Send us a text In today’s episode, I am chatting with Arlon Jay Staggs. Arlon is a native of Florence, Alabama, and a Southern storyteller with deep roots, a sharp sense of humor, and a heart for connection. His novel Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits is his debut work of fiction. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside, a JD from the Mississippi College School of Law, and is an adjunct English professor at Northwest Florida State College. Arlon divides his t...
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Send us a text In today’s episode, I am chatting with Arlon Jay Staggs. Arlon is a native of Florence, Alabama, and a Southern storyteller with deep roots, a sharp sense of humor, and a heart for connection. His novel Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits is his debut work of fiction. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside, a JD from the Mississippi College School of Law, and is an adjunct English professor at Northwest Florida State College. Arlon divides his t...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I am chatting with Arlon Jay Staggs. Arlon is a native of Florence, Alabama, and a Southern storyteller with deep roots, a sharp sense of humor, and a heart for connection. His novel Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits is his debut work of fiction. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside, a JD from the Mississippi College School of Law, and is an adjunct English professor at Northwest Florida State College. Arlon divides his t...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Sarah Monzon. Sarah is the winner of the Holt Medallion and Selah Award. Sarah is a stay-at-home mom who makes up imaginary friends to have adult conversations with (otherwise known as writing novels). As a Navy chaplain’s wife, she resides wherever the military happens to station her family and enjoys exploring the beauty of the world around her. We are here today to discuss her latest novel, Hearts in Circulation. In this episode, S...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Marina Rubin, author of Knockout Beauty and Other Afflictions. Born in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, Marina immigrated to the United States in 1989 and has since published work in more than eighty magazines and anthologies. She serves as an associate editor of Mudfish, and her acclaimed short story collection earned an Honorable Mention for the 2020 Miami Book Fair Emerging Writer Fellowship. One of its centerpiece stories, Man in a Fedora, was even a...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Tessa Afshar. Tessa’s award-winning novels have been on Publishers Weekly and CBA bestseller lists and have been translated into 13 languages. Winner of the ECPA Bronze Milestone award, the Christy, the INSPY, and the ECPA Christian Book Award for her Bible study, The Way Home. Tessa holds a Master of Divinity from Yale, where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship for one year. Born in the Middle East to a nominally Muslim fa...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Kelly Jo Wilson, Kelly lives in the woods of Pennsylvania with her husband, two boys, and sweet Rottweiler. As a Christian romance author, she creates love stories that delve into many forms of brokenness, showcasing God’s incredible grace and love. God’s never-ending grace through Jesus Christ has given her a heart to serve those seeking the transformational love only He can give. Her debut novel, Finding Forevermore was published on Octob...
Send us a text This episode brings you the latest gathering of our BFF Book Club—a monthly celebration of reading, meaningful author conversations, and book-loving community. This month, we’re joined once again by Amanda Cox, author of The Bitter End Birding Society. You might remember Amanda from Episode 95, and in this return conversation, she shares how visiting the real Bitter End, TN shaped her dual-timeline story, why her creative process doesn’t fit neatly into outlines, and how she wo...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I am chatting with Denise Smith Cline. Denise grew up in a textile town in Upstate South Carolina before the world got so complicated. The youngest of 5 spirited siblings, Denise realized early on to survive, she’d need to master the dual arts of watchfulness and eavesdropping. A shy kid, she buried her face in books and found a few fine friends for company. Denise started her writing career as a newspaper reporter fresh out of Davidson College. Denise still...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Kaci Curtis. Kaci is a military spouse and mom of two. She just spent two years living on the island of Guam, where she loved to explore the jungles and beaches with her husband and kids. She loves all things National Parks, hiking, camping, reading while sipping coffee, and cackling with her bookclub. She also contributes a monthly blog to the nonprofit, Mission:Milspouse. Her debut novel, Along the Trail, released today, congratulations K...
Send us a text In today’s episode, we have not just one incredible guest—but two! I’m joined by Hilary Jacobs Hendel and Juli Fraga, co-authors of Parents Have Feelings, Too: A Guide to Navigating Your Emotions So You and Your Family Can Thrive. This practical, compassionate guide helps parents understand and process their own emotions—and teaches them how to pass this essential life skill of emotional intelligence on to their children. Hilary is a certified psychoanalyst and AEDP psychothera...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m joined by Scott Gould, award-winning author of the new novel Peace Like a River. Scott has published five additional books, including The Hammerhead Chronicles (winner of the Eric Hoffer Award for Fiction) and Things That Crash, Things That Fly (winner of the 2022 Memoir Prize for Books). His work has also earned a Next Generation Indie Book Award, an IPPY Award for Fiction, the Larry Brown Short Story Award, and the S.C. Arts Commission Artist Fellowshi...
