Off The Shelf with Morgann Book

This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with author Molly Fader, who's written more than 50 books under various pen names - including one that made its way into Suicide Squad. They talk about her latest release, Lady X, a vigilante girl gang story set in 1977 New York City that was partly sparked by Taylor Swift's "Vigilante Shit." Molly opens up about switching literary agents after 25 years, the research that shaped the book, and what keeps her chasing that "lightning strike" feeling after six decades' worth of stories.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro & Welcome
02:38 Publishing Her First Book at 25
04:05 Toronto, Harlequin & Learning the Craft
04:37 The Cowgirl Phase
06:20 From Harlequin to Single-Title Books
08:52 The Pen Name Universe
12:34 How Many Books, Really?
17:00 The Suicide Squad Mystery
22:38 Introducing Lady X
24:29 The Spark Behind the Story
27:38 Writing Female Rage & Friendship
28:27 Plotter vs. Pantser
29:52 Researching 1977 New York City
31:18 Her Writing Space, Then and Now
32:24 A New Agent, After 25 Years
34:22 Selling Lady X & Canadian Rights
34:48 What She Wants Readers to Take Away
37:01 What's Next: 1980s Nashville
37:35 The Lightning Strike Feeling

FOLLOW US:

Morgann Book
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook

Molly Fader
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollyfaderauthor/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@daydrinkingwithmolly
Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/products/lady-x
Find her books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=20010981&contributorName=Molly%20Fader

Off The Shelf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Off.TheShelfPodcast

Hosted by: Morgann Book
Created by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston
Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston
Produced by: Stefanie Macchiusi
Associate Post Producer and Editor: Ricki Biramontes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with bestselling Canadian author Marissa Stapley, whose novel Lucky became Reese's Book Club's first-ever Canadian pick and is now being adapted into an Apple TV+ series starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Drew Starkey, and Annette Bening. Marissa shares the heartbreaking story behind writing Lucky while caring for her mom, how Reese Witherspoon discovered the book, what it was really like keeping the Reese's Book Club secret, and why she always pictured Anya Taylor-Joy as Lucky.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro & Welcome
00:35 - Why Marissa always knew she'd be a writer
03:25 - Her first novel that never made it to shelves
04:40 - How journalism shaped her writing career
06:02 - Ranking her wildest jobs (including cemetery gardener)
09:06 - Why she writes under multiple pen names
11:06 - How co-writing a novel actually works
12:44 - TV writing vs. novel writing
14:30 - The inspiration behind Lucky
17:06 - Creating Lucky Armstrong
20:22 - Writing Lucky while caring for her mom
22:30 - Becoming Reese's first Canadian Book Club pick
25:23 - Keeping the Reese's Book Club secret
27:56 - How the Apple TV+ adaptation came together
30:40 - Manifesting Anya Taylor-Joy as Lucky
35:04 - Visiting the set of Lucky
40:11 - The biggest changes from book to TV series
42:09 - Which episode Marissa can't stop thinking about
44:04 - What to expect from the Lucky sequel

FOLLOW US:

Morgann Book
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook

Marissa Stapley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marissastapley/
Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/pages/contributor/Marissa-Stapley
Find her books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=16235074&contributorName=Marissa%20Stapley

Off The Shelf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Off.TheShelfPodcast

Hosted by: Morgann Book
Created by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston
Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston
Produced by: Stefanie Macchiusi
Associate Post Producer and Editor: Ricki Biramontes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with bestselling author June Hur to discuss her journey from writing Pride & Prejudice fanfiction to publishing Behind Five Willows. They chat about countless rejections, finding her voice as a writer, the inspiration behind her latest novel, Korean history, libraries, and why she chose to slow down her publishing schedule.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro & Welcome
01:14 Pride & Prejudice Started Everything
05:30 Growing Up Between Korea, Canada & the U.S.
08:23 Working at the Library & Favorite Books
10:07 15 Manuscripts, 100+ Rejections & Finding Her Voice
16:28 Why She Writes Korean Historical Fiction
18:11 Motherhood Changed Her Writing Career
21:36 Her Writing Process & Writing Korean on the Page
24:27 How Her Books Have Evolved
27:42 Where to Start Reading June Hur
28:18 Behind Five Willows Explained
31:15 Turning Pride & Prejudice Into a Romance
33:36 Book Bans, History & Why Stories Matter
35:23 Writing the Romance & Darcy Inspiration
37:03 A Love Letter to Librarians & Bookstores
39:09 What's Next for June Hur

