Shark Heart by Emily Habeck is a surreal love story about newlyweds Wren and Lewis, whose marriage is upended when Lewis is diagnosed with a rare condition that will slowly transform him into a great white shark. As they confront grief, change, and the limits of love, the novel uses magical realism to explore what it means to stay connected when life becomes unrecognizable.

A nonprofit leader by day, Ashley spends her free time volunteering; chasing down Richmond’s best hikes and restaurants with her friends, family, and pup; and adventuring across the globe. A recovering English major, she’ll take any excuse to turn a good read into a great conversation.

Ashley is the Executive Director of Communities in Schools Chesterfield, and on May 12th they are having their first ever Adult Spelling Bee Fundraiser! You should definitely come to raise some money for a great cause, also - I will be one of their “Celebrity Spellers” so come witness me failing horribly at spelling!

Spelling bee tickets: https://cisofchesterfield.networkforgood.com/events/96878-cis-c-adult-spelling-bee-extravaganza

Searn more about CIS: www.cisofchesterfield.org

Our drink this week is the Metamorphosis Cocktail, which I absolutely loved - it literally changes colors!

Metamorphosis Cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz gin

1 oz butterfly pea tea (cooled)

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

½ oz Simple Syrup

Ice

Optional flair:

Edible glitter

Black sugar or salt rim

Lemon twist or edible flower

Directions:

Brew butterfly pea tea by steeping 1–2 tsp dried flowers in ½ cup hot water for 5–7 minutes; strain and cool.

Fill a glass with ice and add 2 oz gin + 1 oz cooled butterfly pea tea.

Slowly pour in ¾ oz fresh lemon juice and watch the color change from blue to purple.

Stir in ½ oz simple syrup to taste, then garnish if desired.

In This Episode

Shadowlands Film Quote (I could not remember who to attribute this to while we were recording)

Speculative Fiction

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger is a techno-thriller and family drama about the moral fallout of a fatal crash involving an autonomous minivan. The novel follows the Cassidy-Shaw family as they confront guilt, secrets, and the ethical questions surrounding AI after their teenage son, Charlie, is involved in the accident while the car is in self-driving mode. It explores themes of technology's impact on human relationships, corporate greed, and the complex dynamics between parents and teenagers.

My guest this week is Barbara Ferrara. She is a librarian, mother, lifelong learner, passionate reader who loves to travel and is currently learning Spanish.

Our drink this week is an Old Fashioned, since it is the opposite of AI. I also made sure to pick a Virginian bourbon, since the author, Bruce Holsinger, lives here in Virginia! I went with the Tarnished Truth Bourbon, which is brewed in the famous Cavalier Hotel at Virginia Beach!

Old Fashioned Recipe

1 teaspoon sugar

3 dashes Angostura bitters

1 teaspoon water

2 ounces bourbon (or rye whiskey, if preferred)

Garnish: orange twist

In This Episode

Meta AI book heist

Descript

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

We All Want Impossible Things is a tender, darkly funny novel about friendship, grief, and letting go. It follows Ash as she supports her best friend Edi through the final stages of illness, capturing the small, intimate moments that define a lifelong bond. The story balances humor and heartbreak while exploring love, loss, and what it means to say goodbye.

Lindsey Goldstein is the author of Gap Year Her essays about love and parenting have appeared in The New York Times, The Chicago Story Press, Kveller, and The Sunlight Press. She lives in Irvine, CA with her husband, kids, and rescue mutt. You can find her on her website Lindseygoldsteinauthor.com and on Instagram and Threads @GoldsteinLindsey

We recorded this with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, a favorite of Lindsey’s and one I recommend for Spring! In particular I drank a glass of Leia Vinters Sauvignon Blanc.

In This Episode

The Dinosaurs on Netflix

Crone Sandwich -Catherine Newman’s Substack

Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

Nature's Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy argues that everyday homeowners can play a critical role in reversing biodiversity loss by transforming their yards into thriving ecosystems. Tallamy explains how replacing traditional lawns with native plants supports insects, birds, and other wildlife that depend on them for survival. The book offers a hopeful, practical roadmap for collective environmental impact through small, local actions.

Leslie Eva Tayloe is an award winning children’s picture book author. She’s the author of The Attic Door, a 2024 Story Monster’s Approved Award, and a 2025 Literary Titan Gold Book Award, Save the Trees, a 2024 Moonbean Bronze Medalist for environmental issues, and Longlisted for the 2025 Green Earth Book Award, and I’m Fishing with Pop-Pop Today. Leslie also authored an article titled, Marketing Group Helps Writers (Children’s Book Insider, April 2023). She is a former analyst with the federal government, and a substitute teacher for elementary school-aged children. Leslie lives with her partner, Michael, in Virginia. When Leslie isn’t writing, she loves to fish on the Rappahannock River, read, do crafts, and take long walks with her dog, Frankie.

In this episode we both enjoyed a glass of 19 Crimes Cali Red Wine, which is a favorite of Leslie’s!

In this Episode

Invasive vs. Native Plants )Virginia)

Homegrown National Park

Fredericksburg Goat Farm

Aldo Leopold

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wollenben

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez follows sisters Patria, Minerva, María Teresa, and Dedé Mirabal as they defy the brutal regime of Rafael Trujillo. It’s a powerful story of courage, sisterhood, and the price of resistance.

