PODCAST · fiction
Bookwild
by Kate Hergott, Bookwild Collective
On Tuesdays, Kate Hergott talks with authors about their books and writing processes.On Fridays, Kate talks with different co-host Bookstagrammers and BookTubers about a variety of bookish topics.
Episodes
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When Faith, Femininity & Capitalism Collide: Kristin Kobes Du Mez's Live, Laugh, Love
This week, I talk with Kristin Kobes Du Mez about her new book Live, Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made. Listen to hear all about: How Live Laugh Love grew out of Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s Jesus and John Wayne, shifting the focus from evangelical...
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Horror We Are Excited to Read with Kayla Hardy
This week, Kayla Hardy - screenwriter, reader, and author of The Quarter Queen - and I talk about horror books we are excited to read this year! Kate’s Upcoming Reads The Unhaunting — Micaiah Johnson Nightjars — Michael Wehunt Incarnate — Alma Katsu Kayla’s Upcoming Reads Runner — Ashton…
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Female Friendship, Identity and Motherhood: Amy Chozick's With Friends Like You
This week, Gare and I talk with Amy Chozick about her suspenseful literary debut With Friends Like You! Short Synopsis Emily, an exhausted new mother in Manhattan, becomes obsessed with finding her long-lost college roommate Daisy, whose mysterious disappearance has haunted her for years. When...
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Class, Race, Jazz and Crime: Andre Hardy's Fresh Take on Noir Fiction
This week, I talk with Andre Hardy about his fresh take on noir in his debut novel Tear the City Down! Listen to hear about: How Andre Hardy’s debut novel, Tear the City Down, grew from his lifelong love of noir—particularly Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress, which showed him a fully realized...
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Sci-Fi, Philip K. Dick & the Birth of Pink Beam Press
This week, I talk with Keith Giles, David Agranoff, Brian Evenson, Gordon Bonnet, and Andrew Turck about Pink Beam Press, a new speculative-fiction imprint inspired by Philip K. Dick and the strange, reality-bending possibilities of science fiction. Listen to hear about: The origins of Pink Beam...
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Fall Hopefuls on Our TBRs with Gare
This week, Gare and I share fall book releases we are excited about! Kate’s Books The Occidental Book of the Dead by T. Geronimo Johnson Have You Seen Romit? By Chital Mehta It Looks Like You in the Dark by Mathilda Zeller The Turning of Sally Mae by Nuzo Onoh Lethal Kiss by Taylor Grothe Gare’s...
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The Multi-Hyphenate Marie Laveau: Kayla Hardy's The Quarter Queen
This week, I talk with Kayla Hardy about her dark fantasy The Quarter Queen! How The Quarter Queen began as a television pilot. Kayla Hardy’s screenwriting background shaped the novel’s cinematic pacing, visual set pieces, ensemble cast, and meticulous plotting. Why Marie Laveau is both…
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ARCs We Are Excited About with Emma West
In this episode, Emma West and I share ARCs we are excited about! Kate's Books Hive Mind — Allison Gunn Accidents Never Happened — Penny Zang Scream City — Hannah Morrissey Our Cut of Salt — Dina Nayeri Helm The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman — Deesha Philyaw Emama's Books Kiss Slay…
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Friendship, Grief and Second (and Third, and Fourth) Chances: Paige Harbison's Destination Funeral
In this episode, I talk with Paige Harbison about her new time loop novel Destination Funeral! Listen to our whole conversation to hear about: How Destination Funeral uses being literally stuck in time to explore being emotionally stuck. The characters are trapped with unresolved relationships…
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The Best & Rest of Summer Books with Gare Billings
This week, Gare and I share some of our best reads of the summer, and forecast ones we think we will love for the rest of summer! Kate’s Best of Summer Killer Vibes by Jack Friday Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim The Great Game by Arvind Ethan David Kate’s Rest of Summer Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm...
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Manifestation, Murder, and the Cults of the 1920s: Olesya Lyuzna's Liars in Paradise
In this episode, I talk with Olesya Lyuzna about the second book in her Ginny Dugan series Liars in Paradise. Listen to hear all about: The roots of modern self-help, manifestation, and MLM-style thinking stretch back to the 1920s. Olesya shares how historical figures like Napoleon Hill and the...
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An Eldest Daughter Pastor’s Kid Unpacks Her Father's Arrest and Shares the Books That Changed Everything with Kate Johnson
This week, I talk with Kate Johnson about her deconstruction journey and healing from religious trauma. Listen to hear all about: How growing up in evangelical culture created an information bubble. We reflect on how strict media restrictions, homeschooling, and Christian-only entertainment...
