Avsnitt
-
Chris Draper is a Kiwi IT engineer with a passion for writing optimistic, techno-thrillers like Goodbye Woomera Belle the first in a series of five planned action-filled futurist thrillers suitable for young adults, as well as adult readers.
Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and in this week's Binge Reading episode, Chris talks about how he fell in love with the Australian Outback while working in Adelaide, South Australia, and decided it would be the perfect location for the fast paced, optimistic techno thriller he’d been dreaming of writing for years.
And so was born Goodbye Woomera Belle, a world changing story that unfolds in 116 hours.
And it couldn't be more topical, revolving as it does around artificial intelligence and inter-governmental tensions between friendly and not so friendly powers.
Erin Brightwell is a brilliant young mind whose research is critical to national security and lots of people want to get their hands on it.
This week's Giveaway - Woomera Belle
We'll get to our chat with Chris in a moment. But first this week's book giveaway; Chris has kindly offered 10 free copies of his book. Goodbye Woomera Belle to the first 10 readers who go online and claim it.
Links for the download can be found in the show notes for this episode on the website, thejoysofbingereading.com.
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gjhqvpno2v
BE IN FOR DOWNLOAD OF WOOMERA BELLE
Buy me a coffee and defray costs
And before we get to Chris, a reminder; you can help me defray the costs of production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx, (little x, like a kiss.) My time in preparing the show is freely given, but any support from you will help kindly pay for the web posting and editing costs.
BUY ME A COFFEE
And if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us through word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they would love to read.
Links to things mentioned in the show
Woomera: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera,_South_Australia
Tom Clancy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Clancy
Dan Brown: https://danbrown.com/
Dan Brown series Robert Langdon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Langdon_(book_series)#:
Maralinga:
https://www.indaily.com.au/opinion/2021/05/25/sas-nuclear-testing-legacy-still-unfolding-in-outback
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nuclear_tests_at_Maralinga
Deep Space Station 41 and the Island Lagoon Base,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Lagoon_Tracking_Station
Spacecraft: Voyagers: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/
Pioneer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_10
The James Webb Space telescope: https://webb.nasa.gov/
Nevil Shute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevil_Shute
A Town Like Alice: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/107301.A_Town_Like_Alice
On The Beach: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38180
Trustee From The Toolroom: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/107300.Trustee_from_the_Toolroom
P F Hamilton Space opera series:
https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/peter-f-hamilton/1507
Isaac Asimov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov
The Foundation series: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Foundation-by-Asimov
Isaac Asimov: iRobot: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41804.I_Robot
Arthur C. Clarke: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7779.Arthur_C_Clarke
Brandon Sanderson, https://www.brandonsanderson.com/
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5326.A_Christmas_Carol
A Tale of Two Cities, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_Two_Cities.
Enid Blyton: https://www.enidblyton.net/
Where to find Chris Draper online
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chris-Draper/author/B09XZJQWJS
Email: [email protected]
Introducing techno-thriller author Chris Draper
But now here’s Chris. Hello there, Chris. -
Amy Harmon grew up in a remote Utah valley, very close to where the famed outlaw Butch Cassidy really lived. Quite a few years before her, of course. The folklore surrounding his Robin Hood reputation has always fascinated her.
She's far too young to have seen the famous movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford first time round, but she's excavated the history and shed a whole new light on the story and her latest book, The Outlaw Noble Salt.
Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and in this week's Binge Reading episode, Amy talks about the mystery surrounding Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, the American outlaw, train robber and leader of a gang called The Wild Bunch. It's officially recorded that he died in a shootout with local authorities in Bolivia in 1908. But did he really? Amy's book is a fascinating and heart-touching re-imagining of the story.
Mystery and Thriller Giveaway
Our Giveaway this week - We always have free books to Giveaway -. is Mystery Thriller And Suspense Freebies.
MYSTERY, THRILLER & SUSPENSE FREEBIES
And the range is huge with something to suit every taste ,from historicals like Poisoned Legacy, Book One in my Of Gold& Blood Gold Rush romance series through to cozies and contemporary psychological thrillers.
Find the link to download these books in the show notes for the episode on the website. The Joys Of Binge Reading.com.
DOWNLOAD FREE BOOKS
Before we get to Amy, a reminder. You can help defray the costs of the production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx. And if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too.
Word of mouth is still the best recommendation and the way for others to find the show and discover great books they will love to read.
Links to items mentioned in the show
Movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064115/
Folklore: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butch_Cassidy
Eliot Ness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Ness
Gladys Knight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Knight
Books Amy has loved in the past or is reading now:
Louise L'Amour - Western classics: https://www.louislamour.com/
Lucy Maud Montgomery: https://lmmontgomery.ca/about/lmm/her-life
Anne of Green Gables: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anne-of-Green-Gables
Baroness Orczy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Pimpernel
Paullina Simons The Bronze Horseman: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47499.Paullina_Simons
Susanna Kearsley: susannakearsley.com
Poets:
William Butler Yeats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._B._Yeats
Emily Dickinson: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emily-Dickinson
Introducing author Amy Harmon
Amy Harmon: re-imagining the Burch Cassidy story
But now here’s Amy. Hello there, Amy, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Amy Harmon: I am so excited to talk to you, Jenny.
Jenny Wheeler: You've written more than 20 books and the most recent one is The Outlaw Noble Salt, and it retells the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance story, The Wild Bunch Story. If we are of a certain age, we saw the movie years ago, so it's well known. What did you feel you could bring new to it?
Amy Harmon: I have always been drawn to the story, and I think it's because I grew up in a valley, just north of the valley where Butch Cassidy, who wasn't known as Butch Cassidy in his early years, he was Robert Parker, lived. He was born very close to where I was born, a hundred years apart. We were born in small town Utah at the end of the Wild West era.
He was the last of this very short time period that defined in the West. And I have always been interested in him. I've always felt a connection to him. Beyond just of course, the movie which came out in 1969, which predates me a little bit. I didn't grow up with the movie, but it was very much the Western lore that is part of this place... -
Saknas det avsnitt?
-
Best-selling award-winning novelist Sarah Sundin, author of beloved World War II stories, never had an ambition to write. She trained as a pharmacist, she was perfectly happy as a pharmacist, and then she had a dream that wouldn’t let her go.
She started jotting down her dream story in pencil in a kiddies notebook and six months later she had 700 pages...
Hi I’m you host Jenny Wheeler and today on Binge Reading Sarah talks about her latest daring, dramatic and romantic story, Embers in The London Sky, exploring the war through the eyes of a mother who has lost her child, and a BBC journalist who knows reporting the truth will take him deep into the flames.
She tells all about that vivid dream that started it all, and recollects her own family connections with the war we just can’t seem to forget.
Our Giveaway - Romance
Our giveaway this week is Enemies To Lovers Clean and Wholesome romance. If you can’t resist a good Enemies to Lovers story this one is for you! Details of where to find the links to these books are in the show notes for this episode, and in the newsletter I send out with each podcast. If you want to join that just go to our website, the joys of binge reading.com.
DOWNLOAD FREE ROMANCE
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/INO60jP77KiIo9VCVyGS
Buy me a coffee and support the show
You can support the production costs for the show by buying me a cup of coffee at Buy Me A buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx
For the cost of a cup of coffee every now and then you can make a big difference!
BUY ME A COFFEE
And remember – if you enjoy the show leave us a review so others will find us too.
Links To Things We Talked About
American war correspondent Edward R. Murrow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_R._Murrow
Some of Murrow’s WWII broadcasts:
London: First Night of the Blitz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVXmJC6mPEk
From a London Rooftop during the Blitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za2Lus0CkRc
From Buchenwald: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlhQvPfYSXk
Lofoten Island Raid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q60pIny5WSo
Lofoten Raid: https://www.royalmarineshistory.com/post/operation-claymore#:
Lend-Lease Bill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease
Holly Varni, On Moonberry Lake;
https://www.hollyvarni.com/
On Moonberry Lake https://www.hollyvarni.com/hollys-books/
German Abwher; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abwehr
Scottish selkie; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie
Introducing author Sarah Sundin
Sarah Sundin, inspirational World War II fiction author
Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Sarah. Hello there, Sarah, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with.