Send us a text This episode brings you the latest gathering of our BFF Book Club—a monthly celebration of reading, meaningful author conversations, and book-loving community. If you enjoy diving deep into unforgettable stories and connecting with the minds behind them, you’re in the right place! This month, we’re discussing What the Silent Say with its author, Emerson Ford. Emerson is a multi-award-winning writer dedicated to resurrecting the stories of unsung heroes. She teaches creative wri...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with SK Horton, a physician by day and book lover by night. She lives in sunny Arizona with her husband and two daughters, where she can often be found planning the next great family vacation, experimenting with a new recipe, or indulging in her love of fancy coffee and tea. Key Highlights: Her younger YA series Heir of Earth and Sky, beginning with Book 1: The Concealed.Balancing a full-time career as a radiologist with writing.Genres of aud...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Kate Angelo, an autodidactic polymath with a remarkable story. As a child, Kate was a bookworm, dog groomer, exotic pet wrangler, horse trainer, and even a teenage pool shark. At one point, her family even owned a lion, though they quickly learned that lions don’t make great house pets! After aging out of foster care, Kate broke into tech during the height of the dot-com boom before stepping into her next chapter as a Publishers Weekly best...
Send us a text Julie Berry is the New York Times bestselling author and award-winning storyteller. Julie’s works span across genres and age groups, from the NCTE Walden Award–winning Lovely War to the Printz Honor novel The Passion of Dolssa, to middle grade adventures like The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place and the Wishes and Wellingtons trilogy, to heartwarming picture books. Her brand-new YA novel, If Looks Could Kill, just released yesterday—congratulations, Julie! ...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Karmen Somers, owner of the indie bookstore Court Street Books in Florence, Alabama. If you’ve ever dreamed about opening your own bookstore or just want a peek into the indie bookselling world, this conversation will inspire you. Episode Highlights: How Karmen balances running an online bookstore and a physical storefront.The role of community events in bringing readers together.The most popular genres readers are buying right now...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Carmela Dutra, a Bay Area author who cherishes her family, rainy days, and making others laugh. After years of creating award-winning indie children’s picture books, Carmela transitioned into cozy mysteries filled with emotion, humor, and heart. When she’s not penning her latest tale, Carmela enjoys sketching, sipping copious amounts of coffee, and over-cuddling her allergy-inducing cats and dog. She shares her life with her best friend and...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Mollie Rushmeyer, author of whimsical romance full of heart, humor, and a love for all things British, bookish, and steeped in history and mystery. A modern girl at heart—she wouldn’t want to go a day without central air or modern plumbing!—Mollie has always felt a special connection to the past and to stories with a happily ever after. Her debut novel, The Bookshop of Secrets, was a finalist for a 2023 Carol Award. A born-and-bred Midweste...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I’m honored to chat with Le Ly Hayslip, internationally known Vietnamese-American author, philanthropist, peace activist, and speaker. Le Ly grew up in central Vietnam during the American-Vietnam War and later authored two bestselling memoirs, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace. Her story of resilience inspired Oliver Stone’s 1993 film Heaven & Earth. Beyond her writing, she founded two humanitarian organizations—East M...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I am chatting with Aime Austin. Aime was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Smith College and Cornell Law School. She is the author of the Casey Cort and Nicole Long series of legal thriller, and is the host of the podcast, A Time to Thrill (you might even find an episode we did together over there 😉). Before writing full-time, Aime practiced family and criminal law in Cleveland, Ohio. When she’s not writing crime fiction or interviewing brillian...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I am chatting with Janet Skelsien Charles. Janet is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of The Paris Library, Moonlight in Odessa, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade and the audiobook The Parisian Chapter. Janet was born and raised in Montana. After graduating from the University of Montana, she got a job teaching English in Ukraine. She later when to France intending to teach for a year, and has been there ever since. Place is at t...
Send us a text In today’s episode, I am chatting with Arlon Jay Staggs. Arlon is a native of Florence, Alabama, and a Southern storyteller with deep roots, a sharp sense of humor, and a heart for connection. His novel Leta Pearl’s Love Biscuits is his debut work of fiction. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside, a JD from the Mississippi College School of Law, and is an adjunct English professor at Northwest Florida State College. Arlon divides his t...
