Libsyn Directory

Booktalking - All about Shy Girl and whether AI in publishing is more like plutonium or salt

Release Date: 05/06/2026

Sharon Bala on the absurdity of so-called Good Guys

Kobo in Conversation

Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Sharon Bala, author of the award-winning 2018 novel, The Boat People. Her new book is called Good Guys. It’s about a nearly bankrupt international aid charity called Children of the World, and how their stumbling into the good graces of an A-list celebrity raises a lot of money, and a lot of questions about who the good guys really are.

Natalie Zina Walschots on good bosses and bad guys [encore]

Kobo in Conversation

This week we’re bringing you a conversation Michael Tamblyn had in 2021 with Natalie Zina Walschots about her extremely fun novel called . It’s about a world where superheroes are out there saving the day in super ways, while villains, who are a lot like you and me, run organizations bent on taking over the world while also trying to keep scores up on Glassdoor. Natalie’s just released a sequel to Hench, and it’s called . [From 2021:] We learned about some of the fantastical worlds Natalie enjoyed exploring as a young reader "often for sheer escapism," as well as the...

Why Chanda Prescod-Weinstein sees hope in cosmic curiosity

Kobo in Conversation

Nathan Maharaj spoke with physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of the 2021 book , a highly personal reflection on the human and inherently flawed practice of scientific inquiry and her career as a Black Jewish scientist. Her new book is . In it she explains to readers, what's really going on with quantum cats? what does a light-swallowing black hole actually look like? what can we learn about quantum theory from the Afrofuturist jazz musician Sun Ra? —and a whole lot more.

Booktalking - All about Shy Girl and whether AI in publishing is more like plutonium or salt

Kobo in Conversation

Hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj dove deep on the controversy around the book Shy Girl, which was cancelled by its publisher who alleged it was largely AI-generated. Links on Shy Girl: The video from January 2026 that seems to have led to Shy Girl's cancellation: Publishing news journalist Alexandra Alter on the controversy over the cancellation of Shy Girl: Publishing industry analyst Thad McIlroy on what NYT omitted from their piece: Two very "inside baseball" overviews of what happened: What might be the last extant page on any of Hachette's sites...

How Heather Marshall brings readers into places of the past

Kobo in Conversation

Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Heather Marshall. She is a writer of historical fiction, including her 2022 debut bestselling novel and 2024’s with . Heather Marshall’s new book is . It’s the story of a young journalist’s quest to expose the cruelty and corruption of the Mercer Women’s Prison from the inside, the women she meets there, and a police detective trying to uncover a secret 30 years later.

Why Rainbow Rowell's Cherry Baby had to be her sexiest book yet

Kobo in Conversation

Nathan Maharaj spoke with novelist Rainbow Rowell. She’s the author of books including , , as well as the novel , which she discussed on the show in 2024. Rainbow Rowell’s new book is the novel . It’s about a woman named Cherish, who everybody calls Cherry, at a moment in her life when her marriage seems to have ended and she’s figuring out what comes next.

Tara Gereaux on finding the words for an unspoken identity

Kobo in Conversation

Nathan Maharaj spoke with Tara Gereaux, author of the novel and the novella Size of a Fist. Her new book is called . Set in 1946, it’s the story of Florence, or Mrs. Banks as she’s known down at Pratt’s Insurance, the company where she’s worked diligently for years. While out for lunch with her colleagues one day, Florence encounters a man whose mere presence threatens to upend the life she’s made for herself in the town of Torduvalle, Saskatchewan.

How Eliana Ramage set her sights on the stars for her debut novel

Kobo in Conversation

Michael Tamblyn spoke with Eliana Ramage, author of To the Moon and Back. It’s a novel about Steph, a young Cherokee woman who from the earliest age is obsessed with space and space travel, dreaming about one day becoming a NASA astronaut.

George Newman on getting good at bad ideas—so great ideas can happen

Kobo in Conversation

Nathan spoke with George Newman, psychologist and associate professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. His new book is . It’s a guide to generating ideas, hopefully great ideas, and learning about mental habits that often get in the way, and how creativity is a skill you can train and exercise.

Leanne Toshiko Simpson on self-care and writing a prize-winning rom-com

Kobo in Conversation

Joined by a live audience in Kobo's intimate event space, Michael Tamblyn spoke with novelist Leanne Toshiko Simpson, author of and winner of the . Never Been Better is the story of a group of three friends who met in a psych ward, but time has passed and now two of whom are about to get married while the third tries to figure out whether to swallow her feelings or let it all out.

More Episodes

Hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj dove deep on the controversy around the book Shy Girl, which was cancelled by its publisher who alleged it was largely AI-generated.

Links on Shy Girl:

The video from January 2026 that seems to have led to Shy Girl's cancellation: i'm pretty sure this book is ai slop - YouTube
Publishing news journalist Alexandra Alter on the controversy over the cancellation of Shy Girl: A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared. - The New York Times
Publishing industry analyst Thad McIlroy on what NYT omitted from their piece: I Broke the Year’s Biggest Literary Story. The New York Times Took the Credit | The Walrus
Two very "inside baseball" overviews of what happened:
- The New Publishing Standard's deep dive on Shy Girl
- Publisher’s Weekly industry analysis
What might be the last extant page on any of Hachette's sites about the book: Shy Girl: Read the femgore revenge novel that EVERYONE is talking about! by Mia Ballard - Books - Hachette Australia

TOPICS