Jayne Ann Krentz is a master of historical romance and paranormal mysteries, with 35 million copies of her books sold internationally, so she's a perfect author to feature for this month of St Valentine.  

Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today Jayne Ann talks about creating her interlinked JayneVerse - that's interlinking of her characters across all of her three series. She gets on to talking about her latest books in her Fogg Lake contemporary paranormals, her Burning Cove historicals and her futuristic Guild Boss series.

We’ve got a special St Valentines Day book offer,  ten copies of romance author Leeanna Morgan’s Sweet Small Town Romance Coming Home, the first book in her Montana Promises series. Leanna is a good friend of the Binge Reading show, with her work featuring in the 2021 Top Ten as well as in the Top Ten for The Best of All Time.

For fans of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series, Leanna Morgan's Montana Promise series is an addictive read that will have you going back for more!

TEN Copies to be claimed - be in first. You will need to enter the Coupon Code WS22V to redeem your free copy.

Offer closes February 15 or when all ten are claimed.

FIRST TEN GET THE BOOK

Details on the Binge Reading website and on our Facebook Binge Reading page. Links to the show can be found on the Binge Reading website, and don't forget, you can get exclusive bonus content, like hearing Jayne's answers to the five quickfire questions by becoming a Binge Reading on Patreon supporter

For the cost of less than a cup of coffee a month, you can help support the show. Your contributions will ensure we continued by paying for hosting, sound editing and transcription costs while my time in putting it all together still remains free. If you'd like to support the show, check it out on www.patreon.com/thejoysofbingereading.

SUPPORT BINGE READING ON PATREON

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

Why writing is something Jayne Ann can't stop doing

How a successful career took a long time to get launched

The linking of her stories into one Jayneverse

The attraction of the psychic dimension

The writers she admires most

What she'd do differently second time around

Where to find Jayne Ann Krentz: 

Website:  www.jayneannkrentz.com

Instagram: @JayneAnnKrentzAuthor

Facebook: @JayneAnnKrentzAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2387.Jayne_Ann_Krentz

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Introducing best-selling romantic suspense author Jayne Ann Krentz

Jayne Ann Krentz - 35 Million books sold

Jenny Wheeler: Thank you for being here, Jayne. It’s wonderful to have you on the show. Welcome to all our listeners.

Jayne Ann Krentz: Thank you so much for inviting me. I'm excited.

Jenny Wheeler: That's great. I have known of your work for many years. I was an Amanda Quick fan years ago with the Arcane Society, but when I looked you up, I saw that you've sold 35 million copies of your books.

That was something I hadn't realized – how huge your following is. You are a best-selling author with an international reputation, but it wasn't that easy getting started, was it?

Jayne Ann Krentz: No. Back in the day, this is how old I am – I am going to have to stop doing this part of interviews because it ages me – but seriously, back when I started, there was no self-publishing option. That was not something you could do, so that meant you had to get past the gatekeepers at the publishers and that took me six years.

Jenny Wheeler: And you were writing for yourself and just the joy of it for that whole six years.

Jayne Ann Krentz: I wouldn't call it the joy of it. I always say that if you're doomed to write you don't have any option. It really is a kind of an addiction. It's a compulsion.

Kate Langbroek’s joyous, brave book Ciao Bella! about taking her family of six to Italy for a year, offers the perfect start to 2022 because it’s an optimistic ‘can do’ tale of overcoming challenge – including ending up home schooling in a Bologna lockdown!

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and in Binge Reading today we’ve got something a little different – our first non-fiction book by popular demand!  Kate and her husband Pete were looking for a “circuit breaker” in family life after years of facing some unusually tough challenges. Their story of a colorful, food-filled stay in Italy is more than a travel memoir.  It offers an incorrigible message of hope.

We’ve got one paperback copy of Ciao Bella! to give away to one lucky reader.  Enter the draw on The Joys of Binge Reading website or on our Facebook page. Offer closes February 10 so be in to win.

ENTER DRAW FOR KATE PAPERBACK

And don’t forget – you can become a supporter of the show on Binge Reading on Patreon for as little as a cup of coffee a month. You’ll get exclusive bonus content, like hearing Kate’s answers to the Five Quickfire Questions, and your contributions can help ensure the show continues by paying for hosting, sound editing and transcription costs, while my time in putting it all together is still completely free.