Sarah Sundin: Thank you, Jenny. It's great to be here.
Jenny Wheeler: Sarah, you've been writing these World War II dramas with lots of romance and adventure in them as well since about 2010.
But before that, you were a pharmacist. That's what your training was in. I wonder how you made that switch, and why you were interested in doing so.
Sarah Sundin: Honestly, I wasn't interested in doing so. I was a pharmacist. I enjoyed my job. I, I had small children at the time, and one of the beauties of pharmacy was I was able to do a lot of part-time work.
I only worked one day a week and I was able to be at home with my kids. I thought I had the perfect career and then I had an idea for a story.
It actually came to me in a dream and I had to write it. I never had anything like that happen to me ever before in my life. I'd always been a reader and all little girls who love to read, imagine themselves writing a book. But I never took it seriously, any more than I did becoming a ballerina.
I loved doing ballet, but becoming an author that was, not gonna happen. I never pursued it at all. I love pharmacy. I had this a story idea and I had no idea what I was doing. I'd taken two classes in English in college because I was majoring in che... -
For Easter 2024. Fiction set in Biblical Times. From New York Times bestselling author Angela Hunt comes a compelling new series set in the New Testament era.
Her latest book, Sisters of Corinth, is a captivating story of love, sacrifice, and the quest for power, set against the backdrop of ancient Greece.
Angela is a prolific author in a wide range of genres, from fiction set in Biblical times to historical fiction in other periods and contemporary romance
All About the Binge Reading Podcast
Welcome to the Joys of Binge Reading, the show for anyone who ever got to the end of a great book and wanted to read the next instalment. We interview successful series authors and recommend the best in mystery, suspense, historical and romance series, so you'll never be without a book you can't foot down.
You'll find this episode's show notes, a free ebook, and lots more information at The Joys of Binge Reading.com. And now here's our show.
Hi there I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading today we present Angela’s fresh take on the Easter story. Two sisters - daughters of a top ranking Corinth magistrate - take up very different ambitions and life paths.
In this episode she tells why readers can always “expect the unexpected” in her books and talks about her latest series, featuring fledgling believers who came to faith through the teachings of the apostle Paul.
This week's Giveaway - March Madness
Our free books give away is Mad March Mysteries, and that includes cozies and thrillers, whatever level of mystery your tastes might dictate. The offer is for a limited time as always, so get in now.
The offer includes Poisoned Legacy, Book #1 in the Of Gold & Blood mystery series
get free mysteries
https://books.bookfunnel.com/marchmysterythriller/4nqbm64mq3
And just before we get to Angela. A blatant appeal for your help in defraying the cost of producing the show. Buy me a cup of coffee on www.buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx Like a little kiss, and you'll just help me get through the day.
BUY ME A COFFEE
And one more housekeeping reminder. If you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.
Where to find items discussed in this episode
The Sisters of Corinth: (On pre-order) https://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Corinth-Emissaries-Book-Testament-ebook/dp/B0CTKQNM2S/
The Apostle's Sister: https://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Sister-Jerusalem-Road-Book-ebook/dp/B09LWNJK4L/
Unspoken: https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Angela-Hunt-ebook/dp/B08LTXRJ8D/
Koko The signing gorilla: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_(gorilla)#:
Koko’s trainer Francine “Penny” Patterson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francine_Patterson
The Bible Verse that inspired it: https://www.bible.com/bible/compare/JOB.12.7-12
The gladiator training arena: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludus_Magnus#:
What Angela is reading:
People Of The Book - by Geraldine Brooks, https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1379961
Where to find Angela Hunt online
Website: Angela Hunt books.com
Facebook: Angela Hunt, novelist: https://www.facebook.com/angela.e.hunt/
Substack Newsletter: Angelahunt.substack.com
Introducing author Angela Hunt
Angela Hunt - fiction set in Biblical times - with five million in sales....
But now here's Angela. Hello there, Angela, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Angela Hunt: Thank you. I'm delighted to be here. It feels so weird because for me it's Wednesday, and for you it's Thursday. I feel like we're in a time loop or something.
Jenny Wheeler: Yes, that's right. Just one of those things when we're on different sides of the world. I'm in New Zealand and you are in Florida. That's right. Isn't it?
Angela Hunt: Yes, it is.
Jenny Wheeler: Great. Now you've written 165 plus novels covering a ... -
Inspirational author Amanda Barrett's latest book, The Warsaw Sisters shines a light on an oft-forgotten corner of World War II Poland, and the true stories of ordinary individuals who fought to preserve freedom and humanity in the darkest of times.
Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and today on Binge Reading, Amanda talks about how she excavates the forgotten fragments of history in her books and why she loves the enduring power of story.
The Warsaw Sisters tells of two women fighting against the darkness engulfing their homeland, one by entering a daring network of women sheltering Jewish children, and the other by joining the ranks of Poland's Secret Army, the Polish version of the Resistance.
As Warsaw buckles under German oppression, they must rely on the courage of ordinary people - so-called ordinary people - to resist the power of the state.
Binge Reading Thriller Giveaway
Free Books - THRILLERS R US - Mystery and Thriller Lucky Dip
Our Giveaway this week is Thrillers R Us an opportunity to get free books from a wide -ranging selection of mysteries and thrillers from many authors, including my own book, Sadie’s Vow, a San Francisco Mystery set in the mid- 19th century.
You'll find the links for downloads for these free books in the show notes for this episode on the website, www.thejoysofbinge reading.com.
Buy me a coffee and defray production costs
And before we get to Amanda, just a reminder you can help to defray the cost of production of this episode by buying me a cup of coffee on Buymeacoffee.com/jennywheelx.
And if you enjoy the show, don't forget, leave us the reviews so others will find us too. I make this plea every time I podcast. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they would love to read.
Events and books mentioned in this episode
The Warsaw Sisters Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWyLFWfMD6nXlZrylX1eMw-SbKHz7t05P
Irena Sendler – Polish humanitarian https://irenasendler.org/
Warsaw Uprising: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-warsaw-polish-uprising
Polish Resistance: https://polandatwartours.com/unsung-heroes-the-brave-men-and-women-of-the-polish-resistance-during-ww2/
Dietrich Bonhoffeur’s fiancée, Maria Von Wedemeyer/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_von_Wedemeyer_Weller
Treblinka: - the concentration camp where many Warsaw Jews died.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/treblinka
Sophie Scholl: ( From The White Rose Resists,) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57008360
Amanda's books mentioned in this show:
Within These Walls of Sorrow: https://amandabarratt.net/within-these-walls-of-sorrow/
The White Rose Resists; https://amandabarratt.net/the-white-rose-resists-a-novel-of-the-german-students-who-defied-hitler/
My Dearest Dietrich: https://amandabarratt.net/my-dearest-dietrich-a-novel-of-dietrich-bonhoeffers-lost-love/
Books Amanda is reading:
Kristen Hannah, The Women, https://kristinhannah.com/books/the-women/
Jennifer L. Wright, The Girl From The Papers, (A Bonnie and Clyde story - to be released in August.)
https://jennwrightwrites.com/the-girl-from-the-papers
Where to find Amanda Barratt on line
Website: https://amandabarratt.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandabarrattauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaBarrattAuthor/
Introducing inspirational author Amanda Barratt
Amanda Barratt - inspirational historical fiction
Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Amanda. Hello there, Amanda, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Amanda Barratt: Thank you so much. It is such a joy to be here.
Jenny Wheeler: We're talking about The Warsaw Sisters today. You've got a real track record with inspirational historical fiction. The Warsaw Sisters is set in Warsaw during the Second World War, as the ghetto is being set up, that notorious ghetto, -
Rachel Hore is a UK Sunday Times bestselling author. whose latest book, The Hidden Years is the story of secrets, loss and betrayal set in Cornwall during World War ii, and then looking ahead closer to contemporary times, to the heady days of the 1960s.
Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and today on the Binge Reading Show, Rachel talks about families and their secrets, and the strange coincidences when life mirrors art in ways we can't possibly anticipate.
Our Free Books Giveaway
Our Free Books Giveaway this week is Sweet Snow Closed Door Romance, a selection of Valentine's Day love stories to round out the month, including Tangled Destiny, the prequel to my of Gold and Blood Historical Mystery series.
This offer closes February 29, so act right now. The links for where you can download those books can be found in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading.com.
FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY - ROMANCE
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/HRDk8Mo8mSQsBhQxhON9
Buy Me A Coffee
Before we get to Rachel, just a reminder, you can help defray the cost of production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buy me a coffee.com/jennywheelx.
And if you enjoy the show, remember you can also leave us a review so others will find us too.
Word of mouth is still the best recommendation for people to find the show and great books they will love to read.
Where to find links for this episode
Rose Tremain
https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/absolutely-and-forever-9781784745202
Ann Cleeves
The Shetland series:
https://anncleeves.com/shetland/index.html
The Vera series:
https://anncleeves.com/vera/index.html
Ann Patchett:
https://www.annpatchett.com/
Paul Harding
https://www.paulhardingauthor.com/
Where to find Rachel Hore Online
Website: https://rachelhore.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelHoreAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel.hore/
Introducing women's fiction author Rachel Hore
Rachel Hore - UK best selling author with over 1 million books sold
Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Rachel. Hello there Rachel, and welcome to the show.
It's great to have you with us.
Rachel Hore: Thank you, Jenny. It's really good to be here.
Jenny Wheeler: Look, Rachel, I understand that The Hidden Years is your 13th novel,. Is that correct?
Rachel Hore: Yes it is. Unlucky for some, but I'm cheerful about it.
Jenny Wheeler: That's great and it, they're all in very much the same vein. You haven't been one of those authors who's jumped genres. They're character, driven family stories of upheaval and secrets.
Sometimes cross-generational, sometimes not so much in the dual timeline. I wondered how you came to identify that as maybe the area that you were most interested in writing about in the beginning?
Love of family deep and long lasting
Rachel Hore: I think it came from quite deep inside. I've always been very interested in stories of my own family. My maternal grandmother was one of those sorts of grandmothers who was the repository of tales of characters in the family.
And, of all the things that had happened, good and bad, and who was guilty and who said what to whom and so on.
I became very fascinated by that, and although the first of my books, The Dream House, wasn't about any real life family members, it was about family issues and family secrets which was my main motivation really.
Jenny Wheeler: I believe that every family has secrets. I've been a bit of an amateur genealogist myself in my time, and it's amazing when you start to dig what you discover, isn't it?
Rachel Hore: Yes it is. Some of these things might seem very ordinary, but when they're happening in your own family, they are very special. Tt's the old one, that blood is thicker than water. The links of family are very important.
But actually, people within families are always struggling to find their plac... -
Jenny Wheeler: USA Today bestselling romcom author Emma St Clair loves sassy heroines, witty banter, and love stories with heart and humor. Her books have sizzling chemistry while keeping the bedroom door firmly closed.
Jenny Wheeler: Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and today on the Binge Reading podcast, Emma talks about her crazy writing process - her favorite place to write is tapping on her phone while on the elliptical machine, believe it or not. And how she discovered she's probably ADHD - something she only realized when she was researching a story.
Free St Valentine’s Romances
Our Giveaway this week is Free Historical Romance, for St Valentine's Day, - or St Valentine's month actually. Sadie’s Vow, #1 in my Home At Last trilogy is included.
Books of mine you'll find in each offering listed below with the links to get the offer!
There's lots of other free or sale books there as well.
FREE HISTORICAL ROMANCE
kobo sale
free sweet romance
Before we get to Emma, a reminder. You can help defray the cost of the production by buying me a cup of coffee on www.buymeacoffee.com/jenny wheelx. Just a coffee a month will help!
And if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.
Links for Things Mentioned in the Show
Leah Brunner. Clean and sweet Ice hockey novella: https://leahbrunner.com/
Courtney Walsh: Clean and sweet ice hockey:
https://www.amazon.com/My-Phony-Valentine-Holidays-Hart-ebook/dp/B0BTB3LPYK
Books Emma recommends:
Hello Stranger from Katherine Center.
https://katherinecenter.com/hello-stranger
Mary E. Pearson
https://www.marypearson.com/
Tana French The Likeness
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5941114-the-likeness
Where to find Emma Online
Website: https://emmastclair.com/
Facebook: Emma St Clair’s Epic Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/emmastclair
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikimojo/
Podcast: (Retired but website still up and episodes available on YouTube)
www.createifwriting.com
Introducing Romcom author Emma St Clair
Emma St Clair - sweet and sassy 'closed door' romcoms
Emma St Clair: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. It's really nice and I appreciate you reaching out.
Jenny Wheeler: Fantastic. Emma, you are a master of the sweet, sassy, funny rom-com, and you've written a lot of them. Tell me, how did you get started in this particular genre and what do you like about it?
Emma St Clair: Well, it's funny. I got my master's degree in fiction, which is typically more literary. And I never thought I would write romance.
In fact, I didn't read romance. I was one of those people who poo-pooed romance, My attitude was, oh, you know, those romance books. Like that was just not my thing, and after I got my master's, I was writing more like literary young adult fiction.
I had an agent and we were submitting to New York publishers.
And then we had five kids in nine years, and so I just couldn't write at all.
I had a friend, the first inkling I had that romance was a possibility, which I actually rejected. My very best friend was like, you know, a friend. April, from college, is writing these chicklet books. Hers were a little more chick lit than romance.
It was right when chick lit was becoming a big thing, which I don't think there's even a category for that anymore. But anyway, sweet, happy books that had a little bit of romance, but were a little bit more character based.
And I said, oh, I would never do that. And she was like, all right, I think you'd be good at it.
And I was like, oh, no, no, no. I could not do that. I write literary fiction.
How 'literary' author Emma found romance
And then a few years later, I kept trying to see if I could write books again when my kids were at the different ages. -
Rochelle Weinstein loves bitter sweet women's stories about finding identity through love and loss and her latest, What You Do To Me introduces pioneer female Rolling Stone magazine, journalist Cecilia, who obsessively pursues the story while – unacknowledged - her closest relationship crashes and burns around her,
Hi, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and in today's Binge Reading episode, Rochelle, a former music industry exec, talks about how popular music forms a soundtrack to our lives and why she finds sweet stories of women's lives so alluring.
Our Giveaway This Week
Our Giveaway this week is an action and adventure giveaway, fiction in all genres, free downloads of mystery, romance or crime, including Unbridled Vengeance. Book #5 in the Of Gold & Blood series, a historical mystery with a romantic sub plot,
When Californian rancher Caleb is falsely accused of a vicious murder, his French immigrant neighbor, Madeleine has evidence that will save him from the gallows.. Will she risk her own life to save his?
You'll find the link to download a wide range of books in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading com.
DOWNLOAD FREE BOOKS
Now just another housekeeping matter before we get to Rochelle. A reminder you can help defray the costs of production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buy me a coffee.com/jennywheelx.
Thank you Nick, for buying me a coffee last week.
buy me a coffee
And remember, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.
