The Bookshop Podcast

Send us a textGet ready for an unforgettable journey through the captivating life of Catriona Ward, a beloved international best-selling author. Traverse the globe with us as we uncover her unique childhood experiences in various countries and delve into how these experiences shaped her trajectory as a writer. Discover how her stint studying English at the University of Oxford almost doused her passion for writing, and how her love for storytelling eventually rekindled it. The magic of her writing process, where each reading experience becomes fuel for her craft, is sure to leave you spellbound.In this thrilling episode, we also navigate through the eerie episodes of Catriona's teenage years, when she was haunted by an uncanny presence. Unmask the complexities of fear as we discuss how it often carries a sense of shame and embarrassment. Unlock the powerful allure of the horror genre and uncover why Maine's unsettling landscape makes it a prime setting for such tales. Finally, accompany Catriona on her publishing odyssey - from her initial ventures in creative writing to finding an agent, landing a book deal, and penning her second novel. This episode promises to be a fascinating exploration of the writing journey, the allure of horror, and the twists and turns of the publishing world.Looking Glass Sound, Catriona WardDeath of a Bookseller, Alice Slater Mrs. March, Virginia Feito Holly, Stephen KingSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with British author Laura Shepherd-Robinson about her latest novel The Square of Sevens, switching from politics to writing, historical research, and her publishing story.Laura Shepherd-Robinson has a BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. She worked in politics for nearly twenty years before re-entering normal life to complete an MA in Creative Writing at City University. She lives in London with her husband, Adrian.Blood & Sugar, her first novel, won the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown and the Specsaver’s Debut Crime Novel award, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, and a Guardian and Telegraph novel of the year. It was also shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and the Sapere Historical Dagger; the Amazon Publishing/Capital Crime Best Debut Novel; and the Goldsboro Glass Bell; and longlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year.Her second novel, Daughters of Night, was been shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year, the Goldsboro Glass Bell, the Capital Crime Fingerprint Historical Novel Award and the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown, longlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger and was a Book of the Year in The Times, The Times, and the Guardian.Her third novel, The Square of Sevens, is a Sunday Times bestseller and available from all good bookshops now.Laura Shepherd-RobinsonThe Square of Sevens, Laura Shepherd-RobinsonBlood and Sugar, Laura Shepherd-Robinson (UK Only)Daughters of Night, Laura Shepherd-Robinson (UK Only) We Begin at the End, Chris Whittaker The Winter Spirits – anthology (UK Only) The Lioness of Boston, Emily Franklin Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual For Every American, David Pepper Please Unsubscribe, Thanks! Julio Vincent Gambuto All You Have To Do Is Call, Kerri MaherSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I welcome back journalist and author Katya Cengel. We chat about her new non-fiction memoir, Straitjackets And Lunch Money,  the importance of listening to children's voices, her time in a psychosomatic unit at a children's hospital when she was age ten,  and how depression led her to not eating.Katya Cengel is a freelance writer and author based in California. Her work has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire, and the Wall Street Journal among other publications. She has reported from North and Central America, Europe, Asia and Africa and was based in the former Soviet Union for half a decade. She was a features and news writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal from 2003 to 2011.She is the author of Eric Hoffer Academic Press 2023 award winner, Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) 2020 winner and Foreword Indies 2019 winner “From Chernobyl with Love: Reporting from the Ruins of the Soviet Union”; “Exiled: From the Killing Fields of Cambodia to California and Back” and “Bluegrass Baseball: A Year in the Minor League Life”. Her latest book is Straitjackets and Lunch Money.She has been awarded grants from the International Reporting Project, the International Women’s Media Foundation and the International Center for Journalists. Her journalism has been recognized with a Society of Professional Journalists Green Eyeshade Award and a Society for Features Journalism Excellence-in-Features Award.Katya CengelStraitjackets And Lunch Money, Katya CengelSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Tiffany Smith, owner of Copperfield's Books about computerizing inventory, family, local authors, and books.Copperfield's Books is a family-owned and operated independent bookstore, proud to have served the Spring/Klein and surrounding communities of Texas for nearly 30 years. The store was purchased by the Smiths in 2014, who are also lifelong residents of the Klein community.  