Just in time for Valentine’s Day, New York Times best-selling author Tessa Bailey is out with her latest spicy sports romance “Dream Girl Drama.” When a professional hockey player and a harp player have a chance encounter, there is an instant love connection. Unfortunately though Sig and Chloe find out their parents are engaged and they have to make some tough choices about their careers and relationship. The new release comes as Tessa is making a stop in the Valley on her book tour! She talks to Whitney about what she loves about meeting her readers, what her husband thinks about her love stories, why romance has become such a popular genre, and how a real-life hockey player inspired this book!

It's a new year, which means we have another year of new books and reading to look forward to! On this episode, we're joined by Rylie Occhipinto and Melati Parker from Wijaya House in Tempe. It's a locally owned bookstore and flower shop with regular classes for the community! They talk to Whitney about which books they are looking forward to this year. That includes the following:  

Whitney's picks: 

"Atmosphere" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"Elphie" by Gregory Maguire

"One Golden Summer" by Carley Fortune

Melati's picks:

"King of Ashes" by S.A. Cosby

"Katabasis" by R.F. Kuang

"The Listeners" by Maggie Stiefvater

"Witchcraft for Wayward Girls" by Grady Hendrix

"The Unworthy" by Agustina Bazterrica

"Courtroom Drama" by Neely Tubati-Alexander

Rylie's picks: 

"My Friends" by Fredrik Backman

"The Lamb" by Lucy Rose

"Fun and Games" by John Patrick McHugh

"Sunrise on the Reaping" by Suzanne Collins

Do you set high standards for yourself or others? Do you consider yourself a "perfectionist"? In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Ellen Hendriksen who's out with a new book called "How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists." The author is a clinical psychologist who's been featured in major publications like the New York Times, the Washington Post, Psychology Today and many more. She also founded an award-winning podcast called Savvy Psychologist.  Dr. Hendriksen talks about different forms of perfectionism, how it can lead to burnout and what you can do if you recognize those symptoms in yourself. 

The year is coming to an end! Did you hit your reading goal? Do you want to read more in 2025? This episode is dedicated to helping you find more time to read. Whitney is joined by three other members of Arizona's Family who are avid readers. From audiobooks, to finding books you love, they talk about their favorite ways to squeeze reading time into their busy lives. The crew also talks about their favorite books of the year! 

It's the end of the year, so our host Whitney Clark is taking a look back at her favorite books of the year! She picks her top ten, and a few of the authors appeared on the podcast earlier this year. That includes Kristin Hannah who wrote "The Women," Kate Quinn of "The Briar Club," and Stephen Rowley the author of "The Guncle Abroad."

If you don't love Arizona quite yet, get ready to fall in love! In this episode we're joined by Roger Naylor. He's an Arizona-based travel writer and author in Arizona who's out with a new book called "Arizona National Parks and Monuments." It's a comprehensive guide to the 34 national park units in the state, including everything from the Grand Canyon to the smaller sites like the Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Roger shares his favorite things about the parks and gives some tips if you want to travel this winter. 

This episode features an Arizona author and her debut novel! "All Our Wars" by Stephanie Vasquez is out now. It's a fictionalized organized crime thriller featuring the daughter of a high-ranking Mexican cartel leader. After Sofia De Luna's mother was murdered, Sofia has to make some tough choices about her family business. It's a love story with dual timelines for fans of shows like Netflix's "Narcos." Vasquez grew up in Tucson and studied Journalism and Latin American studies at the University of Arizona. She's written for a number of publications, including the Tombstone Epitaph. She talks about why she is drawn to stories about families, which TV shows and movies inspired her book, and how she became a published author through a contest.

Just in time for Halloween, we're diving into a new thriller called "Fatal Intrusion." It's the first book in a new series by authors Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado. After a series of murders in Southern California, a Homeland Security agent needs the help of professor in catching a serial killer. Deaver is an international bestselling author who has written more than 40 books, including  "The Bone Collector." Maldonado is also a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She graduated from the FBI National Academy and was the first Latina to become a captain within the Fairfax County Police Department near Washington, D.C. Deaver and Maldonado talk about what it's like to co-write a book, how they worked together, and much more. 

Calling all authors and book lovers! On this episode of Beyond the Next Chapter, we're joined by a Valley woman who's planning a convention for book lovers and authors in 2025. It's called Readers of the Valley and will be in Glendale, Arizona on January 18 and 19th. The convention is being organized by Rebecca Lopez. She's a local author who also owns Sunrise Bookworm Co., a business she runs with her husband featuring book-themed goodies. Rebecca talks about what it's like being a small-business owner, why she wanted to bring a convention like this to the Phoenix-area, and of course she gives us some book recommendations! 

This episode of Beyond the Next Chapter is truly living up to its name! We're joined by Dr. Dawn Wright, who's the first Black person to reach the bottom of the ocean. Wright is out with a new book called "Mapping the Deep: Innovation, Exploration, and the Dive of a Lifetime." Back in 2022, she visited the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean. At more than 35,000 feet, it's the deepest and most unexplored place on planet Earth. Her book details her dive, her path in life and how she became a professor. She now works at a company called the Environmental Systems Research Institute, or ESRI. Wright talks about what she saw at the bottom of the ocean and why mapping the deepest parts of the ocean is so important for all of us.