Links to things mentioned in the episode
Hey There Delilah – Plain White Ts:
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/heres-the-actual-story-behind-hey-there-delilah
Spotify Playlists for What You Do to Me:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2GhwfbTm3xzs2Z9jRje2zW?si=aW2qeHSDT-GALkCAV8zKnw&pi=u-TC_ooXsRR7yC
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4kKq1hJpvGEJD7G3T5EOZm?si=qbhlIZioT56PHPd7L88gNw&pi=u-F7QVF5cESmmb
Books Rochelle loves:
A Little Life, Hanya Yangihara https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22822858-a-little-life
Lisa Barr, The Goddess of Warsaw, https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-goddess-of-warsaw-lisa-barr?variant=41099496980514
Annabel Monaghan, https://annabelmonaghan.com/
(Annabel on The Joys of Binge Reading -https://thejoysofbingereading.com/annabel-monoghan-evocative-romcoms/ )
The Stationery Shop, Marjan Kamali, https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42201995
Patti Callahan Henry, The Secret Book of Flora Lee, https://www.patticallahanhenry.com/the-secret-book-of-flora-lea
(Patti Callahan Henry on The Joys of Binge Reading,
https://thejoysofbingereading.com/patti-callahan-narnia-magic/)
Barbara Davis, the Keeper of Happy Endings, Echo of Old Books, https://barbaradavis-author.com/
Sam Woodruff, https://www.samanthawoodruff.com/
Alison Wynne-Ryder, https://www.thequirkymedium.com/home/about-alison
Taylor Jenkins Reid, https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/
Lynne Golodner author and writing coach: https://lynnegolodner.com/
Where to find Rochelle online
Website: www.rochelleweinstein.com
Social media: Facebook, Threads, X.
Introducing author Rochelle Weinstein
Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Rochelle. Hello there, Rochelle, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Rochelle B Weinstein, women's fiction with bittersweet key
Rochelle Weinstein: Thank you, Jenny. I'm thrilled to be here with everybody.
Jenny Wheeler: Now we're talking about the latest book that you've recently published called What You Do To Me, and I thought we'd just start out for people who aren't familiar with your work by asking you how you'd classify it.
It's a romance, but it's more than a romance as well, isn't it? What category would you put it into?
Rochelle Weinstein: I think it's women's fiction... -
Welcome to The Best of Binge Reading 2023, Part Two, the second and final of our shows featuring the most listened to episodes on our popular fiction podcast, chosen solely on the basis of the number of times you, our audience, listened to them. It goes without saying they’re all best sellers, authors at the top of their game.
There’s something for everyone here, nerve wrenching contemporary thrillers from Ireland, to a French love story from a well loved TV actress; a World War II spy mystery by an Australian - set in the House of Dior in Paris, and a riveting journey into the world of the famous Mitford sisters, once acclaimed as London society beauties and then reviled as rotten traitors.
We present brief excerpts from each show, with links for where to find them if you’d like to hear more... As in previous years, we’ve selected shows that aired between Dec 1, 2022 and Dec 1, 2023.
So here they are – excerpts from the top six shows of 2023 on The Joys of Binge Reading.
Twisty Thrillers - Catherine Ryan Howard
Irish thriller author Catherine Ryan Howard with her latest nerve shredding suspense Runtime.
Catherine Ryan Howard - Thriller author
It’s a book that was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Crime Fiction Book Of The Year, and is a Top 10 Kindle Best Seller.
She been dubbed the Queen of High Concept thrillers for her intricate plotting which require a special excel spreadsheet...
First up I asked her about her revelation that Runtime was inspired by her actor brother, John Ryan Howard.
Jenny Wheeler: You've said that the original idea was inspired by your brother. Can you tell us about that connection?
Catherine Ryan Howard: Yeah, he loves when I do interviews about this book because he gets a mention. So, he is an actor, and a few years ago he was in an independent Irish horror movie called Beyond the Woods.
Of course, he was telling me all about the experience of being on set and one of the things he said, and in Beyond The Woods - if you read Runtime will sound very familiar because it was filmed in this house out in the middle of nowhere in the Cork countryside, in the dead of winter overnight.
They were shooting everything at night, and he said one of the first things they did is the director had to go to the local police station and say, look, if someone calls you at four in the morning to say, ‘I hear screens, I think someone's getting murdered.’ They're not.
It's just us filming.
And of course, being a crime writer, I immediately thought, what if it's someone getting murdered?
That's a great cover story. You're giving yourself a bit of a bit of time to get away a head start.
When I sat down to write the book, that idea went away and it turned into something else.
Movie making is murder
But that's the initial seed, and I loved the idea of there being a script for horror movie that when the actors go to film it, the same things that are happening in the script start to happen on the set, because of course your first question I think would be, is this really happening or is my director secretly filming me or something?
It’s hard to know what's real and what's not, and I think that's at the core of the novel.
Jenny Wheeler: Yes, exactly. You do open with a scene where the director and an assistant go and knock on someone's door and say, ‘if you hear any screaming, don't worry.’ And I immediately thought, oh, what a perfect cover for a crime.
Exactly that. The story does show a very close understanding of the filming process, what happens on set, and all the different roles that there are in the production side of things. I wondered if you'd had any personal experience of that yourself.
Catherine Ryan Howard: I really don't like, first of all, my brother was a great resource, of course, and I have a couple of other friends who'd be involved in the industry.
So if there was something specific I wanted to know, -
Welcome to The Best of Binge Reading 2023, Part One, the first of two shows featuring the most listened to episodes on our popular fiction podcast, chosen solely on the basis of the number of times you, our audience, listened to them.
They include an intriguing range of genres, from a contemporary thriller, to a French story in equal parts about food and love, a World War II spy mystery, a NZ historical family saga pre-dating European settlement, and two romances, one a fresh and funny romcom, the other a tender second chance tale of loss, regret, and the influence family has on life changing decisions.....
And like our audience, our authors reflect our international reach, with two Australians, a Kiwi, one French American, and one each from New York and Massachusetts.
We present brief excerpts from each show, with links for where to find them if you’d like to hear more... As in previous years, we’ve selected shows that aired between Dec 1, 2022 and Dec 1, 2023.
The second part of The Best Of The Joys of Binge Reading will air on January 16.
Kelly Rimmer: Spies – Lies - Betrayal
But now, here’s the first of this week’s guest authors, Kelly Rimmer. Her sweeping World War II suspense has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and made international best seller lists, including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
Her latest book, The Paris Agent, a fascinating dual timeline mystery with multiple romance lines moving from England and World War Two to the 1970s with the daughter of one of those people that was involved in the war. It’s a powerful story of two otherwise ordinary women who become spies dropped into Nazi occupied France.
I asked Kelly to tell us of the story’s genesis.
Kelly Rimmer - Best-selling World War II fiction
Kelly Rimmer: My daughter's name is Violette. It's a family name from my husband's side.
And when I was pregnant with her, and we were talking about names, you do the Googling thing, trying to think about famous people with this name.
Or what the meaning of the name is. And I stumbled upon Violette Szabo, who was an SOE agent, in the F section of the SOE.
Her story was so inspiring and had stuck with me. I loved the idea that we were naming my daughter after someone so incredible.
And I had always intended, always hoped that I would come up with the right premise to write a book that was inspired by her.
And, maybe two or three years ago, I heard a podcast about Diana Rowden, who is another SOE agent, who I had never heard of, even though I'd done a little bit of reading about the SOE.
And I've also found her to be just such an incredible woman. The idea for this book came out of their stories, their real-life stories.
It's fiction. I've taken a few liberties here and there with their stories. And they weren't actually close friends, but in my book, my characters inspired by them are friends.
But for the most part, where I could, I followed the real history.
Traitors operating within the SOE
Jenny Wheeler: Part of its foundation is the understanding that's emerged since the war that the Special Operations Executive, the branch of the British Secret Service that handled all of the dispensing of agents over France.
The ones that were so tremendously brave as to jump out of planes into enemy territory and work to support the Resistance...
Some of those people were betrayed from within the SOE even before they set foot on French soil.
Kelly Rimmer: There's plenty of scenarios where agents landed and were met by Nazi troops on the ground as they were landing.
In hindsight, it's very clear that there were people in the SOE who were betraying information through to the Nazis, but at the time they were operating blind in so many ways.
As soon as I came across that idea and this, gentleman named Henri Dericourt, who was thought to have potentially been quite senior in the SOE, -
Lucy Burdette’s Key West cozies feature a magazine food critic called Hayley Snow, her husband's nosy dog, Ziggy, and an indomitable sidekick, Miss Gloria, who's rapidly becoming a reader’s favorite, all that set in page-turning beautiful action in Florida's laid back tropical archipelago.
