Washington Post national food reporter Emily Heil joins Cara and PJ on Skip to the Good Part to dish on her debut novel, A Pinch of Magic! Emily shares the deliciously fun concept behind her story - what happens when an introverted cookbook ghostwriter meets an actual ghost who has an unfinished mission - set against the cozy backdrop of a coastal Virginia small town (complete with a hunky carpenter and plenty of mouthwatering dishes). Emily and Cara talk about trading hard news deadlines for fiction, overcoming imposter syndrome, why food serves as its own emotional love language on the page, and PJ delivers an all-time pep talk on why authors should never let anonymous online reviewers steal their joy.

Pre-order your copy of A Pinch of Magic (available October 6th) wherever books are sold, including Bookshop.org.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @emilyaheil.

Order Kiss, Marry, Kill and check out Cara’s full book catalog at caratheauthor.com.

Award-winning author, actress, producer, and arts advocate Christy Scott Cashman joins Cara and PJ on Skip to the Good Part! Christy takes us inside her second novel, What Happened in Beulah, a twisty 1980s mystery set in the Smoky Mountains centered on town gentrification, missing persons, dark family secrets, and the magnetic pull of Dollywood's opening day. Christy opens up about transitioning from screenwriting and feature films (American Hustle, Joy) to novel writing, the power of letting characters take the wheel, and why reading creates a one-to-one emotional connection that movies simply can't match. Plus, Cara and Christy bond over childhood latchkey resilience, surviving the creative struggle, and plotting a dream writing retreat!

Pre-order your copy of What Happened in Beulah (out October 20th) and pick up The Truth About Horses wherever books are sold.

Visit Christy's official website: christycashman.com to find upcoming book events and join her newsletter.

Follow Christy on Instagram: @cashman_christy.

Order Kiss, Marry, Kill and explore all of Cara’s books at caratheauthor.com.

USA Today bestselling author Kristen Vale joins Cara and PJ to talk about her delightful world of queer, cozy romantasy! Kristen dives into her newest novel, A Spell of Heart and Havoc, introducing us to a half-dwarf thief, a disgraced noblewoman, and their deliciously chaotic "haters-to-lovers" romance. Plus, she shares how D&D and cooking inspire her whimsical world-building, what it really takes to balance a full-time publishing job with writing deadlines, and how a white stretch limo to the Renaissance Faire is the ultimate author move!

Grab your copies of A Tale of Mirth and Magic and A Spell of Heart and Havoc wherever books are sold.

Subscribe to Kristen’s Substack, You've Got Vale.

Follow Kristen on Instagram @kristenvalewrites.

Order Kiss, Marry, Kill and check out Cara’s latest books at caratheauthor.com.

Cara is answering your questions! In this special IndieBones Book Club episode, Cara takes us behind the scenes of Kiss, Marry, Kill - from blending romance, true crime, and laugh-out-loud humor to writing a fearless heroine and changing up the mystery mid-draft. We also get her dream movie cast, the story behind “Dr. Cheese,” a peek at her decidedly unglamorous writing routine, and a tease of Ella’s return in Truth or Dare. It’s “kissy kissy, stabby stabby,” with plenty of laughs along the way!

Buy Kiss, Marry, Kill on Amazon.

Visit Cara’s website: caratheauthor.com.

This week on Skip To The Good Part, Cara and PJ sit down with New York Times bestselling author Autumn Krause to dive into her incredible new novel, The Gods Will Sing Our Song! Autumn opens up about drawing from her family’s resilience and incarceration during WWII, connecting over shared family roots with Cara, taking the creative leap to blend dark magic and relics with real history, and teasing what’s next—including her 442nd-inspired project and upcoming gothic romantasy, Blood Art.

Order your copy of The Gods Will Sing Our Song.

Follow Autumn on Instagram @autumn__krause and TikTok @autumnkrause.

Read more from Autumn on Substack.
Grab Kiss, Marry, Kill and more at Cara the Author.

The amazing vocal talent Ferdelle Capistrano joins us to go over her take on becoming the awesome and strong protagonist Ella in "Kiss, Marry, Kill", how she started on her path to being an award-winning audiobook narrator and voice-over artist, and so much more!

Buy the audiobook of Kiss, Marry, Kill.

Follow Ferdelle on Instagram.

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Angela Montoya's debut novel, the romantasy, Sinner’s Isle, received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly and trade reviews from Booklist and The Bulletin.

The soon to be out A Cruel Thirst was chosen as a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and will be published in late 2024 by Joy Revolution Books.

She comes from a family of storytellers with revolutionary ideas, including her grandfather, José Montoya, who was a celebrated activist and poet laureate.

When she isn’t lost in the world of words, Angela can be found co-hosting the podcast, Of the Publishing Persuasion or hiding away on her small farm in Northern California with her partner, their two children, and a whole host of animals.

Follow her:
https://www.angelamontoyawrites.com/
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Jackie Lau has written more than twenty novels and is the critically acclaimed author of Donut Fall In Love. The New York Times said, “Lau’s trope-forward contemporaries are as sugary and irresistible as the desserts her characters create."

She’s also written the Cider Bar sisters series and Holidays with the Wongs series.

Her new novel, The Stand-Up Groomsman is out October 25.

Find out more about Jackie: https://jackielaubooks.com/

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