Host Edith welcomes author and coach Lee Baucom to Book Lover’s Companion to discuss what it means to treat writing—especially fiction—as a business. They distinguish hobby writing from pursuing income, emphasizing that authors must wear multiple hats, particularly marketing as simply making readers aware and connecting the right audience to the right book. They cover...
Host Edith welcomes San Francisco author Rick London to Book Lover’s Companion to discuss his December 2025 novel The Dancing Wolfe Man (Volume One). London explains his pen name and how a vivid nighttime drive after a 1998 Super Bowl gathering inspired a werewolf story he later developed in 2024. Wanting to avoid a typical...
Host Edith welcomes returning guest and author Twila Mason to discuss Step by Step, book two in the interconnected-yet-standalone Desperate Hearts series. Twila explains that the novel follows Chrissy’s path to a “happily ever after” after the events of book one, beginning with her being chosen to paint a City of Chicago mural and meeting...
Host Edith interviews retired US Air Force officer and historical fiction/children’s author Steve Doherty about his novels inspired by a WWII covert operative he interviewed in 1995 (renamed Jonathan Preston), whose missions behind Japanese lines in the China-Burma-India theater were classified for 50 years. Doherty explains how Preston and teammate George Linka worked with British...
Host Edith welcomes returning guest Emma Woodhouse, a fiction and nonfiction author, to discuss two upcoming autumn releases: the historical novel “Anne Morgan: Hellish Beauty” (September) and the nonfiction “Criminal Women of Victorian London” (November). Woodhouse explains her fascination with overlooked working-class Victorian women and shares the story of Anne Morgan, a “witch” murdered in...
Host Edith welcomes returning guest Kimberly Sullivan and fellow editors/writers Elaine, Carolyn, Christy, Kay to discuss the anthology Feisty Deeds 2: Historical Tales of Badges and Bruises. They explain eligibility and guidelines within the Women’s Fiction Writers Association historical fiction affinity group, including a 3,000-word limit, historical settings (50+ years past), fictional female protagonists, and...
Host Edith welcomes editor Jennica Dotson to discuss how she became an editor through internships and on-the-job learning, and to explain the differences between developmental editing (big-picture plot, structure, character, and worldbuilding), line editing (stylistic, line-by-line refinement, often including some copy work), and copy editing (grammar, punctuation, and typos). Jennica recommends discovery calls, approaching editors...
Host Edith welcomes children’s book author Kate Hull (joining from Florida) to discuss her Share Joy brand and her self-published Amazon children’s books: Where Does Joy Live?, Where Does Peace Live, and Where Does Love Live. Hull explains how Share Joy began with fresh flower bars at corporate and charity events and grew into a...
Host Edith welcomes returning guest Ekta Garg—author, editor, and book reviewer—to discuss the writing and publishing journey. Ekta explains editing stages (developmental editing, line/copy editing, proofreading) and shares that she now offers manuscript assessments focused on character, dialogue, plot, tension, and conflict. She advises writers to finish a draft, step away for at least a...
Host Edith welcomes neurosurgeon and memoirist Craig Yorke to discuss his April 2025 memoir Steep, which began as a letter to his adult sons and evolved after encountering a James Baldwin quote about history living within us. Yorke reflects on how awareness of the past can bring perspective and a measure of freedom, especially for...