Episodes

Helen Brown’s captivating story telling has created an international phenomenon, a family life narrative on the healing power of cats which leavens grief with comedy. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Helen talks about the journey which has seen her books published in 18 countries, and explains how a cat became a metaphor for life. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: How Helen migrated from journalism to fiction The tragedy that brought her close to ...

Sherry Thomas has won accolades for giving Sherlock Holmes a fresh look by taking the famous detective and turning him into Charlotte – a disgraced woman who stays in the shadows and can’t reveal herself. Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Sherry talks about the day she got so mad with an author of a romance she was reading, she decided to write one herself, and about being a best selling USA today romance author. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: Ho...

Sarah Barrie’s rural mysteries feature strong women who don’t need rescuing – women very much after Sarah’s own heart. Hi there! I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Sarah talks about why city women love reading romantic suspense set in rural Australia, and running a farm while also writing best sellers. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: Why ‘finding your man‘ isn’t the whole answer How ‘writing what you know’ worked for her The place that most closely resembl...

Brynn Kelly – romantic suspense author Romantic suspense writer Brynn Kelly has reaped high praise with her Legionnaire’s adventure series featuring broken brothers-in-arms who meet the right woman at the worst possible time. Sounds irresistible, doesn’t it? Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Brynn talks about her hot series, the importance of not quitting, and why she thinks she’s got the ideal life. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: The fun of bein...

Nell Goddin’s mystery series set in a small French village reflects her dream life. If she can’t inhabit it in the real world, like her readers, she can live in it through her books. Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Nell talks about what’s so special about French village life and why indie publishing is the only way to go as far as she’s concerned. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: What Nell loves about writing a series How a childhood holiday spa...

Mark Pryor’s sharply plotted Hugo Marston mysteries combine the gritty reality of underworld crime with gorgeous Paris settings that revel in French life old and new. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Mark talks about reader expectations, the importance of craft, and his recent addition to Hugo’s American embassy network, a transgender security agent. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: Why adding an alligator made for a more interesting story How H...

Jonathan Putnam’s Lincoln and Speed series brings to life the young Abe Lincoln, as a freshly minted lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, solving murder and mayhem with the help of his own Dr Watson in the form of his true life best friend Joshua Speed. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Jonathan talks about re-creating the coming of age years of one of America’s most revered presidents and why he gave up partnership in a prestigious New York law firm to pursue his writing. Six things...

Christine Carbo’s Montana mysteries combine nerve-ending suspense with serious questions of the human heart – like whether frayed lives ever mend, or loneliness ever ends. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Christine talks about why the West is seen as a place of personal reinvention in the American psyche, and why she – like Steinbeck – “loves Montana. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: • How third grade shyness nearly sabotaged her dreams . . . • ...

Grace Burrowes is a New York Times best-selling romance author who started out writing for the sheer fun of amusing herself. She’d written close to two dozen books and two million words before she ever thought of publishing anything. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Grace talks about why ”the joy of the pen” is its own reward, and being a multiple RITA finalist and author of more than 70 Regency and Scottish romances. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episo...

Best selling Australian author Tea Cooper lives in a time warp – a postcard-perfect village two hours from Sydney with 19th-century sandstone buildings, and timber slab cottages which leave you feeling you could be back in the 1830s. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Tea talks about how her surroundings inspire her popular historic fiction, and what she’d change if she was doing it all again. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: Why her first schoolgi...

Todd Borg’s private eye Owen McKenna has been acclaimed as a hero who walks in steps of classic gumshoes like Sam Spade, Phillip Marlowe and Lew Archer. But his best-selling – and award winning – Tahoe series has one attraction its predecessors lack – and that’s Owen’s side kick – a good natured Great Dane called Spot who’s become a big hit with readers. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Todd talks about how he came to have “the best job in the world,” why Tahoe is a great locale ...

Catherine Robertson writes funny books about intelligent strong women, and it’s got her into trouble with people who think humorous women’s fiction should never veer from the pink and fluffy. Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Catherine talks about escaping labels, her new book Gabriel’s Bay which gives men a bigger voice, and bridging the gaps between ‘literary’ and genre fiction. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: How many complete MS she wrote befo...