Hi. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on Binge Reading, Lucy talks about the joy of combining two of her loves in life, food and Key West, in an award-winning best-selling small town mystery series.
Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Giveaway
Our Giveaway this week as a selection from a group of authors, Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Giveaway, including Sadie's Vow, Book #1 in my own Home At Last trilogy.
It’s San Francisco, 1872. Sadie McGillicuddy’s word is her bond. Swearing to her dying mother to always protect her wilful sister, she’s soon tested when her beautiful younger sibling runs off into the night.
You'll find a link to download these books in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading.com. That's a Free Download Give away for holiday reading.
DOWNLOAD FREE MYSTERIES
And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best form of recommendation and it will help people find a show that recommends books they'd love to discover and read.
Links to items mentioned in the show
The Bobbsey Twins, Laura Lee Hope: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/DMJ/the-bobbsey-twins/
Nancy Drew. Carolyn Keene: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/NAD/nancy-drew/
Frank Bruni, Born Round: https://www.amazon.com/Born-Round-Family-Ferocious-Appetite/dp/014311767X#
Ruth Reichl: http://ruthreichl.com/about/
Dr Laurie Santos: Yale class on happiness: https://www.drlauriesantos.com/science-well-being
Dr Laurie Santos: Happiness Lab podcast:
https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos
Ann Cleeves: https://www.anncleeves.com/
Rhys Bowen, Lady Georgiana Royal Spyness series: The Proof in the Pudding, www.rhysbowen.com
Love Marriage by Monica Ali, https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Marriage-Monica-Ali/dp/1982181478
Ragnar Jonasson, Reykjavík, https://www.amazon.com/Reykjav%C3%ADk-Crime-Story-Ragnar-J%C3%B3nasson/dp/1250907330#
Where To Find Lucy Burdette Online
Website: https://lucyburdette.com/
Facebook: @Lucyburdetteauthor
Instagram: @Lucyburdette
Jungle Red Writers Blog: https://www.jungleredwriters.com/
Introducing mystery author Lucy Burdette
Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Lucy. Hello there, Lucy, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Lucy Burdette - Her latest book in the Key West food critic series made the USA Today bestseller list
Lucy Burdette: I am so happy to be here and I really appreciate being invited.
Jenny Wheeler: It's lovely. the wonders of technology to think that you are in Key West, Florida and I'm in New Zealand. It's great, isn't it?
Lucy Burdette: Crazy, Yes. Two islands.
Jenny Wheeler: That's right. Lucy, you've got a flourishing career writing these Key West food critic mysteries. You've just published number 13 in those. How did you get started on fiction writing?
Lucy Burdette: It's a strange story, but your listeners might not know that I'm a clinical psychologist. That was my career before writing and when I met my now husband of 31 years, he was a big golfer and I was not, but I wanted to do whatever it took to spend time with him.
So I started taking golf lessons, and I was just horrible, terrible.
I made every mistake. It was embarrassing. I started thinking about what could I write that would combine psychology and learning golf. I began to pitch some non-fiction stories about the psychology of golf.
I had a few published, but it's very hard as a freelancer to get picked up by magazines.
Why don't you try writing a mystery? -
Jo Thomas writes funny and sunny best-sellers about food, love and family. Books that wrap their arms around you and give you a “great big hug.”
And her latest release Countdown to Christmas is billed as “the most uplifting and feel good romance of Christmas 2023.”
Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and on Binge Reading today Jo talks about her own love for books that take you somewhere else, and her ambition to leave readers with hope and a smile on their faces.
This week's Giveaway
Our Giveaway this week is a Deck The Halls BookSweeps bundle of historic holiday romances. Enter the drawer for a library of 20 plus historical romances, including Tangled Destiny, a New York Christmas novella, which is the prequel to my own Of Gold & Blood historical mystery series.
The BookSweeps draw is valued at $250 and includes a new E reader.
Enter the draw here: https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/dec23-historical-holiday-romance/
ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW
Now do remember you can support the production costs of the show by buying me a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/Jennywheelx.
And if you enjoy the show, don't forget, leave us a review, so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best form of recommendation for people to hear about the show and great books they will love to read.
Items mentioned in this episode
Books Jo is reading
Katie Fforde: https://katiefforde.com/,
Jill Mansell: https://jillmansell.co.uk/
Milly Johnson: https://millyjohnson.co.uk/
Jilly Cooper: https://www.jillycooper.co.uk/
Galway Bay: https://www.galwaytourism.ie/galway-bay/
Pulia: https://www.traveldepartment.com/travel-blog/10-reasons-to-visit-puglia-region-in-italy
Where to find Jo Thomas online
Website: JoThomasauthor.com
Instagram: @jothomasauthor
Twitter: @jo_thomas01
But that's enough of the housekeeping, as you can probably tell, I've got a real frog in my throat, so I won't keep talking. I'll introduce Jo.
Introducing romance author Jo Thomas
Jo Thomas Best selling author of feel-good fiction featuring food, love and family...
Hello there Jo, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Jo Thomas: Jenny, great to be here.
Jenny Wheeler: You say up front that the sorts of books you write are about food, love, family, and fun. You like to have happy endings. And they are for people who like sunny and funny. Is that's how you started out your writing?
Jo Thomas: It's really yes, because they were the books that I loved to read. And I would read authors like Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell and Milly Johnson.
I wanted books that would take me to somewhere different where you felt that you would join in old friends?
Like in the evenings, I can remember reading a Jilly Cooper and getting into bed at night and thinking, ‘I'm going to visit old friends down the pub.’
And it's a nice place to be. I want people to feel that they care about the characters in my books and that they're with them through adversity and that they leave with hope and a smile on their face.
When you start writing, people say, oh, write about what you know, and I thought, I don't know about anything.
The only thing I like is food really. But I'm not a chef. I'm just someone who's interested in where their food comes from and then I thought why not write about the thing I'm interested in?
I was in a restaurant in Galway, in Ireland with my husband and I was like, ‘I dunno what I'm gonna write about.’
A perfect setting for Jo's first best seller
I'd ordered some oysters and they put down this platter of oysters in front of me. And just for a moment, it stopped raining for a while. And I looked out the window and I was looking out over Galway Bay and the moon came and shone silvery shadow across the water and the candle was going in the window and it was like being in someone's front room eating these oysters.
