Author Express

Get ready to be inspired on this episode of Author Express as we introduce you to the acclaimed historical fiction and romance author, Madeline Martin. Host Kristi Leonard pulls back the curtain on Madeline’s fascinating journey from being an Army brat in Germany to becoming a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. Discover how Madeline transitioned from writing over thirty romance novels to the world of historical fiction, with a special focus on her latest heartwarming book, The Book Lovers Library. Listen in as Madeline shares the challenges and joys of researching historical events, including WWII evacuations and the hidden gems of Nottingham. This episode is a treasure trove for book lovers and aspiring authors alike, full of insights and behind-the-scenes stories that will leave you eager for more.

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and internationally bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty-five different languages. She lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions), two incredibly spoiled cats and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She is a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. When she’s not writing, researching or ‘moming’, you can find her spending time with her family at Disney or sneaking a couple spoonfuls of Nutella while laughing over cat videos. She also loves to travel, attributing her fascination with history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany.

You can learn more about Madeline Martin and request for her to join you via zoom for your next book club at her website: MadelineMartin.com

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of  The Book Lovers Library at Bookshop.org.

Kristi Leonard is a writer, community builder, and former president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Since co-hosting on the Author Express Podcast, she has started her own podcast, Pop Culture Plot Lab, where guest authors to turn viral pop culture moments into story sparks and give listeners a peek inside the creative process. Through her writing retreats and volunteer leadership, she’s dedicated to helping other writers find their voice and stay connected to the craft.

A former audiobook narrator, Kristi now spends most of her creative energy on her own fiction and on shaping programs that support women’s voices in publishing. When she isn’t writing or leading, she’s likely hiking Florida trails with her writer-hiker pals or reading with her Golden Retriever, Charlie, at her side. She’s currently at work on her next novel and building the kind of author career she’s long championed for others.

Link to follow me https://linktr.ee/kristileonardwrites

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today’s episode, we’re chatting with Amy Watson, a Women’s Fiction and romance author. One day, at the prompting of her therapist, she went home and told her husband she was going to write a novel. Mind you, she wasn’t a writer at the time. Hadn’t done more than dabble in poetry in college. She took a couple of creative writing courses online, and that November wrote the first 50,000 words to her novel Closer to Okay. Three years and approximately twenty versions later, her book was published.

Closer to Okay focuses on the life of the main character, Kyle, and her life on the other side of a suicide attempt. Kyle finds herself in a mental health facility with three other patients, all with different illnesses. Across the street, there’s a coffee shop called The Coffee Shop that she watches from her window at the halfway house. When she finally gets permission to leave, she heads straight across the street in need of a decent caffeine fix. There she finds Jackson. Her connection with Jackson is immediate as well as unwelcome – the last thing she needs right then is a relationship. The book follows Kyle during her time in Hope House, her release, and her attempts at dating Jackson.

You can learn more about her on her website www.amywatsonwrites.com and follow her on Instagram @amywatsonwrites -which will be the best place to be kept up to date on her next release!

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Closer to Okay at Bookshop.org.

Kathleen Basi is a novelist, musical composer, and nature lover. Her debut novel, A Song for the Road, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.”

Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing, and beauty in her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Join Shawna Rodrigues as she chats with Yvonne Battle-Felton on this episode of Author Express, where an exciting narrative journey awaits. Yvonne, a seasoned writer and creative force, reveals snippets of her rich life experiences and their impact on her writing. Discover the inspirations behind her debut, Remembered, and get a preview of her upcoming release, Curdle Creek, an American Gothic novel. They explore themes like identity, family, and the peculiar charm of small towns that perfectly set the stage for thrilling tales. Perfect for book lovers and aspiring writers, this episode is brimming with insights and heart.

Yvonne Battle-Felton is an author, academic, host, creative producer, and writer. Her debut, Remembered, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction (2019) and shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize (2020). Winner of a Northern Writers Award in fiction (2017), Yvonne has six titles in Penguin Random House’s The Ladybird Tales of Superheroes and The Ladybird Tales of Crowns and Thrones. She has received a British Library Eccles Centre Fellowship (2019) and a Kimbilio Fiction Fellowship (2023). Yvonne is Senior Commissioning Editor at John Murray Press (UK) and the academic director of creative writing at Cambridge University Institute of Continuing Education. Host of Write Your Novel with Yvonne Battle-Felton and Bookable Space, her second book, Curdle Creek, an American Gothic about a sinister town with a strict population policy, will be published in October 2024 with Dialogue Books (UK) and Henry Holt (US).

Learn more about Yvonne on her website https://www.yvonnebattlefelton.com/.