Larissa Reinhart’s funny smart Southern mysteries introduce heroines who are sassy, strong and funny – and generally have an “ex” from some past disaster hanging around like “forbidden fruit.” Perhaps it’s not surprising then that when the award winning and Wall Street Journal best selling author started out, she thought she was writing romantic comedy. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Larissa talks about why she loves funny dialogue and redemption stories and why she’s working o...

USA Today best-selling author Kate Hewitt seems to have “done it all.” She’s a busy vicar’s wife raising five children, and “between meals” she’s also written more than 60 books in multiple genres – from classic romance to intensely emotional women’s fiction and historical family sagas. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Kate talks about how life – and publishing – is constantly changing, staying ahead of the curve, and the mystery in her own life that might make a story sometime. ...

Estelle Ryan took a big risk creating Dr Genevieve Lenard, the brilliant body language expert and international investigator who’s the lead character in her art fraud mystery series – because she also registers on the Autism spectrum.. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Estelle tells us she needn’t have worried. Readers love Genevieve’s honesty and vulnerability, and the series has grown strongly to 12 books with a 13th coming soon. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge ...

Catriona McPherson’s ‘Scottish Downton Abbey’ Dandy Gilver series serves up a hedonistic mix of history, black comedy and murder in elegant prose certain to appeal to fans of Evelyn Waugh, Agatha Christie and Nancy Mitford. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Catriona talks about why she loves the Golden Age of British mystery and how her new heroine Lexy Campbell views the California dream through Scottish eyes. But before we talk to Catriona, just a reminder that the show notes f...

Cara Black is a New York Times and USA Today best selling author whose chic Parisian sleuth Aimee Leduc has been praised by Lee Child as “one of the best heroines in crime fiction today.” Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Cara talks about her eighteen Murder in Paris mysteries, working with the chief investigator in the Princess Diana enquiry, and why she chose a natty dressing, whip smart dwarf as Aimee’s right hand man. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading ep...

Kristan Higgins is the Queen of warm and funny small town romance – hers is a world of “real life, true love and lots of laughs.” And her readers love her for it. Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Kristan talks about staying true to what you know when the ‘market’ is screaming another message, and why she’s ruthless with her own work. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: Why Kristan ditched her first attempt at writing Why small town romance suits her...

Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness mystery series about a penniless English lady who’s 34th in line to the British throne is well-placed for a surge in popularity with Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry. But this versatile author is not resting on her laurels. Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Rhys talks about her latest hot selling World War II novels and the one thing she’s done that’s helped make her a multi-award winning author. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Re...

Marilynn Larew’s political thrillers involve “sex, money and terrorism” in exotic settings expedited by a mettlesome female James Bond called Lee Carruthers. Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Marilynn talks about the secret life that so vividly contrasts with her academic career and what she’d do differently second time round. But before we talk to Marilynn, just a reminder that the show notes for this Binge Reading episode can be found on the website, The Joys of Binge Reading.co...

Susan C Shea won a writing contest – and the prize – a year’s membership to Mystery Writers of America convinced her that writers were such lively off beat people she’d like to be one too. Fast forward to today and Susan publishes two different mystery series – one set in the glitzy San Francisco art world, and the other in an out-of-the-way French village. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Susan explains why creating mysteries is like composing songs, how “writing what you know”...

Terry Shames is an award winning mystery writer whose Samuel Craddock series captures the flavour of small town Texas so well she’s been voted one of the state’s Top Five mystery authors. Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Terry talks about how she built a successful writing career and what she’d do differently second time round. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: How she learned to “get serious” about her writing The attraction of central Texas How h...

USA Today best selling author Patricia McLinn turned from the macho world of the sports journalism to romance – and then to mysteries. She’s published close to 50 novels in half a dozen different series and has still got so many ideas for new books she doesn’t have time to write them all. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Patricia talks about the magic of Wyoming – where two of her most recent series are set – and how the writing scene has changed since she got started. Six thing...

Dr Gay Hendricks has reached the pinnacles of book promotion – on Oprah no less – talking about one of his thirty five personal growth best sellers Conscious Loving – so why was he inspired to create a mystery series starring a Tibetan monk turned PI called Tenzing? Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Gay explains why most of us live dissatisfied lives, what he enjoys most about writing fiction, and how the radical adventures he had in Tibet as a younger man influence his work today...