And I thought, this is sexy. -
Michelle Major’s USA Today, best-selling romance is all about new beginnings, second chances, and always a Happily Ever After. Just the thing for Christmas relief and her latest festive book, The Christmas Cabin delivers on all fronts.Hi, I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading this week, Michelle talks about the appeal of Christmas stories -she's written lots of them - and why Second Chance Romance is one of her favorite things to write.This Week's Giveaway Our Giveaway this week is a Book Bundle of three holiday novellas for my own Of Gold & Blood historic mystery series. If you enjoy twisty family secrets and a dash of sweet romance, you'll love this trio of novellas et in New York, Hawaii, and California.DOWNLOAD HOLIDAY NOVELLAShttps://dl.bookfunnel.com/1z2rd1zjlxYou can support the show by buying me a cup of [email protected]/jennywheelx. Your contribution helps to pay for production costs, but all of my time in researching and recording the show is done for no cost.If you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others can find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to find great books they will love to read.Links to things mentioned in the episode:Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series – books; https://juliaquinn.com/series/bridgertons/Bridgerton TV show: https://www.tvguide.com/news/bridgerton-season-3-release-date-cast-trailers-news-everything-to-know/Shonda Rhimes: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722274/Lisa Kleypas: https://lisakleypas.com/Jill Shalvis: The Sweetheart List, https://www.jillshalvis.com/the-sweetheart-listReaders Take Denver: https://www.readerstakedenver.com/Lori Foster Reader Author Get Together: https://readerauthorgettogether.com/Where to find Michelle onlineWebsite: Michellemajor.com Facebook: @MichellemajorauthorInstagram @Michellemajorbooks.Introducing romance author Michelle Major Romance author Michelle Major - feel good books for ChristmasJenny Wheeler: But now here's Michelle. Hello there Michelle, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.Michelle Major: I'm so excited to be here. Thank you.Jenny Wheeler: The Christmas Cabin is your newest release. and it's also part of the very successful Carolina Girls series.When I looked at the series, I discovered that this is actually the third Christmas book you've done in that series, so obviously your readers love them. What do you think it is that attracts readers to Christmas stories?Michelle Major: As a reader myself and a writer I think Christmas stories are so special because it's a time of year when we look back at our memories whether we have those rose-colored glasses on and everybody thinks about the perfect, Christmas around the fire though unfortunately, it's not always the reality in the world at large or in a family.And so, I think escaping into a Christmas book where you can just sink into all of those traditions and sweetness is really special at this time of year.Jenny Wheeler: Now the couple in your story, Laura and Ben, were married briefly as youngsters and for quite understandable reasons it didn't last very long. They're now meeting up again quite some time later in their old home territory. I guess you would describe this as a Second Chance Romance, wouldn't you?Michelle Major: I would. And Second Chance Romance is one of my favorites to write, so I loved it.The appeal of Second Chance RomanceJenny Wheeler: Why is that? Why is Second Chance Romance so attractive?Michelle Major: My writing process often starts with character development and the emotions between the two main characters, You know, in movies, I love Love at First Sight shows, and I love those moments of being hit by something. But I think writing Second Chance, it's just so juicy because they have a history and often it hasn't ended well. You can jump in the deep end on the emotional tension.
-
Emily Bleeker is a best-selling author whose dual-time-line novel When We Were Enemies moves between a World War II prisoner of war camp in Indiana and the feverish fame of contemporary Hollywood in a story that was partly inspired by her own family history.Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler, and today on Binge Reading, Emily talks about intimate betrayals made in the promise of fame and tells the remarkable story of how a serious health crisis gave her the Eureka moment when she was determined to write fiction.Now she's an award-winning best-selling author with 2 million readers worldwide.Our Giveaway This WeekOur Giveaway this week is Three Holiday Novellas from my own Of Gold & Blood historical mystery series.They are Book #4 Tangled Destiny, which is a New York Christmas story, Book # 6, Hope Redeemed, a Spanish ranch romance and Captive Heart, Book #8, a Hawaiian Christmas, all romantic sequel novellas, to longer mysteries.Download these three entertaining reads for one week only. The links are in the show notes for this episode on the website, the joys of binge reading.comFREE HOLIDAY NOVELLAShttps://dl.bookfunnel.com/1z2rd1zjlxBinge Reading goes fortnightly 2024Last week I asked listeners should I stay weekly or go fortnightly with the podcast show next year, and thanks to all those who responded.The overwhelming number of you (90 per cent) said yes, you'd be happy with fortnightly episodes. So that's what we'll be doing starting in January.Before we get to Emily a reminder, you can help defray the costs of the production of the show by buying me a cup of coffee on buy me a coffee.com forward slash Jeannie, J E N NY wheel W H EE Lx. Small x.And remember, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review, so others will find us too.Links to places and things mentioned in the episodeCamp Atterburyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Atterbury-MuscatatuckOperations Allies Welcomehttps://www.dhs.gov/allieswelcomeWhat Emily is reading now:Terror, Love, and Brainwashing, by Alexandra Stein; https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Love-Brainwashing-Attachment-Totalitarian/dp/1138677973What You Do To Me by Rochelle Weinstein,https://www.rochelleweinstein.com/books/what-you-do-to-meStrong Like You by Travis (T.L.) Simpson.https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/178619792Where to find Emily online:Website: emilybleeker.comEmail: [email protected] Book Club favorite Emily BleekerEmily Bleeker - dual time line saga from WWII POW camp to contemporary HollywoodJenny Wheeler: But now, here's Emily. Hello, Emily, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.Emily Bleeker: Hello, thank you for having me.Jenny Wheeler: Emily, When We Were Enemies, which is your seventh book and the one that we're talking about today, is partly set in a POW camp, a prisoner of war camp in Indiana during World War II.And it dips into aspects of your own family history. I wondered if you'd like to start by just giving us an idea of how it all came together.Emily Bleeker: Yes, sure. It was years and years ago. My dad told me a story about how my grandmother worked in a POW camp in Mississippi, and I had no idea what he was talking about because I did not even know that was a thing. So it went in one ear and out the other.But I have just become more interested in my grandmother's life and her story.I decided to do some research on the topic and found out that was a real thing during World War Two.And the other interesting part of that story about my grandmother is that she met an Italian priest there. She was married to my grandfather and they had a platonic friendship that continued for the rest of his life.He would draw pictures on postcards and send them to her every so often throughout the rest of his life.Italian POWs in US campsJenny Wheeler: Yes, I must admit,
-
Darry Fraser writes bestselling, empowering feminist historicals that put women back in the Australian story. Her latest book, her twelfth novel is called The Milliner of Bendigo.Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler. And today on the show, Darry talks about her fascination with the contribution women have made in every generation, whether recognized or not.And how in all of the books she somehow had the story sparked by a personal or family connection.Christmas Historicals Giveawayhttps://books.bookfunnel.com/winterhistoricalromance/tehahdyvcvOur Giveaway this week is Free Christmas Romance, a library full of free historical romance books to download, including Captive Heart, Book #6 in my Of Gold & Blood mystery series, a Hawaiian Christmas novella and don't we all know it's time for Christmas novellas.DOWNLOAD FOR FREEhttps://books.bookfunnel.com/winterhistoricalromance/tehahdyvcvShow Going Fortnightly?On a slightly more personal note, I'm thinking of running the show fortnightly rather than weekly next year, to give myself more time to write and to save on some of the ongoing costs.But I'd like to hear your thoughts before making the change. Would you still support Binge Reading if it was fortnightly. Would you welcome the change because of life just getting so busyLet me know your preferences at [email protected] and I’ll report on the response next time.Links to items highlighted in this episodeDarry Fraser and Arnott's Christmas Tin: https://www.darryfraser.com/the-drover-comes-homes-for-christmaCandice Fox, The Chase, https://www.candicefox.org/Jodi Taylor, Chronicles of St. Mary's series; https://joditaylor.online/Rachael Mead, The Art of Breaking Icehttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/152232958Kate Grenville, A Room Made Of Leaves;https://kategrenville.com.au/books/a-room-made-of-leaves/Where to find Darry Fraser onlineWebsite: www.darryfraser.comFacebook: @darryfraserbooksInstagram: @darryfraser And that’s the housekeeping over. Here's our guest for this week. Darry Fraser.Introducing author Darry FraserDarry Fraser - historical fiction that restores women's place in historyJenny Wheeler: Hello there Darry and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.Darry Fraser: Oh, thank you, Jenny. Thanks so much for having me.Jenny Wheeler: Darry, you're a best-selling author, some of your books have reached the Top 100 lists in Australia. And you write “empowering feminist adventures.” That's the way you like to describe them.They're all historicals as well. So tell us, what do you like about writing feminist adventure stories?Darry Fraser: The first thing I hear quite a lot, especially when I'm doing library talks or bookstore events or something is, ‘Gee, all your leading ladies are well ahead of their time.’ and so on and so forth.And I had to have a think about and about that and address that women back in the day were just like you and I are in our 21st century, except they had greater restrictions on what they were allowed to do by law or within the family or whatever.But I don't believe that too many women were just wimps. I think they had as strong a personality as people you might meet today.But what fascinated me was how they maintained their own strength and their feminist, - and we're not talking feminazis here, we're talking feminists - being your own true self, within the restrictions that they came across.And... I think when you step back in time, which is basically what I do, and I love doing that, you find these people dotted throughout history, because we don't often have a great glimpse of the ordinary person's day-to-day life.Finding fascinating historical storiesThat glimpse of strength comes through, and we're finding more and more stories about let's say Australian and New Zealand women who did their own thing within the...
