A bookish podcast hosted by indie author and bookstore owner Julia Bodwell that covers a broad range of topics, from book reviews and upcoming releases to author interviews and industry behind-the-scenes. Featuring special guest booksellers, authors, and industry professionals, Hey Reader blends casual conversations with meaningful discussions that allow listeners to dive into the world of books.
A Moroccan Folktale, a Traumatic Upbringing, and Writing for Teens
YA author Loretta Chefchaouni reveals where the inspiration for her debut, The Lustrous Dark, came from, how she wove her own adolescent experiences into her character’s backstory, and why it’s so important to her to write stories that young readers can connect with. During the episode, she also opens up about what it’s like writing through Muslim and neurodiverse lenses and what the process of getting the novel–her fifth manuscript–published looked like.
Loretta Chefchaouni is a former early childhood educator from Florida. Her fantastical tales for teens explore grief and fear within the safe place of stories. She is an alum of the Pitch Wars mentorship program and the Highlights Foundation's Muslim Storyteller Fellowship. The Lustrous Dark is her debut novel.
Order Loretta’s book via our Bookshop affiliate link:
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Connect with Loretta online: https://lorechefwrites.com/ (https://lorechefwrites.com/)
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21 Sept 2026
Brynne Weaver, Trigger Warnings, and Morally Grey Men
Bookseller Kyrstie Atwood returns to the show to dive deep into the dark romance genre, breaking down tropes and trigger warnings, sharing favorite titles and authors, and clearing up common misconceptions regarding the genre’s appeal.
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7 Sept 2026
Being Human, Writing Through the Pain, and a Snake Named Horse
Debut author E.G. Young reveals how the idea for her novel came to be, how she learned to finish writing the book using dictation software, and how the book’s delightfully weird premise touches on the universal theme of figuring out who you are in the world.
E.G. Young (she/her) is a speculative fiction author living on the Gulf Coast of Florida. In her books, you’ll find weird-but-tender vibes, strange girls, dark humor, spookiness, and animals who all live at the end (promise!). She writes 90 percent of her drafts using voice-to-text dictation (shoutout to fellow hypermobile humans). E.G. holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from The Vermont College of Fine Arts and is represented by Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency.
Order E.G.’s book via our Bookshop affiliate link:
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Connect with E.G. online: https://www.egyoungbooks.com/ (https://www.egyoungbooks.com/)
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24 Aug 2026
A Recurring Dream, Animal Familiars, and Ten Months of Research
New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin reveals how the idea for her latest novel first came to her in a dream 25 years ago, how she balances months of research with short writing deadlines, and why she’s shifting from WWII-era fiction to magical realism.
Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, and international bestselling author with books that have been translated into over twenty-five languages. She lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions), two incredibly spoiled cats, and a man so wonderful he's been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She loves to travel, lose herself in research and attributes her fascination with history to having spent her childhood in Germany as an Army brat.
Order Madeline’s books via our Bookshop affiliate link:
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Connect with Madeline online: https://madelinemartin.com/ (https://madelinemartin.com/)
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10 Aug 2026
Knocking Over Chairs, Writing for Hire, and Picking the Right Cover Model
Self-proclaimed author of Glitterature, Paul Coccia dishes about what it’s like getting hired to write a manuscript, reveals where he draws his inspiration from, and reminisces about quirky publishing mishaps.
Paul Coccia writes primarily for young readers of all ages (although sometimes adult readers sneak in) with titles including Recommended Reading and The Bear Fairy. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is often found baking in his Toronto kitchen with his nephew, dogs, and parrot who loves French fries.
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Connect with Paul online: https://www.paulcoccia.com/ (https://www.paulcoccia.com/)
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27 Jul 2026
Meticulous Research, Juggling Deadlines, and Writing Across Genres
From historical fiction to contemporary thrillers, USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight reveals how she balances multiple genres and deadlines, where she draws her inspiration from, and the secret to crafting vibrant characters and stories.
