Episodes

This last episode of the season features New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe and her latest release, A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself. Katherine and I talked about the Golden Age of Piracy, how fiction tends to romanticize and sanitize piracy, and how we curate our own image in all kinds of ways. Here’s a description of A True Account: In Boston, as the Golden Age of Piracy comes to a bloody close, Hannah Masury – bound out to service...

Today’s show features a conversation with international bestselling author Téa Cooper about her latest novel to release in North America, The Butterfly Collector. Téa and I talked about her fascinating life story, how she comes upon her story ideas, as well as the themes and historically accurate events in this novel. These include the sinking of the SS Cawarra, the migration of Monarch butterflies to Australia, and the horrible business of “baby farming.” Here’s a description of The Butterfly ...

Hey friends, I’m coming to you solo this week (and about 12 hours early) because I want to share with you my favorite books of the year! Many of these books released this year, but all of them I read this year. Listen to the episode to hear detailed explanations of why I loved each novel and who they’d make great gifts for! Here are the affiliate links to purchase them on Amazon: 1.The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows 2. Letters from My Sister by Valerie Fraser Luessej 3. When the Day ...

Henry O. Arnold is an actor and audiobook narrator as well as an author. In this delightful episode, we talk about his new book, The Fugitive King. It’s the latest installment in his series “The Song of Prophets and Kings” and focuses on an exciting and trying time in the life of King David. We also discuss some of the other facets of Henry’s career and how he balances it all. Here’s a description of The Fugitive King: One king desperately on the run…One king in vengeful pursuit…One nation in ...

Today’s episode features my conversation with bestselling, Christy Award winning author Amanda Barratt. Her latest novel, The Warsaw Sisters, released on Tuesday. Along with the new book, Amanda and I discussed the Polish Underground, the Warsaw Uprising, the Wola Massacre, and the network of women that worked together to rescue Jewish children in Warsaw. There is so much to learn through this book and through my conversation with Amanda. Here’s a description of The Warsaw Sisters: On a golden...

Often called the “Queen of Historical Christian Fiction,” Tracie Peterson is an ECPA, CBA and USA Today best-selling author of more than 110 books, most of those historical. Her work in historical fiction has earned her a myriad of awards. On today’s show, Tracie and I talk about her upcoming novel, Knowing You, which releases next week and is the final installment in her Pictures of the Heart series. We discuss the themes of racism, forgiveness, and finding yourself, as well as her research pro...

Carrie Turansky is the award-winning author of more than twenty inspirational novels and novellas and a winner of the ACFW Carol Award, the International Digital Award, and the Holt Medallion. She loved traveling to England to research her latest Edwardian novels including the one we’re discussing today, The Legacy of Longdale Manor. Here’s a description: In 2012, art historian Gwen Monroe travels to England’s Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping t...

Patricia Raybon was a journalist and journalism educator for most of her adult life. Now she writes historical mysteries! Her novel All That Is Secret won the Christy Award for Best First Novel in 2022. Patricia and I talked about the second in her mystery series, Double the Lies. We also discussed what it was like for her growing up under Jim Crow, the role the Black church played in her life, the prominence of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado, and her call to write at the intersection of faith and...

Cindy K. Sproles is an author and speaker, a “mountain gal” who writes about her home country of rural Appalachia. She came on the show to talk about her latest novel, This Is Where It Ends, which was inspired both by her love of the Appalachian Mountains and by her love for the elderly. Here is a description of the novel from Revell: At only fourteen years old, Minerva Jane Jenkins moves to the mountains with her new husband. Among their few possessions is a small box that he claims holds gold...

Today I’m sharing a conversation I had with bestselling, Christy Award winning author Roseanna M. White. We talked about her latest novel and the first in her Imposters series, A Beautiful Disguise. We also discussed the spy mania that took over England in the early 1900s and the creation of the United Kingdom’s Military Intelligence, Section 5. Roseanna was my very first interview three years ago when I started the show. It was so fun to host her again! Here’s the description of A Beautiful Di...

I learned so much from this conversation with New York Times Bestselling Author Alina Adams about her latest novel, My Mother’s Secret. We discussed the Jewish autonomous region of Birobidzhan established by Stalin in 1931 and Alina’s own childhood and immigration story as well as her long and winding road to writing books in her favorite genre. Here’s the description of My Mother’s Secret from Amazon: With his dying breath, Lena’s father asks his family a cryptic question: “You couldn’t tell,...

There’s been so much buzz about Gabrielle Meyer’s new Timeless Series that I jumped at the chance to have her on the show! We had a great conversation about the first two installments of this series, When the Day Comes and In This Moment. We talked about God’s sovereignty over our place in history, the fulfillment of Gabrielle’s dream of writing for Bethany House, how she manages to write six books a year, and what’s coming in books three and four—yes, there’s going to be a book four! Here’s th...

Today’s episode features Canadian author and historian Andrew Varga. His time hopping series is off to a smashing start with the first two installments, The Last Saxon King and The Celtic Deception. We talked about the importance of historical accuracy in books for young people and how pivotal the year 1066 (the setting for The Last Saxon King) was in English and world history. Andrew also shares some fascinating stories from his life as well as reading to us in Old English! Here’s a descriptio...

I’m back at long last with Season Six! Valerie Fraser Luesse joins me on the show today as we talk about her latest novel, Letters from My Sister. Here’s the description from the publisher: Sisters Emmy and Callie Bullock are living a privileged life. As the only daughters of a wealthy Alabama cotton farmer, they are surrounded by a close-knit family and share a fierce bond with two Black women—Tirzah Randolph, who delivered both of them into the world, and her daughter, Hepsy Jordan, who runs...