-
Jim Eldridge had a stellar career writing for TV and radio before he turned to World War II and late 19th century historical mysteries which demonstrate all the page-turning immediacy of the TV shows he cut his teeth on.
Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler. And on this week's Joys of Binge Reading podcast, Jim talks about growing up on a London bomb site and staying ahead in an ever-changing publishing world.
This week's Giveaway
Our Giveaway this week is a BookSweeps draw – a Literary, Historical and Book Club Fiction selection. Be into win a library of great books, plus a brand new E reader, worth $300 in total prize value.
:https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/nov23-win-a-bundle-of-literary-historical-book-club-fiction/
Available only for a limited time - the draw closes on November 22.
ENTER BOOKSWEEPS DRAW
Before we get to hear from Jim, I wanted to take a moment to issue a huge apology to those of you who may have reached out to me through my website contact forms, either through my book site at www.jennywheeler.biz or the podcast at www.thejoysofbingereading.com
I've discovered quite recently to my horror, that emails from those sites have been going into a kind of internet nether land for quite a few months. I don't really know how long, never to be seen or heard from again. With the help of Toby, our new webmaster we have solved this problem, and I will answer all genuine inquiries as soon as I can, but unfortunately I can't get any of those historical ones back.
Also another reminder, if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too.
Links to things mentioned in this episode:
The Line of Kings (Tower of London):
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/line-of-kings/
Girton College, Cambridge: https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/
Churchill’s War Room:
https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms
Down St Station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Street_tube_station
The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha
The Blind Beggar pub:
https://www.theblindbeggar.com/
Salvation Army founder, William Booth:
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/activists/william-booth.html
The Kray Brothers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kray_twins
Dennis May Wilson: https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/dennis-main-wilson/
Georges Simeon: (Maigret author) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9693.Georges_Simenon
Maigret: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/IMA/inspector-maigret
Ed McBain: (real name Evan Hunter) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Hunter
Peter Davison: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/peter_davison
V2s: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-terrifying-german-revenge-weapons-of-the-second-world-war
Where to Find Jim online:
Website: https://www.jimeldridge.com/
Email: Contact form on Jim’s website.
Introducing mystery author Jim Eldridge
Jim Eldridge - historical mystery author and TV script writer
But now here’s Jim. Hell, Jim and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Jim Eldridge: It's fantastic to be here Jenny and thank you for inviting me on.
Jenny Wheeler: You've had a fascinating varied career with a very large amount of experience in TV before you set about doing your fiction writing with your historical mysteries.
We're going to be focusing on those historical mysteries and two of your most recent books, Murder at the Tower of London, which is #9 in the Museum Murder series, and Murder at Down Street Station, which is #5 in the World War II mysteries.
Tell me, what made you change from doing TV to writing historical mysteries?
Jim Eldridge: I think actually what happened was I had my first show on in 1971, which is a long time ago. And over the years, things changed at the broadcasting. I wrote for British, Irish, and American television, TV and radio. -
Reviewers use all sorts of adjectives to describe inspirational fiction author Tessa Afshar’s work. Words like whimsical, intriguing, romantic, prophetic, faith-filled, daunting, grace-filled, dangerous, redeeming, heart-pumping, heart-stirring, sad and joyful - all at once.That’s Tessa.Hi, I'm your host, Julie Wheeler. And on this week’s show, historical fiction author Tessa Afshar talks about her latest release, The Persian King, set in Babylon in the sixth century BC.And she shares something of her remarkable life; at 14 years of age, speaking no English, moving from the Middle East to a British boarding school, and then becoming a Christian in her early twenties and completing a Masters in Divinity at Yale.Best-selling romance author Debbie Macomber says of her work: “No one brings the Bible to life like Tessa Afshar.”Our Giveaway this weekOur Giveaway this week is Mystery with Romance, a group of best-selling authors once again joining together to offer a great range of books for you to choose from and download for FREE including Sadie’s Vow, Book #1 in my latest trilogy Home At Last.DOWNLOAD MYSTERY WITH ROMANCE EBOOKShttps://books.bookfunnel.com/freebookspg13mysteryromance/tm6fhkvpt0And remember – if you enjoy the show. Leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.Links for things mentioned in this episodeSong from Psalm 137By The Waters of Babylon Boney M: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FgDles4xq8And Don Mclean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcBy_b7z_dUHerodotus: Greek historian and biographer; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HerodotusPhilippians 2: 10 - 11 Every knee shall bowhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202%3A10-11&version=NIVThe Medes: https://www.britannica.com/place/Media-ancient-region-IranThe Persians: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/persian-empire/Women Who Risk by Tom and Joann Doyle: https://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Risk-Secret-Agents/dp/0785233466The re-telling of Ruth: In The Field Of Grace – Tessa Afshar: https://www.amazon.com/Field-Grace-Tessa-Afshar/dp/0802410979The Peasant King: https://tessaafshar.com/books/the-peasant-king/The Hidden Prince: https://tessaafshar.com/books/the-hidden-prince/Where to find Tessa Afshar onlineWebsite: www.tessaafshar.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessaAfsharInstagram: @tessaafasharIntroducing historical fiction author Tessa AfsharJenny Wheeler: But now here's Tessa. Hello there, Tessa, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.Tessa Afshar - Fiction in Ancient and Biblical timesTessa Afshar: Jenny, it's an honor to be with you. I'm really looking forward to our time together and I hope that my New Zealand friends will enjoy our conversation, and everybody else around the world who's listening to this podcast.Jenny Wheeler: That's lovely. So you know folk in New Zealand, do you?Tessa Afshar: I don't, it's just one of those gorgeous countries I've always wanted to visit. I've heard so many amazing things about people from New Zealand and what I've seen on TV of your gorgeous country makes me want to come and hang out.Jenny Wheeler: You'd certainly be known here to New Zealand readers because your fiction that you write, the inspirational fiction, both biblically and historically based, is described as “seriously good inspirational fiction.”Tell us about your latest book, which is The Peasant King. That's the one we're going to be discussing today. It is a biblically based story and it goes right back to Babylon in the 6th century BC. A famous period, even to non-believers, that's a famous period in history. Tell us about the background for that book.Babylon and Biblical prophecyTessa Afshar: Yes, absolutely. I'd be delighted to.
-
This week on The Joys of Binge Reading. Internationally published Kiwi author, Fiona Sussman. And The Doctor's Wife, a psychological thriller of a close friendship shattered by illness and unexpected death. Nothing in Stan Andino's unremarkable life could prepare him for the day he discovered his wife in the living room naked except for a black apron, bleaching out of stain in the carpet that only she can see.
Hi there. I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and on Binge Reading today Fiona talks about writing a story where a group of close friends discover the unexpected about themselves and one another after one of them is diagnosed with severe brain cancer.
For Fiona, who was a doctor before becoming a full-time author, it's her first foray into bringing her experience as a medical practitioner to her fiction.
This week's Giveaway - win a paperback
And as our Giveaway this week, we've got a paperback copy of The Doctor's Wife, which is a finalist in New Zealand's Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards to be decided later this month.
Enter the draw to win a copy of The Doctor's Wife here
https://the-joys-of-binge-reading.ck.page/de8c1c9777
ENTER DRAW TO WIN A COPY OF THE DOCTOR'S WIFE
Links to books mentioned in the episode
Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh_Awards
Ngaio Marsh; https://www.ngaiomarsh.org/ngaio-marsh
Agatha Christie: https://www.agathachristie.com/
Dorothy Sayers: https://www.sayers.org.uk/
Marjorie Allingham: https://www.margeryallinghamcrime.com/biography/
Nadine Gordimer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadine_Gordimer
Athol Fugard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athol_Fugard
Alan Paton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Paton
Geraldine Brooks: https://geraldinebrooks.com/
Kate Greenville: https://kategrenville.com.au/
Elizabeth Strout: https://www.elizabethstrout.com/
Helen Garner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Garner
Graeme Macrae Burnet, This Bloody Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Macrae_Burnet
Malla Nunn, A Beautiful Place to Die, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malla_Nunn
Fiona Kidman, This Mortal Boy, https://fionakidman.com/
And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for friends to discover the show and great books they will love to read.
