Always Bring a Book

Today I sit down with Isaac Fitzgerald, bestselling author of Dirtbag Massachusetts, Pen & Ink, How to Be a Pirate, and the forthcoming book American Rambler: Walking the Roads of Johnny Appleseed. In the new book, Isaac retraces the path of Johnny Appleseed from Massachusetts to Indiana while exploring family history, storytelling, faith, loneliness, and the generosity of strangers across America. Our conversation covers writing honestly about family, how memoir changes when the people you’re writing about are still around to read it, and the experience of retracing Johnny Appleseed’s path across America. We also talk about long walks, why Isaac believes America is kinder than the internet would have you think, and why he likes moving between different styles of writing. Author Photo © Nader Farzan Get Isaac’s books: American Rambler (out May 12) Dirtbag Massachusetts Pen & Ink How to Be a Pirate Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan https://maglory.bandcamp.com/

Today I sit down with Eleanor Anstruther and Alisa Kennedy Jones, author and publisher behind Fallout, a punk-hearted coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. Our conversation dives into the radical history that inspired Fallout, the power of protest and community, and why stories about women’s lives—especially in midlife—are often overlooked by traditional publishing. We talk about alternative paths to publishing, from Substack to indie presses, what it means to truly support authors, and how Empress is rethinking the model to center creative freedom, transparency, and collaboration. Author photo credit: Rosalind Hobley ⸻ Get Eleanor’s book: Fallout (out April 21) ⸻ Learn more about Empress Editions: Empress Editions ⸻ Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

Today I sit down with Eric LaRocca who is a Bram Stoker Award finalist and the author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, We Are Always Tender with Our Dead, and many other works of transgressive, boundary-pushing horror. His latest novel, Wretch, explores grief, loss, and the terrifying lengths we might go to reconnect with those we’ve lost. Our conversation dives into Eric’s approach to writing horror and how he navigates pushing boundaries while working with publishers, what kinds of content some large retailers won’t carry, and why he’s drawn to stories that leave readers feeling “unclean.” We discuss the evolving landscape of queer horror, the current renaissance of queer voices in the genre, and why horror has always been a space for outsiders. Get Eric’s books: Wretch (out March 24) Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke We Are Always Tender with Our Dead More Craig's recommendation this week: Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

Michael Finkel is the author of The Art Thief, The Stranger in the Woods, and True Story; all nonfiction books that read like thrillers and dive deep into the minds of people living far outside the bounds of normal life. (Photo Credit: © Doug Loneman) We talk about how Mike became fascinated with people living on the fringes of society, from a Frenchman who stole over $2 billion worth of art just to admire it in his bedroom, to a hermit who lived alone in the Maine woods for 27 years without speaking to another human being. Mike explains why he’s drawn to these kinds of stories, what it takes to convince elusive subjects to talk, and how years of reporting and research eventually become a narrative that feels both unbelievable and completely true. Our conversation also revisits the bizarre real-life events that inspired his book True Story, including the surreal moment when Mike discovered that a fugitive accused of murdering his family had been traveling under his name while posing as a reporter for the New York Times. We talk about the complicated aftermath of that experience, what it taught him about truth and storytelling, and how it shaped the way he approaches every project since. Get Michael's books: The Art Thief The Stranger in the Woods True Story This week's recommendation: The Return by Rachel Harrison Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

About the episode In this episode of Always Bring a Book, I sit down with bestselling author Megha Majumdar to talk about her new novel, A Guardian and a Thief, an Oprah’s Book Club pick and finalist for the National Book Award. Megha shares why she structured the novel over seven tense days, how an earlier ten-day draft had to be abandoned, and what it really means to “listen” when a book tells you it wants to become something else. We talk about the house at the center of the story, the hard-earned wisdom of cutting hundreds of pages in pursuit of a sharper, more urgent narrative, and her decision to step away from her role as Editor-in-Chief at Catapult to focus on writing full time. About the author Megha Majumdar is the author of the novel A Guardian and a Thief, which is an Oprah’s Book Club pick, a finalist for the Kirkus Prize and the National Book Award, and the winner of the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. A Guardian and a Thief is also a New York Times notable book, a Washington Post notable book, and one of the ten best books of the year per The Atlantic and TIME Magazine. Her first book, the New York Times bestselling novel A Burning, was a TODAY Show Read With Jenna book club pick and a National Book Award nominee, among other honors. Her work has been supported by the Whiting, Civitella Ranieri, and Hawthornden foundations. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, she now lives in New York. Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

