Books by DL White Bookcast

This is a shorter one (and yet still over 20 minutes...), keeping mostly to books, writing, and appearances. I recap what I've read in August, give the full rundown on my new Labor Day novella REGATTA including the blurb and release schedule, talk through my fall and 2027 event lineup, and close out with an update on my NSYNC fanfiction entry for this year's Awesome August challenge.

Reading Challenge Update 

I'm at 98 of 150 books for the year, 65% of the way there and five books ahead of schedule. I don't think hitting 150 is going to be a problem.

Recently Read  

Calling All Blessings, Beverly Jenkins

Never the Right Time, Reese Ryan

One Split Second, Robert Dugoni

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Caroline Fraser

 

Currently Reading:

You'll Be Sorry, Lisa Gardner

Up Next / On My List:

All My Sisters and Me, Sheryl Lister

Savvy Summers and the Po' Boy Perils, Sandra Jackson-Opoku

The Death Row Club, V.A. Vasquez

It Could Have Been Her, Lisa Jewell

There's Only One Sin in Hollywood, Rasheed Newsome

Trust Me, Alexandria House

The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglas, Leslye Penelope

72 Hours, Rae Shawn

Writing and Publishing  

Main writing on REGATTA is done. It's a steamy standalone Labor Day novella about Des Calloway and Silas Corbin, two racing captains at the same yacht club who end up on the same boat for the Labor Day regatta on the Chesapeake Bay after years of competing against each other. Des is hired to captain Windfall, the boat Silas expected to run himself, and the two of them have to figure out how to work together on the water while everything else builds between them off it. Tropes include forced proximity, he falls first, woman in charge, forced to work together, and close quarters, with explicit sexual content.

Two samples posted to Substack:

1. Should I have brought my trophies? 

2. Try telling yourself I don't like you

Release plan: 

August 27: newsletter subscribers get the direct-buy link

August 28: live at Booksbydlwhite and Noir Pages 

September 4: live on retail sites 

Appearances

Petersburg Book Festival - September 12, 2026

Atlanta Book Festival - October 17, 2026, Plywood Place

Conyers Book Fest - April 2027 (applied, no decision yet)

Black Romance Book Festival - June 2027

Kinfolk Lit - July 2027, Indianapolis (link coming before registration opens!)

Behind the Ink Book Fest - September 2027, Birmingham

Fan Fiction Update: 

 I Want You Back, my entry for this year's Awesome August challenge over on the NSYNC Fiction Archive, is complete and posted under my pen name Miss M. It's a JC Chasez story, written for his birthday like I do every year.  

Links & Resources

• Shop my books: booksbydlwhite.com/shop
• Support the podcast: buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite
• Episode page: booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/143

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

We have a shorter episode this week. 

I catch you up on my reading challenge (92 of 150 books, 8 ahead of schedule), I dig deep into my Monk rewatch on Philo, talk honestly about new release sales for Standard of Care and Petty Season, and I chat about Noir Pages.

Recently read:

Crushed — L.M. Bennett

No One Knows You're Here — Rachel Howzell Hall

The Revelation of Dionne Daphne — Mara Brock Akil

We Could Have Been — Aubrey Pynn

Playing by the Rules — Reese Ryan

Currently reading:

With Her Baby on Her Back — Suzette D. Harrison

I also talk about my Awesome August fanfic story, I Want You Back, starting August 1st, and my Labor Day short currently in progress.

For the full rundown, including my complete Monk breakdown, all the book and event details, and every link mentioned, head to booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/142.

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

I’m back after a little break and catching up on everything: book festival recaps, a new release I snuck out, my reading update, what I’ve been watching, and some fun fan fiction plans.

Reading Challenge Update

I’ve read 87 of my 150 book goal for 2026, which puts me at 58% and eight books ahead of schedule.

Recently Read:

Straps and Sparkles, Carmen Lee

Petty Season, DL White

IRL, Aja

August Lane, Regina Black

A Paid Companion, Nea Forester

Group Trip, Aria Days

The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule

The View from Here, Rachel Howzell-Hall

Love, PRN: Hearts of Midtown Hospital Book 1, Cadence Rush

Chasing a Second Chance: Westmoreland Legacy Book 8, Brenda Jackson

Currently Reading:

No One Knows You’re Here, Rachel Howzell-Hall

The Stranger Beside Me was my July pick for the 12 Lives biography challenge, and it took me deep into the story of Ted Bundy and Ann Rule’s real relationship with him before his crimes came to light.

What I’ve Been Watching

I’ve been spending a lot of time on Black BookTube, following the creators who’ve built out a whole playlist of book hauls, interviews, and vlogs. I’ve also got my eye on the new Little House on the Prairie adaptation on Netflix, all eight episodes of which dropped on July 9th. Before I dive in, I’m listening to the Wilder podcast by Joe Piazza and reading Prairie Fires, a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, so I can go into the new version with the real history in mind.

Writing and Publishing Updates

I released Petty Season the week of July 4th, an age gap romance set in the British Virgin Islands. Theo is 29, runs the water taxi out to a resort on Peter Island, and has a thing for women over 40. Camille Augustine is 49, freshly out of a marriage, and finally taking a vacation for herself. It’s spicy, it’s fun, and you can grab it at booksbydlwhite.com/pettyseason, through retail, or at the library (the library version is a touch less spicy). I’m working on a Labor Day short next and have the cover art already confirmed.

Order Forms & Upcoming Events

My personal signed book order form is open on my link in bio page through August 8th, maybe a little later. I’m using that order to stock up for the Petersburg Book Festival on September 12th in Petersburg, Virginia, which is free to attend. I also have a wholesale order form available for bookstores or bulk orders.