Introducing Kiwi author Fiona Sussman
You'll find Fiona at:
Website: www.fionasussman.co.nz
(Fiona has suspended her social media for the time being to focus on her writing)
Fiona Sussman - The Doctor's Wife - shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Mystery Awards
Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Fiona. Hello there, Fiona, and welcome to the show. It's so good to have you with us.
Fiona Sussman: Hi, Jenny. It's a real treat to be on the Joys of Binge Reading. Thank you so much for inviting me.
Jenny Wheeler: Now, it is an international show, but you're just across a few streets from me. it's wonderful to be able to talk to a local resident today for a change. We're talking about The Doctor's Wife, which is your fourth novel. Often crime novels – and this is categorized as a crime novel, although it's really, as you've said, a domestic thriller - it doesn't start with a death or a murder or a crime exactly.
It starts with simmering tension between normal middle class couple and then quickly followed by a husband coming home and finding his wife doing something very unusual.
She is naked except for a black apron. She's madly scrubbing at the carpet at an invisible stain that nobody but her can see.
And this is a very dramatic way to introduce the fact that this woman is suffering from a serious illness. Tell us about the opening.
A tense dinner quickly escalates
Fiona Sussman: Yes, Jenny. I guess I was very mindful of the fact that this was a domestic thriller I was writing, so I wanted to escalate the tension fairly early on. -
Andrea Penrose is a USA Today, bestselling author of Regency era historical fiction, including the acclaimed Wrexford and Sloane mystery series.
Andrea is published internationally in ten languages. She's a three time Rita award finalist and is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including two Daphne du Maurier awards for Historical Mystery.
Hi there. I'm your host, Jenny Wheeler and today on Binge Reading, Andrea talks about Murder At The Merton Library, # 7 in her best-selling Wrexford and Sloane series.
Responding to an urgent plea from a troubled family friend, the Earl of Wrexford journeys to Oxford, only to find the reclusive university librarian has been murdered and a rare manuscript has gone missing.
In the words of one reviewer, it's another of Andrea's “well-thought-out mysteries with early forensic science, great details of the era, and a slow burning attraction that creates a compulsive read.”
October Romance Giveaway
Searching for your next favorite story?
Look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new books, including Hope Redeemed, #6 in the Of Gold & Blood mystery series.
Hope Redeemed is a Spanish romance mystery novella - She’s grieving her intended’s death. He’s loving her from afar. But will a long-kept secret spoil their chance at everlasting happiness?
DOWNLOAD FREE BOOKS
And remember if you enjoy the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for people to discover the show and great books they will love to read.
Link to items mentioned in this episode
Sir John Soanes Regency townhouse: https://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/sir-john-soanes-house-a-slice-of-regency-london/
The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51187948-the-splendid-and-the-vile?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_21
Allison Montclair, and the Bainbridge Sparks series
https://us.macmillan.com/author/allisonmontclair
C.S. Harris, the Sebastian St Cyr Regency mysteries
https://csharris.net/sebastian.php
Where to find Andrea Penrose online
Website: www.andreapenrose.com
Instagram: @andreapenrosebooks
Word Wenches blog: https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/
Introducing Andrea Penrose mystery author
Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Andrea. Hello there, Andrea, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Andrea Penrose - Regency mysteries
Andrea Penrose: Thank you so much for having me here. Jenny. I'm really excited to chat with you.
Jenny Wheeler: You're a best-selling author of the Wrexford and Sloane Regency Mystery Series and the next one, number seven, I think it's due to be published next week, isn't it?
Andrea Penrose: It actually in the U. S. came out last week.
Jenny Wheeler: Oh, great. Murder in the Merton Library, - for those who may not quite remember, the Merton Library is one of the most ancient and revered libraries in Britain, at Oxford University. So, you've got a great location to start, but you did start out writing romance, didn't you? How did you get called into doing the mysteries?
Andrea Penrose: I really liked writing romance, but a story really is about the relationship, how the 2 people fall in love, and I found myself more and more interested in developing a greater psychological depth with characters. The idea that a mystery usually will have a series and we'll have the protagonist, the same protagonist in each book.
You have a chance to develop the characters and plunge into the depths of friendship and vulnerabilities and how they tie in with their friends.
A mystery tests your sense of trust of who you're working with, who you can believe.
You question yourself about a lot of things. And I felt it gives me a bigger range to develop the characters and really have a little more complexity and the depth.
The story doesn't just revolve around a love st... -
Theodore Brun seemed to have everything. A high level, high earning job as a Paris based lawyer, a group of interesting friends and activities, a French fiancé, and yet he knew he wasn't really happy. Something was missing. It took him several job changes and a long-distance cycle ride across Europe before he discovered his calling.
And a decade of hard work later, he's published a four-book series of Dark Age historicals, The Wanderer Chronicles, and he's found where he belongs.
Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler, and on Binge Reading Today, Theodore talks about the books that critics describe as “thrilling, epic adventure at its very best” and about finding his place as an author in that remarkable ride that opened up his life to new energy and joy.
Fantastic Fiction Giveaway
For our Giveaway this week, I've teamed up with 50 other fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Women's Fiction and Book Club books in a BookSweeps Lucky Draw. There's two prize winners, but the Grand Prize winner gets a brand new E reader as well as a library of new books.
You can win my book Sadie's Vow, #1 in the Home At Last series, plus books from authors like Stephanie Dray, Madeline Martin, and Michelle Cox, all of whom have been on Binge Reading in the past.
And remember, if you enjoyed the show, leave us a review so others will find us too. Word of mouth is still the best way for others to discover the show and great books they will love to read.
Details of things mentioned in this episode:
The Second Siege of Constantinople: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11635/umayyad-siege-of-constantinople-717-ce/
The Anglo Saxon poem The Wanderer:
https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/English/Wanderer.php
Wynfrid of Nursling also known as St Boniface: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Boniface
German god Thor: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thor-Germanic-deity
Joe Abercrombie: https://joeabercrombie.com/
Hungry Ghosts: Kevin Jared Hosein, https://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Ghosts-Kevin-Jared-Hosein-ebook/dp/B0B31N67Z7/
River Spirit: Leila Aboulela, https://leila-aboulela.com/books/river-spirit/
The Great Reclamation: Rachel Heng, https://www.rachelhengqp.com/
Where to find Theodore Brun online
Website: www.theodorebrun.com
Instagram: @Theobrun
Twitter, @Theodore Brun
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theodorebrunauthor/
Introducing author Theodore Brun
Historical adventure author Theodore Brun
But now here's Theodore. Hello, Theodore, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.
Theodore Brun: Hello, Jenny. It's lovely to be here, from the other side of the world, literally. And the other side of the clock. You're 12 hours ahead. Let's get into it.
Jenny Wheeler: Yes. Thank you so much. Now we're going to be talking about the four-book series of The Wanderer Chronicles, set in the dark ages of Europe in the seventh and eighth centuries, and I know that these sorts of sagas often have quite a strong element of archetypal fantasy in them as well.
So I'm wondering. There's an obvious character in the book who identifies as a wanderer, but there's probably a more overarching archetype as well at play here. Talk to us a bit about how the Wanderer works in these kinds of Viking sagas.
Theodore Brun: The Wanderer, it's interesting the name, the Wanderer, for a start, because I came up with that when I was about halfway through drafting the first book. and in searching around to see whether anything else had been made under that name, I discovered that there is actually a very old Anglo Saxon poem called The Wanderer.
And as I read this thing, it was the first time I'd read it, I was astonished because it was very similar in terms of archetype to my own protagonist. And it's really about a man, a warrior in this warrior culture, who is forced into exile because his lord and his comrades are all wiped out in a battle.
... - Visa fler
