The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast

Send us Fan MailWhen times are tough, how does a small business get the information they need to adapt, survive, and even thrive? For me, the answer is in refining my systems and getting greater clarity on where I'm spending money, when the bills are coming due, and what system is the single source of truth for my business's information. It also helps that consolidating my systems into one CRM like Zoho has allowed me to save money on previous systems. Join our membership--we have a book box and other perks--by going to https://withfriends.co/the_curious_cat_bookshop/join?utm_campaign=wf-share. April 2026's theme for the adult box (Tabitha Box) is Appalachian Cottagecore Fantasy. Other Curious Cat Bookshop podcast episodes mentioned in the episode: Talking about our POS system and starting a bookstore in general: https://youtu.be/no8iBFfUm00 Martha Brockenbrough and Lori Fena discuss generative AI's impact on copyright, the publishing industry, and more: https://youtu.be/39LVh2T3HkY Bonus: another episode in which I mention these things at least tangentially: Six Things I'd Do Differently: https://youtu.be/ZShB3jnMP3o Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailTo celebrate our 2nd anniversary in September, we hosted bestselling fantasy author Sarah Beth Durst in a local brewery, Little Red Barn Brewers, where we talked about her beautiful cozy fantasy books, The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse. Here is that wonderful conversation!Buy Sarah's books--including signed books from the event while supplies last! Find Sarah online Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailAs we wrap up Banned Books Week, we want to encourage you to take the time to really dig into what it means for us to have the freedom to read year-round, and what that means to us in our democracy. The ABA’s Right to Read Handbook (linked below) is a wonderful easy-to-pick-up start to that thought process, and we highly recommend reading it and banned books with your book club, reading groups, and community organizations.Further reading:The ABA Right to Read Handbook: Fighting Book Bans and Why It Matters  On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century  Revolution in Our Time by Kekla Magoon: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People PEN America: “The Normalization of Book Banning: Banned in the USA, 2024-2025” Unite Against Book Bans Book Resumes American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement (Adopted June 25, 1953, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28, 1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004)  The Register Citizen: “Goshen Library puts 'Gender Queer' back on the shelves amid parent complaints” Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailIt’s been 20 years since the first book in the bestselling The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley debuted, and he’s had quite the career since then! This week, the animated TV series based on the books debuted on Apple TV, and last month, Michael’s latest book, The Weirdies, was published in print. With all that success, you’d think that he’d be on top of the world, but our conversation was much more nuanced than that, and we think you’re going to love to listen. Buy Michael’s books from us!Follow Michael on Instagram   Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailHow do you discuss tough subjects like becoming a refugee and starting over again in a new country, bullying, or the possibility of your friend getting deported with your children? How do you help children find their voice and to understand the influence they can be for good? Author A.M. Dassu expertly weaves these subjects into her books for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) by deeply understanding children’s emotions as they deal with big changes in their lives.Stacy, who edited three of Az’s books, sits down with Az to talk about those books and how Az approaches her writing, how working with Stacy changed the questions she asks of herself as she writes, and how so many kids find themselves in her books, despite their very different circumstances from the characters.Buy Az’s books: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/books-am-dassu(If you’re not in the US, try bookshop.org and support an indie bookstore like us: https://bookshop.org/shop/curiouscatbookshop.)A. M. DASSU is the internationally acclaimed author of Boy, Everywhere, Fight Back and Kicked Out, which have collectively been listed for over fifty five awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, The Week Junior Book Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Indie Book Awards, the Little Rebels Award for Radical Fiction, the American Library Association Notable Book List and Jane Addams Peace Book Award.She is a director at Inclusive Minds, which is an organisation for people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children’s literature; a patron of The Other Side of Hope, a literary magazine edited by immigrants and refugees,which celebrates the refugee and immigrant communities worldwide, and one of The National Literacy Trust’s Connecting Stories campaign authors, aiming to help inspire a love of reading and writing in children and young people.A. M. Dassu grew up in the Midlands dreaming of becoming a writer but studied economics instead and worked in marketing and project management before realising her dream. She writes books that challenge stereotypes, humanise the ‘other’ and are full ofempathy, hope and heart. Her book, Boot It! was a bestselling World Book Day novella, published in March 2023. You can also find her on X:  @a_reflective  or Instagram: @a.m.dassu.Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailHow does a bookstore make decisions about which books to bring in? That’s a question that a lot of people were wondering after we talked about where bookstores get their books (NOT from Amazon!). Stacy Whitman dives into a few of the key ways we decide what books we bring in--and you'll get a little glimpse of the bookstore along the way! Join us in Winsted, CT for a live podcast taping with Sarah Beth Durst! https://curiouscatbookshop.com/event/2025-09-27/sarah-beth-durst-live-podcast-taping-little-red-barn-brewers Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailWhat a fantastic conversation we recently had with bestselling fantasy author Wesley Chu! Wesley Chu didn't always consider himself a writer, and in this conversation we delve into why that was, and how he finally found the path that led to the books we love. Along the way, we get into some fascinating discussion of the current state of fantasy and science fiction, so be sure to stick around for that!Wesley Chu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thirteen novels, including The Art of Prophecy, Time Salvager, The Rise of Io, and The Walking Dead: Typhoon. He won the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, and his debut, The Lives of Tao, won the Young Adult Library Services Association’s Alex Award. An accomplished martial artist and a former member of the Screen Actors Guild, Chu he has acted in film and television, worked as a model and stuntman, and summited Kilimanjaro. Wesley Chu lives in Los Angeles with his two boys, Hunter and River.Buy Wesley's books hereAbout The Art of Prophecy, book 1 in the War Arts trilogy:An epic fantasy ode to martial arts and magic—the story of a spoiled hero, an exacting grandmaster, and an immortal god-king from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lives of Tao.It has been foretold: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom.The hero: Jian, who has been raised since birth in luxury and splendor, celebrated before he has won a single battle.But the prophecy was wrong.Because when Taishi, the greatest war artist of her generation, arrives to evaluate the prophesied hero, she finds a spoiled brat unprepared to face his destiny.But the only force more powerful than fate is Taishi herself. Possessed of an iron will, a sharp tongue—and an unexpectedly soft heart—Taishi will find a way to forge Jian into the weapon and leader he needs to be in order to fulfill his legend.What follows is a journey more wondrous than any prophecy can foresee: a story of master and student, assassin and revolutionary, of fallen gods and broken prophecies, and of a war between kingdoms, and love and friendship between deadly rivals.Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailWhere do bookstores get their inventory? That’s a big question for anyone thinking of starting a bookstore—the first question Stacy sees from anyone even dreaming about starting one. It’s also a question that many readers don’t know the answer to—sometimes we get customers who walk in, see our prices on the books, and assume that we’ve bought our books from Amazon and then jacked up the prices. But that’s not how any of this works! In this episode, we dive into where used and new bookstores get their books, how wholesale pricing works, and more. Links:For more information on the American Booksellers Association: https://www.bookweb.orgSupport the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailHow is a book made? What is the full LIFE of a book? Many writers don’t know what the editorial process looks like in a publishing house—or what happens in the design, marketing, and sales departments while the editorial process is happening. Join Stacy in our new podcast series discussing the life cycle of a book, in which we’ll discuss how a book gets acquired, what the editorial process looks like and why, and a whole bunch of other publishing insider information. Links:Sign up to be notified when we post our writing workshopsWriter BewareBuy books edited by StacySupport the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailHow do you make a living when starting a business like a bookstore? Curious Cat Bookshop owner Stacy Whitman discusses the current state of our business, how she makes a living, how she started her first business (Tu Books, which became an imprint of Lee & Low Books), and the goals and considerations she makes as she makes business decisions for the bookstore.If you'd like to know how many books a month we need to sell to break even, let alone make enough to come to the point of paying Stacy, stick around.Now, obviously this is just Stacy speaking for herself, one person specifically in the United States, living in a specific state and a specific community, but we hope it might be useful to anyone asking similar questions.Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailWhat would Stacy Whitman, owner of The Curious Cat Bookshop, do differently today if she were starting her bookstore from scratch? She's got a few ideas, mostly about preparation and community. Are you thinking of starting a bookstore or would like some advice on writing, publishing, or the book business? Let us know in the comments. Also, at least 5 cats make appearances in this video, with varying levels of interruption.Stacy is the founder, former publisher, and now editor-at-large of Tu Books, the imprint of Lee & Low Books that publishes diverse middle grade and young adult novels and graphic novels. She is also the owner of The Curious Cat Bookshop in Winsted, CT, including the Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast. She holds a master’s degree in children’s literature from Simmons University. In 2013, Stacy founded the New Visions Award, which honors a new unpublished writer of color. Authors and illustrators she has worked with include Guadalupe García McCall, Yamile Saied Méndez, David