Episode 136: *Special Fall Episode* Hot New Releases!
A special Fall episode featuring hot new releases from our past guests!
In this episode we share a range of newly released and upcoming books, from emotional and romantic women’s fiction, to historical fiction, domestic suspense, and even an apocalyptic holiday tale.
The Last Caretaker by Jessica Strawser is an empowering and provocative page-turner that will appeal to lovers of suspense and book club fiction. Say Rochelle Weinstein, the novel is “a powerful read from start to finish, thought provoking, and unputdownable.”
The Baby Left Behind by Jen Craven is an emotional story about family, secrets and what makes a good parent. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Kate Hewitt. Readers are saying it’s a “heart-breaking, and gripping page-turner”.
As Though You Were Mine by J Marie Rundquist has been described as an emotional page turner, and by Lyn Liao Butler as “a captivating read about becoming a mother unexpectedly, it will keep you riveted until the last page."
Always Orchid by Carol Van Den Hende is the riveting third book in the Goodbye, Orchid contemporary fiction series. If you like relatable characters, surprising twists, and stories that pull on your emotions, then this is part of a three-book award-winning series that you’ll appreciate.
The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw is inspiring historical fiction based on the real life of Bertha Benz, whose husband built the first prototype automobile, which eventually evolved into the Mercedes-Benz marque.
The Weight We Carry by Christina Consolino is a heartbreaking and emotional story of the toll that health crises can have on an entire family. Says Jenn Bouchard “"With insight and love, Christina Consolino presents us with a beautiful story of a family touched by dementia, aging parents, and life's ongoing challenges.”
Acid Christmas by Charlotte Dune is fun, speculative, apocalyptic fiction with psychedelic elements and two strong female leads, that takes place between Black Friday and Christmas day. Ideal for fans of For fans of Annihilation, Station Eleven, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Books & Authors Featured:
Acid Christmas by Charlotte Dune (Amazon)
Always Orchid by Carol Van Den Hende (Out now - Bookshop.org / Amazon.com )
As Though You Were Mine by J Marie Rundquist (Out now - Bookshop.org / Amazon.com )
The Baby Left Behind by Jen Craven (Out now - Bookshop.org / Amazon.com )
The Last Caretaker by Jessica Strawser (Releases December 1st, 2023 - Bookshop.org / Amazon.com )
The Weight We Carry by Christina Consolino (Out now - Bookshop.org / Amazon.com )
The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw (Out now - Bookshop.org / Amazon.com )
Full Disclosure: We are part of the Amazon and bookshop.org affiliate programs, which means Lainey or Ashley get a tiny commission if you buy something after clicking through from link on this website.
Transcript:
** Transcript created using AI (so please forgive the typos!) **
[00:00:00] Lainey Cameron: Welcome to a very special episode, our Hot New Releases episode for Fall 2023. Over the years, can you believe that we have featured over 130 authors and books on the Best of Women's Fiction podcast? Each season, we like to highlight the latest releases from some of our past guests, which is what we'll do in this episode.
[00:00:22] Lainey Cameron: And the fun thing is not all of our featured authors write only in the women's fiction genre. So in this episode, we have a range of books to share with you. Going from emotional and romantic women's fiction to historical fiction, domestic suspense, and even an apocalyptic holiday tale. Let's get going and introduce you to some great new reads.
[00:00:54] Lainey Cameron: Let's kick off with a novel coming in early December that will appeal to lovers of book club fiction and women's fiction with tones of domestic suspense. Jessica Strosser joined me back in 21 to talk about A Million Reasons Why, which told the story of two women who were linked by a DNA test as half sisters.
[00:01:13] Lainey Cameron: Her new release, which like I said is coming in December, it's been described as a powerful and evocative page turner. Let's have Jessica tell us more.
[00:01:22] Jessica Strawser: The Last Caretaker opens when a woman named Katie takes a job as resident caretaker. At a very large, very remote nature reserve, 900 acres of forest and old farmland, she is signing on to be the lone resident.
[00:01:38] Jessica Strawser: And to be honest, she's not really sure she has the skill set to be immersed in nature this way, but she's looking to start over after a rough divorce. And it's a pretty sweet gig, and comes with a fully furnished farmhouse. So she has a plan to fake it until she makes it. What she's not expecting. It's for an injured, frantic woman to show up at her door in the middle of nowhere on her very first night on this job.
