Bookish Flights: Themed Book Recommendations & Author Interviews

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In today’s episode, I am chatting with Lewis Jorstad. Lewis is a developmental editor, writing craft author and the founder of The Novel Smithy. In his free time, he is a lover of video games and travel, as well as the steward of a very creaky sailboat. When he is not working on stories of his own, he spends his time teaching up-and-coming writers the skills they need to write their dream novels. 

Lewis packed this episode full of so much information! All the behind-the-scenes storytelling, writing craft and especially those of you like me who are not writers, I think you will find this episode fascinating! His book flight today focuses on Historical Fantasy including one non-fiction book that details the writing skills including within his first two recommendations. Tune in to hear so many examples of heroes and heroines in this episode and I bet in ways you never thought of.

You can connect with Lewis at:

• The Novel Smithy

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• Factfulness by Hans Rosling
• The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon

Book Flight

• Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• A Virgin's Promise by Kim Hudson

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Kathy Izard is an award-winning author and speaker who has helped bring transformation to Charlotte in homelessness, housing, and mental health. Her memoir, The Hundred Story Home, has been featured on Katie Couric Media, NPR, and The Today Show, inspiring people to be change-makers in their communities. In 2019, she released A Good Night for Mr. Coleman, a children’s book written to encourage kids to dream big and do good. Kathy’s newest inspirational nonfiction book, The Last Ordinary Hour, was written about her husband’s struggle with rare disease to help others facing loss and uncertainty in their lives. Kathy is the recipient of a Christopher Award, the Bank of America Neighborhood Hero Award, the NC Housing Volunteer of the Year Award, and was recognized as a William J. Clinton Distinguished Guest Lecturer. In the past fifteen years, she has helped raise over $75 million for homelessness and mental health in Charlotte, NC where she has lived for over 30 years. 

You can connect with Kathy at the links below:

• Website
• Purchase Kathy’s books:
  •  A Hundred Story Home
  • The Last Ordinary Hour
  • A Good Night for Mr. Coleman
• Instagram

Show Notes

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
• Horse by Geraldine Brooks
• The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Book Flight (within a book flight)

• Barbara Brown Taylor’s books: Learning to Walk in the Dark 
  • An Altar in the World
  • Holy Envy
  • Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
• Kate Bowler’s books: Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved
  • No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)
  • The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days
• Father Greg Boyle books: Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
  • Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship
  • The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness

Dessert Pairing

• The Prison Angel by Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan

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In today’s episode I am chatting with Stephanie Affinito. Stephanie is a book-loving, notebook-hoarding literacy teacher educator on a mission to change lives one book and one notebook at a time. She blogs about the power of leading literate lives and podcasts weekly on books and reading, writing and notebooks and everything in between on Get Lit(erate). with Stephanie Affinito. You can find her online at her website and social media platforms below. 

Stephanie and I are kindred spirits and it was evident from early on in our conversation. We chatted about the importance of reading aloud (as long as your kids let you!), reading for connection with your children and the life-giving energy of books. I love Stephanie’s quote about “books help us grow through what we go through.” Stephanie and I had so much fun chatting, that I was honored to be on her podcast as well. We chatted about a strong sense of place and traveling through books. You can check out her podcast HERE. I hope you enjoy this conversation today as much as I did. Happy listening!

You can connect with Stephanie at the links below:

• A Lit Life Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• Julia Cameron Books
• A Wish for Winter by Viola Shipman
• Super Bloom by Megan Tady
• The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
• Wine People by Michelle Wildgen (Adult read)
• Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman (Middle Grade read)

Book Flight

• The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
• Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
• Ways to Grow in Love by Renee Watson

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Janet Hurley was born and raised in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York before coming south to Carolina (the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) for its undergraduate creative writing program. Though it took a while to replace “you guys” with “y’all”, she has lived in the south ever since, most recently in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western NC, where she and her husband David raised their daughter, Maren, and son, Liam.

