Episodes
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New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis has found her sweet spot writing historical fiction set in and around iconic New York City buildings. In a moment where she found herself without an idea for her next book, she received a perfectly timed email from a woman who offered to tell her all about Radio City Music Hall. Fiona joins Julie in this episode to share about The Spectacular, her research on the Rockettes, her decision to discuss Parkinsonâs Disease within the novel, and the real-life inspiration for Marion, the main character of the book. Julie and Fiona also discuss one of the novelâs core questions that remains relevant for women today: What is the cost of suppressing your own individuality and creativity?
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Anissa Grayâs second novel, Life and Other Love Songs, is a braided novel, and Julie thinks it reads like three-part harmony. The journalist and writer joins Julie in this episode to discuss the process of writing a second book on a deadline, the personal challenges Anissa faced in the season of writing this novel, and the reason that this book presented more growing opportunities for her as a writer. Julie and Anissa also discuss the joys of menopause, including insomnia!
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Episodes manquant?
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When she was a child in Colombia, Juana Medinaâs mom gave her a boom box to record her stories. Combined with a family that prioritized and nurtured art, Juana grew up seeing drawing as another language. Juana joins Julie in this episode to talk about her winding journey to becoming a professional author and illustrator, the reason we need to deemphasize the importance of pedigree in art, and why we should be encouraging children to continue drawing even as they learn to read and write. Juanaâs latest title, Elena Rides, is light, but it had its origins in a serious injury that Juana sustained that changed her perspective, slowed her down, and became a meditation on purpose.
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Alan Barillaro has always been drawing, beginning with making flipbooks out of any textbook that found its way into his creative hands. His years as an animator and actor informed the creation of his first book, Where the Water Takes Us, a beautifully illustrated middle-grade novel for readers of any age who find themselves in an unexpected situation. He joins Julie on this episode to talk about the path from film director to author, the ways that his experience in animation and film support his writing, and the most important question a creator can ask after a mistake: Why didnât it work?
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When Caseen Gaines sat in a darkened theater to watch the final performance of Shuffle Along, he had no idea that experience would lead to a book. But as soon as he heard âIâm Just Wild About Harry,â he knew heâd be doing research to figure out why he knew the song, but not the show. When Broadway was Black: The Triumphant Story of the All-Black Musical that Changed the World is the exploration of the importance of Shuffle Along and how a show so popular it changed the traffic patterns in New York could be excised from Americaâs social and cultural memory. Caseen joins Julie to talk about the showâs lasting impact, the person who surprised and delighted him most in his research, and his love of fan culture. He designs his dream dinner party, and Julie confirms that the guestsâ imaginary attendance is mandatory.
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If youâd like advice on how to sustain a writing career, then ask Sarah Mlynowski. A writer is all she ever wanted to be (she has a rejection letter from the fourth grade to prove it), and sheâs now been publishing books for over twenty years. Sarah is an engaging storyteller on the page and in person, and she joins Julie in this episode to talk about Best Wishes 2: The Sister Switch, the process she uses to write with co-authors, and riding the waves of publishing trends as a way of continuing to stay open and flexible in her career.
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Author Leticia Ordaz may have a day job as an Emmy-nominated anchor/reporter at KCRA 3 in Sacramento, California, but that didnât stop her from starting her own publishing company to get her award-winning bilingual childrenâs books into the world. Leticia joins Julie in this episode to talk about her career as a journalist, her experiences as a daughter of Mexican immigrants, and the origins of her first picture book, The Adventures of Mr. Macaw. Leticia also shares her vision for the future of Cielito Lindo Books, which is committed to representing all children and teaching them the importance of learning and preserving the beautiful Spanish language.
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John Schu has made a career out of advocating for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, and the people that connect them. The librarian and author joins Julie to talk about his latest title, This is a Story, which is a beautiful tribute to the community of readers and the connection we find in books. In this episode, John shares about his early experiences as an elementary school teacher, the magic of relationships in a school, and the words from Amy Krouse Rosenthal that convinced him to share the stories inside him.
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Meg Fleming is the author of ten childrenâs books, and she joins Julie to celebrate the launch of her most recent title, I Live in a Tree Trunk. As a singer and former music teacher, Meg has an ear for rhythm over rhyme: even when she has a story, she waits to find the beat that goes with it. Meg talks with Julie about her path to publication, the important writing advice she received in seventh grade, and the honor and joy of working with illustrators and other book professionals who believe her words are worthy of their time and deep consideration.