Managed by Shawn Smith and his mother-in-law Donna Maxwell, the new Copperfield's family strive to provide quality pre-read and new books, as well as unique gift items, for book lovers of all ages. Copperfield’s BooksDaisy Jones And The Six, Taylor Jenkins ReidLessons in Chemistry, Bonnie GarmusSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with author Matt Mendez about his new novel The Broke Hearts, his attachment to the desert, writing for YA readers, and incorporating multiple forms of writing into one manuscript.Matt Mendez is the author of Barely Missing Everything, his debut novel, and the short story collection Twitching Heart. Barely Missing Everything has been called a “searing portrait of two Mexican-American families” by Publishers Weekly and “accessible and artful” in a stared review by Kirkus. The New York Times says [Mendez] “has an uncanny ability to capture the aimless bluster of young boys posturing at confidence.”  Barely Missing Everything was named a 2019 Best YA Book by Kirkus, Seventeen Magazine, NBC Latino, and Texas Monthly.  It was a Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Nominee, awarded second place in the International Latino Book Awards, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a Land of Enchantment Black Bear Book Award winner.  Like many of his characters Matt grew up in El Paso, Texas and continues to love and live in the Southwest, now in Tucson, Arizona.  He is a military veteran and earned his MFA from the University of Arizona where he has taught creative writing.  Matt is the father of two daughters that he loves fiercely.His new novel, The Broke Hearts, is set for release on October 3rd, 2023.   Matt MendezThe Broke Hearts, Matt MendezThe Graveyard Book, Neil GaimanNeverwhere, Neil GaimanThe Consequences, Manuel MuñozSeven Empty Houses, Samantha SchweblinFever Dream, Samantha SchweblinSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Natania Jansz co-owner of Sort of Books about what led her to start a publishing company with her partner, Mark Ellingham in 1999, book cover designers, distribution for indie publishers, and author Shehan Karunatilaka's novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida winning the 2022 Booker Prize.Sort of Books is an independent publisher of both original and classic fiction and non-fiction titles. Mark Ellingham and Natania Jansz, creators of the Rough Guide travel series, founded Sort of Books in 1999 mainly to help their friend Chris Stewart launch his debut book Driving Over Lemons which became a surprise UK bestseller, eventually selling more than a million copies. Fired by its success, they have hand-picked three or four titles each year since.In 2022, Sort of Books published Shehan Karunatilaka's novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, which went on to win the 2022 Booker Prize. In short, Sort of Books publish the sort of books they feel proud of. Books you’ll want to discover and re-discover.Sort of BooksThe Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida, Shehan KarunatilakaMaria EdgeworthTove JanssonOn Writing And Failure, Stephen MarcheLadie’s Lunch: And Other Stories, Lore SegalSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Christina Gerhardt about her new book, Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean, the politics of the climate crisis, poetry of islanders, and the environmental humanities.Christina Gerhardt is Associate Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Senior Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and former Barron Professor of Environment and the Humanities at Princeton University. Her environmental journalism has been published by Grist.org, The Nation, The Progressive, and the Washington Monthly. Christina’s new book, Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean weaves together essays, maps, art, and poetry to show us—and make us see—island nations in a warming world.Synopsis of Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean : Low-lying islands are least responsible for global warming, but they are suffering the brunt of it. This transportive atlas reorients our vantage point to place islands at the center of the story, highlighting Indigenous and Black voices and the work of communities taking action for local and global climate justice. At once serious and playful, well-researched and lavishly designed, Sea Change is a stunning exploration of the climate and our world’s coastlines. Full of immersive storytelling, scientific expertise, and rallying cries from island populations that shout with hope— “We are not drowning! We are fighting!”—this atlas will galvanize readers in the fight against climate change and the choices we all face.Christina Gerhardt is Associate Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Senior Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and former Barron Professor of Environment and the Humanities at Princeton University. Her environmental journalism has been published by Grist.org, The Nation, The Progressive, and the Washington Monthly.Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean, Christina GerhardtCalifornia Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline, Rosanna XiaTell Them, Kathy Jetnil-KijinerHigh Water Line New Jersey, PrincetonThe Heat Will Kill You First: Life And Death On A Scorched Planet, Jeff GoodellClimate First The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration, Jake Bittle    Support the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Ahalya Naidu about Trilogy Curated Bookshop & Library which she owns with her partner Meethil Momaya about why they opened a bookshop and library, the importance of books in translation, local authors in Mumbai,  and where to get the best chai in India!Trilogy Curated Bookshop and Library, located in Bandra West, Mumbai, is owned by Ahalya Naidu and Meethil Momaya. The name Trilogy symbolizes a coming together of the writer, the reader, and the book. It’s a warm and cozy place where you can spend hours immersed in highly recommended books and books from small presses. The library is filled with cute little Post-it notes, recommendations, trivia, and reviews by children in the form of drawings and doodles. Trilogy Curated Bookshop and Library is a great place to unwind and find peace of mind amidst the hustle and bustle of Mumbai city.Trilogy Curated Bookshop & Library Scroll Nandita da Cunha, children’s author City Adrift, Naresh Fernandes Paper Moon, Rehana Munir Em and the big Hoom, Jerry Pinto Marginlands, Arati Kumar-Rao Susanna’s Granthapura, Ajai P. MangattuThe Indians: Histories of a Civilization, Edited by GN Devy, Tony Joseph and Ravi Korisettar  Support the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Fonda Lee about what prompted her decision to become a serious writer, her innate love and respect for animals, her novella Untethered Sky, and her path from her first finished manuscript to finding an agent and publishing deal.Fonda Lee is the author of the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga, beginning with Jade City,continuing in Jade War, and concluding with Jade Legacy. She is also the author of the science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo, and Cross Fire, and two novellas, the Green Bone Saga prequel The Jade Setter of Janloon, and the upcoming Untethered Sky. Fonda is a winner of the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, and a four-time winner of the Aurora Award (Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award), as well as a multiple finalist for the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Oregon Book Award. Her novels have garnered multiple starred reviews and appeared on Best of Year lists from NPR, Barnes & Noble, Syfy Wire, and others. Jade City has been translated into a dozen languages, named to TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time, and optioned for television development.  She has also written acclaimed short fiction and been an instructor at writing workshops including Viable Paradise and Clarion West. Fonda is a former corporate strategist and black belt martial artist who loves action movies and Eggs Benedict. Born and raised in Canada, she currently resides in the Pacific Northwest.Fonda LeeUntethered Sky, Fonda LeeIn The Lives Of Puppets, TJ KluneTOR.COMSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with author Elizabeth L Silver about her new novel The Majority, women in the workplace and motherhood, teaching creative writing, and books.Elizabeth L Silver is the author of The Majority , as well as the memoir, The Tincture of Time: A Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty , and the novel, The Execution of Noa P. Singleton . Her work has been called “fantastic” by the Washington Post and “masterful” by The Wall Street Journal, has been published in seven languages, and optioned for film.Elizabeth has been featured on PBS NewsHour, while her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, New York Magazine, The Guardian, Harper's Bazaar, McSweeney’s, The Dallas Morning News, Literary Hub, The Rumpus, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Millions, among other publications, and she has been a recipient of residencies at several artist colonies in the United States, France, and Spain, including Ucross Foundation, Ragdale, Byrdcliffe Artist Colony, where she was the recipient of the Patterson Fellowship, A Room of Her Own Foundation, where she was a consultant, and the British Centre for Literary Translation. She has also served as a judge for the PEN Center Literary Awards, UCLA’s James Kirkwood Literary Prize, AWP’s Kurt Brown Prize, twice served as a PEN in the Community Teaching Artist through PEN Center USA, where she curated a program teaching creative writing to prisoners in Lancaster, CA, for cancer patients and survivors with The Benjamin Center, and at a halfway house in Los Angeles; she has also served as a mentor in Fiction for AWP's Writer-to-Writer Program, and taught English as a Second Language in Costa Rica, writing and literature at Drexel University and St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. She currently teaches creative writing with the UCLA Writers Program.A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the MFA program in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia in England, and Temple University Beasley School of Law, Elizabeth has also worked as an attorney in California and Texas, where she was a judicial clerk for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, worked on death row cases in Texas, and subsequently in civil litigation in Los Angeles. She continues to keep a foot in the law, and her most recent legal (volunteer) work includes working on asylum cases at the Texas-Mexico border and with survivors of domestic violence in Los Angeles.Elizabeth is also the founder and director of Onward Literary Mentoring, a program that connects writers with award-winning and best-selling authors for individual, tailored writing instruction. Elizabeth L Silver The Majority, Elizabeth L Silver On WritSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links