Fan Fiction Corner: Awesome August

It’s almost time for Awesome August, my annual celebration of JC Chasez’s birthday (he’s turning 50 this year). This year’s theme is storytelling through album, song titles, or lyrics, and I’m building my story off “I Want You Back.” I’ve got until August 31st to finish and post it, and if you write NSYNC fan fiction, I’d love to see you join in.

Wine with Writers Recap

I spent the weekend in Baltimore for Wine with Writers at the Last Resort Artist Retreat with a group of authors, including Takara Allen, Rae Lyse, Danielle Allen, Piper Huguley, and Beverly Jenkins. The weekend included a wine and small bites evening with a Black-owned wine company and Black woman-owned caterer, a wellness morning with a sound bath and yoga, a signing session where I completely sold out of books for the first time ever, and an author panel on staying in the business long term.

Bosk Pop-Up

I also popped up at Bosk, a wine, coffee, and tapas shop, after seeing a call for vendors on Threads. I was the only book vendor there, sold a good amount, and had a great time until the rain rolled in. I’m considering doing more local vendor markets this fall

Links & Resources

Petty Season: booksbydlwhite.com/pettyseason Shop all books: booksbydlwhite.com/shop Support the podcast: buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite Newsletter signup: booksbydlwhite.com/linkinbio Episode page: booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast141 Substack: authordlwhite.substack.com

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

Today's epi is a quickie before two weekends of travel. Reading update, watching update, promo news, and upcoming events.

Reading Challenge Update

75 of 150 books read for 2026

Recently Read

The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, Jeff Hobbs

In Bloom: Liana, C Monet

Currently Reading

The Goodbye Man, Jeffery Deaver

Balls in Your Court, Nina Hai

Spring (Seasons of Love book 3), Norian Love

What I've Been Watching

• Agatha Christie's Miss Marple on Hulu
• Comparing Miss Marple to Elsbeth
• Considering Murder, She Wrote and the original Perry Mason

Writing and Publishing

• Secret project in progress
• Standard of Care is still a new release 
• New Releases for Less promo through BookFunnel on june 16th
• Leslie's Curl and Dye picked up 900+ downloads from the Freebooksy and Fussy Librarian stack
• Make It a Black Diamond Summer sale runs through July 4th: Beach Thing is free, books two and three are 50% off

Upcoming Events

• Black Ink Book Fest, New Orleans (attending, not appearing)
• Wine with Writers the following weekend   (appearing, sold out) 

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

I'm back after a busy May and an even busier start to June. This episode has a full book report, a writing and publishing update, and a complete recap of Black Romance Book Fest Year Two: the panels, the signings, the chaos, and the sales numbers. 

I also talk about what's coming up this summer, including Wine with Writers in Baltimore and some (hopefully) exciting audio opportunities.

Reading: I'm at 72 / 150 books for 2026 and 8 books ahead of schedule. May was a great reading month with 11 books.  In June I've been working through Jeffrey Deaver's Colter Shaw series (the source material for Tracker), plus new releases from Jsin Graham, Frederick Smith, Donna Hill, and Shemeka Irby. Find the full list on my website at Booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/139 or on my substack. 

Publishing: May was my best sales month in years ! 1,042 units! MAKE IT A BLACK DIAMOND SUMMMER is running now through July 4th. Beach Thing is free in ebook, and Elysium and The Pearl are 50% off at my store ONLY. 

Wine with Writers pre-orders close June 8th.

BRBF Year Two: Over 3,000 attendees, sold out of multiple titles, pitched the Black Diamond series for audio distribution, and had my best event ever, two years running.

Find full show notes including every book mentioned at  booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast139 or authordlwhite.substack.com.

Find all links, pre-order forms, and the newsletter at booksbydlwhite.com/linkinbio.

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

I'm back after a week off but I have a  good excuse. 

In this episode I catch up on reading, go down a mystery rabbit hole (including the Lori Loughlin drama and why a series abruptly ended), and share a full breakdown of the Standard of Care soft launch. I also talk about a conversation I had with a longtime reader about why my books have changed, and why I'm writing shorter novels on purpose...and what burnout had to do with all of it.

Books mentioned:

Ms. Lorraine’s Late in Life Love by Taccara Martin

These Heathens by Mia McKenzie

L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood by Anne Soon Choi

Mist and Malice by Rachel Howzell Hall

The Mediator by Robert Bailey

Should We? by Jessica Terry

Sunset Over Napa Valley by Monica Garner

The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton

Bibliotherapy in the Bronx by Emely Rumble LCSW 

Full transcript and show notes: authordlwhite.substack.com

Support the podcast: booksbydlwhite.com/shop | buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite | booksbydlwhite.com/linkinbio

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

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 Color podcast to talk about Missing Persons, a Young Investigations novel. Episode dropped April 16, 2026.

If you haven't read Missing Persons yet — attorney Wesley Payne and private investigator Yvette Young take on a missing father case that gets complicated fast. It's a romantic mystery (DL's words) and the perfect entry point if you've been curious.

Listen to the episode: crimewritersofcolor.com/cwoc-podcast/missing-persons-with-dl-white

Standard of Care Release Plan

The book is done. Edited, formatted, promo materials in hand (shoutout to Smirks Novel Tea for the graphics).

May 15 : Soft Launch (website/direct only)

• Ebook available at booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

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!) 

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

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

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.

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! 

Support the show

Stay connected:

Visit my website–Booksbydlwhite.com

Join my newsletter – booksbydlwhite.com/newsletter

Follow me on Substack–Main Substack | Short Fiction Substack

Buy books & merch – booksbydlwhite.com/shop

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or Buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And if you really liked it, tell a friend.