Shows / Bookwild
Bookwild
On Tuesdays, Kate Hergott talks with authors about their books and writing processes. On Fridays, Kate talks with different co-host Bookstagrammers and BookTubers about a variety of bookish topics.
Episodes
BookwildRacial Trauma and Culturally Responsive Care: Ashley McGirt-Adair's The Cost of Healing in Silence
In this episode, MacKenzie Green and I talk with Ashley McGirt-Adair about her new book, The Cost of Healing in Silence, and the deep, often overlooked impact…
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First Quarter Favorite Reads of 2026 with Gare and Steph
Gare, Steph and I share and discuss our favorite reads from the first quarter of 2026! Kate’s Books Queen of Faces by Petra Lord Yesteryear by Caro Claire…
BookwildSecrets, Spirits, and the Stories We Inherit: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore's The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru
This week, I talk with Olesya Salnikova Gilmore about her historical-suspense The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru. We dive into: Her writing process as a…
BookwildToxic Masculinity and Female Rage: Katherine Greene's Where the Truth Lies
This week, I talk with writing duo Katherine Greene, aka Claire C. Riley and A. Meredith Walkters, about their new small town thriller Where the Truth Lies! We…
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Taylor Frankie Paul, Another Duggar, The Manosphere, Age of Attraction and More with Halley Sutton
Halley broke the news to me that The Bachelorette was cancelled after the video of Taylor Frankie Paul was sold to TMZ, so we start off right in the mess of…
BookwildThe Divine Feminine, Matriarchy and Dreams: Andrea M. Butler's Mother
This week, I talk with Andrea M. Butler about her debut speculative fiction Mother. We dive into a wide range of topics, including: The origin of the novel’s…
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Oscars Reactions (Some Choices Were… Interesting) with MacKenzie Green
As promised, MacKenzie Green and I share our Oscars reactions, and thoughts on just about everything: - Awards season and Oscar campaigning - Timothée Chalamet…
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Buddy Review of Kin by Tayari Jones with Erin Ashley
Erin and I both adored Kin by Tayari Jones, and we decided to do a whole episode discussing it! The first 15ish minutes are spoiler free, so if you haven't…
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Quantum Theology: Where Science Meets the Soul
This week, I talk with Keith Giles, Mary Terhune, Zac Cannon and Nish Dubashia about their collective work in Quantum Theology: Volume One. Listen to hear…
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Last, Current and Next Reads with Gare and Steph
Steph has been traveling the world, and now she is back with Gare and me, talking about our Last, Current and Next Reads! Kate’s Last, Current and Next Kin by…
BookwildFame, Family & the Cost of the Spotlight: Juliet Izon's The Encore
This week, I talk with Juliet Izon about her debut contemporary fiction novel The Encore. Listen now to hear about: How Izon, a longtime journalist pivoted…
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Reflecting on My First In Person Interview, And Getting Emosh About Bookish Communities
It's a solo ep today! I get into the full story of my first ever in-person author interview at Wild Geese Bookshop with Kate Alice Marshall! I give a play by…
BookwildSlashers, Final Girls, and Mannequins: Interview with Stephen Graham Jones
This week, I talk with Stephen Graham Jones about his new short story Night of the Mannequins, and the many horror books he's also written. Listen to hear: A…
BookwildEmpathy, Research, and Resistance: Interview with Susana M. Morris about Positive Obsession
This week, I talk with Susana M. Morris about her Octavia E. Butler cultural biography Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler. Listen to…
BookwildSecrets, Lies and Murder In Flight: Susan Walter's Murder at 30,000 Feet
This week, I talk with Susan Walter about her new airplane thriller Murder at 30,000 Feet. She shares her inspiration from the story, how she writes such…
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The America's Next Top Model Syllabus with MacKenzie Green
This week, MacKenzie Green (who auditioned for ANTM) and I talk about the cultural implications of America's Next Top Model documentary Reality Check. We also…
BookwildSkates, Snow, and Secrets : Wendy Walker's Blade
This week, I talk with Wendy Walker about her new ice skating thriller Blade! We dive into her past with ice skating, how she developed her cast of characters…
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Valentines Day Adjacent Book Recs from Not Quite Romance Readers with Halley Sutton
This week, Halley Sutton is back, and we catch up on what we've been reading and watching, as well as our thoughts in Emerald Fennell's upcoming Wuthering…
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Art As Resistance: Breaking Down Benito Bowl with MacKenzie Green
BONUS EPISODE!!MacKenzie Green and I were set to record yesterday (the morning after the Benito Bowl) for a Friday episode, but all we could talk about was Bad…
