Debut author Virginia Evans joins me today to talk about her stunning first novel, The Correspondent — a story of resilience, grief, and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters. We dive into her inspiration, her writing process, and the emotional heart of the story. Plus, a rapid-fire "this or that" round you won't want to miss!

If you love deep conversations, unforgettable characters, and a behind-the-scenes peek into a debut author's journey, this episode is for you. Tune in now!

Website: https://www.virginiaevansauthor.com/

IG: @virginia.l.evans

From Daisy Jones to The Idea of You, the book world is full of stories for the screen. In this episode, we dive deeper into some of the best book-to-screen adaptations. My list definitely includes the classics like Little Women (1994-ONLY) and Harry Potter. There are SO MANY books to screens happening in the coming year and it is so fun to talk about it!

Happy Pub Day to debut author Sarah Damoff! Her gorgeous book The Bright Years is available now and I hope you all grab a copy today. I loved this book so much and think there is so much to discuss and unpack. Congrats Sarah!!

https://www.sarahdamoff.com/

IG: sarahdamoff

I've heard Saskia narrate many books to me so to finally get her on the podcast and learn more about her background was absolutely fascinating! With over 150 audiobook narrations under her belt, Saskia is one of the best in her field. I love her passion with her narrations! She is so talented and this chat was one of my favorites. Thanks for listening!

Some of Saskia's work:

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

most of Kate Quinn's recent books

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers (May 6)

I know you’ve read Blake Cake by now, but have you read Good Dirt? It was a blast chatting with New York Times bestselling author Charmaine Wilkerson and learning more about her and her author journey.  Charmaine is such a gifted storyteller and you could tell by the way she described aspects of the inspiration behind her books. Thanks for listening!

Charmaine recommended these three books:

Isola by Allegra Goodman

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Night Magic by Leigh Ann Henion

You can find Charmaine:

IG: charmspen1

https://charmspen.com

Part One:

A couple weeks, I asked on my Instagram stories for specific book recommendations that you were wanting. And since you wrote in such specific questions, I decided we're going to make a second part! So these are the categories we covered today with several recommendations under each. Let me know if you read them and report back!

-Something like The Last Flight by Julie Clark

-Historical Fiction not set during WW2

-Something sweet but not a romance

-Female Friendships

Have you read All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman yet?? It is such a fun bingable suspense story with a snarky main character who is trying to solve the mystery of a boy going missing at her sons school. It was such a fun ride! I knew I wanted to interview Sarah because I had to know the brain behind Florence, our main character. Sarah is so honest about her author journey which I hope is helpful for aspiring authors!

Thanks for listening!

You can find Sarah:

IG: @sarah_harman_writer

Website: https://www.sarah-harman.com/

March was a fantastic month of reading, mainly due to the 3-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book streak I found myself in! That has never happened before! But like all streaks, they come to end and Count My Lies was my bummer of a book to kill the high. I checked a lot of books off my TBR this month and I cannot wait to see what April has in store. Did you have a favorite book in March?

Thanks for Listening!

Loved

🎧 The Poppy Fields ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Broken Country ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s a Love Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Liked

🎧 The Story She Left Behind ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Ghostwriter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Sky Daddy ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧 The Good Samaritan ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧 A Map to Paradise ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Meh

🎧 Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 ⭐️⭐️💫

The Love Haters ⭐️⭐️

🎧 Count My Lies ⭐️⭐️

Promise Me Sunshine ⭐️⭐️

🎧 Swept Away ⭐️⭐️

It isn't too often I find an author that not only pulls on all my heartstrings while also simultaneously making me think that we'd actually be friends in real life! Ashley Manley has changed the women's fiction/romance game for me with her...let's call them...more mature female main characters and her relatable stories. I think I've aged out of the 25-something love stories because let's be honest, I've lived a lot of life since then. I hope you love this interview and love all of Ashley's books. She is such a gifted author and I can't wait to see what is in store for her in the coming years!

Forever and Back is out now!

Also from Ashley, Every Beautiful Mile and When Wildflowers Bloom

IG: @ashleymanleywrites

www.ashleymanleywrites.com

Charlotte-area upcoming events:

4/1 Belmont Bookshop, breakfast launch, Belmont, NC

4/5 Fred & Junes Bookshop, signing 12-3, Mooresville, NC

4/27, Gastonia Ghostpeppers baseball game in partnership with Belmont Bookshop @2:30

SPOILERS! March's book club pick was Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson and we had a great time diving deeper into the Freeman family and the different aspects of the story. We discussed Ebby and her development and wished we saw more from her throughout the story! I think we were divided on the balance of history to present day story but we were unanimous on how much we loved the short chapters which helped the pacing. I think this would be a great book to discuss as a group!

Thanks for listening!