If you’d like to support the show, check it out at Binge Reading on Patreon at wwww.patreon.com/thejoysofbingereading.

BECOME A BINGE READING ON PATREON SUPPORTER

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

Why taking a 'circuit breaker' doesn't need to be expensiveHow Kate never planned to write a bookFinding the right city for her family's needsMaking new friends to deepen the experienceThe differences between Australia and ItalyHome schooling in Italy in lockdown

Where to find Kate Langbroek: 

Website:  https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/Ciao-Bella!/Kate-Langbroek/9781760857547

Twitter: @katelangbroek

Instagram: @katelangbroek

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

But now, here’s Kate.

Jenny Wheeler: Hello there, Kate and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Kate Langbroek: Thanks Jenny. I'm very happy to be here. I'm very happy to be on this side of promoting a book rather than writing a book.

Introducing broadcaster and author Kate Langbroek

Jenny Wheeler: That’s right. This is unusual for our show because you are the first person who's been on with a non-fiction book. We have always done popular fiction up till now, but when I saw Ciao Bella! which is your personal memoir about taking your family to Italy for a year – just the look of it, you even, you communicated adventurousness, out there – I thought, this is what we need for the new year, someone who can inspire us to get out there and do new things after this rotten year we've all had in 2021.

Kate Langbroek - a vibrant memoir of a family's Italian stay

I did poll my listeners on it and it was 100%. They wanted to hear about it. So that was really lovely.

Kate Langbroek: Oh. What if it was only 99%, Jenny? What would you have done?

Jenny Wheeler: I still would have done it because I wanted to do it. Before we get into the book, quite a few of our listeners won't be aware of your work in Australia.

You're a national star in your own land, in Melbourne, but for those who aren't quite so familiar about your background and where you were placed when you started thinking about doing this adventure, tell us a bit about that.

A show biz background for new author Kate Langbroek

Kate Langbroek: I have worked broadly in showbiz for over 20 years. A little bit of television, a little bit of writing, columns for newspapers and panel shows or improv shows. Comedically based stuff mainly. But the main bulk of my work has been on the radio.

Binge Reading Giveaway for January 2022

Before we get to the Top Ten–we’ve got a Giveaway draw for January–three E book copies every week of my Three Holiday Novellas Book Bundle–A mix of mystery and Christmas romance set in historic New York, Hawaii and California, Books #4 #6 and #8 in the Of Gold & Blood historic mystery series. Enter the draw on our website, the joys of binge reading.com and be in to one of three copies going to lucky readers every week in January. Offer closes January 31.

Be in the draw to win one of three E Book copies of Three Holiday Novellas - Offer closes January 31.

ENTER HOLIDAY NOVELLA DRAW

Martin Walker's - Bruno The Perigord Police Chief

Introducing the Best of All Time - The top rating Ten Most Popular Episodes out of the first 200

Martin Walker’s Bruno, the French police chief at the heart of his best-selling Perigord mystery series, is everyone’s ideal cop – as well as the town’s most eligible bachelor and a talented host with an international award-winning cookbook in his name . . . .

But before he turned to fiction, Martin had a stellar career in journalism, haunting the world's corridors of power reporting from Moscow during Perestroika and President Bill Clinton's Washington for top newspapers.

He's hugely popular in Germany, where a German TV series about Bruno is in production and where he regularly pre pandemic - went on book tours. Here he is talking about his international audience:

Martin: Well, I've got this absolutely stupendously good German publisher Diogenes, and when they first decided that they would take on my novels, I was invited to dinner with the founder of the company, an old man called Daniel Keel. His son Phillip has now taken over, and Daniel at dinner said, well, Martin, we're going to be behind you, but you have to be behind us. And that means I'd like you to promise me this evening, you will do at least two weeks book tour every year in Germany. And I said, well, okay, but why is that so important?

He said, because in Germany, they don't just want to read, they want to see, they want to smell it and want to really feel what an author is like. And it turns out that in Germany, there is this huge tradition of author’s readings. And partly because they have fixed prices on all book sales, every small town in Germany has its own bookstore, and it acts like a kind of a cultural settlement.

Bruno the French policeman popular in Germany

It brings in authors on a regular basis for readings. And so this last tour I did in October, I actually did my 500th reading in German language countries, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and we've worked out something like over 40,000 people have actually attended these live events and that an extraordinary kind of loyalty base.

I rather enjoy it, partly because I believe we should all have fun. So sometimes I will sing and so on and try and make a bit of a show of it for them. I mean, whenever there's a song taking place in the book, I will sing the song.

Jenny: I asked Martin if he was comfortable in the German language.

My German is a lot better than it was. I always start off giving a talk in German and then there’ll always be a German actor to do the German bits. I will read in English. Then we'll do Q and A in German. I've learned more about Germany, thanks to Bruno, in these last few years, and indeed I've seen more Germany than most Germans.

Jenny: I was surprised and moved by Martin's answer when I asked him the classic question I ask most authors - looking back over your writing life at the stage of your career, if you were doing it all again, is there anything that you would change? And if so, what?

What Martin would change if he could...

Martin: Well, I'd endeavor to meet my wife earlier and have been married to her for longer, I guess. Other than that, no, not really. I just think that like so many people of my generation who were born in World War II,

Welcome to the Best Of The Joys of Binge Reading podcast 2021 - The Top Ten most listened to episodes of the year! I hope you had a happy Christmas and that 2022 will be rather less turbulent than the one we are leaving behind us!

I know I said last year that New Zealand tended to "go to the beach" over this period, but this year it's a little different because of - dare I mention the word - the pandemic we've all been battling our way through. I'm taking a nice restful "Staycation" at home, delaying having any beach time until later in the summer. I'm looking forward to pottering in my garden and thinking and planning for the new season.

One big highlight of this year was posting our 200th episode in mid December with Patti Callahan. Thanks to all our marvellous guests, the show has gone from strength to strength, with top international authors included in our mix of popular fiction for binge reading.

Before we get to the Top Ten – we’ve got a Giveaway draw for January – three E book copies every week on my Three Holiday Novellas Book Bundle – A mix of mystery and Christmas romance set in historic New York,  Hawaii and California, Books #4 #6 and #8 in the Of Gold & Blood historic mystery series.  Enter the draw on our website, the joys of binge reading.com and be in to one of three copies going to lucky readers every week in January. Offer closes January 31.

Three Holiday Novellas - January Giveaway on The Joys of Binge Reading Podcast.

ENTER HOLIDAY NOVELLAS DRAW

Binge Reading on Patreon - We'll be featuring four new episodes of Getting To Know You -- Five Quickfire Questions - one very week in January from featured authors Karen White, Belinda Alexandra, William Kent Krueger and Sara Penner - plus the Behind The Scenes monthly news: exclusive bonus content for Binge Reading on Patreon supporters for the cost of less than a cup of coffee a month. Your support helps pay for the hosting, sound editing and production costs but the researching and organizing the show is all unpaid.

SUPPORT BINGE READING ON PATREON

How we made the selection - it's all about the ones you listened to....

The Top Ten for this year is actually a "Top Eleven" because three authors scored exactly the same number of downloads - would you believe it? And once again, we see a wonderful mix of genres and nationalities - from Australia to the US, from the UK to New Zealand.

From JA Jance's crime series, to Craig Johnson and William Kent Krueger's regional mysteries; from Sarah Penner's standout thriller about a murderous apothecary to Leeanna Morgan and Roselle Lim's heart-warming and magical romance, from engrossing historicals from Allison Pataki and Karen White's engrossing historicals to wide-ranging women's fiction from Di Morrissey, Jan Moran and Belinda Alexandra.

And as I've explained in previous years, I'm not picking my favourites because I value every author we have on the show, so as usual, our selection is based on the episodes you chose to listen to - and the number of downloads each one received - so you - our listeners - have picked the list, and the choice is from December 1, 2020 to December, 2021 - so we have time to put it all together for a January release...

Launching the Top Ten Most Popular Binge Reading Shows for 2021

So instead of having just one voice on the show, you’ll be hearing from ten or more. And as usual, if any of these snippets spark your interest and they are a show you missed out on, there will be links in the show notes to make it easy for you to find them and tune in – so there’ll be plenty of new people to keep you going over the break.  The show notes for this episode can be found on the Joys of Binge Reading .com, or you can find us on the Binge Reading Facebook page.

This episode will run for the first two weeks of January, and in the second half of the month we'll run the Best of All Time - the Pick of the First 200 episodes - with a different list/ Only...

Welcome to the Best Of The Joys of Binge Reading podcast 2021 - The Top Ten most listened to episodes of the year! I hope you had a happy Christmas and that 2022 will be rather less turbulent than the one we are leaving behind us!

