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Today on Bookish Flights, I’m joined by Katherine Scott Crawford, award-winning author of The Miniaturist’s Assistant and Keowee Valley, history enthusiast, and self-proclaimed recovering academic. An eleventh-generation Southerner, Katherine directs writing retreats at a remote mountain lodge in Western North Carolina, where she lives with her family and would much rather be in the woods with her dog than anywhere else. A former backpacking guide and adjunct professor, her writing has appeared in newspapers across the country and abroad. If you love historical fiction, this conversation is for you.

Episode Highlights:

• The deep, layered history of the American South
• Her novel The Miniaturist’s Assistant, set in Charleston and the research and imagination behind bringing 1804 and 2004 to life
• Why historical fiction is the best form of time travel
• Her writing process and the rhythms of a creative life
• The idea that reading is a hobby you actively choose above all else
• How living in Western North Carolina means you can’t “trip over a rock without tripping over history”

Katherine describes herself as a history nerd, and it shows in the best way. We talk about time as something mysterious and porous,  how the past presses into the present, and how fiction allows us to experience that overlap in deeply human ways. Her biggest hope for readers? A truly transportive experience into both 1804 and 2004 Charleston.

Connect with Katherine:

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Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
• The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
• The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
• The Electricity of Every Living Thing by Katherine May

Book Flight

• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
• The Lost Book of Eleanor Dareby Kimberly Brock
• The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann by Virginia Pye

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Tracie Peterson, often called the Queen of Historical Christian Fiction. An ECPA, CBA, and USA Today bestselling author of more than 110 books, Tracie has spent decades weaving together faith, history, and romance for readers around the world. Her guiding motto in both life and writing is Soli Deo Gloria — For God Alone the Glory. A Kansas native now living in the mountains of Montana with her husband, Jim, Tracie joins me to discuss her latest novel, Faithful of Heart, part of the Minnesota Legacy series.

Episode Highlights:

• Her deep research process, especially her love of firsthand historical accounts.
• Why setting functions almost like a secondary character in her novels.
• The heart behind Faithful of Heart and what’s ahead for the Minnesota Legacy series.
• Balancing reading and writing, and how deadlines shape her reading life.
• The themes of hope and forgiveness that thread through her stories.
• Her book flight includes historical Christian romances that beautifully blend faith, perseverance, and love.

This conversation is thoughtful, grounded, and rooted in a lifetime of faithful storytelling.

Connect with Tracie:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Jane Austin books
• Tom Clancy books
• Jaime Jo Wright books

Book Flight

• A Song in the Dark by Kimberley Woodhouse
• Mail Order Duchess / Mail Order Baroness by Misty M. Bellar
• Christy by Catherine Marshall

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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In today’s episode, I sit down with USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and internationally bestselling author Wade Rouse. Many readers know Wade by his pen name, Viola Shipman, his grandmother’s name chosen to honor the woman whose stories and heirlooms inspire his fiction. But this novel marks something new. That’s What Friends Are For is the first book he has published under his own name. Inspired by The Golden Girls, the novel follows four gay men “of a certain age” who have built a vibrant chosen family in Palm Springs, until an unexpected family arrival begins to unravel long-held secrets.

Episode Highlights:

• Why Wade chose his grandmother’s name as his pen name
• What publishing under his own name represents at this stage of his life
• The Golden Girls inspiration behind “The Golden Gays”
• Writing about aging in America
• The power of found family and chosen friendship
• Humor as a doorway to deeper emotional truth
• The legacy behind his beloved Viola Shipman novels

If you have ever built family beyond blood, navigated reinvention, or believe friendship carries us through life’s hardest seasons, this episode is for you.

Connect with Wade:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Erma Bombeck books
• David Sedaris books
• I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
• Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
• The Last of the Savages by Jay McInerney
• Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder

Book Flight

• Awake by Jen Hatmaker
• The Forget-Me-Not Library by Heather Webber
• Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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• Website

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I’m chatting with Matt Mattson, a writer, speaker, social mystic, & spiritual leader dedicated to cultivating sacred human connection. Matt is the founder of BETWEEN, an innovative and deeply inclusive global faith community that invites people into curiosity, conversation, and shared moments of meaning. His work blends ancient wisdom with modern insight, helping people notice and name the sacred woven into everyday encounters. We are here today to celebrate the release of his newest book, Cathedrals of Connection.