[00:02:04] Jessica Strawser: And this woman is clearly expecting a safe place to hide. Little by little, it becomes pretty obvious to Katie that her predecessor in this role was part of an underground network that was helping domestic violence victims escape and assume new identities. She pieces together what was going on bit by bit as she connects the dots to the other women in this network and she finds herself involved sort of by default on a trial basis.
[00:02:29] Jessica Strawser: But one question hovers over everything, which is, what happened to the last caretaker? She's nowhere to be found and Katie becomes more and more unsure why this job was ever open in the first place. She has no idea who she can trust and who are really the good guys here, but she needs to decide. Is she going to rise to the occasion and step into this role day and night or is she going to decline and let these women down and regardless of what she decides, is she safe out there?
[00:03:00] Jessica Strawser: What is she willing to risk in the name of doing the right thing? You'll have to read it to find out, and I hope you will.
[00:03:07] Lainey Cameron: I asked Jessica who she thinks will especially enjoy this latest novel.
[00:03:12] Jessica Strawser: I think The Last Caretaker will appeal to readers of suspense and readers of book club fiction. There's definitely a mystery here where Katie finds herself playing Nancy Drew, trying to figure out what the heck she's gotten herself into.
[00:03:24] Jessica Strawser: But this is also a story that deals with bigger themes of starting over and the power of friendship and finding connections in unexpected places. I hope it's an empowering novel, as well as a page turner, and all my favorite books are the ones that, as soon as I'm done reading them, I want to give them to a friend and say, please, you've got to read this too, beca use we need to talk about it.
[00:03:45] Jessica Strawser: And I hope The Last Caretaker is a book like that.
[00:03:47] Lainey Cameron:. Wow. That latest novel from Jessica Strasser sounds so good. I want to read that one. And talking of books that raise questions and make you think, here's another very similar one in that vein. Jen Craven joined us last year to talk about her debut, which was set on a college campus, Best Years of Your Life.
[00:04:07] Lainey Cameron: Her new release, The Baby Left Behind, is an emotional story about family, secrets, and what makes a good parent. Let's hear from Jen about it.
[00:04:17] Jen Craven: The Baby Left Behind is what I refer to as a women's fiction, domestic suspense mashup. The story centers on Kate, a 41 year old woman who's long dream of motherhood, but who suffers from a rare medical condition that prevents the possibility of pregnancy.
[00:04:32] Jen Craven: When an adoption falls through at the last minute, she's absolutely devastated. But then a baby shows up on her doorstep with a note that says, take him, please forgive me. Kate must then make the hardest decision of her life. Do what's right and call the police or keep the baby and pass him off as her own.
[00:04:51] Jen Craven: I think you guys can probably guess which one she chooses.
[00:04:53] Lainey Cameron: The early blurbs for the baby left behind say it's perfect for fans of Jodie Picou, Jojo Moyes and Kate Hewitt. I asked Jen to tell us a little bit more about why that is, in particular, what are the themes in this book?
[00:05:10] Jen Craven: The Baby Left Behind contains themes of motherhood, identity, and redemption.
[00:05:14] Jen Craven: The split second choices, followed by the consequences, serve as excellent conversation starters, making it perfect for book clubs. I love hearing from my readers saying that they found themselves questioning what they would do in the protagonist's situation because at the end of the day, desperate people do desperate things, and that's what makes for a page turning read.
[00:05:33] Lainey Cameron: Let's move to another novel with family themes. J. Marie Rundquist joined us last year to talk about her debut novel, All I'm Asking. And she's already back with her sophomore release, just the next year. As Though You Were Mine is family fiction at its best. I asked J. Marie to tell us more about it.
[00:05:54] J Marie Rundquist: As Though You Were Mine is about a woman, Julie, who becomes guardian to her four year old twin niece and nephew after her brother and sister in law die in a car accident.
[00:06:02] J Marie Rundquist: The twist? They're actually biologically her children, as she had donated eggs to her sister in law. And no, they weren't fit for life by her brother. Instead, her brother in law donated his sperm. Readers have called this story an emotional one, and it's because it focuses on new parenthood, which is already full of challenges, compounded by the trauma of loss, and not just for the children.
