The Hope Prose Podcast

This week on Hope Prose, Tara has the joy of speaking with an author she recently discovered who resonates deeply with her own reading and writing passions. Originally from  Tasmania, Australia, Mikki Brammer now calls New York City Home. Her debut novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, was a USA Today bestseller and has been published in over 27 languages. Her second novel, released this past May, Good Joy, Bad Joy, was picked for both  Barnes and Noble and Reader’s Digest’s Book Clubs. In addition to writing uplifting and life-affirming novels, Mikki also writes about art, design, and architecture for publications such as Dwell and Architectural Digest. 

Listen in as they talk about balancing losses with joys in both life and novels, how we can learn from those around us to write authentic, true characters, and how recognizing our fears can inspire us to do things we never thought we might. 

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This week on Hope Prose, Tara goes back to the beginning of her own writing journey by speaking with the person who helped ignite her first spark in writing, back when she was a young mother who struggled with post-partum anxiety and an all-encompassing amount of imposter syndrome. Back when she dreamed up picture books at three in the morning with a baby asleep on her chest, and decided to write to one of her favourite picture book authors on a whim. Kathy Stinson was that author and is Tara’s guest again after twelve years. 

Kathy writes timeless picture books that have been published internationally, including the classic Red Is Best,  the award-winning The Man with the Violin,

 and the Governor General shortlisted The Rock and the Butterfly. She is also a published novelist, short story writer, poet, wife, mother, grandmother, and current president of CANSCAIP (the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers). 

Listen in as they chat about Kathy’s start over forty years ago, how she has maintained this career through avoiding trends, and instead leaning into the creative process and following her own curiosity and interests. They also chat about her newest picture book Boogie & Tee and Twinkle & Hue, and how stories can impact us across the lifespan, even a picture book when we are sixty. 

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This week on Hope Prose, Tara has the joy of speaking with Bruce Holsinger, an Oprah Book Club pick author who is not afraid to confront some of our most challenging societal debates, from environmental catastrophe and class expectations and aspirations to, more recently, the artificial elephant in every computer: AI.

Bruce Holsinger is the author of titles such as The Displacements, The Gifted School, and most recently Culpability, which Tara read twice before chatting with him because it was that good. He is an English professor at the University of Virginia, a recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, and an esteemed non-fiction writer, with works published in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Yale University Press. 

Listen in as they talk about leaning into ethical quandaries and the issues that keep us up at night, how we learn and grow alongside our students, and where, if anywhere, AI has a place in the act of creating stories.  

You can find out more about Bruce and his thought-provoking collection of novels at bruceholsinger.com or on IG @bruceholsingerauthor. 

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This week on Hope Prose, we continue on our journey around the "why" of writing in conversation with US Today best-selling author Emma Grey, author of The Last Love Note, Pictures of You, and Start at the End. 

Listen in as Tara discusses with her the power of story to connect us, not only across time and relationships but also across spaces, including a literary pilgrimage that brought Emma, her family, and a friend to Tara’s community in Ontario, Canada. 

They discuss how influential L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables was in Emma’s writing journey, how she inspired Emma not only in her fictional world, but as a writer herself, and how including these personal experiences in our own writing helps us connect better with readers.  We also get a tease at how her recent trip may have inspired what is to come for Emma! 

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In this episode of Hope Prose, Tara continues her personal journey on why she started writing in a conversation with an author who has greatly inspired her own writing journey in recent years through his gentle stories and guidance as an author and teacher. 

Ethan Joella teaches English and psychology at the University of Delaware, but also shares his time and expertise with nighttime novelists. He lives in the picturesque town of Rehoboth Beach, which Tara may have visited after reading his novel, The Same Bright Stars. Ethan is also the author of A Little Hope, A Read with Jenna Bonus Pick, A Quiet Life, and his soon-to-be-released novel, The Top of the World. 

Listen in as they talk about Ethan’s first unofficial literary agent, why he is drawn to reading and writing stories about beautiful moments within our everyday strains and gains, how he pulls on his poetic side to craft his novels, and his advice to writers about moving on when in a writing rut.  

You can find out more about Ethan at ethanjoella.com. Tara highly encourages you to check out his entire repertoire, including his newest release, at browseaboutbooks.com  in Rehoboth Beach or your local indie bookstore. 

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In this episode of Hope Prose, Tara has the joy of speaking with one of her favourite literary citizens: not a writer, but a voracious reader, friend, husband to Ruth, father, and her beloved agent, Don Pape.

 
Don is the founder of Pape Commons, a collaborative and creative community that leans into each other and embraces one another’s gifts. Bringing over thirty years of experience from publishers such as Doubleday, the Random House imprint, and WaterBrook, Don pairs his passion for excellent stories and ideas with a mission to bring those voices to the readers who need them.

 
Listen in as they discuss what makes a story stand the test of time, which stories have resonated most closely with Don, how stories can serve different purposes for us across our lifespan, and why we need to continue creating.

 
You can find out more about Pape Commons at www. papecommons.com

A Reading List of books Don mentioned: 
Whale Island, Mary Beth Keane
Stone Angel, Margaret Lawrence 
What the Fireflines Knew, Kai Harris
The Hobbit, C.S. Lewis

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Today on Hope Prose, Bret Lott sits down with Tara to discuss his passion for the written word. 

Bret Lott is the New York Times author and professor of English at the College of Charleston. He is Crazyhorse magazine's nonfiction editor and leads a study abroad program to Spoleto, Italy, every summer. Lott was appointed to the National Council of the Arts by President George W. Bush and served a six-year term.

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We're stepping into a new season, version, and vision of Hope Prose. We're returning to our roots, and we're so excited you're here. 

New full-length episode dropping Monday morning. <3 

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In today’s episode, Alex and Tara sit down with powerhouse author and podcaster, Bianca Marais. 

A newly minted USA TODAY bestselling author who is also co-host of the popular writing podcasts, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, aimed at helping emerging writers get published, Bianca has penned several extremely successful books, such as The Witches of Moonshyne Manor, Hum If You Don't Know the Words, If You Want to Make God Laugh, and the Audible Original, The Prynne Viper. 

Listen as they discuss her recent release, A MOST PUZZLING MURDER (June 2025), what it’s like interviewing her literary heroes, her writing process, how to differentiate between POVs, and her love and passion for cultivating community amongst writers.

Due to character limitations, please find a full version of the show notes with applicable content warnings and links on our website at: https://www.tarakross.com/podcast-1

→  Connect with Bianca on her Instagram or visit her website 

→ Buy A Most Puzzling Murder HERE

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In today’s episode, Alex sits down with husband-wife powerhouse Dalton and Emily Bequette. With a meet-cute as beta readers, it is no wonder they went on to take their love beyond the page with their upcoming YA fantasy novel (out July 29th), FLAMEHEART. Emily is a high school English teacher, where she works to instill an appreciation for reading and writing in her students. A blue-collar man, Dalton works in heavy machinery, which allows him to brainstorm plot points and get his audiobooks in. 

Listen as they discuss their meet-cute, how they manage to sound like the same person via their writing when not switching POVs, FLAMEHEART’s origin story, and what their characters have taught them about themselves that they didn’t know before the writing of this book. 

Due to character limitations, please find a full version of the show notes with applicable content warnings and links on our website at: https://www.tarakross.com/podcast-1

→  Connect with Emily and Dalton on their Instagram or visit their website 

→ Pre-order Flameheart HERE

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