Fran Dorsey is a mom, digital content manager, and writer who grew up loving the internet. When she’s not writing or busy with her kids and husband, she’s trying to close the rings on her Apple Watch. She’s also always ready with a book recommendation for her friends. You can find her on Instagram and Threads @FranDorsey—don’t miss her hilarious memes—and check out her Substack, Frannie Pack.

Cuba Libre Drink

Ingredients

2 ounces rum

1 lime wedge

Coca-Cola, to top

Garnish: lime wheel

Steps

Fill a highball glass with ice and add the rum.

Squeeze in the juice from 1/4 of a lime and drop in the spent peel.

Top with the Coca-Cola, then give a brief and gentle stir.

Garnish with a lime wheel.

In this Episode

The Mirabal Sisters

Hobnail Drinking Glasses - AKA the Millennial glasses

Mariposa Cocktail

Hermanas Mirabel Province

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Style Weekly Best of Richmond - Vote!

Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

Gone by Michael Grant is a gripping dystopian novel in which everyone over the age of fifteen suddenly disappears from a small California town, leaving the kids to survive on their own inside a mysterious barrier. As food runs out and strange powers begin to emerge, the remaining children must confront fear, chaos, and the struggle for control in a world with no adults.

Fiona Fenn is an author of fantasy novels that put complicated “heroes” front and center. A fan of villains, redemption arcs, and intense explorations of healing in all its forms, her debut novel,

The Crack at the Heart of Everything, is a love letter to every villain who wanted to do better but never got the chance. The City that Shattered the World is the second book in the series and will be coming out in October 2026!

Drink Blackberry Survival Smash

Ingredients

2 oz bourbon or dark rum

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

½ oz honey syrup

4–5 blackberries (muddled)

2–3 mint leaves

Splash of soda water

Instructions

Muddle blackberries, mint, and honey syrup in a shaker.

Add bourbon and lemon juice with ice.

Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over ice.

Top with a splash of soda and garnish with a blackberry.

In This Episode

Sarah J. Maas

The Spoken World Podcast - Michael Grant Episode

Sweet Valley High Books

Heated Rivalry

Our Rogue Fates by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Style Weekly Best of Richmond - Vote!

Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

On Beauty by Zadie Smith follows two feuding families—the liberal Belseys and the conservative Kippses—whose lives collide in a New England university town, exploring themes of race, family, politics, and love through sharp satire and witty dialogue.

Kirkus Reviews calls Marriage and Other Monuments, Virginia Pye’s recently published book, “A fascinating and audacious novel of family, marriage and a society in flux.” It is a #1 Amazon bestseller in New Southern FictionVirginia’s essays have appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, Publisher’s Weekly, Writer’s Digest, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She has taught writing at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, and, most recently, at GrubStreet in Boston. Virginia is Fiction Editor of the literary journal Pangyrus and serves on the board of the Women’s National Book Association, Boston Chapter.

Drink this week: The Zadie Smith - obvi! This recipe is from the book: Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women - Check it out!

In this Episode

Marriage and Other Monuments by Virginia Pye

Style Weekly Best of Richmond 2026

Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women

Tickets to Live Show with Meg Medina April 18th

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica is a dystopian horror novel where a virus makes all animal meat poisonous, leading to the legalization and industrialization of human cannibalism! Yes, it’s quite a story by Argentine author Bazterrica, but it also does what great horror does so well, that it makes you think about parallels in our real world, and led to an amazing conversation between myself and author Ashley Peters!

Author Ashley Peters resides in East Austin, Texas, with her partner, Danny, and their three rescue mutts—Bently, Fredrik, and Bruno. A self-declared bibliophile and lifelong storyteller, she has been crafting tales since childhood, along the way writing for various scholarships and minor publications before fully committing herself to the realm of novel creation.

When she is not writing, she can be found immersed in nature, far from the noise of the world—hiking, kayaking, savoring inventive cuisine, or enjoying a matcha latte. At home, her garden and personal library serve as sanctuaries, though she deeply appreciates the artistic and quirky spirit that defines Austin. Having traveled extensively, she credits each place and community with shaping her life in meaningful and lasting ways. While she cannot predict what lies ahead, she embraces each new chapter as an opportunity for adventure, always ready to choose a daring side quest over a mundane path.

Our drink is a very dark Blackberry Margarita, and the reason we picked it? Well, I’ll let you figure that one out 😂

Blackberry Margarita

Ingredients

2 oz silver tequila

1 oz fresh lime juice

1 oz blackberry syrup

0.5 oz grenadine

Black sugar, for rimming

Crushed ice

Fresh blackberries, for garnish

Directions

Prepare your glass. Use a lime wedge to moisten the rim of a margarita or cocktail glass. Dip the rim into a shallow plate of black sugar, rotating gently to coat evenly. Set aside.

Combine ingredients. In a cocktail shaker, add the silver tequila, fresh lime juice, blackberry syrup, and grenadine. Fill the shaker with crushed ice.

Shake thoroughly. Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 15–20 seconds, until the outside of the shaker feels frosty and the drink is well chilled.

Serve. Fill the prepared glass with fresh crushed ice. Strain the mixture into the glass.

Garnish. Add a few fresh blackberries on top. Serve immediately!

In this Episode

Tickets to my Live Interview with Award Winning Author Meg Medina at the Bon Air Book Festival

Bon Air Book Festival

Monkeypaw Productions

Thrutopian Fiction