[00:06:22] J Marie Rundquist: While Julie wasn't close to her brother, nor any of her other family members, grief is complicated, and her family will come together in surprising ways to support one another.
[00:06:30] Lainey Cameron: I asked J. Marie inspired this as the topic for her second novel.
[00:06:37] J Marie Rundquist: I wrote the story based upon the concept that when a child dies, families will often either grow closer together or break apart entirely.
[00:06:44] J Marie Rundquist: Except for Julie's family, they were already estranged from one another. So what happens then? Julie discovers that maybe the story she had in her head about her parents and her siblings isn't the full story of who they are or who she is herself. Readers who enjoy complex family relationships will be drawn to this journey of loss and trauma, and the ways we come together to help each other through it, and so your mind is ultimately a story of hope, love, and new beginnings.
[00:07:08] J Marie Rundquist: It might make you cry, but in the end, I hope those tears will also be happy ones.
[00:07:12] Lainey Cameron: Let's keep with the emotional theme and add some romantic elements. I've been lucky enough to read the first two books in the Goodbye Orchid Trilogy by Carol Van Den Hende, and she joined us on the podcast to talk about them.
[00:07:27] Lainey Cameron: The third book, Always Orchid, just released, and I'm very excited to read it. Let's hear more from Carol.
[00:07:35] Carol Van Den Hende: Hi, this is Carol Van Den Hende, author of the Goodbye Orchid series and mom to a child with special needs. His challenges honestly sparked me to notice stories in the news about combat wounded veterans, and inspired me to start writing this beautiful, emotional series.
[00:07:53] Carol Van Den Hende: My newest book is Always Orchid. It's a love story that transcends culture, disability, and superstition. Always Orchid is the finale to the Goodbye Orchid trilogy, but can be read as standalone. You'll meet Phoenix Walker, the kind hearted head of an ad agency who heroically saved a man's life, but believes that his resulting injuries make him the exact wrong person for the woman he loves.
[00:08:20] Carol Van Den Hende: Orchid Page. He knows that Orchid witnessed the death of her parents as a child, and that her PTSD is triggered by images of trauma. He vows to protect her, even if it's from himself. Now, beautiful, half Asian Orchid Page has always had to fight for everything in her life. After losing her parents, trust hasn't come easily for her.
[00:08:46] Carol Van Den Hende: And what if she believes that their relationship is worth fighting for? They can only work if he moves with her on assignment to China. They then discover that China still holds deep rooted superstition about people with disabilities, believing that bad deeds in a previous life result in disability in the current life.
[00:09:06] Carol Van Den Hende: So read Always Orchid to find out if Phoenix and Orchid can overcome the odds and find a way to be together. or whether their love will be torn apart by the forces that seem to be working against them. Now readers who are going to enjoy Goodbye Orchid and Always Orchid and Orchid Blooming, the entire trilogy, include book club readers who love the discussability of these books.
[00:09:33] Carol Van Den Hende: These books have themes of identity, forgiveness, and the redemptive power of love. Always Orchid is perfect for fans of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. And Fault in Our Stars by John Greene, minus the tragedy. What I've heard from readers is that people who've been through medical difficulties feel very seen on the pages of the Goodbye Orchid series.
[00:09:57] Carol Van Den Hende: People who haven't been through those medical challenges Also feel that this story really deepens their empathy. Multiple Purple Heart decorated veterans have endorsed the series like Sergeant Brian Anderson, whom you may have seen in the movie American Sniper with Bradley Cooper and Sergeant Noah Galloway, whom you may have seen competing in Dancing with the Stars, placing third place finalists.
[00:10:21] Carol Van Den Hende: So, if you like relatable characters, surprising twists, and stories that pull on your emotions, you're going to love the award winning journey in Always Orchid to unconditional acceptance.
[00:10:37] Lainey Cameron: Let's move to some historical fiction. Penny Haw, award winning author of The Wilderness Between Us, joined Ashley Hasty in 2022 to talk about her first historical fiction, The Invincible Miss Cust.
[00:10:49] Lainey Cameron: Now she's back with a second historical, and she's picked an interesting figure in the history of the automobile industry that I didn't know anything about. Let's hear more.
