In this episode of The Book House podcast, Liz Alterman chats with Amanda Casile whose debut novel, Broken Trail, comes out December 9, 2025. Amanda writes speculative horror in both long and short form. Her words have appeared in publications like Quill and Crow, Bag of Bones Press, Hungry Shadow, and Eerie River Press.

Amanda lives in the New Jersey suburbs with her husband and two daughters. When she isn’t writing you can often find her wandering the woods looking for ghosts, which is exactly what inspired Broken Trail.

In the novel, a young mother finds herself and her children trapped in a forest full of malevolent spirits and must find the strength to outsmart whatever prowls the woods if she wants to return her family to safety.

Offering a look at her process, Amanda shared what drew her to the horror genre, where and when she makes time for her craft, and how writing short stories keeps her motivated and inspired between longer projects.

For more, listen to the episode or check out Amanda’s website or follow her on social media.

In this episode, Liz Alterman chats with author and writing instructor Michelle Cameron, whose novel, Napoleon’s Mirage, hit bookshelves Nov. 12, 2024.

This work of historical fiction is the long-awaited sequel to the award-winning novel Beyond the Ghetto Gates. Michelle is also the author of Babylon, The Fruit of Her Hands and In the Shadow of the Globe.

Listen in as Michelle outlines the pros and cons of writing a sequel. She also offers a look at the research that goes into her projects before she puts pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). As an instructor at The Writers Circle, Michelle knows the value of community. Check out her course recommendations for 2025.

For more, visit Michelle’s website.

In our latest episode, James Rhee, author of Red Helicopter: Lead Change with Kindness (Plus a Little Math), released in April, shares the story behind his national bestseller.

As a kindergartener, James received a toy red helicopter as a token of appreciation for the kindness he’d shown a classmate.

Decades later, that same spirit of generosity and concern for others guided him toward developing a human-centered framework for business and personal achievement that helped him overcome seemingly insurmountable odds as the unlikely chairman, CEO, and some might say “savior” of the Secaucus, New Jersey-based Ashley Stewart, a plus-size women's clothing chain primarily employing and serving Black women.

Inspired by the values instilled in him by his Korean immigrant parents, James understood that a radically different—yet familiar—approach was required to lead this twice-bankrupt company from the jaws of liquidation to transcendent success.

James also talked about the role of music not only in his life but also in the three-act structure of the narrative. A playlist, which spans the gamut of musical greats from The Beatles and Barbara Streisand to Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen, captures the emotions James associated with each chapter of the book. Don't miss the original piece, Arirang Amazing Grace, inspired by James and arranged by Chad Cannon, which conveys the spirit of this "parable for our times" through music. For more information about James, visit Red Helicopter.com.

Our latest episode of The Book House Podcast features Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne, co-authors of The Antiquity Affair and The Starlets, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and comes out November 12.

From coming up with an idea to dividing the workload, Kelly and Thorne shared a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to work together to bring a novel to life. Their first collaboration, The Antiquity Affair, proved an exciting female-heroine take on Indiana Jones while their latest, The Starlets, is a page-turner that features the grit and glamour of Old Hollywood.

The prolific pair has two more novels in the works. How do they juggle these in addition to their solo projects? Tune in to find out.

In today’s episode, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Eva Lesko Natiello discusses the writing class that changed her life.

Before becoming a novelist, Eva enjoyed a successful career as Vice President of Global Communications for Estee Lauder Inc. When she pivoted to raise her children, she sought a creative outlet. After reading a chilling news article, she was inspired to try her hand at writing. Eager to learn more about the craft of storytelling, Eva enrolled in a writing course at The New School where she encountered a professor whose unexpected advice inspired her to keep going.

After years of hard work, the early drafts her professor found "riveting" turned into her debut, The Memory Box, a psychological thriller about a woman who Googles herself and discovers the shocking details of a past she doesn’t remember. After querying dozens of literary agents without receiving an offer of representation, Eva harnessed her communication and marketing expertise to self-publish and, ultimately, sell 200,000 copies of her novel.

She followed it up with Following You, a thriller about a stalked celebrity who goes missing.

In addition to penning bestselling novels, Eva also teaches book marketing classes—both in-person and online. She offers one-on-one consultations designed to help authors decide which publishing path best suits their work.

To learn more about Eva, visit her website, follow her on social media, and don’t miss her essay, How a Professor’s One Piece of Advice Influenced My Entire Writing Career.

Liz Alterman's latest guest is novelist and publicist Andrea J. Stein. Andrea is the author of Typecast, which came out in 2022 and was named A Buzzfeed Pick of The Best Main Characters We've Gotten To Know in 2022 and A Scary Mommy Pick of New Books We Can’t Wait to Cozy Up with This Fall. She is also the author of the soon-to-be-released novel Dear Eliza.

