GSMC Book Review Podcast

Sarah welcomes author Courtney Psak to discuss her suspenseful novel, The Hostess, a chilling story set against the glamorous yet unsettling backdrop of the Hamptons.

Natalie and her husband leave the city after a devastating accident, hoping a peaceful getaway will give Natalie time to heal. Their last minute rental in the Hamptons appears to be the perfect escape. The estate is breathtaking, complete with sweeping ocean views, a wraparound porch, and elegant architecture that feels straight out of a dream. Yet the beauty of the house masks an atmosphere that quickly becomes uneasy.

The property’s owner, Sadie, is charismatic, sophisticated, and immediately intriguing. Natalie finds herself drawn to her mysterious hostess, but something about Sadie feels just out of reach. As their relationship grows, small details begin to raise troubling questions. When Natalie learns that a previous guest vanished without explanation, curiosity turns into fear.

During this conversation, Sarah and Courtney explore the inspiration behind The Hostess, the psychological tension that fuels the story, and the themes of trust, vulnerability, and hidden identities. Courtney also shares insights into crafting suspense, building layered characters, and creating a setting that feels both luxurious and ominous.

Fans of psychological thrillers and atmospheric suspense will enjoy this behind the scenes discussion about the twists, secrets, and storytelling techniques that make The Hostess such a compelling read.

Tune in to the GSMC Book Review Podcast for engaging author interviews, book discoveries, and thoughtful conversations about the stories that keep readers turning pages.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe to the show: you can find us on iTunes or on any app that carries podcasts as well as on YouTube. Please remember to subscribe and give us a nice review. This way you will always be among the first to get the latest GSMC Book Review Podcasts.

We would like to thank our Sponsor: GSMC Podcast Network
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gsmc-book-review-podcast/id1123769087
GSMC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-EKO3toL1A
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GSMC_BookReview
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSMCBookReview/
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Tiktok: @gsmcbookreview
Bluesky: @gsmcbookreview.bsky.social
GSMC Podcast Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@gsmcpodcastnetwork GSMC Sports Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCSportsNetwork. GSMC Entertainment Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCEntertainmentNetwork GSMC News Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCNEWSNETWORK
 
Disclaimer: The views expressed on the GSMC Book Review Podcast are for entertainment purposes only. Reproduction, copying, or redistribution of The GSMC Book Review Podcast without the express written consent of Golden State Media Concepts LLC is prohibited.

Sarah welcomes acclaimed Chicago author Bill Hillmann to discuss his powerful novel White Flight, a gritty, thought-provoking story about violence, class mobility, race, and redemption. 

Set between Chicago’s working-class neighborhoods and the charged streets of New Orleans, White Flight follows Golden Gloves boxer Joe Walsh as his promising future collides with tragedy. After a fatal campus fight leaves him wanted for murder, Joe goes on the run, only to face another life-altering moment when he intervenes in a racially charged street attack. Hillmann unpacks how Joe’s journey explores masculinity, inherited trauma, moral courage, and the true meaning of escape.

In this compelling conversation, Bill shares the real-life influences behind the novel, the symbolism of boxing as both discipline and destruction, and the weight carried by the title White Flight. The discussion also explores art as salvation, the tension between running from consequences and standing your ground, and the layered portrayal of race and class in modern America.

Fans of literary fiction, coming-of-age novels, Chicago literature, and boxing stories won’t want to miss this episode. If you’re drawn to character-driven fiction that confronts difficult social questions head-on, this interview offers insight straight from the author himself.

Subscribe to the GSMC Book Review Podcast for in-depth author interviews, thoughtful literary discussions, and behind-the-scenes perspectives from today’s most compelling writers.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe to the show: you can find us on iTunes or on any app that carries podcasts as well as on YouTube. Please remember to subscribe and give us a nice review. This way you will always be among the first to get the latest GSMC Book Review Podcasts.

We would like to thank our Sponsor: GSMC Podcast Network
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gsmc-book-review-podcast/id1123769087
GSMC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-EKO3toL1A
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GSMC_BookReview
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSMCBookReview/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gsmcbookreview
Tiktok: @gsmcbookreview
Bluesky: @gsmcbookreview.bsky.social
GSMC Podcast Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@gsmcpodcastnetwork GSMC Sports Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCSportsNetwork. GSMC Entertainment Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCEntertainmentNetwork GSMC News Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCNEWSNETWORK
 
Disclaimer: The views expressed on the GSMC Book Review Podcast are for entertainment purposes only. Reproduction, copying, or redistribution of The GSMC Book Review Podcast without the express written consent of Golden State Media Concepts LLC is prohibited.

Sarah has a conversation with acclaimed biographer Judith Lissauer Cromwell to discuss her compelling biography, Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun: Portrait of an Artist, 1755–1842. This captivating work chronicles the extraordinary life of Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, one of the most celebrated portrait artists of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Best known as the favored painter of Marie Antoinette, Vigée Le Brun rose to prominence in a male-dominated art world, overcoming barriers that denied women formal artistic training. Her luminous portraits of European royalty and aristocracy now hang in some of the world’s most prestigious museums. But at the height of her fame, the French Revolution forced her into exile, separating her from her homeland and reshaping her career.

In this insightful conversation, Cromwell shares the research behind the biography, drawing from Vigée Le Brun’s memoirs, archival sources, and historical reevaluation. Sarah and Judith explore themes of artistic ambition, motherhood, survival during political upheaval, and the resilience required to rebuild a career across a continent in turmoil. They also discuss the artist’s twelve-year exile, her return to France after Napoleon restored stability, and her enduring legacy as a pioneering woman in art history.