I know I said last year that New Zealand tended to "go to the beach" over this period, but this year it's a little different because of - dare I mention the word - the pandemic we've all been battling our way through. I'm taking a nice restful "Staycation" at home, delaying having any beach time until later in the summer. I'm looking forward to pottering in my garden and thinking and planning for the new season.

One big highlight of this year was posting our 200th episode in mid December with Patti Callahan. Thanks to all our marvellous guests, the show has gone from strength to strength, with top international authors included in our mix of popular fiction for binge reading.

Before we get to the Top Ten – we’ve got a Giveaway draw for January – three E book copies every week on my Three Holiday Novellas Book Bundle – A mix of mystery and Christmas romance set in historic New York,  Hawaii and California, Books #4 #6 and #8 in the Of Gold & Blood historic mystery series.  Enter the draw on our website, the joys of binge reading.com and be in to one of three copies going to lucky readers every week in January. Offer closes January 31.

Three Holiday Novellas - January Giveaway on The Joys of Binge Reading Podcast.

ENTER HOLIDAY NOVELLAS DRAW

Binge Reading on Patreon - We'll be featuring four new episodes of Getting To Know You -- Five Quickfire Questions - one very week in January from featured authors Karen White, Belinda Alexandra, William Kent Krueger and Sara Penner - plus the Behind The Scenes monthly news: exclusive bonus content for Binge Reading on Patreon supporters for the cost of less than a cup of coffee a month. Your support helps pay for the hosting, sound editing and production costs but the researching and organizing the show is all unpaid.

SUPPORT BINGE READING ON PATREON

How we made the selection - it's all about the ones you listened to....

The Top Ten for this year is actually a "Top Eleven" because three authors scored exactly the same number of downloads - would you believe it? And once again, we see a wonderful mix of genres and nationalities - from Australia to the US, from the UK to New Zealand.

From JA Jance's crime series, to Craig Johnson and William Kent Krueger's regional mysteries; from Sarah Penner's standout thriller about a murderous apothecary to Leeanna Morgan and Roselle Lim's heart-warming and magical romance, from engrossing historicals from Allison Pataki and Karen White's engrossing historicals to wide-ranging women's fiction from Di Morrissey, Jan Moran and Belinda Alexandra.

And as I've explained in previous years, I'm not picking my favourites because I value every author we have on the show, so as usual, our selection is based on the episodes you chose to listen to - and the number of downloads each one received - so you - our listeners - have picked the list, and the choice is from December 1, 2020 to December, 2021 - so we have time to put it all together for a January release...

Launching the Top Ten Most Popular Binge Reading Shows for 2021

So instead of having just one voice on the show, you’ll be hearing from ten or more. And as usual, if any of these snippets spark your interest and they are a show you missed out on, there will be links in the show notes to make it easy for you to find them and tune in – so there’ll be plenty of new people to keep you going over the br...

A publishing disaster led romance author Karen Swan into the schedule that’s made her an international bestseller, with two books a year – a summer one and a wintry snow-bound Christmas one that regularly make the UK top popular fiction lists.

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and in Binge Reading today Karen talks about Midnight in the Snow, her latest Christmas blockbuster, set in a ritzy Austrian ski resort, as well as her new five-book historical fiction series, launching in 2022.

We’ve got three eBook copies of Midnight in the Snow to give away to three lucky readers. Make sure your name is there in the draw and be in to win, either by entering on our website www.thejoysofbingereading.com/giveaway or on our Binge Reading Facebook page.

ENTER DRAW FOR KAREN BOOK

As many of you already know, we have recently introduced Binge Reading on Patreon where we are offering fun and exclusive bonus content in return for a small contribution to the cost of producing the show. I’m delighted to welcome on board a new Patreon supporter, Lonneka. It means a huge amount to me, Lonneke to know you enjoy the show enough to ensure that we can continue.

Your contributions pay for sound engineering, transcribing, and production costs, while my time in researching and hosting the show is all still for free. If you would like to join Lonneka and other supporters we’ve got and get exclusive bonus content, like Karen’s answers to the Getting-to-Know-You five quickfire questions, then become a Binge Reading on Patreon supporter today for as little as the cost of a cup of coffee a month.