You can catch up with Yvonne on socials on X, Instagram, and tiktok @whyiwritebattlefelton

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by pre-ordering your copy of Curdle Creek or getting your copy of Remembered at Bookshop.org, or pre-order it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQHJG76H

Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies.

She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate the spirit of strong women. She has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a five-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year. Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. Her next books Mademoiselle Eiffel, which was released September 10th, 2024, and The Wandering Season, which in coming April 1st, 2025 and will be released by Harper Collins. She lives in Colorado with her amazing husband, two (usually) adorable children, two (always) adorable kitties, and a dragon.

To learn more about Aimie, please visit www.aimiekrunyan.com.

She is also active on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and occasionally TikTok and enjoys engaging with readers

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Mademoiselle Eiffel at Bookshop.org.

Kristi Leonard is a writer, community builder, and former president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Since co-hosting on the Author Express Podcast, she has started her own podcast, Pop Culture Plot Lab, where guest authors to turn viral pop culture moments into story sparks and give listeners a peek inside the creative process. Through her writing retreats and volunteer leadership, she’s dedicated to helping other writers find their voice and stay connected to the craft.

A former audiobook narrator, Kristi now spends most of her creative energy on her own fiction and on shaping programs that support women’s voices in publishing. When she isn’t writing or leading, she’s likely hiking Florida trails with her writer-hiker pals or reading with her Golden Retriever, Charlie, at her side. She’s currently at work on her next novel and building the kind of author career she’s long championed for others.

Link to follow me https://linktr.ee/kristileonardwrites

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today's episode we get to chat with Hadley Leggett, award-winning author of the debut novel, All They Ask Is Everything. A love letter to the messiness of motherhood, the book tells the story of three very different women who each want custody of the same two little girls — and discover they have more in common than the children they’re fighting for.

Hadley fell in love with storytelling as a child, but as a people-pleaser born into a family of scientists, it never occurred to her she could become a novelist. Instead she went to medical school, became a science journalist, and then spent nearly a decade as a stay-at-home mom of three. During those years, she was too busy trying not to drown in breast milk and toddler tantrums and postpartum anxiety to write, but when her youngest daughter finally started preschool, she returned to her childhood dream of becoming an author.

For her first book, Hadley wanted to explore modern society’s brutal expectations for mothers—how moms are expected to give everything to their children, all the time, without any real assistance in terms of childcare, paid time off, or mental health support. She drew on her experiences both in medical school and as a mother, and also did extensive research on the foster care system in her home state of Washington.

Bestselling author Ann Garvin describes the book as “a relevant and absorbing exploration into parenting, foster care, and love,” and NYT-bestselling author Tara Conklin says, “This book spoke to me on so many levels. I didn't want it to end.”

You can learn more about Hadley at www.hadley.ink.

Follow her on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook as @hadleyleggett.

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of All They Ask Is Everything at Bookshop.org. 

Kathleen Basi is a novelist, musical composer, and nature lover. Her debut novel, A Song for the Road, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.”

Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing, and beauty in her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Dr. Bella Ellwood-Clayton is an award-winning author and editor. She has a BA from Concordia University in Montréal and a Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne in sexual anthropology—and, yes, that makes for interesting dinner party conversations. Bella’s novel, Weekend Friends, was published in 2023 by Post Hill Press. Her nonfiction book, Sex Drive: In Pursuit of Female Desire, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2012. Bella has published short stories, poetry, and written for publications such as Huffington Post and Daily Life. She frequently appears on TV and gives talks, including a TEDx talk. Her work has been featured in a National Geographic documentary. Married to a real-life superhero, she lives in Melbourne and has two spirited—eek—teens and a mini Maltese who truly believes he’s a pit bull. When she’s not on her laptop, you can find her downward dogging, pleading with her offspring to go outside, randomly blurting out, “Oh, that’s a good story idea,” and consuming too many vegetarian dumplings.

You can learn more about her on her website www.drbella.com.au and follow her on Instagram @bellaellwoodclayton - which will be the best place to be kept up to date on her next release!

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Weekend Friends at Bookshop.org or from Amazon.

Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies.

She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

In this riveting episode of Author Express, Kathleen Basi chats with Edgar award-winning novelist Mindy McGinnis. If you’re fascinated by the balance between a cheerful personality and dark, compelling writing, Mindy’s story will captivate you. Get a glimpse into her life in a small Ohio town, marked by historical tragedies and quirky facts. Mindy’s new book, Under This Red Rock, a dark-themed murder mystery involving LGBTQ and mental health topics, offers a raw and honest perspective borne from her personal experiences. Don’t miss this episode if you’re interested in mental health awareness, author journeys, or simply love a good literary discussion.

