JP Ferris joins the Connecticut Book Festivals Podcast to talk about his long-running Cat Carmichael Detective Series and the latest installment, Catnap, book 13 in the saga.

JP introduces Cat Carmichael, a tough, emotionally rich NYPD homicide detective shaped by the loss of her father, who was killed in the line of duty right in front of her. That trauma fuels Cat's vow to become the best homicide detective New York has ever seen. JP shares that Cat is a blend of Olivia Benson, Kate Beckett, a touch of Jane Rizzoli, and quite a bit of JP himself—right down to having a law enforcement dad and a deep affection for New York City. Even Cat's name honors both JP's late cat and a favorite Law & Order character.

In Catnap, listeners get two gripping storylines: a tense hostage situation tied to Cat's past, and the heartbreaking case of two young boys found dead in an apartment where neither of them lives. With Cat and her partner Forrest Goldwin on administrative leave after an officer-involved shooting, the rest of the team steps into the spotlight, giving fans a deeper look at Marcus, Sam, Avery, and trainee Mac.

JP talks candidly about writing 19 books (with plans for 30), fighting through creative slumps, and using TV favorites like Castle, Rizzoli & Isles, and SVU as both inspiration and background noise while he writes. He also explains how New York City itself functions as another character in the series, grounded in the real streets he knows so well.

In this engaging episode of Reading With Your Kids, Jed welcomes Diana Sussman, author of the middle grade mystery The Neighbor's Secret. Diana introduces us to Maddie, a curious and imaginative 12-year-old who becomes convinced her new neighbors are Russian spies after witnessing something very strange. Maddie's big imagination sometimes gets her into trouble—like the time she thought a neighbor was being eaten by a Yeti—but she's also sharp, determined, and usually onto something real.

Diana shares how her own love of puzzles, mysteries, and strong female characters helped shape Maddie. She and Jed dive into the challenges kids face today, especially around social media, over-scheduling, and constant adult supervision, and they talk about why it's so important for kids to solve their own problems and build independence.

Listeners also get a sneak peek at the second book in the series, The Texter Secret, where Maddie begins receiving mysterious—and possibly creepy—texts. Diana explains how real-life pranks, historical spy stories like Agent 355 and the Culper Spy Ring, and the cryptograms of Mary Queen of Scots all inspire her writing and bring history into her mysteries in a fun, accessible way.

Along the way, Diana talks about her other creative projects, her past work as a lawyer dealing with FBI interrogations, and her joy in connecting with young readers. Parents and educators will come away with fresh ideas about nurturing kids' confidence, curiosity, and resilience through story.

In this powerful episode of the Connecticut Book Festivals Podcast, host Jed Doherty welcomes Veronica Sommer, author of Sacred Stewardship: Restoring Moral Clarity in the Digital Age. Drawing on over two decades in cybersecurity recruiting and her experience raising two smartphone-era teens, Veronica offers a heartfelt, eye-opening look at what today's kids are really facing online.

Jed and Veronica begin by talking about that familiar parenting dilemma: giving kids phones "for safety" and connection, without fully understanding that those same devices give the entire world access to our children. Veronica references ideas from Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation, especially how we often overprotect kids in the real world and underprotect them online.

From there, the conversation gets very real. Veronica explains how a hyper-sexualized culture, amplified by algorithms on apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook, is shaping kids' values, language, and relationships—often without parents realizing it. They discuss sextortion, pornography reaching children under 10, and the heartbreaking link between these harms and rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide.

But the episode is not just warnings; it's full of practical hope. Veronica shares concrete ideas for parents: ongoing, judgment-free conversations, looking together at kids' "For You" pages, creating shared agreements about phone and social media use, and presenting a united front among caregivers.

Finally, Veronica talks about the deeper foundation behind Sacred Stewardship: a return to faith, prayer, and spiritual protection as anchors for families navigating the digital storm. It's an honest, compassionate conversation that will leave parents better informed—and less alone.

In this episode of the Connecticut Book Festivals Podcast, host Jed Doherty welcomes back middle-grade fantasy author Greg Slomba to talk about his brand-new series, the Dragon Island Legend books, beginning with Fire and Ice. Greg explains that this new series grows out of the world of his earlier Deliverers books, particularly The Golden Dragon of Aang, which introduced the mystical Dragon Islands. Each of the five planned stories will focus on a different island, with Fire and Ice serving as a 95-page novella that opens the saga.

Greg introduces listeners to Ben and May, two 15-year-old orphans whose lives were shattered years earlier when raiders from the north, aided by a deadly silver dragon, destroyed their villages. Protected only by the legendary golden dragon, they grow up driven—especially Ben—by a desire for revenge, only to slowly discover how dangerous and consuming that desire can be.

Jed and Greg dive into the challenges of writing a prequel when the later timeline already exists, Greg's more organic, character-driven writing process (as opposed to strict outlining), and the emotional rewards of writing for the middle-grade audience—especially kids who may feel unseen. Greg shares a touching story of a former student reader who still rereads his first book years later.

Listeners also learn where to find Fire and Ice (on Amazon) and how to follow Greg's work via his blog and social media, as the conversation closes on a warm, encouraging note.

