The Bookshop at the End of the Internet

Author Gale Massey discusses her short story collection, Rising and Other Stories, and her coming-of-age novel, The Girl from Blind River. After Gale curated Rising and Other Stories, she realized her stories share several themes in common: nature, water, grief, and the notion of girls taking on the world. This latter theme also runs through The Girl from Blind River. Gale discusses how learning to play poker was the spark for her first novel and why she believes The Girl from Blind River is the story she was born to write.

Author Kristen Fogle is the Executive Director of the nonprofit literary center San Diego Writers, Ink and the author of four journaling books. Kristen discusses why she believes that everyone is (or has it within them to be) a writer. She has spent her career helping writers as an editor and instructor. Kristen discusses creating dynamic characters, journaling in whatever format sets you on fire, and the importance of feedback—not just what you do with it, but also the people from whom you choose to take it.

Author Lars Emmerich discusses his conspiracy thriller series featuring female protagonist Sam Jameson. Lars admits that having a female lead in this genre is a bit unusual. But if murder, espionage, and smart, tough, feisty female government agents are your thing, you'll want to check out this series. Lars chats about how he was inspired by Tom Clancy and similar authors, and why he thinks that writing books always ends up being more like a science project than an art project about half-way through the story.

Author Brooklyn Quintana discusses her debut young adult novel, Fynneas Fog: Nine of Swords. This dark fantasy adventure is the first installment in a nine-part series. It follows young Prince Fynneas, who is sent to the Morancy Academy of Military Arts on a magical and dangerous island where his survival cannot be guaranteed. Being homesick is the least of Fynneas's worries, given that he must deal with eccentric instructors, enchanted jungles, man-eating mermaids, labyrinths and talking spiders.

Author Theresa Kaminski discusses her latest biography, Queen of the West: The Life and Times of Dale Evans. This project was 10 years in the making, but the inspiration for it goes back to Theresa's childhood when she watched reruns of The Roy Rogers Show on television. Dale Evans was the first female Western star and was dubbed Queen of the West. Theresa discusses the differences between Dale Evans's public celebrity image and her private persona and how much control she had over her career as a woman in Hollywood.

Author Shannon Stocker discusses her new children's picture book biography, Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion. This project is near and dear to Shannon's heart. Evelyn Glennie began learning music as a small child. She also began to lose her hearing starting at age 8, but her profound hearing loss did not keep her from continuing to play. Shannon's new book, Listen, is the story of Evelyn Glennie, a deaf woman who became the first full-time solo percussionist in the world.

Author Jolie Tunnell discusses her series, The Idyllwild Mysteries. This historical cozy mystery series is set in 1912 in the small mountain town of Idyllwild, CA. Jolie's main character, Loveda Brown, reluctantly finds herself in Idyllwild but grows to love the town. 1912 is a year of great change for Idyllwild with the arrival of new, modern ideas and technological advances like the automobile. All this upheaval, plus Loveda's arrival, serves as the backdrop for that key component of all cozy mysteries…murder.

Author Nicholas Erik discusses his numerous science fiction and fantasy novels, including his latest: The Tess Skye series. Nick has written over twenty novels, most of them under the pen name D.N. Erikson. These fast-paced, thrilling books are largely dark, urban fantasy stories with paranormal elements such as vampires, demons and supernatural bounty hunters. Nick is also the author of two comprehensive guides for authors in which he shares tools for marketing, building a fanbase and being more productive.

Author Melissa Sercia discusses her new Immortal Billionaires steamy romance series. Each book is a standalone novel, connected by a shared world, an underlying plot arc and crossover characters. These stories feature smart, strong, feisty heroines, plus dangerously hot vampires, demons and werewolves...and, of course, a Happily Ever After. The Immortal Billionaires is the latest series by Melissa, who has written two other urban fantasy series, Blood and Darkness and Beautiful Dark Beasts.

Author Barbara Krasner discusses her new middle grade novel, 37 Days at Sea: Aboard the M.S. St. Louis, 1939. It is a novel in verse about a refugee ship fleeing Nazi Germany for Cuba in 1939, told from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl. Barbara's novel is based on the true story of the M.S. St. Louis, and she did extensive research, including interviewing people who were children on board the M.S. St. Louis in 1939. 37 Days at Sea is a refugee story that is not too different from refugee stories today.