In this episode of Read Between the Lines, Molly Southgate sits down with award-winning author Lisa C. Taylor to discuss her powerful and heart-wrenching new novel, The Shape of What Remains.

📖 About the Book – The Shape of What Remains
What did six-year-old Serena Calvano see that caused her to run into the road on a clear November morning while waiting for the school bus with her mother? Teresa Calvano has spent a decade consumed with guilt over her daughter’s tragic death, wishing it had been her husband, Luke, who was there that day. As her grief stretches into years, Teresa turns to books, therapy, and even Janis Joplin in a desperate search for healing. But can there ever be a cure for grief—or a way to find peace when what you long for most is another day with the one you’ve lost?

Purchase The Shape of What Remains at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781965059203

✍️ About Lisa C. Taylor
Lisa C. Taylor’s debut novel The Shape of What Remains was released February 18, 2025. She is also the author of the short story collections Impossibly Small Spaces (Arlen House/Syracuse University Press, 2018) and Growing a New Tail, along with several poetry collections including Interrogation of Morning, Necessary Silence, and The Other Side of Longing (with Irish poet Geraldine Mills).

Her poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have appeared in international journals, anthologies, and magazines, earning Pushcart Prize and Best-of-the-Net nominations. Lisa is the winner of the Hugo House New Works Fiction Award and has served as a two-time mentor in the AWP Writer-to-Writer program. She also teaches, facilitates workshops nationwide, and co-directs the Mesa Verde Writers Conference and Literary Festival in Colorado.

🌐 Connect with Lisa C. Taylor
Website: lisactaylor.com
Instagram: @lisactaylorauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/LisaCTaylorWriter

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Read Between the Lines is hosted by Molly Southgate and is produced/edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.

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Racing the Shadows – CH Hooks on Can’t Shake the Dust

In this compelling episode of Read Between the Lines, host Molly Southgate sits down with acclaimed author C.H. Hooks to talk about his powerful new novel, Can’t Shake the Dust.

The story follows “Little” Bill Lemon III as he struggles to outrun a family legacy filled with hardship, violence, and resilience. From the gritty cages of The Monkey Palace—his grandfather’s rough-and-tumble bar—to the questionable ventures of his parents, Little finds his escape on the dirt track every Saturday night. In a car that barely runs, he races not just for victory, but for redemption in the backroads of the South.

Hooks masterfully captures the weight of legacy, poverty, and perseverance in a world where there’s never enough—money, opportunity, or even soap to wash away the Georgia red dirt. With its heart-pounding scenes and unflinching truths, Can’t Shake the Dust is a southern tale you won’t forget.

Purchase Can't Shake the Dust at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781646034994

C.H. Hooks is the author of the novel Alligator Zoo-Park Magic (2019). His work has appeared in Los Angeles Review, American Short Fiction, Four Way Review, The Tampa Review, and The Bitter Southerner. He has been a Tennessee Williams Scholar and contributor at the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and attended the DISQUIET: Dzanc Books International Literary Program in Lisbon. When he’s not writing, he can often be found on the waters around St. Augustine, Florida, where he teaches at Flagler College.

📚 Connect with C.H. Hooks
🌐 Website: https://www.chhooks.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ch_hooks
🐦 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ch_hooks
📖 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17556827.C_H_Hooks

🔑 Keywords:
Can’t Shake the Dust, CH Hooks, Southern fiction, dirt track racing novel, Georgia red dirt, family legacy in literature, rural American stories, literary fiction author interview, Read Between the Lines podcast, Molly Southgate, coming-of-age novel, resilience in fiction, backroads Southern culture, racing redemption stories, southern grit in literature

#️⃣ Hashtags:
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🎧 Tune in to celebrate mistakes, embrace the awkward, and discover how storytelling can turn even the messiest moments into something meaningful.

In this episode of Read Between the Lines, Molly Southgate sits down with award-winning author Bob Johnson to discuss his gripping new short story collection, The Continental Divide. These fourteen stories shine a light on a side of the Midwest few dare to explore—where violence simmers beneath the surface, and moral choices are rarely black and white.

From a country woman forced into a Sophie’s Choice for her family’s survival, to a small-town marshal hunting his own son for murder, and a former football star confronting his role in a brutal locker room ritual, Johnson captures the haunting complexities of human nature along the St. Lawrence Divide in northern Indiana.

