Bookshop Interview with Author Geoff Loftus, Episode #249
The Bookshop at the End of the Internet
Release Date: 09/17/2025
The Bookshop at the End of the Internet
Author Evan Kidwell discusses his debut fantasy novel, Timeaous Spark and the Luck Curse. This first installment in a new series introduces a world where magic is unlocked through brutal trials, and the abilities revealed determine one’s place in a rigid class system. Timeaous Spark discovers his magic—known as “minor luck”—is a power society views as dangerous. His journey forces him to decide whether to accept the role he’s been assigned or fight for the life he wants. Evan wrote this story with themes of bullying and self‑discovery in mind, drawing on his own childhood...
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Author Sonia Daccarett discusses her debut memoir, The Roots of the Guava Tree: Growing up Jewish and Arab in Colombia. Sonia never intended to write a book. But as she reached middle age, she found herself looking back on a childhood that felt strangely distant from the life she was living now. Her memoir became a way to bridge those two worlds. Sonia grew up in Colombia speaking a different language, surrounded by the vibrant culture of her country as well as the traditions of her Jewish and Arab heritage. Her grandparents emigrated to Colombia and built a life there, and Sonia was always...
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Author Melanie Anagnos discusses her debut novel, Nightswimming. The story drops us straight into the gritty streets of Paterson, New Jersey, circa 1979. Jamie Palmieri, a young patrol officer barely three years out of the academy, suddenly finds himself pulled into a brutal double-murder investigation. What begins as a request for an extra pair of hands quickly becomes something far more dangerous, as Jamie realizes the killer may be turning his sights on him. But Nightswimming isn’t just a tense police procedural—it’s a sharp look at the era’s entrenched injustices, including the...
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Author Helen Hynson Vettori discusses her new Black Swan thriller series. The first two books—Black Swan Impact and Black Swan Shock—are out now, with a third on the way. Before becoming a novelist, Helen spent her career as a government planner for catastrophic events like pandemics. When she retired in 2018, she imagined a quiet life of travel and crafting. Then 2020 arrived. As the world shut down, Helen was stunned to see the government ignore the very plans she helped create. To cope with the anxiety of that moment, she began journaling, which quickly transformed into storytelling....
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Author D.A. Murray discusses Dominion: Ascension, the first book in her new Dominion trilogy. The story takes place about thirty years in the future, in the aftermath of a devastating war that has reshaped society into a post-apocalyptic nation now known as Dominion. The consequences of that conflict run deep—cognitive decline, widespread infertility, and a dramatic shift in the balance of power. In this world, women now hold control. At the center of the story is Dani Matthews, an investigative reporter and the daughter of a high-ranking Dominion official. As Dani digs the truth behind the...
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Author Bill Hulseman discusses his new book, six to carry the casket and one to say the mass. This powerful collection of personal essays grew out of Bill’s experience with grief and burnout after losing several family members in a short span of time. Through his writing, he reflects on how he arrived at that moment in his life, exploring themes that range from family to Catholicism to queer-belonging and pop culture. Bill shares stories from his early formative years, the pivotal choices that shaped his path, and the moments that helped him understand and embrace his queer identity. In...
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Author Hanna Verrall discusses one of the most delightfully unusual writing projects I’ve come across: The Fax Club Experiment. One hundred writers. One fax machine each. One question received by fax every Friday for a full year. Only 32 made it to the end—and together they turned their favorite responses into a book. Hanna shares how the experiment worked, why every author stayed anonymous, and what surprised her most about the answers that came in week after week. It’s a conversation about creativity, commitment, and the magic that happens when writers lean into the unexpected. Tune...
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This week on The Bookshop at the End of the Internet, I’m chatting with author Andy Honda, the creative mind behind the charming children’s series Koa’s Ruff Life. Inspired by her real-life rescue pup, Koa—a lovable Rhodesian Ridgeback—Andy’s stories follow his adventures across New York City. From the Central Park Zoo to Bryant Park to Christmas in the city, each book celebrates the small, magical moments she and Koa share, sprinkled with fun NYC facts to spark curiosity in young readers. In our conversation, Andy opens up about her unexpected path from science to storytelling,...
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Author Jen Braaksma talks about a truly extraordinary project: Befriending Betsy. This book began with another writer—Betsy Pauly, a woman remembered for her kindness, humor, and deep love for animals. After Betsy passed away, she left behind pieces of a manuscript and a husband determined to see her story reach the world. That’s where Jen stepped in. Jen was brought on to help shape Betsy’s unfinished work, but this wasn’t your typical co-authoring experience. She had to learn Betsy’s voice, understand her heart, and honor a story that began long before she arrived. In our...
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Author Nancy Bernhard discusses her powerful debut novel, The Double Standard Sporting House. Set in New York City, 1868, during the shadowy reign of Tammany Hall, Nancy’s story follows Doc—a sharp, fearless woman who runs an elite brothel as a covert way to fund her free clinic for women. Her world is one of grit, autonomy, and unexpected power, built at a time when society demanded “respectability” above all else. Nancy shares the surprising historical research behind the novel, including eye‑opening statistics about sex work in 19th‑century NYC and the complex reasons so many...
info_outlineAuthor Geoff Loftus discusses his new book, The Devil’s Vacation. It is the tenth book in his Jack Tyrrell thriller series. The main character, Jack Tyrrell, is a former Special Forces veteran and Deputy U.S. Marshall who solves crimes and rights wrongs with the help of his guardian angel. In The Devil’s Vacation, which is set on a small island off the coast of Rhode Island, Jack finds his summer vacation interrupted by a brutal double murder. The deaths have familiar hallmarks, and Jack and his guardian angel are forced into a confrontation with evil in the form of a serial killer and his guardian devil. This series—its story line and the main characters—were inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.