On this episode, Jed welcomes author and neuroscientist Gail Martino, whose new picture book "Feathered and Famous: Meet America's All Star Birds" celebrates the national and state birds of the United States and the stories behind them.

Gail explains how her book helps kids (and parents) discover the unique traits that made each bird worthy of representing a state—from the clever chickadee of Massachusetts, which actually grows part of its brain in the fall to help remember where it hid seeds, to the hopeful, homey robin of Connecticut, often seen as a harbinger of spring. She also describes the engineering genius of birds' nests, like robins using mud as "mortar" and the Baltimore oriole's swinging, sock‑like nest that can withstand strong winds.

Gail shares how her father's backyard bird feeder sparked her curiosity as a child, eventually leading her into a career in neuroscience, product development, and innovation consulting—and now to writing books that connect kids to nature, geography, history, and STEM skills. She talks about the importance of teaching kids to observe the world, balancing screen time with real‑world curiosity, and using tools like eBird and Merlin to make birding fun and interactive for families. She also highlights how many state birds, like the brown pelican of Louisiana, have become powerful symbols of conservation success.

In this engaging episode of the Connecticut Book Festivals Podcast, Jed Doherty welcomes AJ Alanson, author of the Admiral Inn mystery and adventure series, to celebrate book ten, Wolf in the Cove.

AJ introduces us to June Faust, a former Treasury Department "super accountant" who buys a derelict mansion on the coast of Maine through a government auction—sight unseen. The locals wish the place had been burned to the ground, but June spends a decade fixing it up, turning it into the Admiral Inn, and slowly (and awkwardly) mending fences with the small-town community. Each book in the planned 12-book series covers a month in June's most transformative year, blending episodic mysteries with a long, emotional arc that includes community secrets, her husband's unsolved murder, and a complicated, late-in-life relationship with an old friend and former director.

AJ shares how the series grew out of her real life: leaving a career in experimental dark matter physics, running an "Airbnb on steroids" that hosted around 800 guests a year, and keeping notes on all the stories that walked through her door. She talks about being a meticulous plotter, why you don't "pants" a 12-book series, and how her time working a mile underground in physics labs and mines keeps sneaking into her fiction.

Jed and AJ also discuss reader-favorite side character Helene, the research behind the books, plans for audiobooks recorded in AJ's own home studio, and a new cozy project featuring an 84-year-old sleuth—narrated by AJ's 84-year-old mom.

In this episode of the Connecticut Book Festivals Podcast, host Jed Doherty sits down with Sarah Crowne to talk about her new YA thriller, Tune In. The novel follows Nikki Scott, a telepathic pop star who's investigating her mother's mysterious death. As Nikki uncovers her powers, she also discovers a shadowy organization that's weaponizing her voice—blending high-stakes conspiracy with a glittering pop music world. Think Stephen King's Carrie meets a modern pop icon, with a sci-fi twist.

Sarah shares how her lifelong love of pop music—from Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Madonna, and Janet Jackson to Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Britney Spears—inspired the book's Easter eggs and atmosphere. She and Jed dive into where story ideas come from, touching on Rod Serling and the notion that ideas are "in the air," waiting for the right creative antenna.

They explore Sarah's approach to writing YA thrillers and mysteries, why she loves challenging young readers to think critically, and how she crafts surprise endings that fool even the sharpest armchair detectives. Sarah also talks about her other work, including her earlier novel All These Threads of Time (a time-traveling serial killer story), her nonfiction series Rebel Writers about visiting historic authors' homes, and her Substack, The Busy Lady, where she writes about creativity, writing, and life as a lawyer, mom, and author.

Listeners will come away inspired by Sarah's journey—from telling stories into her mom's tape recorder to creating twisty, genre-bending fiction for readers of all ages.

In this powerful episode of the Connecticut Book Festivals Podcast, host Jed Doherty sits down with author, advocate, and writing mentor Melissa B. Lombardo, creator of Hurt, Healing, and Hope: Thriving Beyond Sexual Assault.

Melissa shares how, after being sexually assaulted in her 20s, she found her way to counseling at the New Britain YWCA and was encouraged to write about her experiences. What started as private journal entries slowly grew into a three-act interwoven monologue, complete with reflection questions and journaling space to support other survivors in their own healing journeys.

She and Jed talk about the therapeutic power of writing—how it isn't a substitute for therapy, but can be deeply healing. Melissa describes years of silence, illness, and emotional pain, and how her "Heal for Real" journey helped her move from merely surviving to truly thriving beyond the assault. She explains why she changed her original subtitle from "The Aftermath of Rape and Sexual Assault" to "Thriving Beyond Sexual Assault," and how reclaiming her voice led her into advocacy, public speaking, and community building.

Melissa also discusses the book's life as a theater piece, the companion journals she created, and the many ways friends, families, and allies can support survivors—by listening, believing, and simply being present, without trying to "fix" everything.

Finally, she shares how this work has supported healing not only for herself, but also for her family, her readers, and the wider community, and how her project Write, Heal, Thrive continues that mission.