About Bob Johnson
Bob Johnson is an award-winning short story writer and graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His work has been published by The Common, Philadelphia Stories, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, The Barcelona Review, and more. His story The Continental Divide was named Short Story of the Year in The Hudson Review. He lives in South Bend, Indiana.

Purchase The Continental Divide at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781960329646

Keywords:
Bob Johnson, The Continental Divide, short story collection, Midwestern literature, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, dark fiction, literary fiction, rural America stories, morality and violence, St. Lawrence Divide, award-winning author, American short stories, Midwest noir, contemporary fiction, author interview.

Hashtags:
#ReadBetweenTheLinesPodcast
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🎧 Tune in to celebrate mistakes, embrace the awkward, and discover how storytelling can turn even the messiest moments into something meaningful.

Guest: Alice Kaltman
Host: Molly Southgate
Episode Title: Laughing at Life’s Stumbles: Alice Kaltman on Mistakes, Growth, and Writing Honestly

In this heartfelt and hilarious episode of Read Between the Lines, host Molly Southgate chats with celebrated author Alice Kaltman about her newest release, Alice’s Big Book of Mistakes — a graphic memoir that celebrates the beauty of imperfection and the power of reflection.

From childhood gaffes to adult missteps, Alice brings humor and insight to every page.

Whether you’re a reader, writer, or lifelong learner, this conversation is an empowering reminder that messing up is part of what makes us human.

Purchase Alice’s Big Book of Mistakes and all of Alice's books at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9798989394036

or on Amazon at:

https://amzn.to/4m5tJ8K

Alice Kaltman is the author of the story collections Staggerwing and Almost Deadly Almost Good, and the novels The Tantalizing Tale of Grace Minnaugh, Wavehouse, and Dawg Towne. Her short fiction has been recognized by Best American Short Stories, Best Small Fictions, and the Pushcart Prize. Alice also writes nationally published articles on mental health and parenting.

She splits her time between Brooklyn and Montauk, NY, where she lives with her husband, sculptor Daniel Wiener, and their beloved Ollie the Wonder Dog.

• 🌐 Website: www.alicekaltman.com

• 📸 Instagram: @alicekaltman

• 🐦 X (Twitter): @AliceKaltman

• 👍 Facebook: facebook.com/AliceKaltmanAuthor

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🎧 Tune in to celebrate mistakes, embrace the awkward, and discover how storytelling can turn even the messiest moments into something meaningful.

In this gripping episode of Read Between the Lines, host Molly Southgate talks with Victoria Helen Stone, bestselling author of Jane Doe, about her newest psychological thriller, Bald-Faced Liar.

Stone introduces listeners to Elizabeth May, a traveling nurse who has spent her life changing identities to escape a dark and traumatic past. Now hiding in Santa Cruz, Elizabeth’s carefully constructed world starts to crumble when someone recognizes her — and begins stalking her with ruthless precision. As secrets unravel, trust vanishes, and danger looms, Bald-Faced Liar delivers tension, betrayal, and unexpected twists.

Victoria and Molly discuss:

• The emotional depth and complexity of Elizabeth’s character

• Themes of identity, trauma, and trust in suspense fiction

• The challenges of writing characters who live double lives

• Why Bald-Faced Liar resonates with fans of Jane Doe

• Victoria’s love for thrillers, mountains, and murder mysteries

If you're a fan of psychological suspense, unreliable narrators, and twisty page-turners, don’t miss this conversation with one of today’s most compelling voices in genre fiction.

Purchase Bald-Faced Liar and all of Victoria's books at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781662514616

Victoria Helen Stone, author of Jane Doe and The Hook, is known for writing emotionally layered thrillers filled with dark intrigue and psychological suspense. She has also written over two dozen novels as Victoria Dahl, a USA Today bestselling author, and is a recipient of the American Library Association Reading List award for best genre fiction.

Her international bestsellers have been published in over 17 languages and read around the world. Victoria currently lives in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, where she hikes in summer and hibernates with crime documentaries and dessert in winter.

Living a lie becomes a matter of life and death when Elizabeth May, a traveling nurse with a dark past, discovers someone knows her real identity. A stalker begins dismantling her carefully crafted life, pushing Elizabeth into a world of paranoia and revelations. As danger closes in, Elizabeth must decide whether to flee again — or finally face the truth.

• 🌐 Website: www.VictoriaHelenStone.com

• 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/VictoriaHelenStone

• 📸 Instagram: @VictoriaHelenStone

• 🐦 X/Twitter: @VictoriaHStone

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