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SUMMERWEEN Book Recs with Brian Watson
This week, Brian Watson @readingwithbrian is back, and we share our take on Summerween book recommendations! Kate’s Books Vanishing Daughters by Cynthia Pelayo Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar Play Nice by Rachel Harrison Fiend by Alma Katsu An Academy for Liars by...
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Some Mid-Year Favorite Reads with Halley Sutton
This week, Halley Sutton is back, and we discuss tv shows and movies we've been watching recently, and share some of our favorite reads so far halfway through 2026! Books We Talked About Kate's Books It Came from Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood Our Sister's...
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Your New Favorite Bisexual Stoner P.I. | Jack Friday's Killer Vibes
In this episode, I talk with Jack Friday (a.k.a John Fram) about his new P.I. series Killer Vibes! Listen to hear all about: Building a detective unlike the classic hard-boiled heroes: How Peter Key became a lazy, bisexual, stoner private investigator whose sincerity, humor, and curiosity make…
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What If Your Parent was a Serial Killer? V.A. Vazquez's The Death Row Club
In this episode, Gare and I talk with V.A. Vazquez about her dark, twisty thriller The Death Row Club! Listen to hear all about: The deeply personal experience that inspired The Death Row Club. V.A. Vazquez shares how discovering that a beloved high school teacher was secretly a predator sparked...
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Good for Her, Female Rage, and Sisterhood: Molly Fader's Lady X
In this episode, I talk with Molly Fader about her ragey, dual-timeline thriller Lady X! Listen to hear all about: How her teenage daughter and Taylor Swift inspired the story. Molly shares how frustration with real-world misogyny, a personal experience involving her daughter, and one song…
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Serial Killers, Sherlock, and the Truth About Empire: Arvind Ethan David's The Great Game
In this episode, I talk with Arvind Ethan David about his historical mystery thriller The Great Game! Listen to hear all about: How Arvind Ethan David reimagined classic literary icons by pairing Sherlock Holmes with gentleman thief A.J. Raffles and Balvinder Singh, an Indian veteran whose...
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Pop Culture, Gossip and Revenge: Ashley Winstead's Hot Girl Murder Club
Ashley Winstead IS BACK! Gare and I ask all our burning questions about Hot Girl Murder Club. Listen to hear about: How Ashley Winstead wrote Hot Girl Murder Club as an act of creative defiance. Ashley shares the publishing and Hollywood conversations that told her feminist revenge stories were...
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Double Agents, Journalism and Espionage: Connor Martin's The Silver Fish
**If you're listening when this airs, note that this episode was recorded at the beginning of May and should've come out in May. Due to an injury (and painkillers) it's been sitting in my drafts, and I forgot to publish it.** In this episode, I chat with Connor Martin about his new espionage...
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Power, Greed, and the Dark Side of Utopia: Zac Canon's Stillwater Trace
In this episode, I chat with Zac Cannon about his new speculative thriller Stillwater Trace! Listen to hear about: How a "dad action movie" premise transformed into a layered thriller exploring faith, power, surveillance, and belonging—and why Zac let the story evolve far beyond his original...
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Trauma, Twins and Twists: The Girls in the Dark by Avery Bishop
In this episode, Gare and I chat with Avery Bishop about his new thriller The Girls in the Dark! Listen to hear about: An unfiltered look at editorial disagreements, publishing contracts, audiobook production, and why getting a book into readers' hands is often far more complicated than fans...
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Chronic Illness, Spy Thrills & Fake Dating: Kate Williams' Fake Out Make Out
This week, I talk with Kate Williams about her new romance spy thriller Fake Out Make Out! Kate's journey from self-publishing and writing across genres to landing a traditional publishing deal with Fake Out, Make Out. How Kate built a spy romance, balanced action with emotional beats, and…
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A Trip to Greece, Widow's Bay, Summer House and More with Halley Sutton
Halley Sutton is back from a trip through Greece and Turkey, and she shares some of the highlights of her trip! We also discuss books, tv shows and movies we've been watching and reading recently, and dive into THAT Summer House Reunion a la Scamanda. All the Bookwild Links: Check Out the…
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Improv, Love and Grief: Emma Brodie's Into the Blue
This week, Emma West, Kara Confer and I talk with Emma Brodie about her love story Into the Blue! Listen to hear about: How a single character—Noah—kept appearing across multiple abandoned projects until he became the foundation of Into the Blue A behind-the-scenes look at how Emma's theater...