BookwildFamily, Fear and the Final Frontier: Jeff Rake's and Rob Hart's Detour
This week, I talk with Jeff Rake and Rob Hart about the first installment of their new series Detour. Jeff shares how he got the idea for the story originally…
BookwildBig Hair and Big Secrets: May Cobb's All The Little Houses
This week, Gare and I chat with May Cobb about her new, messy thriller All the Little Houses! She shares the inspiration for the story, how she managed…
BookwildGrief, Meteoric Fame and Parasocial Relationships: Ashley Winstead's The Future Saints
This week, Gare and I talk with Ashley Winstead about her new contemporary fiction (tragi-comedy but don't tell Ashley's publicists we said so) The Future…
BookwildBody Swapping, Dark Academia & Personal Magic: Petra Lord's Queen of Faces
This week, I talk with Petra Lord about her debut genre bending fantasy-sci-fi-dark-academia book Queen of Faces. She shares the eight year journey of writing…
BookwildMotherhood, Memory, and Murder: The Water Lies by Amy Meyerson
This week, I talk with Amy Meyerson about her new mystery thriller The Water Lies. We dive into her inspiration for the book, how audiobooks changed her…
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Predicting Our 2026 Favorite Books with Gare and Steph
This week, Gare and Steph and I attempt to predict which books will be some of our favorite books in 2026!Kate’s BooksDead Beat Alex Stern Leigh BardugoHot…
BookwildHistory, Horror, and Identity: L.S. Stratton's Sundown Girls
This week, I talk with L.S. Stratton about the her new YA mystery thriller Sundown Girls. Stratton discusses how the story began as an adult novel and…
BookwildHow the NYC Reagan 80s Taught America to Excuse Violence: Heather Ann Thompson's Fear and Fury
This week, I talk with historian Heather Ann Thompson about her new non-fiction Fear and Fury, which traces how the 1984 Bernie Goetz subway shooting became a…
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Last, Current and Next Reads with Erin Ashley
This week, Erin Ashley is back, and we talk about our Last, Current and Next reads, as well as books we are intrigued by on our TBRs.Kate’s BooksKill Show —…
BookwildSilicon Valley, Body Horror and Shadowy Visions: Matt Casamassina's Degenerate
This week, I talk with Matt Casamassina about his genre-bending sci-fi-horror-thriller Degenerate. He shares his unique approach to audiobook production, how…
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2026 Book Releases We Can't Wait to Read with MacKenzie Green
This week, MacKenzie Green is back, and we talk about 2026 releases we are excited about!Books MacKenzie Talked About2026 ReleasesHalf His Age – Jennette…
BookwildInfiltrating a Wealthy Family for a Missing Friend: Yasmin Angoe's Behind These Four Walls
This week, Yasmin Angoe is back for the fifth year in a row to talk about here new mystery-thriller Behind These Four Walls! We dive into her inspiration for…
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January and February Books We Are Excited About with Gare and Steph
This week, Gare, Steph and I share our 2026 bookish goals, and January and February releases we are excited about! Steph also shares a few backlist she will be…
BookwildFighting Book Bans and Censorship in Louisiana: Amanda Jones' That Librarian
This week, I talk with Amanda Jones, a dedicated small-town Louisiana librarian, about the challenges she faces in her fight against book banning and…
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2026 Bookish Plans and Goals with Halley Sutton
This week, Halley and I catch up on what we've been reading and watching, and then dive into bookish plans and goals for 2026! All the Bookwild Links:Check Out…
BookwildChildren Like Us: Family, Heritage & Cultural Erasure with Brittany Penner
This week, I talk with Brittany Penner about her memoir Children Like Us, a haunting, deeply reflective exploration of identity, faith, and survival. Brittany…
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2025 Favorite Reads and Some 2026 Hopefuls with Gare
This week, Gare and I talk about what we've been watching lately, our favorite 2025 reads, and some 2026 books Gare already loves, as well as some 2026…
BookwildWhen Faith Becomes Fear: Hell, Control, and the Loss of Love with Brian Recker
This week, I talk with Brian Recker about his book Hell Bent, which examines how fear-based teachings about hell distort Christian spirituality, replacing…
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What We've Been Reading and Watching, And Some 2026 Hopefuls with Halley Sutton
This week, Halley Sutton is back, and we dive into everything we've been reading and watching - which is quite a lot! We also share a few 2026 books we are…
BookwildCosmic Horror, Claustrophobia & Craft: John Fram on The Midnight Knock
This week, I talk with John Fram about the creative process behind his new horror-thriller The Midnight Knock, a genre-blending desert nightmare. He dives into…
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Our Last, Current and Next Reads with Gare and Steph
This week, Gare, Steph and I share our last, current and next reads!Kate's BooksLast - Degenerate by Matt CasamassinaCurrent - Children Like Us by Birttany…
