Book of the Month Live

Written by Danica Lo. Author website: https://www.danicalo.com   Browse great reads at bookofthemonth.com and new members can get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.    Here’s the brief:   “The date had been on their respective calendars for months--travel booked, conferences declined, childcare arranged. And now that they were all gathered back on campus, together for the first time in over a decade, it was almost impossible to believe this was what was happening. They sat uncomfortably in the small room, eyes darting around as if no one could decide who was good, who was bad, and, most importantly, who had done the thing.”

We’re kicking off our new VBT Briefs series with Book of the Month 3peat author Helen Hoang. New members can get Helen Hoang’s most recent work, The Heart Principle, at bookofthemonth.com for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout. Please note this episode contains adult topics and might not be appropriate for all listeners.   Here’s the brief:   “The date had been on their respective calendars for months–travel booked, conferences declined, childcare arranged. And now that they were all gathered back on campus, together for the first time in over a decade, it was almost impossible to believe this was what was happening. They sat uncomfortably in the small room, eyes darting around as if no one could decide who was good, who was bad, and, most importantly, who had done the thing.”

What happens when you take tea leaf reading, family secrets, and powerful premonitions and blend them into an epic Western novel? You get Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s Woman of Light. On today’s episode, we talk about her deep Denver roots and the family stories that inspired her newest novel.    Woman of Light is an epic yet intimate story that shows three generations of women trying to make a life in the perilous ’30s American West. This novel follows Luz “Little Light” Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, who is left with her aunt to make ends meet after her older brother is run out of town by a violent white mob.   Get Woman of Light at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.    Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com

How can one little lamp cause so much trouble? And how do video game characters fit all of their potions, weapons, and maps into their pockets? On today’s episode, we answer these questions and more with Chelsea Abdullah, author of The Stardust Thief.    The Stardust Thief is a novel that will grant your wish for a perfect fantasy with dark magic and a dangerous quest. When Loulie saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land.    Get The Stardust Thief  at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.    Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com 

How can you fit conniving con artists, edge-of-your-seat endings, and shifty scammers all into one podcast episode? Listen to find out! Repeat BOTM author Julie Clark sits down with Editorial Director Brianna Goodman and Editorial Associate Jerrod MacFarlane to talk about how paranoia and a little bit of fear are the perfect recipe for a nail-biting thriller.   The Lies I Tell tells the story of Meg Williams, a woman who is expertly reinventing herself again and again as she moves from place to place, doing whatever it takes to get what she wants. Meanwhile, ambitious journalist Kat Roberts has been tracking Meg for years, committed to exposing her as the criminal she is. This twisty cat and mouse story will have you ripping through the pages to find out who the true con woman is.   Get your copy of The Lies I Tell at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT.   Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com 

How does an author go from writing Lord of the Rings fanfic to a spine-chilling tale about the supernatural? Author Isabel Cañas sits down with Editorial Director Brianna Goodman and Editorial Associate Jerrod MacFarlane to talk about how someone who is afraid of the dark (but really, who isn’t?) and a self-proclaimed “wuss” when it comes to horror, wrote The Hacienda, a spooky novel that will make you want to sleep with all of the lights on. Isabel talks about influences for the book, including the creepy basements in her childhood homes, the gothic literature she read as a moody, introspective teen, and the history lesson about Mexico that school never taught us.    In The Hacienda, Beatriz moves onto her new husband’s estate and things start to take a turn for the haunted: visions of bloody clothes, unexplainable noises, and rumors of what might really have happened to her husband’s first wife. For those who want to wander around a creepy haunted house, The Hacienda is the book for you.    Get The Hacienda at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.   Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com

Have you ever been so petty that you left your glass right next to the coaster, knowing that it might drive your own mother to murder? Well, our next guest wrote this exact scene for a character in her newest crime novel, Like a Sister. Author Kellye Garrett sits down with Editorial Director Brianna Goodman and Editorial Associate Jerrod MacFarlane to talk about how losing her job pushed her into a career writing books. Kellye talks about why she doesn’t love the process of writing, how her single person tendencies sometimes lead to some awkward Zoom interactions, and how a Hollywood billboard gave her the idea for her first book. Listen to all of this and more on this episode of Virtual Book Tour! The only question we have left is…what is Kellye’s Finsta account username?     Like a Sister tells the story of Lena Scott, a NYC native who is determined to solve the mystery behind her sister's death. When her estranged sister dies under weird circumstances, Lena gets on the case. This book is perfect for someone who wants a tense, twisty whodunit novel, with a touch of pettiness and sarcasm.    Get Like a Sister at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.   Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com 

Every conversation with Adriana Trigiani is one to remember. According to Adriana, this one was years of manifestation in the making! Editorial Director Brianna Goodman and Editorial Associate Jerrod MacFarlane sit down with Adriana to talk about how stories are everywhere, especially in your own family tree. Adriana talks about her crazy Uncle (cousin?) Ralph who was thrown into a water tower by the U.S. Navy to learn how to swim. Get ready to laugh when you listen to this episode of Virtual Book Tour. After all, it’s not every day that an author makes someone who reads books for a living rethink how they view an entire genre.    The Good Left Undone is a historical fiction spanning four generations of Italian women as they navigate love, identity, and family legacy.. If you love art, romance, and WWII history, then this is the book for you!    Get The Good Left Undone at bookofthemonth.com. New members get their first book for just $9.99 with code VBT at checkout.   Learn more about Virtual Book Tour at virtualbooktour.com.

Since we've never been ones to keep interesting new books to ourselves, we're kicking off a series of conversations with Book of the Month authors about God only knows what. Recorded at Book of the Month headquarters on West 27th St. in front of a live audience of raucous employees! Give us your ears and we'll give you a look into the minds of writers we admire and a treasure trove of anecdotes, wisdom, and fun.   Check out our first episode with author Adriana Trigiani on May 17th.