In Bed With Books

In this episode of In Bed with Books, I’m joined by Sally Kilpatrick, author of Little Miss Petty! It was fantastic getting to speak with her about the inspiration for the book, the generations of characters, and the romance between the book’s main character, Stella Stark, and her mysterious new neighbor, Malone.
Little Miss Petty follows Stella Stark, a private investigator forced to take on a side hustle after her boyfriend and business partner cheats on her, pushing her out of the business they built together. Her side hustle? Dealing out petty revenge for people seeking justice. Her work hits a snag when she can’t seem to crack the soon-to-be-ex-husband of one of her clients. He defies every expectation her client has created, and proves Stella’s expectations of men wrong so many times that she starts to question her cynical ways.
Kilpatrick and I discussed the inspiration for the novel - another person in power getting away with things they shouldn’t because of money - as well as the inspiration for the leading man, Malone. In her own words, Malone is the wholesome, non-toxic man who begs the question, do you need to get a better man? A major theme within the novel is generations and we got to chat about how Stark and her new friends, Salcedo and Havisham, show Stark about the importance of friendships alongside romantic relationships. Inspired by the philosophy of Practical Magic, the women plot their petty revenge, while daring the universe to send them real love.

You can learn more about Sally Kilpatrick here:
https://www.sallykilpatrick.com/

You can buy the book here:
https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781662532474

If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]

This week, I was joined by author Jayne Ann Krentz to talk about her recent release, The Shop on Hidden Lane.
You might know her as Jayne Castle, if you’re familiar with her futuristic/paranormal romantic-suspense or Amanda Quick, if you know her historical romantic-suspense.
The Shop on Hidden Lane is the most recent publication in Krentz 'decades-long career writing romance. In it, Sophy and Luke have to set aside their families’ generations-long feud so they can find their missing aunt and uncle. Krentz dives into what draws her to love stories like Sophy and Luke’s (hint: men who don’t cower in the presence of powerful women), and the importance of timelines in romantic-suspense - sometimes there’s spice on page 60 and that’s why we’re here! We also talked about what originally drew her to writing romance, how the landscape of romance publishing has changed in recent years, and how that helps it persist in the face of criticism.
You can buy the book here:
https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9798217187348
You can learn more about Jayne here:
https://jayneannkrentz.com/
If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!
Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51
Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]

This week, I sat down with author Gabrielle Wanek to talk about her latest release, Songs of Ash and Dawn.
Wanek explores themes of isolation and grief as her main character, Aidan, navigates the grief of losing her grandmother in the face of an evil hunting down magic users like her.
Gabrielle and I talked about her writing process and her inspiration – like deciding “I can do better than that,” while watching Game of Thrones – and the ways that covid lockdown influenced the theme of isolation into Songs of Ash and Dawn. We explored some of the seeds that grew into Aidan and Cora, the main point of views in the first book of this series, and how her relationship with her own grandmother helped shape Aidan’s arc. Throughout the conversation, we discussed what influenced the building of this world, and how Wanek’s background in video game development helped hone her skills in that.

You can read the first three chapters of Songs of Ash and Dawn on her website here:
https://www.songsofashanddawn.com/
You can buy the book here:
https://a.co/d/0izRDZ6d
You can find her self-help book here:
https://a.co/d/0gj7BuDq

If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!
Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]

In this episode of In Bed With Books, I’m joined by my friend Michelle Craft for a chat about our recent buddy read, Babel by R.F. Kuang.
We start the conversation with a close reading of the full title, Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translator’s Revolution, asking what we can consider violence, and how it builds on itself. Kuang’s commentary on colonialism and empire, its exploration of language as power and the emotional destruction of the ending (yes, there be spoilers), feels like just the beginning of this conversation.
Tune in as Michelle and I also take a look at some of the biggest critiques of the book - its over-intellectualized style, as well as the accusation of it being too obvious, and how those things can both exist in the novel. Kuang’s homage to 19th century writing shines in this, and Michelle and I have a blast talking about how that, as well as the choice to write the story through Robin’s eyes, drive home the dark academia vibes and the inevitability of the novel’s conclusion.
Whether you loved Babel, were haunted by it, or are on the fence about the delivery of its message, have a listen.

You can learn more about Michelle and her work here: https://www.soulhealingwithmichelle.com/

If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]

This week on In Bed With Books, I’m joined by author Kait Ballenger to talk about her dark and sexy paranormal romance, Original Sinner. The book follows Charlotte, a budding PR agent for a luxury company in NYC, who finds herself thrust into the middle of her boss’ sibling rivalry. Except that her boss is Lucifer and the siblings are the other 6 deadly sins.
Kait and I start the conversation by looking at the books and myths that influenced Charlotte and Lucifer’s story. She let us in on her writing process, explaining why this story makes the most sense as a dark romance, since we get to see them explore their trauma through kink and BDSM dynamics (it’s a spicy one, folks!), letting the dark romance context exist as a space for healing, empowerment, and emotional honesty. Kait also discusses her worldbuilding process, how the idea of the seven deadly sins as billionaires came to be, and how this all helped balance out the emotional side of Charlotte’s healing arc. To round things out, Kait gives us a sneak peek at where we can expect to see our lovers go in books two and three! You’ll see book three on shelves in May of next year!
If you’re still trying to scratch the Hades/Persephone itch, love paranormal, dark romance, or a (genuinely!) morally gray love interest, then add Original Sinner to your tbr.

For more information on Kait:
https://www.kaitballenger.com/

Original Sinner (The Original Sinners #1):
https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781662528873

Wicked Believer (The Original Sinners #2):
https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781662528880

If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]