In this episode of Always Bring a Book, I sit down with TJ Klune, bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, and In the Lives of Puppets. TJ and I reconnect after a few years to talk about everything that’s happened since Cerulean Sea became a massive success. TJ shares the story behind The Stars Look Like Home, his newly announced novel told from the point of view of a dog, written for a new Tor imprint, Wildthorn. We talk about writing from a place of deep personal connection, why the dog absolutely does not die, and how Britney Spears accidentally inspired the book’s title. The conversation also explores the emotional and creative weight of success, the rare second life his backlist has found through Tor republications, and the complicated realities of publishing older work years later. We also dig into the ethics of AI in publishing, TJ’s long-standing collaboration with cover artist Chris Sickels, and why supporting real artists matters more than ever. TJ reflects on resisting pressure to repeat past successes, protecting creative integrity, and what it means to keep writing stories that feel honest even as his audience continues to grow. Intro music by Trevor Vaughan

In this episode of Always Bring a Book, I sit down with Lucy Zhao, co-founder of Pagebound, a fast-growing social reading app built as an alternative to Goodreads. Lucy shares how Pagebound grew from an idea between two lifelong readers into a self-funded platform with over 100,000 users in just one year, all without ads or venture capital. She reflects on leaving the tech world, betting on the reading community, and building a product rooted in values rather than growth-at-all-costs. The conversation touches on organic growth through BookTok and word of mouth, difficult feature tradeoffs made by a two-person team, and what’s next for Pagebound including giveaways, deeper author and publisher collaborations, and hopes for more in-person and library-based community building. Intro music by Trevor Vaughan This week’s recommendations: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow We Are Always Tender with Our Dead by Eric LaRocca

Set in the fictional Azalea Dynasty, The Poet Empress follows a young woman living in a world where women are forbidden to read, famine is rampant, and survival demands impossible choices. In this conversation, Shen reflects on writing eight novels before her debut, unlearning the urge to write for the market, and why poetry, rooted in truth and emotion, became the heart of her book’s magic system. She also talks candidly about the vulnerability of publishing deeply personal work, the emotional impact of early reader responses, and what it’s been like watching the book find its audience through online book communities all while navigating life as a debut author. Intro music by Trevor Vaughan Author Photo credit: Yuqi Shan This week’s recommendations: Burn the Sea by Mona Tiwari True Story by Michael Finkel

On today's episode I sit down with Welsh author and artist Anthony Shapland, whose debut novel A Room Above a Shop was released earlier this year. Set in a small Welsh town in the late 1980s, A Room Above a Shop tells the story of a secret love affair between two men during the height of the AIDS crisis and the era of Section 28. In this conversation, Anthony reflects on writing queer love with restraint and tenderness, coming to writing later in life, and how his background in visual art and filmmaking shaped the way he approaches narrative. Intro music by Trevor Vaughan In this episode, we explore: Why the novel’s central characters are known only by their initials Writing gay history through intimacy, anonymity, and resistance Giving yourself “permission” to become a writer later in life How visual art, filmmaking, and writing all stem from the same creative impulse The emotional significance of finishing the book on the Welsh coast This week’s recommendation: Heart the Lover by Lily King

Today we sit down with bestselling Canadian author Emily Austin, known for Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, Interesting Facts About Space, We Could Be Rats, and her upcoming 2026 novel Is This a Cry for Help? Emily’s work blends dark humor with tenderness, exploring lesbian identity, mental health, neurodivergence, and the contradictions of being human. In this conversation, she digs into character creation, religious trauma, queerness, librarianship, and the messy, beautiful inner lives that shape her fiction. In this episode, we explore: The real library experience that inspired the opening of Is This a Cry for Help? The hidden biases baked into the Dewey Decimal System Writing invisible disabilities and internalized shame with honesty and humor How compulsory heterosexuality shaped both Emily’s life and Darcy’s story The chaos of sharing a name with a Fox News reporter This week's recommendation: Goddess of Filth by V. Castro Intro + Outro music by Trevor Vaughan

Welcome to the very first episode of Always Bring a Book. Craig sits down with award-winning author Paul Tremblay; the mind behind A Head Full of Ghosts, The Cabin at the End of the World, Horror Movie, and his middle-grade debut Another. Fresh off announcing his upcoming 2026 novel Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep, Paul talks about blending tech dread with dark humor, how the book became his longest and most ambitious project yet, and why he’s still firmly anti-AI in creative spaces. They also dig into: Paul’s long-running lawsuit against OpenAI and how his thinking on AI has intensified The wild premise behind Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep (nanobots, remote-controlled bodies, and a slacker gamer protagonist?!) What it’s really like co-writing a novel with Stephen Graham Jones His experience writing Another for younger readers Growing up around the old Parker Brothers factory in Salem (Ouija boards, haunted stories, and an unreleased Dracula video game!) Intro + Outro music by Trevor Vaughan