (host of the Withywindle podcast and book designer for Above Not Up & Mother of All Words) to learn more about how he combines his artistry, especially an aesthetic for design (with a photographer’s eye for light) with his podcast persona filled with kid-friendly nonsense, Doritos, pigeons, bookstore trolls and great books for kids!

LAST DAY for Kickstarter for I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry (Ends March 11)

Mentioned in this episode:

* Withywindle Podcast

* Circe Institute

* Goldberry Books

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews “Librarian Laura” (the children’s librarian from "Bookish Red Reads”) all about the magic of libraries and a behind the scenes look of how a children’s section of library really works!

Mentioned in this episode:

* Kickstarter for I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry (Ends Mar. 11)

* Bookish Red Reads

Also Mentioned in this episode:

* Hoopla

* Libby

* “Geneva” by Richard Armitage

* “Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbitt

* “Mythmakers” by John Hendrix

Click to learn more abou...

A. B. Donahue interviews Jonny Jimison (creator of The Dragon Lord Saga) for a wide-ranging discussion on how cartoonists are created, why dragons like marshmallows, and how Tolkien is a comfort in times of trial.

Mentioned in this episode:

* Kickstarter for I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry (Ends Mar. 11)

* Dragon Lord Saga – Preorder

* “Penguin comic” – Getting Ethan

* Jonny Jimison’s other works

Also Mentioned in this episode:

* “Bone” - Jeff Smith

* “Lightfall” - Tim Probert

* “Mouseguard” - David Pe...

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews Rachel S. Donahue (editor of I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry) for the full story of the origins of this beautifully illustrated children’s poetry anthology, which includes over 60 poets! You can help bring this collection to life by contributing to the Kickstarter before March 11!

Mentioned in this episode:

* Kickstarter for I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry (Feb.18 - Mar. 11)

www.kickstarter.com/projects/bandersnatchbooks/illustrated-childrens-poetry-anthology

* Emily J. Person

www.emilyjperson.com

Click to learn more about Bander...

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews Ned Bustard (illustrator of Every Moment Holy) about how his penchant for “full-contact collaboration” has birthed the Square Halo conference, Square Halo Books, and dozens of other fruitful side quests (including Ned’s generous design of our Bandersnatch Books’ “Beastie”—the “B” logo).

Mentioned in this episode:

* Pre-save Kickstarter for I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry

www.kickstarter.com/projects/bandersnatchbooks/illustrated-childrens-poetry-anthology

* Every Moment Holy

www.everymomentholy.com

* Square Halo Conference - 2025

www.squarehalobooks.com/2025-conference

* Square Halo Books

www...

Carolyn Clare Givens interviews Mark Forrester (author of Above, Not Up) about how his passion for teaching mathematics turned into a fascinating YA adventure novel incorporating math into a fascinating plot where a fourth-dimensional girl befriends an ordinary high school guy.

Mentioned in this episode:

* Pre-save Kickstarter for I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry

www.kickstarter.com/projects/bandersnatchbooks/illustrated-childrens-poetry-anthology

* Above, Not Up

www.bandersnatchbooks.com/books/above-not-up

* Hyperbolic Space

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbolic_space

* Pascal’s Triangle

en.w...

S.D.G. Morgan hosts Matt Mellema reading the first chapter of Red Rex as well as Carolyn Clare Givens reading the first chapter of her middle grade chapter book The King’s Messenger and Rachel S. Donahue reading selected poems from Beyond Chittering Cottage.

Mentioned in this episode:

* Red Rex (releasing September 10)

www.bandersnatchbooks.com/store/p/red-rex

* Matthew Mellema’s Site

www.matthewmellema.com

* The King’s Messenger

www.bandersnatchbooks.com/store/p/kings-messenger

* Beyond Chittering Cottage

www.bandersnatchbooks.com/st...

A.B. Donahue interviews Matt Mellema (author of Red Rex and host of The Believe to See podcast) about how he plotted out his work and how a lifelong fascination with dinosaurs led to his novel series.

Mentioned in this episode:

* Bandersnatch Books’ Submission Period - ENDS July 31

www.bandersnatchbooks.com/submissions

* Red Rex (releasing September 10)

www.bandersnatchbooks.com/store/p/red-rex

* Matthew Mellema’s Site

www.matthewmellema.com

* Believe to See podcast

www.anselmsociety.org/believetosee

* Advent Letters

Carolyn Clare Givens chats with authors Maile Silva & Shawn Smucker (owners of Nooks bookstore and creators of The Stories Between Us podcast) about what it has been like to take up ownership of a beloved local bookstore in Lancaster, PA.

Mentioned in this episode:

* Bandersnatch Books’ Submission Period - July 15–31

www.bandersnatchbooks.com/submissions

* Nooks

nooks.gallery

* Goldberry Books

www.goldberrybooks.com

* Shawn Smucker

www.shawnsmucker.com

* Maile Silva

mailesilva.substack.com

* The Stories Between Us <...