Bookish Flights: Themed Book Recommendations & Author Interviews

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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• Using personal letters and historical documents as research, including the powerful reminder that “art must touch your soul.”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

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

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 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

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

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• Facebook
• Website

Send us Fan Mail

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
• Pancakes for Roger: A Mentorship Guide for Slaying Dragons by Susan L. Combs

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

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• Facebook
• Website

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Karen Winn. Karen is the author of two novels: The Society (Dutton, 2026), and Our Little World (Dutton, 2022). She earned her MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. For her undergraduate studies she attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she may or may not have belonged to a secret society. 

Writing is her first love and second career; she worked as a nurse for many years. Karen lives in the charming Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston with her husband, two children, and their 100-pound Bernedoodle.  

Karen and I chatted about all this things - including switching careers and how her nursing skill set translated into her novel writing. Her book flight includes books about secret society and outsider protagnoists who get access.

Episode Highlights:

• Transitioning from nursing to fiction writing—and navigating a second career.
• How medical training shapes character development and emotional realism.
• Writing as a “secret identity” before stepping fully into the role of author.
• The influence of place and setting, especially Boston’s Beacon Hill, on creativity.
• Exploring secret societies in fiction.
• Outsider protagonists who suddenly gain access to hidden worlds.

Connect with Karen:

• 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:

• Lucy Foley books
• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
• The Found Object Society by Michelle Maryk

Book Flight

• The Cloisters by Katy Hays
• Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Amanda Wen. Amanda Wen’s novels have released to both reader and critical acclaim. Her second novel, The Songs That Could Have Been, won both the Selah and the Carol Awards, and her debut, Roots of Wood and Stone, was a finalist for the Christy Award. In addition to her writing, Amanda is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and her church’s worship team, as well as serving as a choral accompanist. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Amanda currently lives in Kansas with her patient, loving, and hilarious husband, their three adorable Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat. Today we are here today to discuss her latest novel, Echoes of a Silent Song.

Episode Highlights:

• Life in the flatlands of the Midwest and how place shapes story.
• The setting and inspiration behind the next book in her Melodies and Memories duology.
• Balancing full-time creative work as a musician, writer, wife, and mom.
• How Amanda realistically fits writing into a very full life.
• Why kids are often unintentionally funnier than adults.
• The way music and writing inform and strengthen each other.
• Research fears, perfectionism, and the pressure of getting details right.
• A deeper look at Echoes of a Silent Song and the heart behind the story.

Amanda also shares a book flight featuring novels about musicians across different genres of music—perfect for readers who love stories where art and storytelling intertwine.

Connect with Amanda:

• 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:

• O Little Town by Amanda Wen, Janyre Tromp, Deborah Raney
• My Friends by Fredrik Backman
• Emily Conrad books
• The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold
• When the Road Comes Around by Katie Powner (Hear more on Ep. 161)
• The Atlas of Untold Stories by Sara Brunsvold (Hear more on Ep. 154)

Book Flight

• The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano
• Everything is Just Beginning by Erin Bartels
• A Note Yet Unsung by Tamera Alexander

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, I am chatting with Susan May Warren. Susan is the USA bestselling, Awardwinning novelist with nearly 2 million books sold. She’s lived all over the world (including Russia), and has penned over 100 novels, writing across genres such as contemporary and historical romances, romantic suspense, and thrillers. Susan’s works have achieved USA Today, ECPA, and CBA bestseller status, won numerous awards  and have been translated into eight languages. She’s a renowned writing coach, founder of Novel.Academy, and author of the popular writing method, The Story Equation. She lives in Minnesota and Florida with her handsome hubby, has 2 messy labradoodles, loves good wine, travelling and hanging out with her husband, 4 kids and their spouses and her 5 grandchildren. We are here today to discuss her latest book, Track of Courage. 

Episode Highlights:

• Why writing can be a meaningful and flexible career, especially during seasons of motherhood.
• How Susan uses structure and story blueprints to stay creative and consistent.
• What it really takes to maintain momentum and finish books.
• The balance between deep research and trusting your own voice as a writer.
• Why reading widely and learning the craft matters.
• How travel and lived experience continue to influence her stories.
• Susan’s book flight and the books that helped shape Track of Courage.

Connect with Susan:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• Debbie Macomber books
• James Scott Bell books
• Donald Maass books
• Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
• Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer

Book Flight

• Northern Lights by Nora Roberts
• Nashville Sweethearts by Rachel Houck
• What You Wish For by Katherine Center

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Katie Bernet. Katie is an author living in Dallas, Texas. She’s an award-winning creative director, a long-standing member of the DFW Writer’s Workshop, and the director of the 2025 DFW Writer’s Conference. The oldest of three sisters, she’s a diehard fan of Little Women. We are here today to discuss her debut novel, Beth is Dead.