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When Rom-Coms Become Nightmares: Olivia Worley's Man of My Dreams
This week, Gare and I talk with Olivia Worley about her new horror-thriller Man of My Dreams! Listen to hear about: How Olivia's real-life dating experiences—and meeting a man eerily similar to a character she had already written—inspired the premise of Man of My Dreams A deep dive into blending...
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The History of Misogyny in Pop Culture: Our Thoughts on Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert
This week, Elizabeth Rose Quinn and I discuss revelations we had while reading Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Each Other by Sophie Gilbert. Listen to hear about: How Sophie Gilbert's Girl on Girl traces a throughline from the 1990s to today, revealing how pop...
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Three Hitmen, a Baby, and the Art of Writing Great Action: Rob Hart's Three Hitmen and a Baby
This week, I talk with Rob Hart about his third Assassins Anonymous book Three Hitmen and a Baby! Listen to hear about: Why the series resonates beyond action: Hart uses professional killers in recovery to examine guilt, redemption, personal growth, and whether people can truly change. Rob's...
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Comfort Reads and Watches with Gare and Steph
This week, Gare catches Steph and I up on his trip to the Montreal Mystery Festival, and we all share what we gravitate toward in books, movies and TV shows when we need a comfort story! Books We Talked About Verity Hot Girl Murder Club We Used to Live Here Sublimation The Midnight Knock Jar of...
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Cosmic Horror and a Crime Procedural: CJ Leede's Headlights
This week, I talk with CJ Leede about her new horror novel Headlights! Listen to hear about: How CJ originally planned to become a medieval historian, but after a professor helped her discover storytelling was what she wanted to pursue. How Headlights began with the idea of people waking up on…
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Emma West's Reading Journey, TBR Habit, and Approach to Inventory Manager at Wild Geese Bookshop
This week, Emma West joins and shares her reading journey, her favorite genres, and how she ended up the Inventory Manager at Wild Geese Books. Listen to hear about: Emma's reading journey beginning as a substitute for formal education, and how she approached books as a way to keep learning and...
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Identity, Immigration and Intent: Isabel J. Kim's Sublimation
In this episode, I talk with Isabel J. Kim about her debut speculative fiction, Sublimation! Listen to hear about: How Isabel J. Kim's inspiration for Sublimation came from her own experience growing up between Korea and the United States and wondering how different her life might have been if…
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MacKenzie Green is the Global Head of Social for Audible!
MacKenzie Green is back, and she's now the Global Head of Social for Audible! Listen to hear about: How MacKenzie grew up dyslexic, relied heavily on audiobooks to keep up in school, and never imagined she would one day become Head of Global Social at Audible. Why people should read what they...
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From Indoctrination to Curiosity: Promise Backlund's Gospel of Lies
In this episode, I talk with Promise Backlund about her book Gospel of Lies! She shares her experience growing up in evangelical Christianity, examining how fear, purity culture, certainty, and religious identity shaped her childhood and adult life. We dive into deconstruction, religious trauma,...
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All Our Thoughts About Good People by Patmeena Sabit with Erin Ashley
This week, Erin Ashley is back, and we dive into all our thoughts and reactions to Patmenna Sabit's stunning debut novel Good People! THIS IS A SPOILER EPISODE. All the Bookwild Links: Check Out the Bookwild Substack Subscribe to Bookwild on YouTube Get Bookwild Merch Follow @imbookwild on...
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Palestinian Joy, Stand-Up Comedy and Secret Family History: Sara Hamdan's What Will People Think
This week, I talk with Sara Hamdan about her journey from finance and journalism into fiction, and how writing What Will People Think became a way to explore identity, belonging, family history, and the freedom to define yourself outside of expectations. Through conversations about comedy,...
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Vietnam Vets, Addiction and Deserved Justice: Karen E Osborne's Justice for Emerson
This week, I talk with return guest Karen E. Osborne about her newest mystery Justice for Emerson! Listen to hear about: How Karen approached a dual-timeline mystery that blends a present-day murder investigation with the long emotional aftermath of the Vietnam War, addiction, race, and trauma.…
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Haunted Houses and the Horrors of Domestic Motherhood: Aimee Pokwatka's Accumulation
This week, I talk with Aimee Poktwatka about her hew horror book Accumulation! Listen to hear about: Aimee's unconventional path to becoming an author—from anthropology and veterinary work to creative writing—and how curiosity has shaped her storytelling. How Accumulation was inspired by Aimee’s...