If you’re passionate about historical biography, women artists, French history, or stories of perseverance, this episode offers rich context and inspiration. Tune in to discover how talent, charisma, and determination secured Vigée Le Brun’s place in art history.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe to the show: you can find us on iTunes or on any app that carries podcasts as well as on YouTube. Please remember to subscribe and give us a nice review. This way you will always be among the first to get the latest GSMC Book Review Podcasts.

We would like to thank our Sponsor: GSMC Podcast Network
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gsmc-book-review-podcast/id1123769087
GSMC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-EKO3toL1A
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GSMC_BookReview
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSMCBookReview/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gsmcbookreview
Tiktok: @gsmcbookreview
Bluesky: @gsmcbookreview.bsky.social
GSMC Podcast Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@gsmcpodcastnetwork GSMC Sports Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCSportsNetwork. GSMC Entertainment Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCEntertainmentNetwork GSMC News Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCNEWSNETWORK
 
Disclaimer: The views expressed on the GSMC Book Review Podcast are for entertainment purposes only. Reproduction, copying, or redistribution of The GSMC Book Review Podcast without the express written consent of Golden State Media Concepts LLC is prohibited.

Sarah sits down with debut author Amy Rossi to discuss her powerful and emotionally resonant novel, The Cover Girl.

At the heart of the story is Birdie Rhodes, discovered at just thirteen by legendary modeling agent Harriet Goldman and launched into the high-stakes world of fashion. What begins as a dream opportunity quickly becomes something far more complicated when Birdie falls for a much older rock star, setting off a chain of events that reshapes her life. From the glamour of the modeling industry to the raw energy of the LA punk scene and the heartbreak of the AIDS crisis in Boston, Birdie’s journey spans decades of cultural change, personal reinvention, and buried trauma.

In this thoughtful conversation, Amy Rossi shares the inspiration behind Birdie’s story, the complexities of power and identity in the fashion and music industries, and the emotional weight of writing about fame, exploitation, and second chances. Sarah guides a compelling discussion about  what it means to confront the past after years of silence.

Fans of contemporary literary fiction, stories about the cost of celebrity, and character-driven novels exploring trauma and healing won’t want to miss this episode.

Tune in for an insightful author interview that explores the darker side of almost-fame—and the strength it takes to reclaim your narrative.

Subscribe to the GSMC Book Review Podcast for more bestselling authors, debut voices, and unforgettable stories.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe to the show: you can find us on iTunes or on any app that carries podcasts as well as on YouTube. Please remember to subscribe and give us a nice review. This way you will always be among the first to get the latest GSMC Book Review Podcasts.

We would like to thank our Sponsor: GSMC Podcast Network
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gsmc-book-review-podcast/id1123769087
GSMC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-EKO3toL1A
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GSMC_BookReview
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSMCBookReview/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gsmcbookreview
Tiktok: @gsmcbookreview
Bluesky: @gsmcbookreview.bsky.social
GSMC Podcast Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@gsmcpodcastnetwork GSMC Sports Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCSportsNetwork. GSMC Entertainment Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCEntertainmentNetwork GSMC News Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCNEWSNETWORK
 
Disclaimer: The views expressed on the GSMC Book Review Podcast are for entertainment purposes only. Reproduction, copying, or redistribution of The GSMC Book Review Podcast without the express written consent of Golden State Media Concepts LLC is prohibited.

Sarah talks with physician, author, and public health thinker Dr. Wendy Johnson to discuss her powerful and timely book, Kinship Medicine: Cultivating Interdependence to Heal the Earth and Ourselves.

Modern life promises convenience and progress, yet many of us feel more isolated, unhealthy, and disconnected than ever. In Kinship Medicine, Dr. Johnson challenges the foundations of how we live and care for one another, arguing that human health cannot be separated from community, environment, and our relationship with the living world. Drawing on public health, sociology, anthropology, human ecology, and her experience as a family physician, she reframes medicine through an ecosystem lens, one that recognizes interdependence as essential, not optional.

During this thoughtful conversation, Sarah and Dr. Johnson explore how loneliness, industrial diets, systemic inequality, and profit-driven healthcare systems quietly erode our well-being. They also discuss how trauma can be carried across generations, why eliminating a single organism can disrupt entire ecosystems, and how reconnecting with non-human life plays a vital role in healing both people and planet.

The discussion goes beyond diagnosis and offers hope. Dr. Johnson shares real-world examples of communities already building healthier, more resilient ways of living and caring for one another. She also reflects on how embracing mortality can shift our fears and help us live more fully.

This episode is perfect for listeners interested in health, wellness, environmental studies, social justice, and nonfiction books that challenge conventional thinking. Whether you’re passionate about sustainable living, holistic medicine, or reimagining what a healthy society could look like, this conversation offers insight, clarity, and inspiration.

Tune in to the GSMC Book Review Podcast, where meaningful books spark meaningful conversations.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe to the show: you can find us on iTunes or on any app that carries podcasts as well as on YouTube. Please remember to subscribe and give us a nice review. This way you will always be among the first to get the latest GSMC Book Review Podcasts.

We would like to thank our Sponsor: GSMC Podcast Network
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gsmc-book-review-podcast/id1123769087
GSMC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-EKO3toL1A
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GSMC_BookReview
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSMCBookReview/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gsmcbookreview
Tiktok: @gsmcbookreview
Bluesky: @gsmcbookreview.bsky.social
GSMC Podcast Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@gsmcpodcastnetwork GSMC Sports Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCSportsNetwork. GSMC Entertainment Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCEntertainmentNetwork GSMC News Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSMCNEWSNETWORK
 
Disclaimer: The views expressed on the GSMC Book Review Podcast are for entertainment purposes only. Reproduction, copying, or redistribution of The GSMC Book Review Podcast without the express written consent of Golden State Media Concepts LLC is prohibited.