Episode Highlights:

• Writing Beth is Dead while living with her sisters, and how those real-life dynamics quietly found their way onto the page.
• A simple but powerful writing exercise that helped her move past resistance: making a love/hate list and choosing to write toward what felt hard.
• What changed for her when she reached the end of revisions and realized she understood Beth March in an entirely new way.
• She talks about which March sister was the most challenging character to write.
• A gentle reminder that creativity isn’t exclusive or earned - it’s something we all carry.

Connect with Katie:

• Instagram
• 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:

• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (full-cast audio)
• Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
• Girl Dinner by Olivia Blake
• The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson

Book Flight

• Little Women by Louise May Alcott
• So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow
• Little Monsters by Máire Roche

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Sami Young - a mom, wife, PE teacher, and avid reader who is perpetually caught between just one more chapter and not knowing what to read next. She’s a proud millennial with a TBR list taller than my houseplants, and you might remember her from Episode 63, when she joined me alongside her son, Jarek.

Episode Highlights:

• How Sami keeps a book with her everywhere she goes, even when reading time is short.
• What her real-life reading routine looks like right now and why nighttime has become her go-to.
• Easing into audiobooks by co-reading with a print copy.
• Why she likes to switch genres between books instead of reading the same kind back-to-back.
• Reflecting on reading aloud to her son when he was younger and how that shaped his love of reading.
• What it’s like to be a family of re-readers (and why their bookshelves are always full).
• Savoring quiet reading moments - like sitting in the sunshine with a book and wishing it could last forever.

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:

• Alan Gratz books (book recs in Ep. 6 with Lilianna)
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
• Prisoner of War by Michael P. Spradlin
• The Other Woman by Sandie Jones

Book Flight

• The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
• People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
• The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

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• Facebook
• Website

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Connie Richardson. Connie is the debut author of Rapid City Summer. She teaches middle school English and Language Arts in the Chicago suburbs. She has published articles, short stories, and blog posts for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and Scribbler. Additionally, Connie is a former graduate and current mentor in author Mary Adkin’s MFA-alternate program, The Book Incubator. When she is not teaching or writing, she enjoys fly-fishing out west, running, coaching cross-country and track & field, and cooking for her family and friends. 

This episode with Connie is so much fun, and her energy and passion for reading shine through the entire conversation. We talk about big life moments, the joy of finally seeing a debut novel out in the world, and what it means to fall in love with stories that open doors to new experiences. 

Episode Highlights:

• Writing for the space between middle grade and YA, which Connie calls lower YA.
• Her work as an ELA teacher and her school’s participation in a One Book, One School program that brings authors directly to students
• How Rapid City Summer is set in South Dakota and centers around the niche topic of fly fishing
• Why Connie loves writing and reading niche topics that readers may never experience firsthand
• A book flight featuring middle grade and YA novels that readers of all ages can connect to

Connect with Connie:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie
• Slider by Peter Hautman
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
• Alone by Megan Freeman
• Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Book Flight

• The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
• The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s episode, I am chatting with Shari Biery, NBC-HWC. Shari is a leading credentialed Purpose and Well-Being coach for midlife women empowering them to reclaim their identities and live with purpose and wellness after years of prioritizing everyone but themselves. Drawing from her two decades as a military spouse supporting her physician husband and as a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Shari is the creator of the signature C.A.L.M. Method, author of the It’s YOUR Turn Bestselling book, and nationally recognized speaker and coach. 

Are you a doer? An overachiever? A woman who’s put herself on the back burner? Ever looked in the mirror and hardly recognized who you’ve become? This episode is for you. We dive into motherhood, peri-menopause, your body’s intuition, learning to listen more deeply, and what it looks like to finally put your needs first. I wish I had this episode years ago — and I think you will too. Shari has a new offering to find - What’s Your Spark Type? Take the short quiz and discover what your body and life are asking for in this season of your life.

Episode Highlights:

• How Shari’s two decades as a military spouse shaped her purpose and perspective.
• Why so many midlife women lose their sense of identity — and how to reclaim it.
• Listening to your body’s intuition and reconnecting with your inner compass.
• The importance of self-prioritization without guilt.
• The rise of loneliness — and why community and connection matter more than ever.

Connect with Shari:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

• The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
• Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly
• The American Woman by Zarna Garg

Book Flight

• Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
• The New Menopause by Dr. Mary Claire Haver
• It’s YOUR Turn by Shari Biery

The BFF Book Club is becoming a family affair! ❤️ This our FREE virtual book club, where we read together each month and have live author chats.

Each Family Book Flight pairs our BFF Book Club pick with:

• One chapter book for growing readers
• One picture book for our littlest readers
• A few family conversation starters + a simple activity

Three books. One common theme.

→ Join us here: https://bookishflights.kit.com/bfffamily

Support the show

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Website