The Best of Women’s Fiction - Episodes

Looking for the best women’s fiction? The podcast publishes short interviews with bestselling and debut women’s fiction authors. Hosted by Lainey Cameron and Ashley Hasty

List of all Episodes by Category

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Episode 93: Veena Rao, author of Purple Lotus, winner 2021 American Fiction Awards

Veena Rao shares the inspiration behind her novel, Purple Lotus, the winner in the multi-cultural category of the 2021 American Fiction Awards.

A tale of an immigrant who comes to Atlanta through marriage, Purple Lotus has been described as a "dazzling tale of an Indian-American woman finding her way through the labyrinth of tradition to self-awareness in the modern world"

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Contemporary Women's Fiction Lainey Cameron Contemporary Women's Fiction Lainey Cameron

Episode 91: Laura Drake, award-winning author of The Road to Me

Award-winning author, Laura Drake introduces us to her newest novel, The Road to Me, which has been described as “an unforgettable story of self-discovery and survival, reconciliation and redemption.” (bestselling author, Barbara Claypole White).

In the novel, Jacqueline Oliver gets a call about her hippie grandma, and drops everything to travel to Arizona. They end up on a unique and healing grandmother - granddaughter road trip.

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Contemporary Women's Fiction Lainey Cameron Contemporary Women's Fiction Lainey Cameron

Episode 89: Elissa Grossell Dickey, author of Speed of Light and Iris in the Dark

Elissa Grosell Dickey shares the inspiration behind The Speed of Light, a novel described as “a gripping page-turner, infused with a compassionate and insightful look at chronic illness.”

Elissa shares her real life experience that led to writing a character recently diagnosed with MS, and chats with Lainey about how they’d both like to see more chronic illness representation in women’s fiction protagonists.

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Contemporary Women's Fiction Lainey Cameron Contemporary Women's Fiction Lainey Cameron

Episode 85: Maggie Smith, author of Truth and Other Lies

Maggie Smith shares the inspiration behind her debut novel, Truth and Other Lies, which has been described as “twisty, timely, and rivetingly thought-provoking.”

The story brings together three women whose lives converge as one fights a devastating accusation, another campaigns for a contested seat in Congress, and one, a young reporter with ties to both, navigates the tricky line between secrets and lies.

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Episode 83: Lisa Barr, award-winning author of Woman on Fire

Award-winning author, Lisa Barr, shares the inspiration for her latest novel. Woman on Fire is the story of a young journalist who gets embroiled in a dangerous international art scandal centered around a Nazi looted masterpiece.

We chat about how Lisa found inspiration for a fabulous character like journalist Jules Roth. Plus why Lisa's focus on stolen art, and how some of the story draws from real life headlines. Also why she has been able to successfully cross genres, what she’s learned from that, and great writing advice.

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Episode 81: Nikki May, author of Wahala

Nikki May joins from the UK to chat about her debut novel, Wahala, which was named a most anticipated book of 2022 by Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour, Essence, and more. Wahala, which means trouble, follows three Anglo-Nigerian best friends living in London, and the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group.

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Episode 79: Mansi Shah, author of The Taste of Ginger

Mansi Shah talks about The Taste of Ginger, which Booklist calls “a poignant debut novel, that touches on the immigrant experience in America”. We chat about how Mansi weaved important themes into a novel which many readers have called “thought-provoking” and makes for great book club conversation.

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Episode 78: Kimmery Martin, author of three novels including Doctors and Friends

Kimmery Martin is an emergency medicine doctor-turned novelist. In this episode she talks about her latest novel, Doctors and Friends, which is set during a pandemic. Written before Covid 19, the novel is prescient in how it follows a group of doctor friends as a contagious virus spreads around the world.

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Episode 77: Colleen van Niekerk, author of A Conspiracy of Mothers

Colleen van Niekerk, author of A Conspiracy of Mothers, talks about the inspiration for a novel set in South Africa, which tells the story of three mothers whose lives intersect during a generation-defining period in history.

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Episode 74: Alice Early, award-winning author of The Moon Always Rising

Alice Early talks about The Moon Always Rising, a story that takes the reader on a journey from the Caribbean island of Nevis to the Highlands of Scotland. The novel is already a multiple-award winner, including overall winner in the 2020 National Indie Excellence and American Fiction Awards. It’s also unusual in that one of the main characters is a ghost.

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Contemporary Women's Fiction Lainey Cameron Contemporary Women's Fiction Lainey Cameron

Episode 70: Kalyn Fogarty, author of What We Carry

Kalyn Fogarty shares the inspiration behind What We Carry, a novel that deals with miscarriage, a topic often underrepresented in fiction.

She talks about her personal experience that led to writing a novel of hope around such an important and heart-breaking experience for many women, her own writing journey, her approach to self-care, and her hope that the novel will be healing for others.

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