SUBSCRIBE TO BINGE READING ON PATREON

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

The 'disaster' that became a breakthrough

How Karen found her 'sweet spot' in fiction

Her fascination with the Outer Hebrides

The Italian writer she can't get enough of

How Lance Armstrong inspired her latest book

The international appetite for snowy Christmas stories

Where to find Karen Swan: 

Website:  https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/karen-swan/6006

Instagram: @swannywrites

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1112862.Karen_Swan

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

But now, here’s Karen.

Introducing women's fiction author Karen Swan

Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Karen, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Karen Swan - twisty romances with family secrets and deep mysteries

Karen Swan: Hi Jenny. Thank you for having me today.

Jenny Wheeler: You have got a lovely program that you're following, a very particular publishing program.

You've got 20 books that are international best sellers, highly successful, but you do two books a year, one in the summer and one at Christmas. Tell us how that evolved. Did you start out with that right from the beginning?

Karen Swan: No, definitely not. It all came about from a disaster. I had written my third book.

I’d had a two-book deal for my first two books and I came up with an idea for my third book for my new contract.

I was very nervous about it because it was slightly different from my first two books, but I felt strongly that for the first two books I'd been slightly copying other people in terms of what did I think was going to sell well to the market rather than telling the stories I wanted to tell.

Karen Swan on finding the sweet spot - books she really wanted to write

When it came to my new deal I had this story idea that was slightly different to the first two books, but I felt I had to go for it because I felt I couldn't sustain a career writing books that I didn't really want to write but felt I should. So, I took a punt and presented them with this book idea.

That book became Christmas at Tiffany's and it was my first best seller. It did incredibly well,

A publishing disaster led romance author Karen Swan into the schedule that’s made her an international bestseller, with two books a year – a summer one and a wintry snow-bound Christmas one that regularly make the UK top popular fiction lists.

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and in Binge Reading today Karen talks about Midnight in the Snow, her latest Christmas blockbuster, set in a ritzy Austrian ski resort, as well as her new five-book historical fiction series, launching in 2022.

We’ve got three eBook copies of Midnight in the Snow to give away to three lucky readers. Make sure your name is there in the draw and be in to win, either by entering on our website www.thejoysofbingereading.com/giveaway or on our Binge Reading Facebook page.

ENTER DRAW FOR KAREN BOOK

As many of you already know, we have recently introduced Binge Reading on Patreon where we are offering fun and exclusive bonus content in return for a small contribution to the cost of producing the show. I’m delighted to welcome on board a new Patreon supporter, Lonneka. It means a huge amount to me, Lonneke to know you enjoy the show enough to ensure that we can continue.

Your contributions pay for sound engineering, transcribing, and production costs, while my time in researching and hosting the show is all still for free. If you would like to join Lonneka and other supporters we’ve got and get exclusive bonus content, like Karen’s answers to the Getting-to-Know-You five quickfire questions, then become a Binge Reading on Patreon supporter today for as little as the cost of a cup of coffee a month.

SUBSCRIBE TO BINGE READING ON PATREON

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

The 'disaster' that became a breakthroughHow Karen found her 'sweet spot' in fictionHer fascination with the Outer HebridesThe Italian writer she can't get enough ofHow Lance Armstrong inspired her latest bookThe international appetite for snowy Christmas stories

Where to find Karen Swan: 

Website:  https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/karen-swan/6006

Instagram: @swannywrites

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1112862.Karen_Swan

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

But now, here’s Karen.

Introducing women's fiction author Karen Swan

Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Karen, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Karen Swan - twisty romances with family secrets and deep mysteries

Karen Swan: Hi Jenny. Thank you for having me today.

Jenny Wheeler: You have got a lovely program that you're following, a very particular publishing program.

You've got 20 books that are international best sellers, highly successful, but you do two books a year, one in the summer and one at Christmas. Tell us how that evolved. Did you start out with that right from the beginning?

Karen Swan: No, definitely not. It all came about from a disaster. I had written my third book.

I’d had a two-book deal for my first two books and I came up with an idea for my third book for my new contract.

I was very nervous about it because it was slightly different from my first two books, but I felt strongly that for the first two books I'd been slightly copying other people in terms of what did I think was going to sell well to the market ...

Patti Callahan is our guest on The Joys of Binge Reading today – the 200th episode of the show which we started four years ago with the goal to simply reach 50 episodes. I am delighted to share it with an author who has devoted the last seven years of her life to researching the remarkable relationship between C S Lewis and his American wife, Joy Davidman.