You can learn more about Mindy on her website www.mindymcginnis.com and follow her on Facebook at Mindy McGinnis and Instagram @mindymcginnisauthor

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Under This Red Rock at Bookshop.org

Kathleen Basi is a novelist, musical composer, and nature lover. Her debut novel, A Song for the Road, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.”

Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing, and beauty in her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today’s episode we get to chat with Deirdre Swinden, a dark fiction author with a penchant for ghost stories. After twenty+ years as a leader in corporate communications, Dee took a leap of faith and set out to build her creative writing skills. She dove into the realms of sci-fi, horror and speculative fiction during her MFA. Her thesis novel, Somnium, offers readers a blend of psychological horror and high-tech science fiction via a fast-paced nightmare journey where dreams can kill. It’s a novel that explores the shadowy boundaries of fear and technology and is sure to thrill fans of cutting-edge psychological thrillers and high-stakes survival horror. But it is also a journey through the darkest corridors of the human psyche and the lingering effects of emotional and psychological abuse.

After extracting herself from an emotionally abusive marriage, Deirdre is now looking to give a voice to those who suffer verbal and emotional abuse in silence. She has chosen dark fiction as a means to explore that horror and the myriad beliefs and situations that can lead a woman to surrender her voice. She hopes that by exploring her own trauma via fiction, her readers will unearth the courage to rise and rediscover their own voices—as she has rediscovered hers.

You can learn more about her on her website www.deirdreswinden.com and follow her on Instagram @dswinden531

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Somnium from Crystal Lake Publishing at Bookshop.org.

Kristi Leonard is a writer, community builder, and former president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Since co-hosting on the Author Express Podcast, she has started her own podcast, Pop Culture Plot Lab, where guest authors to turn viral pop culture moments into story sparks and give listeners a peek inside the creative process. Through her writing retreats and volunteer leadership, she’s dedicated to helping other writers find their voice and stay connected to the craft.

A former audiobook narrator, Kristi now spends most of her creative energy on her own fiction and on shaping programs that support women’s voices in publishing. When she isn’t writing or leading, she’s likely hiking Florida trails with her writer-hiker pals or reading with her Golden Retriever, Charlie, at her side. She’s currently at work on her next novel and building the kind of author career she’s long championed for others.

Link to follow me https://linktr.ee/kristileonardwrites

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today’s episode, we get to chat with southern novelist Mindy Friddle, whose third book (and first domestic thriller) Her Best Self is out now from Regal House Publishing. Her Best Self includes the perspectives of a constellation of characters, including first-person point-of-view from the protagonist, a small-town matriarch, as well as third-person from a range of characters including her husband, adult children, a neurodiverse grandson with an affinity for animals, and the antagonist, a magnetic grifter. Joining us for a conversation about the value in bringing not only multiple POVs to a thriller, but branching those perspectives out in all directions, Mindy casts the spotlight on puzzling through perspective, and building suspense.

Mindy Friddle is author of the novel, Secret Keepers, (winner of the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction). The Garden Angel, her first novel and SIBA bestseller, was selected for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers. The South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Mindy a prose fellowship, and she has twice won the state’s Fiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous journals. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson and lives on Edisto Island, South Carolina.

You can find Mindy online at mindyfriddle.com,

and on Instagram @mindyfriddle

Her Best Self is available from Regal House Publishing or support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Her Best Self at Bookshop.org

Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies.

She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Once every few years, a great love story sweeps readers off their feet and becomes a runaway sensation. Amy Neff’s stunning debut The Days I Loved You Most is perfectly poised to become that next great love story for the ages. The book asks the question: Could you live without the love of your life? And centers on a couple in a coastal Connecticut town who decide to redefine the ending to their love story, on their own terms.

It just received a glowing starred review from Booklist which praises: “As the story weaves between the past and the present, the reader witnesses the heartaches and triumphs of their long, intertwined lives. This bittersweet tale, both heartbreaking and heartfelt, will leave even the most stoic reader with tears in their eyes.”

And Jodi Picoult lauds: “I’ve never read a story quite like this deeply moving, complex novel — the truths we owe ourselves and others; the difference between self and selfishness; the parts of love that make us want to leave...and the parts that make us desperate to stay.”

The Days I Loved You Most is an unforgettable and deeply romantic debut, a moving tribute to the enduring power of love, a celebration of a lifetime spent together, and a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there is always hope and beauty to be found.

Amy Neff's debut novel, The Days I Loved You Most, is a love letter to the seaside town where her family has spent summers since the early 1900s. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two sons, and their rescue dog. Connect with her on social media or find her online at www.amyneff.com.

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of The Days I Loved You Most at Bookshop.org

Kathleen Basi is a novelist, musical composer, and nature lover. Her debut novel, A Song for the Road, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.”

Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing, and beauty in her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast