A podcast celebrating The Book House, the flagship bookstore of Sea of Reeds Media, the company behind Book and Film Globe. We're excited to introduce you to Liz Alterman, journalist, author and your host of The Book House podcast. Liz will be speaking to authors, publishers and agents about what happens behind the scenes in the world of publishing. If you find yourself in New Jersey, visit our local independent bookstores i ...
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Today’s guest is Jennifer Shirk, the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of sweet and funny romance novels. Jennifer’s latest, Resorting to Romance, was released on July 2. Though she's now penned a dozen novels, the South Jersey author actually got her bachelor's degree in pharmacy and was considering continuing on to get her doctorate before turning to fiction. In this episode, Jennifer talks about the authors who inspired her to make this sharp turn along her career track. She also shares how her seaside town provided plenty of fodder for the fictional setting in her latest book. Resorting to Romance follows L.A. attorney Loni Wingate whose perfect day at the office gets ruined by chaos and heartbreak. Her fiancé stole her promotion and ended their engagement, leaving her career and her future dangling by a thread. Then when Loni tries to go to her safe place, her family’s quaint North Carolina resort, she finds it’s up for sale. Jennifer also shared good news for readers who fall in love with these characters--she's working on a sequel that will focus on Loni's sister.
Hi, I’m Liz Alterman, journalist, author and your host of The Book House podcast. This season, we'll be chatting all about the writing life with authors from across the Garden State. In this episode, author Lisa Kusel shares a behind-the-scenes look at penning her spicy suspense novel, The Widow on Dwyer Court which was released July 16. A Jersey girl at heart, Lisa grew up in Edison and currently lives in Burlington, Vermont where she writes at a desk overlooking Lake Champlain. Before crafting this twisty psychological thriller, Lisa published a memoir, Rash, about her family's bold move to Bali. Prior to that, she wrote a novel, Hat Trick, and a collection of interconnected short stories, Other Fish In the Sea. Lisa talks about her uncommon writing path spanning multiple genres and how her newest novel, which bestselling author Samantha Bailey calls, "incredibly clever, unique, and compelling," had several iterations before arriving in its current form. The story, which is told from two points of view, includes an erotic novel within the novel. The Widow on Dwyer Court tells the story of thirty-six-year-old stay-at-home soccer mom Kate Burke, who, to the casual observer, appears happily married to Matt Parsons. But behind closed doors, their marriage looks very different. So, While they still love each other madly, Kate is no longer interested in having sex with her husband. To satisfy their needs, they make an arrangement: Matt can have one-night stands with other women on work trips, but when he returns home, he has to tell Kate about them—every juicy detail. Why? Beecause Matt’s adulterous affairs inspire and fuel Kate's secret career as a beloved erotic romance novelist. When Annie Meyers, an eccentric young widow, moves to town with her daughter, things become even more complicated. At first Kate is smitten with this wild, witty woman, who gives her a much-needed break from the other picture-perfect suburban moms, although she’s not sure how much of her hidden life she’s willing to share with her new friend. But it turns out Annie has secrets too—big ones that could destroy all their lives. Stop by The Book House Long Branch on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 5 to 7 pm to meet Lisa in person and pick up a signed copy of her latest. Visit her website LisaKusel.com for updates or follow her on Instagram @Lisa_Kusel.
Poet Melissa Elder joins host Liz Alterman as we launch an audio celebration of our company's flagship bookstore, and of New Jersey writers. This week we launch a brand-new podcast to celebrate The Book House, the flagship bookstore of Sea of Reeds Media, the company that created Book and Film Globe. We're excited to introduce you to Liz Alterman, journalist, author and your host of The Book House podcast. She'll be chatting all about the writing life with authors from across the Garden State. Her first episode is a a conversation with Morris County resident Melissa Elder, poet and author of the gorgeous collections, The Mundane and Nostalgia. If you enjoy the work of poets Maggie Smith, Kate Baer, and Joy Sullivan, do yourself a favor and pick up one of Melissa's books, preferably at The Book House or through our affiliate link at Bookshop.org. Welcome!