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Natalie Zina Walschots dissects a Villain after Hench in Ep. 26 of My Bookcase Slays
Disclaimer: I’m a HUGE fan of Hench, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sequel! The wait was long, but at last readers can start reading Villain to learn what happens to Anna, AKA the Auditor, since she left The Draft and started working for Leviathan. Author (and game designer and journalist and wickedly witty) Natalie Zina Walschots explains what prompted her inventive and gripping superhero series and exposes the dark and painful journey leading to the sequel. Findi
Melissa Westemeier
May 271 min read


Dana Stabenow Made Me a Danamaniac in Ep. 25 of My Bookcase Slays
The Wild West, gangsters, railroads, Pinkerton PIs, murder, intrigue, one bad-ass heroine, and Mark Twain are all featured in Dana Stabenow’s new book The Harvey Girl. I was astonished to learn this prolific writer’s been churning out books for ages! I’m officially a Danamaniac, listeners! Dana shares how visiting family in the Southwest inspired her new series. Fred Harvey created the prototype of franchise restaurants and women made it happen while they helped establish com
Melissa Westemeier
May 131 min read


S.J. Bennett makes The Queen a Sleuth in Ep. 24 of My Bookcase Slays
If you’re a fellow Anglophile who watched The Crown, you MUST check out S.J. Bennett’s series Her Majesty the Queen Investigates. The Queen of England as amateur sleuth? YES PLEASE! Bennett gives readers an inside look at royal life while serving up a puzzler of a crime for HRH to solve. Sophia discusses the inspiration behind her series, which includes her father’s service to the Crown and her own attempt to land a job in the Queen’s inner circle, how she researches her char
Melissa Westemeier
Apr 151 min read


Alan Gordon has voices in his head while writing history + mystery in Ep. 23 of My Bookcase Slays
I’ve been a longtime fan of the Sparks and Bainbridge Mysteries by Allison Montclair, and I couldn’t wait to pull the author into the studio and ask questions. Iris Sparks and Gwen Bainbridge are two of my favorite sleuths and their dialogue is the snappiest I’ve encountered in fiction. Alan Gordon shares what prompted him to begin this historical mystery series featuring two women who open a marriage agency in London after WWII. Both Iris and Gwen have suffered trauma, and A
Melissa Westemeier
Apr 81 min read


Paula Altenburg’s The Cowboy Contract features cults, romance + comedy in Ep. 22 of My Bookcase Slays
Q: What do you get when you mash up Blazing Saddles with a western romance writer? A: USA Today Bestselling author Paula Altenburg’s new series! Book one in the Roped In Time rom-coms (honestly, com-roms) is The Cowboy Contract . Beau Jones is a music star forced by his agent to go to cowboy camp, but Burning Scrub is really a cult-turned-off-the-grid-commune where wealthy clientele pay for an elite “authentic” Wild West experience. Beau is roped into learning how to cowboy
Melissa Westemeier
Mar 251 min read


Michelle L. Cullen’s A Field Guide to Murder keeps in the ’hood in Ep. 21 of My Bookcase Slays
Anthropologist and mystery fan Michelle L. Cullen draws from personal experience moving her mother into a patio home to create her amateur sleuth, Harry Lancaster. Harry’s recovery from a fractured hip is made more interesting as he spies on neighbors. Assisted by his caregiver, Emma Stockton, Harry does more than just PT when a neighbor urgently phones Harry for help and they find her dead on her kitchen floor. Michelle talks about her research for this new series, what make
Melissa Westemeier
Mar 111 min read
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