Always Bring a Book

Always Bring a Book is a podcast for readers who love hearing from the people behind the stories. Hosted by Craig Silva, each episode features candid conversations with authors, booksellers, librarians, and other book-world voices.

Always Bring a Book is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 18 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Always Bring a Book, a arts show with 18 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #18

  Saratoga Schaefer on queer horror, writing full-time, and A Thousand Monstrous Forms

  Sep 8, 202633 minS1

  Today I sit down with USA Today bestselling author Saratoga Schaefer , whose newest novel, A Thousand Monstrous Forms , is a sapphic gothic retelling of Bluebeard about a ceramic artist who moves into her new wife’s isolated manor and is forbidden from entering the basement. Our conversation covers what drew Saratoga to the Bluebeard folktale, the theme of toxic relationships that connects their four novels and the whirlwind experience of publishing Trad Wife , The Last Time We Drowned , and A Thousand Monstrous Forms within seven months. Saratoga also shares what it took to become a full-time author after a decade of writing alongside a day job, the burnout and anxiety that accompanied that transition, and the inspiration behind Trad Wife . Plus, we talk about their needy cat Cricket, a possibly haunted clown table, and the folktale they would love to retell next. Preorder A Thousand Monstrous Forms , out September 15, and see Saratoga’s upcoming events . Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #17

  Hallie Elizabeth Newton on Agnes Lives!, stream of consciousness, and writing from rage

  Sep 1, 202633 minS1

  Today I sit down with author and screenwriter Hallie Elizabeth Newton , whose debut novel, Agnes Lives! , follows a fading New York City socialite over the course of 24 hours as she searches for someone willing to kill her before her next SoulCycle class. Our conversation covers why Hallie set the novel in 2014, writing in an extreme first-person stream of consciousness, and using a strict time constraint to hold together an intentionally messy, human story. We also discuss loneliness and the search for connection, creating an unlikable but compelling protagonist, and why real life doesn’t always provide a tidy narrative arc. Hallie also shares how her background in screenwriting shaped the book, what it was like working with editors at two different publishers, and how she found Agnes’s voice while narrating the audiobook herself. Get Agnes Lives! Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #16

  Rachel Harrison on her new novel Kiss Slay Replay, time loops, and the horror community

  Aug 4, 202630 minS1

  Today I sit down with Rachel Harrison , New York Times bestselling author of The Return, Cackle, Such Sharp Teeth, Black Sheep, So Thirsty, and Play Nice and chat about her newest novel, Kiss Slay Replay , follows a reluctant wedding guest trapped in a time loop of masked killers, carnage, and increasingly unpredictable horrors. Our conversation covers the challenges of writing a time-loop story without becoming repetitive, grounding supernatural horror in genuine emotion, and finding humor in dark situations. We also discuss why horror is such a powerful way to explore anxiety, grief, loneliness, and other difficult subjects, the growing visibility of women in horror, and the friendships that have helped her survive the lonely side of publishing. Get Kiss Slay Replay out September 1 and see Rachel’s upcoming US, UK, and Ireland tour dates . Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #15

  J.W. Ocker on his new book Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots

  Jul 16, 202632 minS1

  Today I sit down with bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author J.W. Ocker, whose work spans spooky travel guides, children’s books, and horror novels. His newest book, Don’t Go There: A Tour of the World’s Most Sinister Spots, takes readers to 30 dangerous, mysterious, and unsettling locations that continue to inspire stories of hauntings, monsters, disappearances, disasters, and unexplained phenomena. Follow @JWOcker on Instagram / https://www.oddthingsiveseen.com/ Get Don’t Go There Our conversation covers the strange origins of the Bermuda Triangle, the overlapping legends that can transform a location into a paranormal hotspot, and J.W.’s travels to places like the Salton Sea and Centralia, Pennsylvania. We also discuss what makes a place feel genuinely frightening, travel writing, and how the internet is changing the creation and lifespan of modern folklore. J.W. also shares his favorite Halloween tradition, where new readers should begin with Edgar Allan Poe, and details about his forthcoming book on Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman . Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #14

  Sara van Os on her novel Decomposition Book, OCD, and writing horror

  Jun 16, 202635 minS1

  Today I sit down with Sara van Os ( https://www.instagram.com/saramcclarinet/ ), author of the debut horror novel Decomposition Book , an emotional, electrifying, and darkly hilarious debut about a woman who finds a dead body and can’t give up its ghost, for fans of Mona Awad, Yellowjackets, and weird girl fiction. Get Decomposition Book: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/decomposition-book-sara-van-os?variant=44270250917922 Our conversation covers the origins of Decomposition Book, Sara’s experience writing OCD through the lens of horror, and the research she conducted into death rituals and relationships with the dead across different cultures. We also discuss queer representation in fiction, social media’s role in modern publishing, and what comes next after her novel’s successful launch. Intro music by: Trevor Vaughan

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Always Bring a Book. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.