Bowles, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Tony Medina, Kimm Topping, Anshika Khullar, Raúl the Third, A.M. Dassu, Olivia Abtahi, Axie Oh, G. Neri, Aamna Qureshi, Supriya Kelkar, and more.Prior to launching Tu Books, she was an editor for Mirrorstone, the children’s and young adult fantasy/science fiction imprint of Wizards of the Coast. She has edited elementary school textbooks at Houghton Mifflin, interned at the Horn Book Magazine and Guide, and was a children’s bookseller at Barnes & Noble (not to mention editing phone books and transcribing overland trails journals in college, typesetting college textbooks and the publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in LaTeX at various points in time, freelance editing and copyediting; and writing, editing, and photography for Electrical Apparatus, the trade magazine for the industrial electrical motors aftermarket—as well as a small local paper in Stark County, Illinois). In her eclectic career, she has worked with a wide variety of writers, artists, and publishing professionals who taught her the gamut of the publishing industry, and she applies that every day no matter what part of the book industry she’s focusing on that day.Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailWe're bringing you a bonus episode of The Curious Cat Bookshop today: the recording of our event from August 2024 interviewing picture book author Anne Broyles about her writing life and how she ended up writing picture books for children after a life of service in the clergy and a career writing a variety of different kinds of work for adults. This audio episode has been edited for length. We also want to note for listeners that Anne had some visual aids in this episode, so if you'd like to see the photos and art she was showing, you can go to the full episode on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/vDsvK14OJ80.We spoke with Anne about her latest picture book, I'm Gonna Paint! Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People. We discussed artist Ralph Fasanella's history with union organizing and why he chose to paint workers, Anne's journey to publication, advice for new writers, and more. Buy I'm Gonna Paint! Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People on our websiteBuy Eating to Save the Planet on our websiteAnne Broyles is a world traveler, vegan cook, hiker, art lover, avid reader, and children’s book author. Her published books for children include Arturo and the Bienvenido Feast, Arturo and the Navidad Birds, Priscilla and the Hollyhocks, and Shy Mama’s Halloween, which have won International Latino Book Awards, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, and Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year. Anne is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. She lives in Portland, Oregon in a multi-generational household that also includes three cats and a dog named Clover. Find out more about Anne at https://annebroyles.com/index.html.Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailAuthor Kimm Topping, Ed.M., is an educator, writer, and historian dedicated to preserving LGBTQIA+ history. Their first book, Generation Queer, is a nonfiction YA highlighting the stories of LGBTQIA+ youth activists (and was published and edited by Stacy Whitman, who is also the owner of The Curious Cat Bookshop!). As founder of Lavender Education, a national program promoting LGBTQIA+ history and youth leadership, Kimm leads impactful workshops, professional development, and historic walking tours. In this episode of The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast, Kimm was in conversation with Leah Juliett (they/them), an award-winning writer, speaker, LGBTQ+ advocate, and organizer from Connecticut. Technical note: there are some audio issues in this episode; watching with the captions on is recommended.Buy Generation Queer from us at https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9781643795201.Kimm lectures at Harvard Graduate School of Education, specializing in gender, sexuality, and equity. Their historic tours of Cambridge and New York City spotlight queer and feminist activism from the 1970s to the 1990s, and their widely recognized publication series, Mapping Feminist Cambridge, is available through the  Cambridge Women’s Commission. Their work has been recognized by the 2025 Curve Power List and the 2023 Inaugural In-Service Award from the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.Leah is a survivor of image-based sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation, and a lived experience expert on technology-facilitated gender-based violence.  In 2016, Leah founded and led The March Against Revenge Porn across the Brooklyn Bridge, which garnered global support and moved the needle on cultural conversations around internet abuse. In 2023, Leah testified before the White House Gender Policy Council on recommendations to support survivors of image-based sexual abuse, which helped lead to the federal funding of a national hotline for victims. In early 2024, Leah spoke at the United States Senate following the landmark Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Big Tech accountability. For Leah's work, they have been named a L'Oreal Paris Woman of Worth, Glamour College Woman of the Year, Advocate Champion of Pride, George H.W. Bush Point of Light, and GLAAD Rising Star. Leah’s writing and work leading social justice movements has been featured globally on CNN, BBC, NBC, TED, Teen Vogue, Bloomberg, MSNBC, and Pink News. Leah champions LGBTQ-inclusive Internet protections and survivor-centered justice. Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailYamile Saied Méndez is known best for her YA novel, Furia, which was chosen for Reese's Book Club and won a number of awards, including the Pura Belpré Award. Stacy knows her best, though, as the author of the two middle grade novels they worked on together, The Reel Wish and On These Magic Shores. We discuss not only writing for children in this episode--of course--but also talk about all of Yamile's amazing books, from picture books on up through adult romance, and how Yamile figures out which is the best audience for which book idea.Yamile Saied Méndez is the award-winning author of many books for young readers and adults, including Furia, Where Are You From?, the Horse Country series, and On These Magic Shores, among others. She was born and raised in Rosario, Argentina, but has lived most of her life in a lovely valley surrounded by mountains in Utah. She's a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing program, and a founding member of Las Musas, a marketing collective of Latine writers. Connect with her at yamilesmendez.com.Buy Yamile's books hereAbout The Reel WishAfter a panic attack prevents Florencia from performing as Clara in The Nutcracker and her best friend takes the lead, a new dance style helps her face her anxiety as well as a troubled friendship.Ballet is Florencia del Lago's entire world. After years of hard work, she is chosen as Clara in the winter production of The Nutcracker. Not only is she the youngest dancer to receive such an honor but also the first Latina. She's on track to be recruited by the best ballet companies.Unfortunately, she suffers a panic attack on opening night--on stage, in front of everyone. And then Selena, Florencia's best friend, steps right into the role to replace her. Just like that, Florencia's whole world falls apart--the ballet studio expels her, and her best friend turns on her, tormenting her on social media and in real life.But even though the one thing she was driven toward has come to an end, therapy and family support help Florencia open up to new experiences. She notices people at school she's never paid attention to before, and she even stumbles upon an Irish dance school and decides to give it a try. Can a new passion for Irish dance help Florencia find the joy of performing on the stage that she lost that fateful winter night?Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailIn a special book club edition of The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast, we recently hosted thriller author Megan Collins shortly after the release of her newest thriller, Cross My Heart, about a woman who becomes obsessed with the husband of the donor of her recent heart transplant. We had a lot of fun--but beware that there is a spoiler zone at the end of the podcast! Buy a copy of Cross My Heart here (limited number of signed copies available upon request) About Cross My Heart:She has his wife’s heart; the one she wants is his.Rosie Lachlan wants nothing more than to find The One.A year after she was dumped in her wedding dress, she’s working at her parents’ bridal salon, anxious for a happy ending that can’t come soon enough. After receiving a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie knows her health is precious and precarious. She suspects her heart donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, who she begins messaging via an anonymous service called DonorConnect, ostensibly to learn more about Daphne. But Rosie has a secret: She’s convinced that now that she has his wife’s heart, she and Morgan are meant to be together.As she and Morgan correspond, the pretense of avoiding personal details soon disappears, even if Rosie’s keeping some cards close to her chest. But as she digs deeper into Morgan’s previous marriage, she discovers disturbing rumors about the man she’s falling for. Could Morgan have had something to do with his late wife’s death? And can Rosie’s heart sustain another break—or is she next?Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailIf you've ever wondered about how to create a world, the thought process that goes into getting all the moving pieces of an epic fantasy together, and how to create your own unique world, Erin M. Evans is a writer to listen to. Stacy and Erin discussed the writing process, how she got published, writing a murder mystery in an epic fantasy setting, writing shared-world fantasy, working at Wizards of the Coast, and more.Erin M. Evans is the author of the Books of the Usurper series, beginning with Empire of Exiles, and the award-winning Brimstone Angels Saga, set in the Forgotten Realms. She is a co-host of the podcast Writing about Dragons and Shit, and a cast member of the actualplay series, Dungeon Scrawlers. Erin lives in the Seattle area with her husband and sons.Buy her books here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/search?type=author&q=Evans%2C%20Erin%20M.Find out more about Erin at https://erinmevans.com/.Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailWhat does all this generative artificial intelligence mean for authors, artists, and other creators? Is anyone in the AI world paying attention to ethics or accountability? Join us for a discussion of these issues and more with acclaimed author Martha Brockenbrough, author of Future Tense: How We Made Artificial Intelligence—and How It Will Change Everything, and Lori Fena, technology policy thought leader and cofounder of Personal Digital Spaces. Buy the book: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/list/books-martha-brockenbroughAbout our guests:Martha Brockenbrough (rhymes with broken toe) is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including YA fiction and nonfiction, picture books, a middle grade mystery, and a chapter book series.She founded National Grammar Day, wrote game questions for Cranium and Trivial Pursuit, and was co-chair of faculty at VCFA’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program.Martha won a Pacific Northwest Bookseller Association