After receiving an MFA in Creative Non-fiction from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, in 2008, Janet published feature stories and profiles for North Carolina-based magazines, Our State and VERVE. She also ran a small business, True Ink, which provided creative opportunities for young writers.  In 2011, she co-founded Asheville Writers in the Schools and Community (AWITSC), a non-profit committed to racial equity and social change through the power of arts, culture and restorative self-expression. Glove Shy: A Sister’s Reckoning is Janet’s first book-length publication.

Janet’s book flight today features historical fiction novels that allow us to read around the world. From books set in New Zealand to Burma to Japan, you are sure to love this book flight. Each book is written by an author that is locally born to that country and explores the impact of colonialism on the country. This would be a lovely book flight to travel through the pages to faraway places and learn more about their history. I hope you enjoy this episode and book flight as much as I did. Happy listening!

You can connect with Janet at the links below:

• Website
• Purchase Glove Shy: A Sister's Reckoning
• Instagram

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
• Isaac Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden by Camille T. Dungy

Book Flight

• Tu by Patricia Grace
• The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Dessert Pairing

• Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

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 Charles Bruce McIntyre or “Bruce” to anyone who knows him, is a retired business owner and cancer survivor. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1941 and often moved while growing up. After spending seventeen years in corporate America, Bruce founded and managed a foodservice sales and marketing agency for thirty years. There Are No Answers Here, Only Questions is his first published work. In his writing, Bruce shows his ability to successfully move from transmitting boring business memos to the art of telling a good story. Bruce and his wife Joyce have been married since 1967 and have two grown children and four grandchildren. The couple share their retirement cottage with a gregarious golden retriever and a shy indoor cat. All call Charlotte, North Carolina, home.

You can connect with Bruce at the links below:

• Website
• Purchase There Are No Answers Here, Only Questions
• Facebook

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• My Book House by Olive Beaupre Miller
• How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson (also check out her Substack)
• As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
• Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue

Book Flight

• Child: A Memoir by Judy Goldman
• The Kudzu Queen by Mimi Herman
• The Secret of FBI File 100-3-116 by Marc de Castrique

Support the show

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

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Stephanie Ritz is a business strategist, mindset coach and full-time traveler who helps aspiring coaches and consultants to start and grow their business alongside their 9-5 so they can hand in their notice with confidence with a profitable and sustainable business.

Stephanie’s experiences in entrepreneurship, corporate leadership and mentoring roles serve as the foundation for her consulting and coaching program. Starting as a teen mom, Stephanie put herself through college, started two successful businesses and quickly rose to leadership positions in multiple corporate roles.

Drawing on her success in the sales, banking, business operations and coaching industries, Stephanie now works with corporate professionals to tap into and build on their strengths, skills, and intuition to start and grow their own coaching or consulting business.

Stephanie earned her B.A. in Communications from Temple University and an Executive Leadership Certification from Leader’s Edge. She is a Certified Coach and an NLP Master Practitioner.

Stephanie is a mom and passionate Philadelphia sports fan. She enjoys experiencing new cities, food and culture around the world and rooting for her beloved Eagles and Flyers.

You can connect with Stephanie at the links below:

• Website
• Freedom-Based Business Facebook Group
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• From Corporate to Full-Time Entrepreneur

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• The Money Book for Young, Fabulous and Broke by Suze Orman
• The Bassoon King: Art, Idiocy and Other Sordid Tales from the Band Room by Rainn Wilson

Book Flight

• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• Bossypants by Tina Fey

Support the show

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In today’s episode, I am chatting with Janis Robinson Daly. Janis is the author of the historical novel, The Unlocked Path. A genealogy search helped her discover her great-great-grandfather was a founder of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. And this led Janis down a path of unearthing stories of women whose lives have remained in the shadows. With a love of history, she balances a need for authenticity and details with a fictional flair. Janis, her husband and rescue pup travel between Cape Cod, New Hampshire and Florida. 