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler. Patti has produced two best-selling books from this work she’s carried out so lovingly. The first, Becoming Mrs Lewis, tells the story of the precious years of love and marriage the two authors shared before they were separated by Joy’s early death.

The second, Once Upon a Wardrobe, just published, delves into the inspiration behind the magical Narnia children’s series. I couldn’t think of a more uplifting story to feature on our 200th episode or a better Christmas book to talk about. If you’re anything like me, you will find that Once Upon a Wardrobe makes you laugh and cry, sometimes even at the same time.

Patti Callahan guest for 200th episode of Joys of Binge Reading

The other thing Patti covers in this 200th episode is telling us how the American divorcee won the heart of a confirmed Christian bachelor and how she came to the inspiration to frame her Narnia story through the eyes of a very ill 8-year-old boy.

We’ve got three eBook copies of Once Upon a Wardrobe to give away to three lucky readers. Enter the draw on our website www.thejoysofbingereading.com or on the Binge Reading Facebook page.

ENTER THE DRAW FOR PATTI E-BOOK

If you want to hear Patti tell us what she dreamed of being when she was a little girl, that’s in the Getting-to-Know-You five quickfire questions. Become a Binge Reading on Patreon supporter, help support the show, and as well you will get some fun bonus content.

SUPPORT BINGE READING ON PATREON

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

The fascination that led Patti into seven years of researchJoy Davidman - loved or reviled in equal measureA C. S. Lewis-Joy Davidman podcastSeeing Narnia through the eyes of an 8-year-old boyJoy Davidman the poetThe unrecognised impact a divorcee had on Lewis' work

Where to find Patti Callahan 

The Podcast - Behind The Scenes of Becoming Mrs Lewis

Website:  https://www.patticallahanhenry.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pattichenry/

Facebook: @AuthorPattiCallahanHenry

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pcalhenry

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/patti-callahan

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.nz/patticalhenry/_saved/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Patti-Callahan-Henry/e/B001H6W4AA/

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

But now, here’s Patti.

Introducing historical fiction author Patti Callahan

Patti Callahan - Best selling fiction about the life of C.S. Lewis

Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Patti, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Patti Callahan: Jenny, thank you so much for having me. I'm so honored, especially for your 200th episode. Congratulations.

Jenny Wheeler: Thank you. We have got two wonderful books to talk about with you today, both relating to the life of the Christian apologist and children's author C S Lewis. Your very latest book, Once Upon a Wardrobe, is a fictional exploration of the inspiration behind the Narnia series, which I'm sure are known all over the world.

The previous book, published a couple of years ago, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, is about the romance C S Lewis had with American author Joy Davidman that resulted in his one and only marriage.

You have spent about six years of your life overall devoted to researching Lewis’s life for these two books. Give us a parachute overview of what those last years have been like for you.

Patti Callahan: Diving into the work of C S Lewis,

Patti Callahan is our guest on The Joys of Binge Reading today – the 200th episode of the show which we started four years ago with the goal to simply reach 50 episodes. I am delighted to share it with an author who has devoted the last seven years of her life to researching the remarkable relationship between C S Lewis and his American wife, Joy Davidman.br /

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Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler. Patti has produced two best-selling books from this work she’s carried out so lovingly. The first, Becoming Mrs Lewis, tells the story of the precious years of love and marriage the two authors shared before they were separated by Joy’s early death.br /

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The second, Once Upon a Wardrobe, just published, delves into the inspiration behind the magical Narnia children’s series. I couldn’t think of a more uplifting story to feature on our 200th episode or a better Christmas book to talk about. If you’re anything like me, you will find that Once Upon a Wardrobe makes you laugh and cry, sometimes even at the same time.br /

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Patti Callahan guest for 200th episode of Joys of Binge Readingbr /

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The other thing Patti covers in this 200th episode is telling us how the American divorcee won the heart of a confirmed Christian bachelor and how she came to the inspiration to frame her Narnia story through the eyes of a very ill 8-year-old boy.br /

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We’ve got three eBook copies of Once Upon a Wardrobe to give away to three lucky readers. Enter the draw on our website www.thejoysofbingereading.com or on the Binge Reading Facebook page. br /

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ENTER THE DRAW FOR PATTI E-BOOKbr /

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If you want to hear Patti tell us what she dreamed of being when she was a little girl, that’s in the Getting-to-Know-You five quickfire questions. Become a Binge Reading on Patreon supporter, help support the show, and as well you will get some fun bonus content. br /

