I'm back! After a few months away, I'm back in the closet with a mic, some iced coffee, and a lot to get into. 

In this episode I catch up on my May TBR, I talk about the 12 Lives Challenge,   about my Hallmark mystery obsession and what it has to do with writing romance, I break down the release plan for Standard of Care, and get into event season.

Beverage Break: Iced coffee. It was 11 a.m.  

Book Report

2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge: 53 of 150 books — 35% toward goal, 4 books ahead of schedule.

What I want to get read in May: 

• These Heathens: A Novel — Mia McKenzie (listening on audio)
• Ms. Lorraine's Late-in-Life Love — T.L. Martin | A reverse age-gap novella set in the world of The Black Wife Effect in the Cinnamon Grove neighborhood. 1 Read it in one night. Delightful — especially if you're 40+ and into romance.
• L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood — Anne Soon Choi | The next 12 Lives Challenge read.
• Mist and Malice (Haven #2) — Rachel Howzell Hall
• The Drowning Season — Debra Webb | ALC from NetGalley. Releases approximately May 12th.
• Sunset Over Napa Valley — Monica Garner | ARC that is no longer an ARC — released April 28th. Getting to it.

The 12 Lives Challenge

Hosted by Dr. Raymond Williams (@rtwilliams16). The goal: read 12 biographies in 2026. The rule: biographies only! No memoirs, no autobiographies. It has to be a book about someone, written by someone else.  Join in and use the hashtag #the12liveschallenge.

DL's progress — 4 of 12:

1. The Smartest Guys in the Room — Bethany McLean & Peter Elkind (the fall of Enron)
2. The Wizard of Lies — Diana B. Henriques (Bernie Madoff)
3. The Butler: A Witness to History — Wil Haygood
4. G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century — Beverly Gage

What I'm Streaming

• Garage Sale Mysteries — amateur sleuth, small town, cozy stakes, killer always gets caught
• Haley Dean Mysteries
• Mystery 101
• Occasional free mystery movies on Hulu and YouTube

Why it connects to writing: Romance and cozy mystery run on the same contract with the reader: the outcome is known going in. The satisfying ending is guaranteed.  The work is in stacking complications, near-misses, and tension so the reader stays engaged even when they know where it's going. That is the exact problem a romance writer solves every time they sit down.

Low stakes, familiar structure, no emotional tax after months of finishing a book is  not a guilty pleasure, it is maintenance and self care. 

Writing & Publishing Update

Crime Writers of Color Podcast

I sat down with Robert Justice on the Crime Writers of Col

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Why get dressed when Sunday is pajama-shaped? That’s all I have to say about that. 

In Episode 136 of The Bookcast, I’m talking through my January reading, checking in on the book that is BOOKING, and sharing a few updates and thoughts that came up along the way. It’s a quiet, at-home episode, recorded without much planning and very much in the spirit of a monthly check-in.

Books Mentioned in Episode 136

Am Reading: 

• Nobody Heard a Thing — Angela Henry
• Mr. and Mrs. Taylor: A Toxic Love Story — Shea Sanders

January Reads

• Kin — Tayari Jones
• No One Knew — Kendra Elliott
• Champagne Taste on a Bad Boy Budget — Zuri Day
• Behind These Four Walls — Yasmin Angoe
• Seven Daughters of Dupree — Nikisha Elise Williams
• The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust — Diana B. Henriques
• The Smartest Guys in the Room — Bethany McLean & Peter Elkind
• Groove — Bernice L. McFadden
• If I Ruled the World — Janelle Williams (Amy DuBois Barnett)
• The Wilderness — Angela Flournoy
• Inside Man — John McMahon
• In Black and White — Nia Forrester
• Her Cold Justice — Robert Dugoni
• The Fire That Burns — Kay Sine
• Before the Streetlights Come On — Ashley Antoinette
• Sundown Girls — L.S. Stratton
• Yours Forever — Farrah Rochon
• I Don’t Wish You Well — Jumata Emill

Upcoming Appearances 

• Black Romance Book Fest — Atlanta — May (pre-orders open on Beventi)
• Wine with Writers — Baltimore — June (Preorders coming soon!) 

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In this episode, I share a reading update, a quick TV check-in, and an overview of the first project I’m pre-working for 2026.

Book Report
I’m currently 7 books into my 150-book reading goal for the year. Most of my reading this week was in audio.

Books discussed:

• Champagne Taste on a Bad Boy Budget by Zuri Day
• Behind These Four Walls by Yasmin Angoe
• The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust by Diana B. Henriques
• The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
• Groove by Bernice McFadden (writing as Geneva Holliday)
• Kin by Tayari Jones

I also mention the upcoming literary event featuring Tayari Jones in conversation with Pearl Cleage.

TV Watchlist

• The Pitt (Season 2)
• Will Trent
• Currently stacking episodes of Elsbeth, Matlock, Reasonable Doubt, and Landman

Writing Update
I begin pre-work on my next novel, a medical romance centered on the consequences of a critical operating room incident and how systems, responsibility, and personal relationships collide.

