Off The Shelf with Morgann Book

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.

This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with bestselling author Lauren Kate to talk about the teacher who inspired her to keep writing, the 76 rejection letters she still has, and how Fallen became a global phenomenon. Plus, Lauren shares the latest on the Fallen TV series and why she returned to the world of angels with her newest novel, White Lights.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction
01:04 International Emmy & The Fallen Legacy
02:04 Ballet, Books & Growing Up Creative
04:12 The Teacher Who Changed Everything
10:12 Discovering Writing in College
13:08 76 Rejection Letters Before Success
16:11 The Call That Changed Her Life
17:52 Working at HarperCollins
19:54 The Origins of Fallen
23:14 Building Luce, Daniel & Cam
30:44 The Fallen Movie Adaptation
36:54 Bringing Fallen to Television
40:04 Inside Lauren Kate's New Fantasy, White Lights
42:53 Why She Returned to Angels After Rom-Coms
46:06 Easter Eggs, Book Two & What's Next
49:15 The Lasting Impact of Fallen Readers
50:16 Outro

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Morgann Book
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgannbook/?hl=en
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/morgannbook

Lauren Kate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenkatebooks
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenkatebooks
Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/pages/contributor/lauren-kate?id=889940567
Find her books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/series/lauren-kates-fallen-series

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 fantasy author Kristen Ciccarelli to talk about the journey from writing stories on her dad's old laptop with no internet to creating the global romantasy phenomenon Heartless Hunter. Kristen shares the inspiration behind Rebel Witch, the surprising moment she realized Heartless Hunter was taking off around the world, why the book has two different titles, and more!

CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introduction
1:19 - The Real Story Behind Rebel Witch
2:43 - Writing Fantasy as a Kid
9:13 - Life Before Publishing
12:12 - The Writing Shed
15:00 - Kristen's Writing Process
18:18 - The Inspiration for Heartless Hunter
23:33 - Creating Rune & Gideon
29:06 - Writing the Book She Wanted to Write
31:19 - The BookTok Success of Heartless Hunter
34:10 - Heartless Hunter vs The Crimson Moth
36:02 - Writing on an AlphaSmart Neo
42:02 - The Meaning Behind the Dedication
43:18 - What's Next for the Crimson Moth World
44:13 - Vampires, Werewolves & Future Books
45:59 - Final Thoughts & 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

Kristen Ciccarelli
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenciccarelli/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristenciccarelli
Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/pages/contributor/kristen-ciccarelli?id=875238864
Find her books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/authors/kristen-ciccarelli

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 Brooke Averick to talk about her debut novel Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It, going from teaching preschool to building a career online, and why writing a book felt more intimidating than going viral. Brooke opens up about imposter syndrome, pulling from her own experiences with anxiety, BookTok favourites, and the story behind bringing Phoebe to life.

CHAPTERS:

0:30 - Introduction
1:08 - What is Brooke obsessed with right now?
2:35 - Brooke’s Teaching & Creator Career
5:25 - Brooke and Connor Make A Podcast
6:55 - Entering BookTok
14:10 - Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It
31:10 - FIRSTS Rapid Fire
36:30 - Book Cover Design
39:55 - Brooke’s Favourite Books
46:00 - 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

Brooke Averick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookeaverick/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ladyefron
Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/products/phoebe-bermans-gonna-lose-it
Find her books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Brooke%20Averick%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall

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 Haley-Grace McCormick to talk about the journey behind her debut novel The Enemy of Time. Haley-Grace opens up about living with dyslexia and ADHD, going viral on TikTok after one unexpected video, and how heartbreak shaped some of the book’s most emotional moments. Plus, we get into fantasy romance, hidden easter eggs, designing her own cover, The Vampire Diaries hot takes, and what she’s writing next.

CHAPTERS:

0:30 - Introduction
2:45 - Haley-Grace Growing Up
6:30 - What People Misunderstand About Dyslexia
10:58 - Content Creator Life
19:30 - The Enemy of Time
36:50 - The Book Cover Design
41:30 - The Vampire Diaries
47:27 - 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

Haley-Grace McCormick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleygracemccormick/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@haleygracemccormick
Find her books at Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/pages/contributor/haley-grace-mccormick?id=855748417
Find her books at Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-enemy-of-time-haley-grace-mccormick/1147688428

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.