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SUPPORT BINGE READING ON PATREONbr /

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Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:br /

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The fascination that led Patti into seven years of researchJoy Davidman - loved or reviled in equal measureA C. S. Lewis-Joy Davidman podcastSeeing Narnia through the eyes of an 8-year-old boyJoy Davidman the poetThe unrecognised impact a divorcee had on Lewis' workbr /

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Where to find Patti Callahan br /

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The Podcast - Behind The Scenes of Becoming Mrs Lewisbr /

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.nz/patticalhenry/_saved/br /

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Patti-Callahan-Henry/e/B001H6W4AA/br /

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What follows is a near as transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.br /

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But now, here’s Patti.br /

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Introducing historical fiction author Patti Callahanbr /

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Patti Callahan - Best selling fiction about the life of C.S. Lewisbr /

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Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Patti, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.br /

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Patti Callahan: Jenny, thank you so much for having me. I'm so honored, especially for your 200th episode. Congratulations.br /

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Jenny Wheeler: Thank you. We have got two wonderful books to talk about with you today,

Lulu Taylor hit the Sunday Times bestseller lists with a winter-themed escapist story with hidden depths – and found she had a winning formula for holiday reads that are perfect for curling up on the sofa with cup of hot chocolate or a glass of mulled wine.

The latest, A Winter Memory, is an absorbing family drama set on the edge of a Scottish loch in an ancient manor house. It’s a perfect setting for revelations of love, obsession and betrayal.

Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and today Lulu talks about the international fascination with snowy mysteries, what keeps Christmas stories high on the best seller lists, and her opportunity to interview Sarah, Duchess of York about her recently published Mills & Boon romance.

This is the 199th episode in The Joys of Binge Reading, so next week we celebrate 200 shows with a very special guest – more of that at the end.

We've got three E book copies of Lulu's Christmas book, A Winter Memory, to give away to three lucky readers. Enter the draw on our website or on the Joys of Binge Reading Facebook page.

ENTER TO WIN LULU'S BOOK

Before we get to Lulu, just a reminder that you can support the podcast for the equivalent of a cup of coffee a month and get exclusive bonus content while you do – access to Behind-the-Scenes stories, tips on who is coming up in future episodes so you can read the books beforehand, and insights into our featured authors – like Lulu - in the Getting to Know You quickfire questions…

GET BONUS CONTENT BY SUPPORTING BINGE READING ON PATREON

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

How Lulu got started writing Judith Krantz style 'blockbusters'Publishing disaster turned to opportunityThe magic of Christmas storiesLockdown dislocation interrupted this year's outputThe many writers she admires Background work as an editor proves useful

Where to find Lulu Taylor: 

Website: http://lulutaylor.co.uk/

Facebook: @lulutaylorbooks

Twitter: @MissLuluTaylor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2737506.Lulu_Taylor

What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

But now, here’s Lulu.

Jenny Wheeler: Hello there Lulu and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Introducing romance mystery author Lulu Taylor

Lulu Taylor: Hi, Jenny. Thanks so much. It's lovely to be with you.

Lulu Taylor - romance under laid by mystery and deep family secrets

Jenny Wheeler: You have created a real niche for yourself with these last eight books, many of which have been London Sunday Times bestsellers. They are winter themed stories. On every one of the covers are these gorgeous snowy settings with ancient houses and wrought iron gates, which immediately sets up a certain kind of story. This has become a bit of a sweet spot for part of your work, hasn't it? Tell us about it.

Lulu Taylor: It’s quite funny because that happened by accident. My first book in this genre was called The Winter Folly, and it was called that despite the fact that quite a lot of the book is set in the middle of summer. But there was this building, the folly, and the moment it features in the story is in winter, so I thought, The Winter Folly sounds really resonant.

They said, that's lucky because we've decided to publish you in early December. At the time I thought, I guess that's an alright slot, but generally people said to me, that's not a great place to be published.

All the big autumn and winter books come out much earlier. No one's buying books at that time of the year. This is actually a bit disastrous for you. So, I was a little bit apprehensive.

How a disaster turned into a wonderful opportunity

Lulu Taylor's first 'winter book' The Winter Folly - a great success.

But that turned out to be incredibly lucky. Because they had these winter titles, because the art department at Macmillan came up...