Eliza Knight is an award-winning, USA Today and international bestselling author of dozens of novels. Her latest novel is Lost in the Summer of ‘69. A lifelong history obsessive, Eliza’s love affair with the past began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles. She is the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, and host on the History, Books and Wine podcast. Her books have been translated into multiple languages, and most recently, her co-authored title A Day of Fire has been optioned for television. She writes revenge fiction as Michelle Brandon. Knight holds an MFA in creative writing from Drexel University and is a creative writing instructor. She lives in the sunshine state with her husband, three daughters, a dog, a crab and a turtle.
Order Eliza’s books via our Bookshop affiliate link:
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13 Jul 2026
Flooded Towns, Blending Genres, and Quitting the Outline
From poetry to prose, author Erin L. McCoy explains how the haunting true stories behind drowned towns inspired the premise for her debut novel, Underlake, a mesmerizing story of isolation and resilience, and reveals how blending descriptive language with narrative storytelling has allowed her to write genre-defying fiction.
Erin L. McCoy’s debut novel, Underlake (Doubleday 2026), was named one of People’s Best New Books and one of the New Yorker’s Best Books of 2026. Her poetry collection, Wrecks (Noemi Press 2025), was a finalist for the Noemi Book Award and winner of the Florida Book Award. Erin’s poetry and fiction have appeared in the American Poetry Review, Best New Poets, Pleiades, Conjunctions, and other publications, and she was a finalist for the Missouri Review’s Miller Audio Prize. She's also the creator of The Next Sentence (https://erinlmccoy.substack.com/), a weekly Substack newsletter for people writing a novel. She lives and writes in Florida.
Order Erin’s books via our Bookshop affiliate link:
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Follow Erin online: https://www.instagram.com/erinlmccoy (https://www.instagram.com/erinlmccoy)
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29 Jun 2026
Book Bans, Summer Reading, and Inspiring Young Minds
Bookseller and high school English teacher Nicole Fincher pulls back the curtain on book bans, explaining how removing literature from school shelves only makes teens more curious—and how censorship can impact student access to stories that promote empathy and critical thinking.
What Nicole’s currently reading:
A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin
The Critic by L.L. Kirchner
Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel
Falling for Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Shop all books via our Bookshop affiliate link:
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Connect with Nicole on social media: @nicole_toberead
Connect with Julia on social media: @jbodwellwrites
15 Jun 2026
Rereads, Sex Scenes, and Overcoming Self-doubt
L.L. Campbell, author of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards and the Tricky Magic series, opens up about her writing process, what she’s currently working on, and how rereading her Tricky Magic series has helped her embrace the story and navigate imposter syndrome.
L.L. Campbell is the author of the Tricky Magic series; home to your favorite shadow daddy and one seriously badass witch. And her newest book, Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards, a witchy romance set in Stars Hollow type town, except both main characters are witches who wake up accidentally married. She grew up in the spooky corners of Massachusetts and now lives in Florida with her forever fiancé, Chris, their land hippo Sasha, and the ghosts of their favorite furkids. A witch with too many stories and not enough time, she’s always daydreaming about new characters and the chaotic worlds they belong to. If she’s not writing, she’s probably reorganizing a playlist or pretending to be normal in public.
Order L.L.’s books via our Bookshop affiliate link:
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1 Jun 2026
Dark Romance, ACOTAR, and DNFing Without Guilt
Bookseller Kyrstie Atwood joins host Julia Bodwell for the inaugural episode of Hey Reader, where the pair discuss the books that shaped them into lifelong readers, the series that brought them back to their love of literature, and what books they’re currently reading and recommending.
What Kyrstie’s reading:
Death Meets Cute by J. Penner
Ice Planet Barbarian by Ruby Dixon
Fossil Feud by Maggie North
The Kiss Thief by LJ Shen
What Julia’s reading:
Lost in the Summer of ‘69 by Eliza Knight
Underlake by Erin L. McCoy
Devil Inside by Clay McLeod Chapman
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman
Shop all books via our Bookshop affiliate link (https://bookshop.org/shop/TheGildedPageBookstore).
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Kyrstie: https://www.instagram.com/kyrstie_reads (https://www.instagram.com/kyrstie_reads)
Julia: https://www.instagram.com/jbodwellwrites (https://www.instagram.com/jbodwellwrites)
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
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