Her book flight focuses on historical fiction novels with strong women communities. If you enjoy books with strong female characters, coming of age stories and women changing history; these books are a must read! Happy listening friends!

You can connect with Janis at the links below:

• Website
• Purchase The Unlocked Path 
• Instagram
• Facebook

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• Ken Follett Books 
• Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
• Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
• Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner

Book Flight

• The Unlocked Path by Janis Robinson Daly
• The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
• The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Dessert Pairing

• In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

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In today’s episode, I am chatting with Tanner Welsch. Tanner is a Physical Therapist, a Podcast Host and Founder of Rehab Rebels, a company for therapists to help bridge the gap to alternative careers. 

In this episode, Tanner gives us three great book recommendations to venture into entrepreneurship. These book recommendations can apply to the full range of entrepreneurs - from just starting out to those that are looking to take their side hustle to the next level. We talked about everything from experiencing burnout to finding your strengths and skills that translate into other businesses. Tanner gives many actionable steps to start categorizing and analyzing your tasks in a day, tips to remembering people’s names (win!) and ideas to start thinking about if you are looking to branch out into an alternative career. Happy listening!

You can connect with Tanner at the links below:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller

Book Flight

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Dessert Pairing

• On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life by John O’Leary

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 Brett Crozier. Brett grew up in California and graduated from the United States Naval Academy. He embarked on a thirty-year career in the Navy, flying dozens of combat missions over Iraq and leading at the highest levels of operational command. He served as the Commanding Officer of a combat F/A-18 strike fighter squadron, the USS Blue Ridge and ultimately the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt before retiring from the Navy in 2022. If you are not familiar with his story, it is one worth learning about - integrity and absolute class in leadership.

Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain is his first book and was released yesterday. Even if you are not related to the military, I found the tenants of his book to be applicable to my personal and family life. I cannot recommend it enough.

This is an episode you will not want to miss. We chatted about everything from advice on leadership, to maintaining a family life in the military, as well as some lessons from his book. Brett’s book flight included books that encouraged him to join the Navy as well as become a pilot. It was an absolute honor to have him on the show. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. 

You can connect with Brett at the links below:

• Website
• Purchase Surf When You Can
• Instagram

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• White Fang by Jack London
• The Cruise of the Snark by Jack London
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
• Nudge: The Final Edition by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
• Bad Karma by Paul Wilson

Book Flight

• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
• Nimitz by E.B. Potter
• Chickenhawk by Robert Mason

Dessert Pairing

• The Call of the Wild by Jack London

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 Cynthia Newberry Martin. Cynthia’s first novel, Tidal Flats, won the Gold Medal in Literary Fiction at the 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards and the 14th Annual National Indie Excellence Award for Fiction. Her website features the How We Spend Our Days series, over a decade of essays by writers on their lives. She grew up in Atlanta and now lives in Columbus, Georgia, with her husband and in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in a little house by the water. Her third novel, The Art of Her Life, was published on June 6th, 2023. 

In this episode, we talked about everything from her choice to leave her job as an attorney to stay-at-home with her family and how that gave her the time to rekindle her love of reading. This ultimately led her down the path to becoming a writer. She shares with us how her characters came to be and where she drew inspiration for her novels. Her book flight includes books that inspired her to become a writer and is one you will not want to miss. Happy listening! 

You can connect with Cynthia at the links below:

• Website
• How We Spend Our Days
• Reading List

If you want more Bookish Flights, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon! Stay tuned for more member exclusive content to come!

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:

• The Art of Her Life by Cynthia Newberry Martin (released 06/06/23)
• Tidal Flats by Cynthia Newberry Martin
• Love Like This by Cynthia Newberry Martin
• I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
• These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine by Nancy Turner
• Cora's Kitchen by Kimberly Garrett Brown
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• Homestead by Melinda Moustakis

Book Flight

• The Anna Papers by Ellen Gilchrist
• Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler
• Light Years by James Salter

Support the show

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

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