Inside the Writer's Studio

Charlie talks with Dave Cullen, author of Columbine, about his latest book, Parkland: Birth of a Movement. They discuss the student activism based in Parkland, Florida that grew up following a school shooting there in 2018. They also touch on the place of a journalist, theatre as therapy, and Dave's book in progress about two gay men in the US Army.

Casey joins Charlie to discuss her new book, Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee. Casey talks about this fascinating excursion first into a bizarre and forgotten multiple murder case in Alabama and second into the story of how Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, almost made this case her own version of In Cold Blood. Southern history, racial justice, writer's block, and literary legacies combine for a great discussion and a great read.

Charlie talks with the New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress about her sweeping new family saga of a novel, The Guest Book. In discussing this tale of a wealthy American family across several generations, they encounter topics such as how the past speaks to us and through us, how one generation can be complicit in the actions of another, how racism and anti-semitism have shaped the American experiment, and how gorgeous it is on the coast of Maine.

Charlie talks with novelist and bookseller Lisa Howorth about independent bookstores (including Lisa's famous Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi) and her new novel The Summerlings. They discuss childhood in the 1950s, the tradition of the child protagonist in Southern literature, the Cold War, and more as they talk about this funny, moving, thought-provoking, and downright fun novel of childhood.

Charlie is in England and Julie is in Israel as they discuss her recent novel in stories, The Book of Jeremiah. They talk about writing linked short stories, the immigrant experience in the United States and Israel, contemporary Judaism, and why a central character who is sometimes cantankerous can be so delightful to read about.

Charlie talks with international best selling novelist Louise Penny about her beloved hero Armand Gamache, the residents of Three Pines, the sound of writing, what it's like to write a series, and much more. The conversation also delves into Penny's forthcoming fifteenth book, A Better Man and of course mentions food, weather, and Canada!

In front of a live audience at Bookmarks, Charlie talks with bestselling author Gwendolyn Womack about her new novel The Time Collector. Listen in as they discuss psychometry, antiques, New Orleans, and the power of memory.

In the creepy confines of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England, Charlie talks with best selling crime novelist Cara Hunter about her latest novel featuring Detective Inspector Adam Fawley, No Way Out. Charlie & Cara discuss Oxford, detective fiction, the secrets of writing a good mystery, and more.

Charlie talks old Hollywood, new Hollywood, movies, gossip, and scandal with Shawn Levy, film critic and historian and author of the fascinating new book The Castle on Sunset, a history of the Chateau Marmont, one of LA's most famous and infamous buildings,.

Charlie talks ethics, morality, justice, and artificial intelligence with Ian McEwan, author of Atonement, Amsterdam, and his latest novel Machines Like Me—a throughly enjoyable and thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be human in which Alan Turing, the Beatles, and a robot named Adam all take a part.