From Rejection to the Bestseller List with Author Alex Aster

This week, we’re back with Emma Brodie, whose second novel, Into The Blue, is April’s Reese’s Book Club Pick - and Emma and Danielle are going down aaaaall the rabbit holes. From what makes a good fandom, to how improv comedy is, in fact, inherently sexy, to the BTS secrets of filming reality TV, their convo is just as lush as Emma’s decade-spanning, sci-fi tinged, “will they, won’t they” romance.  BOOKS MENTIONED: Into the Blue by Emma Brodie Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie Hitmakers by Derrick Thompson  The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory  Romeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Danielle is chatting with Veronica Roth, who’s fresh off a major announcement: Divergent. Is. Back. The original trilogy has sold over 35 million copies since it debuted 15 years ago. Veronica has been publishing countless novels and short stories ever since, but now she’s ready to revisit the Divergent universe — with a new twist. “The Sixth Faction” is an alternate universe retelling that dares to ask: what if Tris never left Abnegation, and joined Dauntless? Danielle and Veronica talk about hot tubs, dystopian fiction, and learning to love your own work in all its imperfections. And don’t worry — Tris and Four will still have a meet-cute.  Books Mentioned: Divergent by Veronica Roth The Sixth Faction by Veronica Roth  Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth 1984 by George Orwell Allegiant by Veronica RothSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Danielle is joined by Alex Aster, the prolific, Romantasy Queen of Booktok. Coming out of 2025, in which she published four novels, Alex is back with Starside, her first foray into adult fiction – and, later this year, Barbie: Dreamscape, a YA retelling of the beloved Mattel doll. Alex and Danielle talk perseverance in publishing, the power of storytelling, and which romantasy tropes give Alex the ick (spoiler: hardly any of them do).  BOOKS MENTIONED: A Guide to Literary Agents by Robert Lee Brewer Lightlark Series by Alex Aster Starside by Alex Aster  Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster Curse of the Forgotten City by Alex Aster Summer in the City by Alex Aster Barbie Dreamscape by Alex Aster  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode, Danielle sits down with Rufi Thorpe, the author of Margo’s Got Money Troubles, the wildly original novel that’s now been adapted into a highly anticipated Apple TV+ series. They talk about the chaos and comedy of motherhood, the reality of being in your twenties with no roadmap, and the power of choosing your own path even when it makes people uncomfortable. Plus, Rufi reveals her delightfully messy writing habits and gives some fun BTS details from the show.   BOOKS MENTIONED: Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond CarverSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Danielle is hanging out in an icon’s closet. And not just any icon – Lisa F*cking Rinna. Fresh off her book tour for her new memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Lisa is here and ready to show up as her full self – silly, joyful and growing — always growing! Lisa takes Danielle behind the scenes of writing her memoir, deep dives into some juuuicy Real Housewives drama – and even devises a little acting role for herself, should, you know, the opportunity arise.    BOOKS MENTIONED: You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It by Lisa Rinna  Pretty Mess by Ericka Jayne  Believe Me by Yolanda HadidSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re talking with author (and puzzle entrepreneur) Rachel Hochhauser about the March Reese’s Book Club Pick, Lady Tremaine. It’s not just a re-telling of Cinderella — it’s an un-telling that dares to ask: what if the wicked stepmother wasn’t wicked … but a mom trying her best to provide for her children? And what if a marriage isn’t a happily ever after … but the beginning of a whole new story? Danielle and Rachel talk puzzle-solving strategies, falconry, and decentering men and romance in women’s stories. You may think you know the story of Cinderella, but you’ve never read it like this. BOOKS MENTIONED: Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser Cinderella by Charles Perrault  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen Sleeping Beauty by  Charles PerraultSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re time traveling with Philippa Gregory, prolific author and feminist historian (and maybe Danielle’s new bestie???). Philippa is the woman behind over 50 historical fiction novels that trace narratives across Medieval and Tudor England, including The Other Boleyn Girl, which was adapted into a film starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Her latest novel, The Boleyn Traitor, follows the infamous Anne Boleyn’s sister-in-law, Jane Boleyn, through her life as a spy in the English court. And this story, as so many of Philippa Gregory's do, brings a complicated, sometimes unlikeable, largely forgotten woman to the forefront. Because Philippa doesn’t really trust pure, pious women. She’s drawn instead to the truth – that women in from history are just as layered and diverse as we are today.  BOOKS MENTIONED:  The Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory  Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History by Philippa Gregory  Wild Acre by Philippa Gregory The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory  Richard III by William Shakespeare This Little World: A New History of Tudor and Stuart England by Nandini Das The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Little Grey Rabbit by Alison Uttley The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer Ulysses by James Joyce Mine Own Executioner by Nigel BalchinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is a big one. For the first time ever, three romance royals sit down together: Beverly Jenkins, Tia Williams, and Kennedy Ryan. They talk about pioneering Black love stories when the industry didn’t make space for them, reshaping modern romance with depth and desire, and why a happily ever after is anything but predictable — it’s powerful. From writing Black female desire without apology to protecting your creative vision, this conversation is funny, honest, and deeply moving.  BOOKS MENTIONED:  Night Song by Beverly Jenkins Iola Leroy by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper  Frances Harper: Poems, Prose, and Sketches – This collection features “Bury Me in a Free Land”.  by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov  Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger The Perfect Find by Tia Williams  Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan Seven Days in June by Tia Williams Through the Storm by Beverly Jenkins  Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid Hazard and Somerset by Gregory Ashe  Ghalen by Walter Mosely Fourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re talking to director and screenplay writer Maggie Gyllenhaal about her upcoming film, The Bride! Maggie reveals how she gave a character from the 1930s with only a few minutes of screentime a big dose of main character energy. Danielle and Maggie also discuss the unthinkable thoughts of Mary Shelley, IMAX screenings, and what it was like to narrate a 48-hour audio book. Plus, get a sneak peek of the March Reese’s Book Club Pick, Lady Tremaine. BOOKS MENTIONED:  Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy  The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante  My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Mating by Norman RushSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re back with the author of the February’s Reese’s Book Club pick, Philippa Malicka, and we’re diving deep into her debut novel, In Her Defense. A whirlpool of love, lies and deceit, In Her Defense raises the chilling question: If you can’t trust your own memories, what else, or who else, can you rely on? Danielle and Philippa get into process, character development, reclaiming your own agency – and how, sometimes, writing a new story can feel like falling in love.  BOOKS MENTIONED  In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka Hamlet by Wiliam Shakespeare The Glass Essay by Anne Carson Stranger, Baby by Emily Berry Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy  Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbra Trapido Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Dogger by Shirley Hughes The Secret History by Donna Tartt Birthday Letters by Ted HughesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.