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Do you have a dream that both scares and delights you? Something you've always wanted to try but haven’t taken the leap yet? My guest today is YA author Evan Kidwell, and that question lies at the heart of his writing journey. Ever since he was young, his mind has been filled with dreams, characters, and stories. One day, someone challenged him to do what scared and delighted him. And Evan knew the answer to that challenge: write my book. In today’s interview, you’ll discover how a boy who found refuge from school bullies in stories found the opportunity to pursue his dream of telling his own story. Do you have a story to share? 

Find Evan Kidwell online: https://www.timeaousspark.com/ 

Purchase Timeaous Spark and the Luck Curse: Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Timeaous-Spark-Curse-K-Kidwell-ebook/dp/B0DJGYLK35?ref_=ast_author_mpb Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/56283/9798231894451 

Books and Authors mentioned: 

Animorphs 

Harry Potter 

Nicola Tyche - North Queen 

Brendan Noble 

Rebecca Yarros - Fourth Wing 

Halie Fewkes - Secrets of the Tally 

D.D. Black 

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Today I have another mystery writer on the podcast. Her name is Melanie Anagnos, and she is the author of Nightswimming, the first book in the Jamie Palmieri mystery series. Set in the late 1970's in Paterson, New Jersey, it is a "classic police procedural charged with the social turbulence of the 1970s." 

In our conversation we talk about her writing journey, and dig into what makes a compelling character, how a writer can create convincing female characters that avoid all the tropes, and why she chose the 70's as her setting. Of course you know we will also share some of what we're reading, our favorite books, and we even find time to bring up classics like Jane Eyre! 

Find Melanie Anagnos online at: https://melanieanagnos.com/ 

Melanie's substack: https://melanieanagnos.substack.com/ 

Buy Nightswimming: https://www.amazon.com/Nightswimming-Palmieri-Mystery-Melanie-Anagnos/dp/1962931153/  

Books Mentioned: 

Willa Cather 

Lonesome Dove 

Martin Beck Series by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö 

Cormoran Strike Series by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 

Jill by Amy Dillwyn 

Louise Penny 

Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 

Julia Spencer-Fleming 

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro and What We're Reading 

05:00 Writing Journey 

13:51 Creating Convincing Characters 

28:24 Writing Advice 

34:22 My Mystery book recommendations 

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This is a cluckin' good mystery! Today on the podcast I am interviewing Carmela Dutra, who is the author of A Murder Most Fowl, book 1 in the new Food Truck cozy mystery series. 

In our conversation, Carmela and I talk about some of our favorite mystery reads, and some of the authors who have encouraged her on her journey. We talk about her book and how she found her way to writing cozies. As we look into her writing journey, she talks about what it was like to keep getting so many rejection letters. And yet, she came to see that rejection was not a failure, but learning opportunities that helped her learn to craft the story she wanted to tell. 

This was a fun interview, and you'll learn all about Carmela's writing journey, her books, and our favorite Chicken dishes! 

Find Carmela online: https://carmeladutra.com/ 

Buy her book: https://bookshop.org/a/56283/9798892423175 

Marry Me Chicken: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/marry-me-chicken/ 

Books Mentioned: 

Veronica Speedwell Mystery Series by Deanna Raybourn 

Sheila Connolly - Orchard Mystery Series 

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn 

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn 

A Murder Most Fowl by Carmela Dutra 

Hot Wings and Homicide by Carmela Dutra - Coming out May 12th! 

Janet Evanovich's Recovery Agent series 

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann 

The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

The Better Mother by Jenniffer van der Kluet 

Ellery Adams, Danielle Paige, Vicki Delany, 

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Fate vs. Destiny, and Creating Sympathetic Villains | A Conversation with Author H. R. Cole 

Welcome back to the new season of The Bookshelf Odyssey Podcast! Today I interview H. R. Cole, author of the epic fantasy Daughter of the Void. We discuss her novel and how it explores fate vs. destiny; we dive into what makes for a fascinating and sympathetic villain (with some side tracks discussing MCU supervillain Thanos!), and she shares some tips on how writers can avoid burnout by showing kindness to themselves and their writing process. We also share some books we've been reading lately!

www.hrcole.com 

www.hrcole.substack.com 

Books mentioned: 

Daughter of the Void by H. R. Cole, Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Emily Wilde, The Dreaming Tree by C J Cherryh, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, Dresden Files by Jim Butcher 

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 In today's episode, I interview romance author Kay Parquet about her delightful series, Blossom Street. Each story explores a different life and love of the people who populate her cozy town. We discuss some of our favorite stories, talk about her writing journey, and how ADHD affects writing and reading. If you're looking for clean romance stories that feature realistic people, this is the series for you! 