FOLLOW US:

Morgann Book
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook

June Hur
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junehwrites
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@junehwrites
Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/pages/contributor/june-hur?id=883069940
Find her books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=20658423&contributorName=June%20Hur

Off The Shelf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Off.TheShelfPodcast

Hosted by: Morgann Book
Created by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston
Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston
Produced by: Stefanie Macchiusi
Associate Post Producer and Editor: Ricki Biramontes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with bestselling author Elle Kennedy, the writer behind the beloved Off Campus books. Elle shares how she knew she wanted to be an author at just six years old, what it felt like selling her first novel, and why she almost never self-published The Deal. They also dive into the biggest behind-the-scenes secrets from the Off-Campus series, including the original plans for Tucker, why Dean almost ended up with someone else, what it was like visiting the set of the TV adaptation, and more!

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro & Welcome
02:35 Wanting to be an author at six years old
05:19 Selling her first book & publishing journey
08:41 How her writing process has evolved
12:41 Why The Deal was originally self-published
15:13 Creating Garrett, Hannah & the Briar universe
17:16 The original Off-Campus series plans
18:26 Tucker almost had a very different fate
21:07 Why Dean wasn't meant for Sabrina
24:34 Favourite scenes from the series
26:44 Which Off-Campus characters were easiest to write?
27:57 Expanding the Briar universe
30:45 Off-Campus character superlatives
32:14 Bringing Off-Campus to TV
34:43 Visiting the set & meeting the cast
39:22 Hidden Easter eggs & favourite filming moments
43:50 Season 2 teases
46:03 New YA thriller & returning to suspense
50:07 Outro

FOLLOW US:

Morgann Book
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook

Elle Kennedy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellekennedyauthor/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ellekennedyauthor
Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/pages/contributor/elle-kennedy?id=825593661
Find her books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/authors/elle-kennedy

Off The Shelf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Off.TheShelfPodcast

Hosted by: Morgann Book
Created by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston
Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston
Produced by: Stefanie Macchiusi
Associate Post Producer and Editor: Ricki Biramontes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Matt Haig, bestselling author of The Midnight Library, The Midnight Train, and Reasons to Stay Alive. Matt opens up about the mental health crisis that changed the course of his life, how writing became part of his recovery, and why The Midnight Library was the most freeing book he's ever written. We also discuss the upcoming film adaptation starring Florence Pugh, the inspiration behind Nora Seed, social media, AI, creativity, and what he hopes readers take away from The Midnight Train.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction
01:16 Why Matt Reads His Own 1-Star Reviews
04:06 Why Children Are Better Readers Than Adults
06:24 Trouble at School, Neurodiversity & Finding Writing
08:28 The Breakdown That Changed Everything
11:56 How Books Helped Him Survive Depression
14:05 Recovery, Rejection & Becoming an Author
17:40 The Purpose Behind Reasons to Stay Alive
20:17 Mental Health Advocacy & Writing Fiction
27:26 Conquering His Fear of Public Speaking
33:07 The Origin of The Midnight Library
35:12 Writing Nora's Many Alternate Lives
37:50 How Nora Seed Got Her Name
38:52 The Midnight Library Movie Adaptation
40:27 Florence Pugh as Nora & Behind the Scenes
44:30 Inside The Midnight Train
46:14 What Matt Wants Readers to Take Away
49:20 The Dream of Opening a Bookstore
51:24 What's Next

FOLLOW US:

Morgann Book
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morgannbook?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorgannBook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook

Matt Haig
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattzhaig/
Find his books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/pages/contributor/matt-haig?id=811768428
Find his books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/authors/matt-haig

Off The Shelf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offtheshelf.podcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@offtheshelf.podcast?lang=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Off.TheShelfPodcast

Hosted by: Morgann Book
Created by: Bookish Media, Morgann Book, and Thomas Johnston
Executive Producers: Morgann Book & Thomas Johnston
Produced by: Stefanie Macchiusi
Associate Post Producer and Editor: Ricki Biramontes
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.