In this episode, Andrea shares the inspiration behind her books' unique hooks as well as how she creates multi-dimensional characters. A professional publicist with three decades of experience, the Summit-based author offers solid advice for writers to consider when pitching their projects to the media. Andrea recommended some highlights from her own recent reading list.

In our latest episode, YA thriller author MK Pagano shares with Liz Alterman how she blends romance, friendship, suspense, and grief in her compelling debut, Girls Who Burn.

Eighteen-year-old protagonist Addie Blackwood regrets nothing more than one horrible, mistake-filled night last summer. Hours after she hurled the worst words she could think of at her sister, Fiona was found dead at the bottom of a ravine. The police ruled her death an accident, but Addie’s never bought it. Her ballet-prodigy sister didn’t slip and fall; someone pushed her. And Addie’s number one suspect: Thatcher Montgomery, the rich kid down the street who always had a thing for Fiona. But when Thatcher is found dead in the same ravine, Addie must admit she was wrong.

Pagano, a mom of two, also talks about her writing process and how she tracks characters and themes to ensure she pulls on each of the threads that make up her intricately woven tale to leave readers with a satisfying conclusion.

A longtime fan of Tana French, MK recommends novels that have kept her turning pages this year.

Pick up Girls Who Burn and MK's reading selections at The Book House in Millburn or Long Branch.

Today’s guest is Jennifer Shirk, the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of sweet and funny romance novels. Jennifer’s latest, Resorting to Romance, was released on July 2. Though she's now penned a dozen novels, the South Jersey author actually got her bachelor's degree in pharmacy and was considering continuing on to get her doctorate before turning to fiction.

In this episode, Jennifer talks about the authors who inspired her to make this sharp turn along her career track. She also shares how her seaside town provided plenty of fodder for the fictional setting in her latest book.

Resorting to Romance follows L.A. attorney Loni Wingate whose perfect day at the office gets ruined by chaos and heartbreak. Her fiancé stole her promotion and ended their engagement, leaving her career and her future dangling by a thread. Then when Loni tries to go to her safe place, her family’s quaint North Carolina resort, she finds it’s up for sale.

Jennifer also shared good news for readers who fall in love with these characters--she's working on a sequel that will focus on Loni's sister.

Hi, I’m Liz Alterman, journalist, author and your host of The Book House podcast. This season, we'll be chatting all about the writing life with authors from across the Garden State.

In this episode, author Lisa Kusel shares a behind-the-scenes look at penning her spicy suspense novel, The Widow on Dwyer Court which was released July 16. A Jersey girl at heart, Lisa grew up in Edison and currently lives in Burlington, Vermont where she writes at a desk overlooking Lake Champlain. Before crafting this twisty psychological thriller, Lisa published a memoir, Rash, about her family's bold move to Bali. Prior to that, she wrote a novel, Hat Trick, and a collection of interconnected short stories, Other Fish In the Sea.

Lisa talks about her uncommon writing path spanning multiple genres and how her newest novel, which bestselling author Samantha Bailey calls, "incredibly clever, unique, and compelling," had several iterations before arriving in its current form. The story, which is told from two points of view, includes an erotic novel within the novel.

The Widow on Dwyer Court tells the story of thirty-six-year-old stay-at-home soccer mom Kate Burke, who, to the casual observer, appears happily married to Matt Parsons. But behind closed doors, their marriage looks very different. So, While they still love each other madly, Kate is no longer interested in having sex with her husband. To satisfy their needs, they make an arrangement: Matt can have one-night stands with other women on work trips, but when he returns home, he has to tell Kate about them—every juicy detail. Why? Beecause Matt’s adulterous affairs inspire and fuel Kate's secret career as a beloved erotic romance novelist.

When Annie Meyers, an eccentric young widow, moves to town with her daughter, things become even more complicated. At first Kate is smitten with this wild, witty woman, who gives her a much-needed break from the other picture-perfect suburban moms, although she’s not sure how much of her hidden life she’s willing to share with her new friend. But it turns out Annie has secrets too—big ones that could destroy all their lives.

Stop by The Book House Long Branch on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 5 to 7 pm to meet Lisa in person and pick up a signed copy of her latest. Visit her website LisaKusel.com for updates or follow her on Instagram @Lisa_Kusel.

Poet Melissa Elder joins host Liz Alterman as we launch an audio celebration of our company's flagship bookstore, and of New Jersey writers.

This week we launch a brand-new podcast to celebrate The Book House, the flagship bookstore of Sea of Reeds Media, the company that created Book and Film Globe. We're excited to introduce you to Liz Alterman, journalist, author and your host of The Book House podcast. She'll be chatting all about the writing life with authors from across the Garden State. Her first episode is a a conversation with Morris County resident Melissa Elder, poet and author of the gorgeous collections, The Mundane and Nostalgia. If you enjoy the work of poets Maggie Smith, Kate Baer, and Joy Sullivan, do yourself a favor and pick up one of Melissa's books, preferably at The Book House or through our affiliate link at Bookshop.org.

Welcome!