Find Kay Online: https://kayparquet.com/ 

Her AuthorTube channel:  @KayParquet

Here's a couple of blog posts she written about ADHD and burnout, I found these to be really helpful in my own journey! 

https://kayparquet.com/youre-not-lazy-you-just-have-adhd/  

https://kayparquet.com/burnout-in-creatives/ 

Books Mentioned: 

The Expanse Series by James S. A. Corey 

The Silo Series by Hugh Howey 

Deryni Series, Katherine Kurtz 

Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne McCaffery 

Dresden Files by Jim Butcher 

Recommended Writing Books 

Save the Cat Writes Horror (and other Save the Cat books) 

Outlining Your Novel by K. M. Weiland 

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes 

How to Write a Romance Novel by Judy Angelo 

Show, Don't Tell by Sandra Gerth 

Dear Writer, Are You In Burnout? by Becca Syme 

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury 

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Today's interview is with the cozy mystery author Shannon Symonds! She returns to the podcast to talk about her new book, Murder by the Book, we catch up on all the exciting changes that have to her life this past year, and we then reflect on the year and express gratitude for all that has happened. 

Just a note: This episode was intended to come out on Thanksgiving weekend, but due to some illnesses it was delayed in getting out, which is why I refer to Thanksgiving so much. Also I was just getting a cold and Shannon was suffering from some allergies. Tis the season for sneezing I guess! 

Find Shannon Symonds online at: https://www.shannonsymonds.com/ 

The Balefire Bay Cozy Mystery Series: 

Booked for Murder 

Murder by the Book

#podcast #booktube #cozymysteryauthor #cozymystery #authorinterview #authortube 

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Today on The Bookshelf Odyssey Podcast, we’re talking about dragons! My guest is YA author Mari Mancusi, a versatile writer who has created stories for readers of all ages. Recently, she’s turned her talents toward crafting a thrilling trilogy about the dragon apocalypse. As we explore her writing journey, you’ll hear how a Disney superfan ended up writing books for Disney, why it’s so important to write what you love, and—of course—plenty about dragons. 

Mari has a whole collection of books that would make fantastic gifts for the readers in your life, whether they’re young or simply young at heart! 

Author Website: www.marimancusi.com

MG/YA BOOK LIST 

Dawn of the Dragons - LBYR - out September 2nd 

The Official Wednesday Cookbook - PRH - Out July 22nd 

Sally’s Lament: A Nightmare Before Christmas Twisted Tale - Disney 

All is Found: A Frozen Anthology - Disney 

New Dragon City - LBYR 

Frozen: Polar Nights, Cast into Darkness - Disney 

Frozen: Dangerous Secrets - Disney 

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I’m excited to share today’s episode—our 100th episode of The Bookshelf Odyssey! To celebrate this milestone, I’m joined by author Leokadia George for a conversation about a topic that’s close to my heart: animal conservation. Leokadia has partnered with the New York Wolf Conservation Center to create a delightful series of children’s books about Trumpet, a real Mexican Gray Wolf whose story reflects the ongoing efforts to protect this endangered species. 

In our interview, we dive into the inspiration behind her stories, the vital work being done at the NYWCC, and what we can all learn from wolf behavior and conservation efforts. 

I walked away from this conversation inspired—and I think you will too. Don’t miss this special episode! 

Trumpet's story is available everywhere, but here is the Wolf Conservation Center's shop where you can get Leokadia's books, along with teaching guides and more: https://shop.nywolf.org/collections/education-guides-books 

Find out more about New York Wolf Conservation Website: https://nywolf.org/ 

Find out more about Leokadia George here: https://brileybaxterbooks.com/author-leokadia-george/ 

Find our more about LightHawk Conservation Flying: https://www.lighthawk.org/ 

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Can someone accidentally become a writer? 

Today, my interview takes us over to beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland as I interview mystery author Val Penny! She writes crime mysteries set in Edinburgh - The DI Hunter Wilson Crime Series and the new spinoff series The Jane Renwick Thrillers. In today’s episode we talk about what we’re currently reading and the joy of rereading books throughout our life, her writing journey that began with a hard battle with cancer, and we find out how, as she puts it, “ignorance of how publishing works and illness” helped her to “accidentally” get published! Once you read her books, you’ll realize that her success is in no way an accident. 

Val Penny: www.valpenny.com  

Books Mentioned: 

Hunter's Chase by Val Penny 

The First Cut by Val Penny 

A Fighting Chance by Val Penny dffasfsafasfasfasfsadfsadf

None of this is True by Lisa Jewell 

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 

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Today on the podcast, I’m joined by the talented Michele Pariza Wacek — author of an incredible range of mysteries, thrillers, and cozies, all set within a shared universe. We kick things off chatting about our pets (naturally!), share some great reading recommendations, and gush over one of my favorite series — The Dresden Files. Then we dive into Michele’s writing journey, explore how all her stories connect, and talk about the craft of writing and the lessons she’s learned along the way. 

Find Michele online: https://michelepw.com/  

She has several new books out right now, and her latest Christmas themed one will be out in just a couple of weeks! 

Books Mentioned: 

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Ghost 

A Mysterious Christmas Collection 

Arson, Old Lace, and Murder 

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher 

Louise Penny 

Elizabeth George 

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