Connect with Matt:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Books mentioned:

• Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Everything is a Story by Kaitlin B. Curtice

Book Flight

• Aflame by Pico Iyer
• The Healing Power of the Santuario de Chimayó by Brett Hendrickson
• Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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Today is our latest BFF Book Club. This month, we’re joined by by Annie Harnett, author of The Road to Tender Hearts. Annie is the award-winning author of two additional novels, Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals. 

Episode Highlights:

• The inspiration behind The Road to Tender Hearts and how Annie transformed personal anxiety into sharp, heartfelt fiction.
• Her writing process of “going for the joke first” and then layering in what she calls the “emo copy” to bring emotional depth.
• Why humor is her entry point into heavier themes.
• How her experience as a former bookseller shaped her storytelling and reading life.
• Annie’s book flight featuring four of her all-time favorite books.

Connect with Annie:

• Instagram
• Website

📚 Next Meet the Author Event
🗓️ March 15th | 🕓 3 pm PST / 5 pm CST / 6 pm EST

We’re thrilled to welcome Carmela Dutra, author of A Murder Most Fowl, a cozy food truck murder mystery, to our next Book Club gathering! Come for the conversation and stay for the community. 👉 Register Here.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Karmen Somers episode featuring The Road to Tender Hearts (E168)
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
• Emily Henry’s book
• Margo’s Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe
• Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
• The Wedding People by Alison Espach
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• Anxious People by Fredrik Bakman

Book Flight

• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
• Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
• John Irving’s books

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Lindsay Marie Morris, a novelist and journalist based in Los Angeles whose work is deeply rooted in her Sicilian-American heritage. Lindsay’s debut novel, The Last Letter from Sicily, was inspired by her grandmother’s story and explores love, resilience, and long-held family secrets during World War II. Her second novel, Beneath the Sicilian Stars, returns to this era, following a family divided between California and Sicily as the war forces them to confront questions of loyalty, belonging, and sacrifice.

Episode Highlights:

• The often-overlooked history of Sicilians and Italian Americans during World War II, including the impact of the Alien Enemy Act and the internment of Italian Americans, history rarely taught in American schools.
• How family stories are often passed down in fragments, and the role fiction can play in uncovering the fuller, more complicated truth.
• Exploring Sicilian culture through food, including why arancini are shaped differently depending on where you are on the island.
• A Sicily-focused book flight, plus additional reading recommendations on Italian and Italian-American history.
• How Lindsay connects with readers through her newsletter, sharing behind-the-scenes insights, upcoming events, and travel notes from the road.

Connect with Lindsay:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Una Storia Segreta by Lawrence DiStasi
• Laura Ingalls Wilder books
• Neopolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante
• Eternal by Lisa Scottoline
• Renata Tebaldi: The Voice of an Angel by Carlamaria Casanova

Book Flight

• The Peoples of Sicily by Louis Mendola & Jacqueline Alio
• The Leopard by Giovanni Di Lampedusa
• Sicily on My Mind by Joseph Cione

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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• Website

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In today’s episode, I am chatting with Ashlee Sullivan. Ashlee, CEO and founder of woman + warrior®️THE first OFFICIAL APPAREL BRAND line of it’s kind, made for the military family! Because we deserve to be seen, look good, and feel great while doing this thing called the military. 

This episode is part of our Military Spouse Series, and Ashlee shares her journey transitioning from a Coast Guard Reserve family to an Active Duty Army family. We talk about starting a business rooted in representation, using creativity and humor to cope during hard seasons, and the challenge of finding support in a transient military lifestyle.

Resources Mentioned

• Military One Source
• InDependent, for military spouse wellness
• Stronghold Food Pantry, to help military families facing food insecurity. 

Episode Highlights:

• Starting a mission-driven business as a military spouse.
• Using creativity and humor to cope during difficult seasons.
• Why finding military resources can feel so hard.
• Building real community in a constantly changing lifestyle.
• Mental health, burnout, and giving yourself permission to rest.
• Reading as both a luxury and a necessity.
• Showing up online with intention and influence.
• Her book flight is for those with big dreams and how to get you there.

