The Bookshop at the End of the Internet

Author Claire Seeber discusses her new book, The Birthday Reunion. Claire is the author of nine books, all of them dark, twisty, psychological thrillers. The Birthday Reunion is no exception. This novel is a twist on the domestic thriller, featuring four middle-aged women who were best friends in their early twenties but haven't spoken in twenty years. When three of them are invited to the fourth woman's birthday party on a gorgeous island in the Mediterranean, the four women reunite. And in typical Claire Seeber fashion, everything goes horribly wrong.

Author Paul Lamb discusses his new book, One-Match Fire. This novel is a love story—involving the love between grandfather, father and son, as well as the love they share for a little cabin in the Ozarks. The cabin is a place where the characters can leave their lives behind and just be themselves, and it was inspired by Paul's own cabin in the Ozarks. This novel was never meant to be more than a single short story. But after writing ten short stories involving these characters, Paul decided it was finally time to draft the novel.

Best-selling author Matthew Farrell discusses his latest book, The Woman at Number 6, a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist. Matthew loves to write characters that a lot of readers can relate to—typical families, suburban neighborhoods, and so on. But what he really loves is to interject turmoil into that world, to place his normal characters into abnormal situations where something important is at stake. The Woman at Number 6, like all of Matthew's books, is a fast-paced, tension-filled ride that his readers can't put down.

Author Derek Baxter discusses his book, In Pursuit of Jefferson: Traveling through Europe with the Most Perplexing Founding Father. Derek's book is about a little-known travel guide written by Thomas Jefferson in 1788 titled, "Hints for Americans Traveling in Europe." Derek came across this travel guide online and was surprised to find out that it wasn't talked about much by historians. Armed with the guide, Derek and his family set out to recreate Jefferson's travels and to follow his "Hints for Americans." Derek's book, In Pursuit of Jefferson, tells the tale of those travels.

Author Frank Reteguiz discusses his American Lore series. What started out as a single story eventually became an interconnected series of novels. There are currently six books available in the series, which is a unique mashup of horror, fantasy and science fiction. Frank draws inspiration for his novels from Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, and his own experience as a former police officer. He also likes to weave little-known historical facts into his stories, which he writes as modern-day fables.

Author Michael Kaufman discusses the first two books in his Jen Lu mystery series—The Last Exit and The Last Resort. Set in Washington, D.C. about ten years in the future, this series of political thrillers features two main characters, Detective Jen Lu and a sentient bio-computer named Chandler, who happens to be implanted in Jen Lu's brain. Jen and Chandler come up against global conspiracies, political intrigue, the development of longevity treatments (both legal and black market), and a global climate crisis that is having dangerous and deadly consequences.

Author Jessica Hatch discusses her new novel, How to Keep a Husband for Ten Days. This rom-com story is a second-chance romance about a couple in the middle of breaking up who find themselves having to pretend to be in love with each other for a little while longer. The book features a cast of characters that is loosely based on a group of friends Jessica met when they all lived in the same old building. Jessica also chats about writing this novel under a tight deadline and why that made for a rather messy creative process.

Author Melody Johnson discusses her latest sci-fi romance, Sight Beyond the Sun, the second book in her Love Beyond series. Melody brings us fresh main characters and a whole new world to explore in this stand-alone novel that involves espionage, an intergalactic human-trafficking ring and an enemies-to-lovers romance. Melody chats about lessons she's learned, working as a hybrid author dealing with both traditional and indie publishing, and why she shifted from running book ads to finding ways to connect directly with readers.

Author Elma Linz Kanefield discusses her book, Hamlet's Mirror: Reaching Your Potential Onstage and Off. It is a book designed for performing artists, but the advice it contains could apply to all artists and artists-at-heart. Elma's own experience with stage fright as a young performer in NYC led her to become a psychotherapist and to write this book. In Hamlet's Mirror, she discusses why artists and performers do what they do, the pressures they experience as a result, and why the goal should be to strive for excellence not perfection.

Author Laury A. Egan discusses her novel, Once, Upon an Island. This coming-of-age story is set on St. Croix in 1966 and follows 16-year-old Olivia and her glamorous mother as they escape to the island following the loss of Olivia's younger brother. Olivia befriends a mysterious Czechoslovakian woman named Sofiya, and the two bond over their mutual grief as long-buried secrets come to light. Laury visited St. Croix in 1966 when she was sixteen, and she vowed then to write a book about it. She has done so now, more than half a century later.