Award and a Washington State Book Award for her novel The Game of Love and Death. She was also a finalist for the Kirkus Prize. Lori Fena is a cofounder and the Head of Business Development at Personal Digital Spaces. A recognized technology policy thought-leader, entrepreneur and author, Lori works with pioneering high-tech companies to introduce new forms of technology, as well as innovative policy. Since the start of the networked computing era to the Blockchain, Big Data, AI world of today, she has combined technical curiosity, business acumen, and an activist nature to help found ground-breaking technology companies and to institute international policy.After receiving a B.S. in Business Information Systems from CSULA, and an Executive Certificate from Harvard Business School – Board Governance for Nonprofit Excellence, Lori began her career as a Business Manager at Applied Physics in Pasadena. She founded and sold an IP strategy company and became the VP of Business Development at Stream International, a $1.2 billion merger of Corporate Software and RR Donnelley Global Software Services.In addition to running her own companies, Lori is an active investor and board advisor to a number of technology companies. She was Executive Director and later the Chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. She is the founder and Chairman Emeritus of TRUSTe.org, and served as the Internet Policy Program Director at the Aspen Institute.Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailI'm sure you've seen the meme running around bookish circles: the bookish urge to quit your job/retire, start a bookstore, and read all day. But if you go beyond the dreaming, what does it look like to start a bookstore? Stacy Whitman--owner of The Curious Cat Bookshop and former publisher/now editor-at-large--dives into an overview of what you need to know if you're getting serious about starting a bookstore. Resources mentioned: Small Business Administration (SBA) (be sure to look for your state's resources)Women's Business Development Council in CTnationally (or search for the one in your state)American Booksellers AssociationProfessional Booksellers SchoolHigh Season Co. (social media)Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailIn our interview in October 2024 with fantasy author Susan J. Morris, we discussed her novel, Strange Beasts, which debuted last year to great acclaim, published through the new Bindery Books imprint. In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale—part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery—the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power. Buy the book here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9781959411642  Susan J. Morris is a fantasy author and editor best known for a writing-advice column featured on Amazon’s Omnivoracious blog (which TIME magazine online once called “clever,” and which she henceforth has never let anyone forget), and her work editing Forgotten Realms novels. Susan delights in running workshops for Clarion West and in moderating panels for writing symposiums. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner; her cats, Adora and Kitava; and entirely too many plants. Strange Beasts is her debut novel. Find her online at susanjmorris.com. About Strange Beasts: At the dawn of the twentieth century in Paris, Samantha Harker, daughter of Dracula’s killer, works as a researcher for the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But no one realizes how abnormal she is. Sam is a channel into the minds of monsters: a power that could help her solve the gruesome deaths plaguing turn-of-the-century Paris—or have her thrown into an asylum. Sam finds herself assigned to a case with Dr. Helena Moriarty, daughter of the criminal mastermind and famed nemesis of Sherlock Holmes and a notorious detective whom no one wants to work with on account of her previous partners’ mysterious murders. Ranging from the elite clubs of Paris to the dark underbelly of the catacombs, their investigation sweeps them into a race to stop a Beast from its killing rampage, as Hel and Sam are pitted against men, monsters, and even each other. But beneath their tenuous trust, an unmistakable attraction brews. Is trusting Hel the key to solving the murder, or is Sam yet another pawn in Hel’s game?Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailHave you always meant to get started on writing that book? Have you been asked to write an article and you didn't know where to start? Editor and author Lisa Mangum is the expert you need to help you get started and stay on track with your writing goals. Her new book, Write Fearless. Edit Smart. Get Published., combines all her 25+ years of expertise into a guide you'll want to dive into. Buy Lisa's bookSupport the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

Send us Fan MailIf you love books set in space, with magic, or with kissing, Beth Revis's books are for you. She's written more than 20 books for adults and young adults alike, including the Star Wars novel The Princess and the Scoundrel. What's it like to write for so many different age groups, or in so many different contexts? Find out in this podcast conversation with Beth! Buy Beth's books! Star Wars: Someone Who Loves YouNight of the Witch with Sara RaaschThe Fate of Magic with Sara RaaschFull Speed to a Crash LandingHow to Steal a Galaxy Preorder Last Chance to Save the WorldSupport Hurricane Helene relief: BeLoved AshevilleLearn from Beth in her writing workshops at Wordsmith Workshops  Support the showMore about The Curious Cat BookshopShop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home deliveryKeep track of our in-store and online events Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainableFollow us elsewhere!BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!