Connect with Ashlee:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday
• Originals by Adam Grant

Book Flight

• Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
• Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday
• Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday
• The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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In today's episode, I am chatting with Joan Fernandez. Joan is a brings to light brilliant women’s courageous deeds in history. She is a former senior marketing executive general partner of the financial powerhouse Edward Jones. In 2018, she retired from a 30+ year career to be a full-time writer. In April 2020, she founded a Historical Fiction affinity group within WFWA that grew from a handful of people to nearly two hundred authors. Her short story, “A Parisian Daughter,” is published in the anthology, Feisty Deeds: Historical Fiction of Daring Women. Her debut novel, Saving Vincent, A Novel of Jo Van Gogh, published in April 2025. Joan calls both St. Louis and Sedona, Arizona home, enjoys foodie meals with her Cuban husband and antics with grandkids.

Episode Highlights:

• How Joan’s first career shaped her writing life and the confidence that comes from starting something new after years of expertise.
• Applying the skills, discipline, and mindset from a long, successful career to the creative work of writing.
• Discovering the story of Jo van Gogh and what inspired Joan to center her debut novel on a woman often overlooked in art history.
• The realities of raising a child while running a business—and advocating relentlessly for Vincent van Gogh’s work.
• Using personal letters and historical documents as research, including the powerful reminder that “art must touch your soul.”
• A book flight focused on characters searching for identity and learning how to live authentically, carrying who they are into every part of life.

Connect with Joan:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Show Notes

Some links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
• Song of Belonging by Michelle St. Romain (coming 04/21/26)

Book Flight

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
• Oona, Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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• Website

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In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Theory Knight—a sci-fi lover, aspiring pilot, and thoughtful storyteller with a deep love of humor, humanity, and connection. Theory dreams of flying someday, loves Hawaii, and believes in the therapeutic value of road trips. She’s only organized because of technology, is thankful for good vacuum cleaners, and would absolutely rent an apartment inside Canadian Tire if they’d let her.

We’re here today to discuss her new book, Jingle Bells, Sasquatch Smells, and the stories that help reset our nervous systems—especially during hard seasons. Theory’s reading life leans toward what she calls scary, funny books: stories that hold darkness with humor and leave you feeling more grateful for what you have.

Episode Highlights:

• What Canadian Tire is (for those of us who didn’t grow up with it).
• Why being among others during hard times can be incredibly grounding.
• How humor helps us sit with scary or uncomfortable moments.
• Setting boundaries with dark books and knowing your limits.
• The sci-fi stories that shaped Theory’s reading life.
• Writing with intention and bringing only what you truly love into a book.
• Working creatively with a spouse (her husband is her cover designer, go check them out).

Connect with Theory:

• Instagram
• Website
• Book Playlists (how fun!)
• Buy Tiger in My Tank

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Book Flight

• The Street Lawyer by John Grisham
• All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews 
• Jingle Bells, Sasquatch Smells by Theory Knight

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Susan L. Combs. Susan is the President of Combs & Company, a full-service insurance brokerage firm based in New York City. She started the company at just 26 years old with a drive to “do more, do better.” A self-described Missouri girl in a New York world, Susan draws on the lessons of her Midwestern upbringing and more than two decades in NYC in her book, Pancakes for Roger. The insights in these pages come from family, friends, colleagues, and life in general—but the most important teachings are from her late father. When she’s not running her business or helping others navigate challenges, you can find her flipping tires at her CrossFit gym, cheering on the Missouri Tigers, KC Chiefs, and Royals, or slaying the dragons that have come her way.

Episode highlights:

• What it really looks like to own four businesses and manage them with intention.
• How a book that began with one chapter about her father became a collection of his wisdom—“Dad-isms”
• Why writing Pancakes for Roger pushed Susan far outside her comfort zone and how that stretch sparked growth and change.
• The importance of having creative outlets, even (and especially) for high-achieving business owners.
• Growing up in a family that believed if you have good advice, it’s your duty to share it.
• Reflections on legacy, gratitude, and being able to say she has no regrets about her relationship with her father.
• Susan’s book flight of impactful reads that have shaped her leadership, creativity, and perspective.

This episode is a thoughtful conversation about leadership, courage, creativity, and the enduring influence of the people who shape us most.

Connect with Susan:

• Website
• Instagram

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
• Phillip Margolan books
• The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
• The Rose Code & The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
• The Library Book by Susan Orlean
• Gone Before Good by Harlen Coben and Reese Witherspoon
• Verity by Colleen Hoover

Book Flight

• Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynne Jackson
• American Sirens by Kevin Hazard

✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.

Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

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• Facebook
• Website