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Kara Confer and Emily Hone Are Getting Introverts to Go Out: The Wild Geese Event Staff
This week, you get to meet the book girlies who I haven't been able to stop talking about! Kara Confer and Emily Hone are the event team at Wild Geese Bookshop, and they are bringing some incredible authors to Indiana. Hear about how they have evolved into their current positions, some book event...
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Privilege, Payback, and Pay-to-Stay Prison: Elizabeth Rose Quinn's Payback
This week, I talk with repeat guest and friend Elizabeth Rose Quinn about her new, somewhat locked room thriller Payback! Listen to hear us discuss: Payback’s fascinating “weekend prison” premise and how it critiques privilege within the carceral system Balancing social commentary with a…
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More Than Dragons & Spice: Bridget Howard's The Romantasy Lover's Journal
This week, MacKenzie Green and I talk with Bridget Howard about her new Romantasy Lovers' Journal. Listen to hear about: Bridget’s journey from book blogger to Bookstagram creator to marketing professional for publishers and authors How romantasy evolved from YA and paranormal roots into today’s...
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Books that NEED Adaptations with Gare
This week, Gare and I talk about books we think deserve adaptations ASAP! Gare also brought a messy icebreaker to the episode. Books We Talked About Good People by Patmeena Sabit The Anniversary by Alex Finlay Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson Secret Lives of Murderers Wives by...
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Katharine Hepburn, Old Hollywood and Performed Authenticity: Priya Parmar's The Original
This week, I talk with Priya Parmar about The Original, her fictionalized portrait of Katharine Hepburn’s early life and Hollywood reinvention, diving into how academic rigor, obsessive research, and creative intuition shaped the book. We discuss: Priya’s transition from academic and PhD research...
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Memoir Isn’t Dead (and Never Will Be) with Rachel Kramer Bussel
This week, I chat with Rachel Kramer Bussel—editor, essayist, and founder of Open Secrets Magazine—about a lifelong love of reading, writing and editing. Listen to hear about: How memoirs allow readers to experience others' lives in highly personal ways Rachel’s journey from editing 70+ erotica...
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Follow the Rules… or Else: Marcus Kliewer's The Caretaker
You all know how excited I am to say that this week, I got to chat with Marcus Kliewer about his newest horror book The Caretaker! We dive into his unconventional path to writing, our shared fascination with psychological horror, and how he plants his Easter eggs in multiple mediums. Listen to…
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All of My Thoughts on Yesteryear, The Drama, and Trust Me: The False Prophet
Today is a solo episode, and I share all of my thoughts on Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, The Drama and Trust Me: The False Prophet. I briefly discuss the discourse around Yesteryear and The Drama without spoilers, and go in depth on Trust Me: The False Prophet, WITH spoilers. Then, for anyone...
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A Con Woman, A Wealthy Woman, and a Dead Husband: Rebecca Sharpe's Harmless Women
In this episode, I talk with Rebecca Sharpe about her debut con-thriller Harmless Women. Listen to hear about: Rebecca's long, bumpy publishing journey How the book explores the way society underestimates women, and how that perception can be both a vulnerability and a weapon How Rebecca's fluid,...
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Medicine, Machines, and Meaning: Justin C. Key's The Hospital at the End of the World
In this episode, I talk with Justin C. Key about his speculative novel The Hospital at the End of the World. Justin shares how his medical training and fascination with AI, consciousness, and ethics informed the novel’s evolution from a short story into a full-length work. We dive into the…
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How John Marrs Writes Out of Order (And Still Nails the Ending)
In this episode, Gare and I chat with our long time favorite John Marrs! John shares his journey from journalist to author, his out of order writing process, why he doesn’t always think his books are that dark (LOL), and a wild group of frogs in his yard (yes, I said frogs). Listen to our whole...
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Exploitation, Empowerment and Enlightenment: Courtney Kocak's Girl Gone Wild
In this episode, I chat with Courtney Kocak about her debut memoir Girl Gone Wild! She shares how it is both a personal reckoning and a cultural critique, tracing her journey from a “too much” small-town girl to a woman navigating ambition, sexuality, religion, and creative identity. She reflects...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Bookwild have?
Bookwild currently has 428 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Bookwild about?
On Tuesdays, Kate Hergott talks with authors about their books and writing processes.On Fridays, Kate talks with different co-host Bookstagrammers and BookTubers about a variety of bookish topics.
How often does Bookwild release new episodes?
Bookwild publishes regularly with 428 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Bookwild?
You can listen to Bookwild on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Bookwild?
Bookwild is created and hosted by Kate Hergott, Bookwild Collective.
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