Bookwild

In this episode, Halley Sutton and I talk with Stephanie Wrobel about her new thriller Revenge Plot!
Listen to hear about:
The inspiration behind Revenge Plot and how an unwanted dinner guest, a literary agent, and a desperate writer became the foundation for a darkly funny thriller.
The realities of the publishing industry, from outrageous manuscript submissions to the role of luck, marketing, and money in determining a book's success.
The power of storytelling and reinvention, including pen names, anonymous authors, and the pressure writers face to turn themselves into marketable brands.
The craft of writing unpredictable thrillers, from morally complicated characters and unconventional structures to balancing humor, suspense, and surprising twists.
The fine line between ambition and obsession, and how the pursuit of success can push people to compromise their ethics, relationships, and sense of self.


All the Bookwild Links:
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Follow Co-hosts On Instagram:
Gare Billings @gareindeedreads
Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland
Halley Sutton @halleysutton25
Brian Watson @readingwithbrian
MacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
Erin Ashley @bellametaphor

In this episode, I talk with Thomas R. Weaver about Artificial Wisdom and Infinite Wisdom.
Listen to hear about:
How Thomas R. Weaver went from entrepreneur to science fiction author—and why Artificial Wisdom went through more than 15 drafts before publication.
The terrifying possibilities of AI-generated propaganda, political manipulation, and a future where we can no longer distinguish truth from fiction.
Why Infinite Wisdom explores the dangers of competing artificial superintelligences, the unintended consequences of technology, and what happens when society loses its shared sense of reality.
The moral dilemmas, psychological vulnerabilities, and questions of consciousness that shape his characters—and why even well-intentioned AI could become dangerous.
How speculative fiction reflects the world we're living in, from climate inequality and billionaire bunkers to the growing influence of tech oligarchs.

All the Bookwild Links:
Check Out the Bookwild Substack
Subscribe to Bookwild on YouTube
Get Bookwild Merch
Follow @imbookwild on Instagram
Check Out Author Social Media Packages

Follow Co-hosts On Instagram:
Gare Billings @gareindeedreads
Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland
Halley Sutton @halleysutton25
Brian Watson @readingwithbrian
MacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
Erin Ashley @bellametaphor

This week, I talk with Anna Rasche about her book The Cursed Diamond!
Listen to hear about:
How author Anna Rasche's background as a gemologist and researcher at the Metropolitan Museum of Art inspired The Cursed Diamond.
The real-life mystery of the Brunswick Blue diamond, its connection to the infamous Hope Diamond, and the legends surrounding cursed gemstones.
How the novel's dual timelines explore New York City's Gilded Age and the fascinating, secretive world of the modern Diamond District.
The complicated relationships between wealth, greed, ambition, and obsession—and whether a curse is supernatural or simply the consequence of human choices.
The challenges of writing historical fiction, from researching Gilded Age heiresses to weaving together two timelines separated by a century.

All the Bookwild Links:
Check Out the Bookwild Substack
Subscribe to Bookwild on YouTube
Get Bookwild Merch
Follow @imbookwild on Instagram
Check Out Author Social Media Packages

Follow Co-hosts On Instagram:
Gare Billings @gareindeedreads
Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland
Halley Sutton @halleysutton25
Brian Watson @readingwithbrian
MacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
Erin Ashley @bellametaphor

Over the last two months, AMC has been my Third Place. In what feels like the Generational Run meme experience, I've seen 7 movies that I enjoyed or loved for many different reasons.
Listen to hear my SPOILER FREE thoughts on:
How Digger uses dark satire, unconventional storytelling, and the worship of wealth to examine power, capitalism, and the people we turn into gods.
The complicated ethics of consuming entertainment, from supporting controversial actors to the sensationalization of real-life predators in Primetime.
Why If I Go, Will They Miss Me? feels like literary fiction brought to the screen, exploring fatherhood, mythology, and the stories we tell ourselves about family.
How Wicker delivers an unexpectedly heartfelt, hilarious exploration of individuality, societal expectations, and embracing what makes us different.
Why Mike Flanagan's Clayface is so much more than a comic book movie, blending psychological horror, body horror, trauma, and a deeply unsettling villain origin story.
How Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother combines high-stakes action with a moving examination of motherhood, faith, grief, and the desperation of survival.
Some surprising thematic connections between this year's films, particularly their explorations of mythmaking, identity, power, and morality.
What's ahead for Bookwild in 2027, and why I'm reconsidering the balance between author interviews, reader episodes and solo episodes. DM me about what you enjoy most from Bookwild!
Links:
You Can See Everything Episode with Halley Sutton
Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer

All the Bookwild Links:
Check Out the Bookwild Substack
Subscribe to Bookwild on YouTube
Get Bookwild Merch
Follow @imbookwild on Instagram
Check Out Author Social Media Packages

Follow Co-hosts On Instagram:
Gare Billings @gareindeedreads
Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland
Halley Sutton @halleysutton25
Brian Watson @readingwithbrian
MacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
Erin Ashley @bellametaphor

In this episode, I talk with Patricia Knight Meyer about her new book Wonderland: A Black Market Adoption.
Listen to hear about:
The shocking story of Patricia Knight Meyer's black-market adoption and how an illegal transaction shaped her identity, childhood, and relationships.
Growing up with an alcoholic, abusive mother and learning to balance compassion for flawed parents with accountability for the harm they caused.
The complicated emotions of reuniting with biological family, from the joy of finding belonging to the painful realities of rejection, grief, and unmet expectations.
How childhood trauma, codependency, and generational patterns influence our relationships—and why establishing boundaries is essential to healing.
The dark history of America's adoption industry, the lasting effects of maternal-infant separation, and why Patricia believes adoption reform is urgently needed.
Follow Patricia or check out the event she mentioned:
WONDERLAND memoir page: https://myadoptedlife.com/wonderland-the-memoir/
Book website: https://www.wonderlandthememoir.com
Audiobook on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EZEbVZQAAFVyeaDvcnG2i
Free livestream, Nov 6, Down the Rabbit Hole: The Fight for Texas Adoptee Rights Then and Now. A scene from WONDERLAND unfolds live on stage, then a panel on the fight to open Texas adoptees' birth certificates: https://bit.ly/TXADOPTEERIGHTS
My Adopted Life: https://www.myadoptedlife.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriciaknightmeyer
Instagram (book): https://www.instagram.com/wonderlandthememoir
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wonderlandthememoir
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@myadoptedlife
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@myadoptedlife
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-ann-meyer
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/myadoptedlife.bsky.social

All the Bookwild Links:
Check Out the Bookwild Substack
Subscribe to Bookwild on YouTube
Get Bookwild Merch
Follow @imbookwild on Instagram
Check Out Author Social Media Packages

Follow Co-hosts On Instagram:
Gare Billings @gareindeedreads
Steph Lauer @books.in.badgerland
Halley Sutton @halleysutton25
Brian Watson @readingwithbrian
MacKenzie Green @missusa2mba
Erin Ashley @bellametaphor