Find the full transcript, extended show notes, and links at
 booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast135

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Welcome back to The Bookcast. I’m DL White, and this episode is an easy, unstructured start to Season 7!  I’m talking through how I approach a new year, what I’ve been reading, what I want to write, and how I’m easing into 2026 without forcing goals before I’m ready.

Books mentioned in this episode: 

• Kin — Tayari Jones (ebook, ARC)
• No One Knew — Kendra Elliott (audiobook, ALC)
• Champagne Taste on a Bad Boy Budget — Zuri Day (audiobook, recent release)

Books by DL White referenced

• Calculated Risk (now wide; ebook, print, and audio)
• The Never List
• Missing Persons
• Hey Lover
• Elysium
• The Pearl

Shorts & Fanfiction

• A Misadventure in Cloudcroft, New Mexico
• Questions and Answers (coming up on Substack sook)

Writing Plans for 2026

• The goal is two & a possible.
• My first project of the year is in planning, anticipated to be ready before Black Romance Book Fest in May, which means drafting now and editing by late March.
• I’m using 20K in Five Days (Jan 21–25) to get a strong foundation in place.
• Continue producing shorter works to increase reader discovery 
• Writing new characters makes me more energized right now than forcing long-stalled series work.

Everything else is light and in-flux. My year really begins in March, so I'm ramping slowly. Strap in for the ride! 

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In this episode, I’m wrapping up 2025! 

I talk through the books I released this year, how they performed, what I earned across platform (Amazon, wide and Wide and direct sales) and what I learned about my businesst through the year (hint: lean into audio!)

I also share my reading year, including the 172 books I read in 2025, the genres I leaned into, and the standout reads that kept me entertained.  

2025 was a year where I stayed busy on purpose to keep my wits about me, and I’m proud of the work I did.

Topics covered:

• Why I make time every year to review accomplishments and challenges.
• The projects I released in a catalog-building year
• My top seller by units
• Launch of Missing Persons- expanding genres
• Companion novellas, seasonal releases, and catalog expanding projects
• What my books earned in 2025 and where that money came from
• My biggest income category
• Wide sales vs Amazon performance
• My thoughts on Kindle Unlimited as a short-term strategy
• 2025 Goodreads challenge and just HOW did I read that many books in 2025? 
• My top reads of the year, the genres I leaned into and what I avoided
• What staying “busy on purpose” gave me during a demanding year
• A brief look ahead to 2026 and what I’m thinking about next

Mentioned in this episode:

• Grumpy Valentine
• Missing Persons (Young Investigations, Book 1)
• Drinks at Minks
• Calculated Risk
• Decorative Gourd Season
• Layover
• Fifty-Fifty by Steve Cavanagh
• Edge by Tracy Clark
• Fog and Fury by Rachel Howzell Hall
• We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry
• Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
• Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
• A Devil Went Down To Georgia  by Deb Miller Landau

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In this episode, I run through my full Nonfiction November reading list, talk about my latest holiday releases, share updates on direct sales and writing plans, and chat a bit about what I’ve been watching while I settle into my end-of-year break.

Books Discussed

– A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Leta McClinton — Deb Miller Landau
– Forever Kind of Love (Bayou Dreams Book One) — Farrah Rochon
– Black. White.: The Hidden History of an Insurrection, A Family’s Southern Town, and Identity in America — Loretta Malloy Noble
– A Bitter Ending: A Brother’s 30-Year Quest to Uncover the Truth About His Sister’s Death — Thomas James Whitfield
– Systemic: How Racism Is Making Us Sick — Layal Liverpool
– Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup — John Carreyrou
– The Photograph — Brian Freeman
– Booed Up — Nina High
– The Ruination of Michael Sterling — Tasha L. Harrison
– Peaches and Honey: A Small Town Sapphic Romance — Karmen Lee
– No Place for the Working: Homeless in America — Brian Goldstone
– Chilling on Thanksgiving — Jessica Terry
– Layover: An Only One Bed Holiday Novella — D.L. White
– Open for Business: A Riviel Romance — Brit W.
– Q & C: The Teachers of Hardwood High — Nina High
– Cults Like Us: How Doomsday Thinking Drives America — Jane Borden
– Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present — Harriet A. Washington (referenced)

My Releases Mentioned

– Decorative Gourd Season
– Layover
– Home for the Holidays
– A Calculated Risk (audio)
– Drinks at Minx (audio)
– Grumpy Valentine (audio)

Holiday Bundle: All winter holiday novellas — available at booksbydlwhite.com/holiday - $9.99! 

Writing & Publishing Updates

– Newsletter-first release strategy (24-hour exclusives)
 – Website store gets releases before retail
 – Retail distribution: Amazon, Google Play, Draft2Digital
 – Taking December off to rest and refill the creative well
 – Planning next writing cycle for early 2026

What I’m Watching

– CW adaptation of Taj McCoy’s book
 – Matlock
– Elsbeth
– Watson
– Sheriff Country
– Brilliant Minds
– The Beast in Me — Netflix
– Life After MLM — Rebecca Blevins (podcast)

Other Mentions

– Holiday decorating
 – Be Rooted 2026 planner
 – Direct sales goals for 2026
 – Self-narrated audiobooks and distribution updates

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I’m back after skipping last week because sometimes I just don’t feel like dragging myself down the hall to record. This is a chill catch-up episode covering what I’ve been reading, what I’m watching, and the candle mishap that nearly got the fire department called to my house.