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Christine Grillo and Julie share an agent, a friend, and an appreciation for growing older. After twenty years as a writer, Christineâs debut novel, Hestia Strikes a Match, is coming out at the perfect time. Christine joins Julie in this episode to share about her day job as a science writer, the experience of publishing her first novel at this point in her life and career, and the thrill and crush of waiting for reviews. Hestia is set in the midst of an American civil war and Julie speaks to Christine about the origins of the characters in the story and the way that the tether of the day to day keeps those characters looking for and finding happiness in the midst of chaos.
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Matt Tavares may harbor dreams of being an animator, but for, now heâs busying himself as the author-illustrator of a stack of acclaimed picture books (including one of Julieâs favorites, Red and Lulu). He joins Julie in this episode to talk about the latest title heâs adding to the stack: his first graphic novel, Hoops. Matt and Julie talk about his love for sports and his belief that middle-grade readers would benefit from a story about the way young athletes used their voices to enact change. He also shares the basics about creating a graphic novel (as opposed to a picture book), and the beauty of getting to the point (in writing and life).
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Sally Hepworth knows how to write about dysfunctional families. Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide, and Sallyâs latest title, THE SOULMATE, is a recent favorite of Julieâs. Sally joins Julie in this episode to share her path to becoming a writer (though Julie contends she has many other areas of expertise), âHepworth workarounds,â Sallyâs fun and funny presence on Instagram, and her unexpected turn as a wig-fluencer. Sally also weighs in on the burning question: do soulmates exist?
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Michelle Glogovac started her career in corporate aviation and after many successful years spent selling jet fuel, she decided she wanted to do more than save rich people more money. She was drawn to the podcast medium because of the intimacy and the possibility for reciprocal relationship, and thatâs how she became The Podcast Matchmakerâą. She joins Julie in this episode to talk about best practices for podcast guests and hosts, her own podcast and her upcoming book, and being in the business of connection.
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Award-winning author Rebecca Makkai joins Julie in this episode to talk about her latest book, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. Rebecca shares about her new title, reverse engineering her characters, first and last lines, and her preoccupation with and exploration of the palimpsest of memory. As the artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago and MFA faculty member at multiple university programs, Rebecca also discusses how teaching contributes to her own writing.
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Though it seems Rebecca Boggs Roberts has had every job under the sun, a connecting thread runs through them all: each one was a form of storytelling. The deputy director of events at the Library of Congress and author of Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson joins Julie in this episode to talk about finding the beauty and wonder of words, her job at the Library of Congress, and her dream dinner party (which would include plenty of hot goss). Words, history, and complicated, human individuals: Rebecca finds inspiration in all of it and encourages Julie to do the same.
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Camille PagĂĄn is the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of ten books and, as it happens, sheâs also a delightful person and literary citizen. Camille joins Julie to talk about her latest title, Good for You, and her continued desire to write about real lifeââboth its joy and pain. Camille is also a master certified coach and the founder of Even Better Co., and she shares about the head-down approach to writing that has allowed her to create a sustainable career in a mercurial industry.
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Tara Schuster is the friend we all need. Sheâs kind, supportive, genuine, and her latest book, Glow in the F*cking Dark, is a guidebook for deep soul healing (minus the annoying self-help language and unnecessarily complicated meditation terms). Tara joins Julie in this episode to talk about growing into herself, the life events that preempted her journey to get off the âGood Enough Plateau,â and celebrating that we are allâquite literallyâmade of stardust.
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Meghan Volchko is from Cleveland, which is the first and most important thing to know about her. But you may also be interested to hear about her day job as a digital content librarian at OverDrive. Meghan joins Julie in this episode to talk about the functionality and ease of using the Libby app, the rise of audiobooks, and the fun of reading books before they arrive on shelves (she read 200 books in 2022). But even though her job is to know what you should read in the upcoming months, she provides a few book recommendations that are on shelves now. You know, to keep you busy in the meantime.
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Best-selling author Christie Tateâs latest book, B.F.F., is a celebration of her friendshipsâthe real-life, messy, hard-won sort. Julie and Christie discuss jealousy and the path forward from it, the work of finding tenderness for our past selves (foolish and imperfect though they were), and the power of the stories we tellâand believeâabout ourselves. Julie also gets a chance to hear about Christieâs adjustment to life as a full-time writer after she left her career in law.
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For the authors of A Merry Little Meet-Cute, their own meet-cute was best friendship at first sight. Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy join Julie in this episode to discuss their book about âtwo horny dummies just trying to navigate Christmas,â but what will delight you in this episode is the depth and intelligence of these two authors and former librarians. They speak with Julie about the intention they bring to their co-authored title, covering topics from sex work and fetishization to the experience of the neurodivergent in a capitalist world that pushes a narrow view of productivity. Oh, and lube, of course. Donât miss this season finale of Season Three!
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