BookwildPurity Culture, Power, and the Women Who Survive: Kristi DeMeester on Dark Sisters
This week, Kristi DeMeester shares how her new novel Dark Sisters emerged from a collision of personal history, cultural rage, and the disturbing ease with…
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It's ALL That Deep (Or, Ranting About Anti-Intellectualism and Media Illiteracy) with MacKenzie Green
This week, MacKenzie Green is back and we dive into the complexities of pop culture, the deeper meanings embedded in modern media, how storytelling has…
BookwildSin Is an Illusion? Keith Giles on The Quantum Gospel of Mary
This week, I talk with Keith Giles about how the early Christian world was far more diverse and mystical than most people realize. He unpacks the history of…
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Books with Dramatic Irony, Sex Work and Road Trips: Gare, Steph and I Chose A Favorite Plot Device
This week, Gare, Steph and I all chose one of our own favorite plot devices and recommended books in that vein! This episode definitely has a book for just…
BookwildCancel Culture, Castles and Chaos: Audra McElyea's Not Good People
Audra McElyea returns to talk about her new locked-room, cancel-culture thriller Not Good People, a twisty ensemble mystery set in a blizzard-stranded Blue…
BookwildGhosts, Girlhood & Generational Memory: Erin Crosby Eckstine on the Humanity of Junie
This week, I talk with Erin Crosby Eckstine about her debut Southern Gothic, Junie. She shares how the book developed across years of writing, the importance…
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Book Club Book Recommendations with Gare and Steph
This week, Gare, Steph and I share books we think are good discussion starters for book clubs!Books We Talked AboutKate's PicksBlood Over Bright Haven by M.L…
BookwildRage, Myth, and Magic in 1970s Singapore: Wen-Yi Lee's When They Burned The Butterfly
This week, I talk with Wen-Yi Lee about her adult fantasy debut When They Burned the Butterfly—a fierce, Sapphic story of rage, inheritance, and transformation…
BookwildStrip Clubs, Power Dynamics and Storytelling: Nic Stone's Boom Town
This week, Gare and I got to chat with bestselling author Nic Stone to talk about her adult debut thriller, Boom Town—a gritty, sexy, and socially sharp story…
BookwildWitches vs. the Oligarchs: Kirsten Miller’s Women of Wild Hill
This week, Steph and I got chat with Kirsten Miller about her newest novel The Women of Wild Hill. She shares the evolution of her writing process, and the…
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NoirCon, Feminist Horror and Monstrous Men with Halley Sutton
This week, Halley is back and she shares her experiences at NoirCon, I share my new obsession with Scream With Me, a non-fiction book that draws parallels…
BookwildCate Holahan's The Kidnapping of Alice Ingold: Nepo Babies, True Crime Culture & Artificial Intelligence
This week, I got to talk with Cate Holahan about her new thriller The Kidnapping of Alice Ingold. She shares the real life case that inspired the kidnapping…
BookwildPelumi Olatinpo's Manifest Destiny: Being a Witness to Corroborate Experiences That Have Been Hidden
This week, I talk with Pelumi Olatinpo about his new poetry collection Manifest Destiny. He shares how and why he created a new type of poetry, what inspired…
- Bookwild
Spooky Season Book Recommendations with Gare & Steph
This week, Gare, Steph and I share some of our favorite recommendations for spooky season!Kate’s PicksNo Road Home by John FramThe Getaway by Lamar GilesThe…
BookwildVanessa Lillie's The Bone Thief: Stolen Bones, Stolen Land, and a Shady “Founders Society”
This week, I chat with Vanessa Lillie about her new thriller in her Syd Walker series, The Bone Thief! We dive into her inspiration for the story, the research…
BookwildLucinda Berry’s This is a Safe Space: Writing for Audio and Balancing Trauma and Twists
This week, Gare and I talk with THE Lucinda Berry about her new audiobook This Is a Safe Space! We dive into her inspiration for this story, how writing for…
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Music, Memoirs and Audiobooks with Erin Ashley
This week, I'm chatting with a new co-host, Erin Ashley! She shares her interest in memoirs about musicians, how she came to love them as a music journalist…
BookwildNekesa Afia's As Long As You're Mine: Solving Mysteries in Old Hollywood
This week, I talk with Nekesa Afia about her new historical-contemporary mystery As Long As You're Mine. We dive into her inspiration for the book, her…
BookwildSagit Schwartz's The Underdog: A Reality Singing Competition, An Obsessed Fan, and An Assistant Stuck in the Middle
This week, Steph and I chat with Sagit Schwartz about her new thriller The Underdog! We dive into her inspiration for the story, what she loved about writing…
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Continuing Ed: The Mis-Education of Indigenous Children in America with MacKenzie Green
Bonus Episode!! In this first episode of my new Continuing Ed series, MacKenzie Green joins me to talk about a non-fiction book she convinced me to read…