Reading Update

I’m at 145 books for the year and one book ahead of schedule. I’ve read six books in November so far. I’ve wound down writing for the year, which means I’m reading a lot. This is the first Nonfiction November I’m actually enjoying because I leaned into what I find interesting: mess and murder. If it’s a scandal, I’m all up in it. If somebody died, I want to know about it. Cults are my jam.

Read:

• A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton (creative nonfiction that read like a mystery novel - riveting, really well done, 10-hour audiobook)
• Black, White, Colored: Hidden Story of an Insurrection, A Family, A Southern Town and Identity in America (interesting but very dry)
• A Better Ending: A Brother’s 30-Year Quest to Uncover the Truth About His Sister’s Death by Thomas James Whitfield (pretty good, very personal story about his sister’s supposed suicide and her police officer husband)
• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (about Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes - explained it like I’m five, very soapy and gossipy, would read again)
• Systemic: How Racism Is Making Us Sick (just finished yesterday - good and interesting but a lot of “water is wet” facts, hard to read, made me angry)

Reading:

• The Ruination of Michael Sterling by Tasha L. Harrison-- part of her Bone Marrow Creek series - a journalist investigating disappearances in Marrowbone Creek including his sister, involves the Fellowship of the Everlasting Lights Strawberry Moon Gathering, 100% my catnip.
• Photograph by Brian Freeman

What I’ve Been Watching

Landman Season 2 is up! I got way too excited about it earlier and decided to use it as a wind down/reward.

• Tracker
• Watson (better this season, Morris Chestnut has his shirt off in like half of every episode)
• Sheriff Country (new show I’m enjoying)
• Living Single podcast: Queen Latifah was on this week’s episode - I’ve watched it three times, I love Dana Owens)

Writing and Publishing Updates

I’m done writing for the year, but not done editing.

New:

• Decorative Gourd Season released November 3rd - a holiday short about pickleball team captains from opposing teams, rivalry turns sexy in 15,000 words

Coming Soon:

• Layover: an Only One Bed holiday novella, releasing early December.  

Full show notes at Booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/131

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I’m back at the mic talking about my October reads, Nonfiction November, and everything I’ve been watching lately. October was peak GLOCKtober with a stack of Steve Cavanagh legal thrillers, a few romances for balance, and a political memoir to wrap it up.

I share what I’m reading now, including A Devil Went Down to Georgia by Deb Miller Landau and A Forever Kind of Love by Farrah Rochon. I also run through my Mess and Murder lineup for Nonfiction November, packed with books about chaos, justice, and true crime.

There’s a quick rundown of my TV and movie queue, new releases like Calculated Risk and Decorative Gourd Season, and a reminder to check out the Black Readers Appreciation Event happening November 5–8.

Full show notes are at booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/130. 

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Welcome back to The Bookcast! I’m finally on the mend from The Ankle Incident. I’m back on my feet—slowly, but surely. This week’s episode is a quick check-in to catch you up on my Glocktober reading, what I’ve been watching, and where I am with writing and audio projects.

In this episode: 

• My GLocktober reading streak continues! I’ve finished The Plea, The Accomplice, The Scammer, and The Widow, and I’m currently reading Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh. The man owns my TBR this month.
• On the TV side, I’ve been binging The Diplomat Season 3, Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, Wayward, and My Father, the BTK Killer on Netflix, plus Elsbeth, Matlock, Watson, Tracker, The Rainmaker, and Brilliant Minds on network and streaming.
• Writing-wise, I wrapped up Decorative Gourd Season (my cozy fall novella) and Layover (a holiday romance novella). Both are cute, steamy, and low-angst. The perfect way to end the year.
• I talk through my upcoming audio projects: getting Home for the Holidays recorded so the whole Potter Lake series will be available in audio, plus plans for Missing Persons and maybe a re-record of The Never List.
• I’m hinting at a couple of events coming up: one in December and another mid-year. Details coming soon!

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I know, I know. It's been a minute but I have excuses and a funny story that involves a gas station, a receipt, and my delusion that I am still agile at 51. 

Spoiler: I'm not.

This episode covers my recovery weekend (featuring Church's chicken and naproxen), reading updates including a surprisingly good John Grisham book, writing progress on Layover and a harvest novella, and audio news.

• Reading: The Widow by John Grisham, The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson coming up
• Writing: Layover (late November),  a harvest novella (late October/early November)
• Calculated Risk now in KU and on audio everywhere
• Why fiction beats doomscrolling every time

Full show notes: booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/128

Connect: booksbydlwhite.com/linkinbio

Remember: Watching a dumpster burn doesn't put out the fire. Get a good book and put your face into it.

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