[00:11:01] Penny Haw: The Woman at the Wheel is historical fiction based on the true story of Bertha Benz, who was the wife of Carl Benz. Carl Benz invented the first commercially viable automobile and in 1886 patented the Benz Motorwagen.
[00:11:18] Penny Haw: Years later, this evolved into the Mercedes Benz Ma, which we know today. So Carl is known as the father of the automobile. However, what isn't widely known is that his wife, Bertha Benz, played an integral role in the invention and the business and the success of the vehicle and the family inside. So the woman at the wheel tells the story of how as a child, Bertha was intrigued initially by the business of her father, who was a master builder in Pforzheim.
[00:11:49] Penny Haw: And then a little later by what was happening around her by way of technology and industry. This was at a time when the train was one of the world's most startling inventions. Bertha was a woman who was more interested in the steam engine than in needlepoint and embroidery. And when she met Carl, she not only fell in love with him, but also his dream of creating a horseless carriage.
[00:12:16] Penny Haw: She was so fascinated by his vision and his passion and his engineering mind that she found a way of investing her dowry and her inheritance in his fledgling business before they were even married. I mean, she was a woman. Of great foresight, they struggled for many years, but she worked alongside him as passionate and driven as Carl was, and also brought several other critical skills of her own to their endeavors.
[00:12:45] Penny Haw: Carl was a great engineer and inventor, but he brought a whole lot of other skills, which helped the business evolve. She was a remarkable woman. They had five children. She had some amazing adventures along the way. And celebrating her achievements in The Woman at the Wheel gave me great pleasure. And I hope that it will give readers as much pleasure.
[00:13:13] Penny Haw: Who will enjoy reading The Woman at the Wheel? It's historical fiction. It is based in the late 1800s and set in Pforzheim and Mannheim in Germany, but it's also a biographical fiction in that it is based on the life of a real person in history. Like my previous historical fiction, that one was called The Invincible Miscast and told the story of Britain and Ireland's first woman veterinary surgeon.
[00:13:42] Penny Haw: The Woman at the Wheel will appeal to readers who enjoy the stories of people from history who are not widely celebrated, the unsung heroes and heroines, Bertha Benz was a visionary and an entrepreneur. She was a woman ahead of her time, and she was an extraordinary business woman. And that's in fact how I came across her.
[00:14:08] Penny Haw: I was working as a business journalist years ago, and I was looking at writing an article on women in technology from history, and I came across a small piece about this journey. On the motor wagon over 106 kilometers between Mannheim and Pforzheim with her teenage sons. And when I read that, I thought there's a lot more to this woman than meets the eye because someone's not just going to wake up one morning and take an extraordinary machine out of the workshop and say to her teenage sons, come, we're going to go and visit grandmama and take off into the distance. That was how I became intrigued with her. She was a businesswoman. She had a brilliant mind. She was as much of a visionary as her husband. And I think that people who like that kind of story will enjoy it. She not only worked alongside Cole. In the workshop in the early days, she also raised five children.
[00:15:10] Penny Haw: She had friendships and she had relationships with her parents and her sisters. There's a story about a family there. There's a story of friendships, particularly female friendships, which we explore here a little bit and how things can go wrong there when there is jealousy involved. But it's also a love story between her and Cole.
[00:15:31] Penny Haw: So there's a lot of things happening and there's also quite a bit of adventure. So I think if you like that kind of story, if you like the historical setting, if you want to celebrate someone who's inspiring and whose story of resilience and foresight and passion is encouraging. I think you'll enjoy it.
[00:15:52] Penny Haw: Thanks very much.
[00:15:54] Lainey Cameron: Christina Consolino joined us in 2021 to chat about her debut novel, Rewrite the Stars. Now she's back to chat with us about The Weight We Carry, a heartbreaking and emotional story of the toll that health crisis
[00:16:14] Christina Consolino: My next novel, The Weight We Carry, is women's fiction or book club fiction told through three points of view. The story centers on Frank Raffaello, a retired serviceman who loves his family, but doesn't always understand them or their motivations. An accidental fall forces Frank to rely on his three adult children.
[00:16:32] Christina Consolino: Gabe, the oldest, who is in the military and lives abroad. Nico, the youngest. who is keeping a secret from his family, and Marissa, the quintessential middle child, who wants to feel like she belongs and matters to her family. Marissa is a nurse practitioner, and with time, she realizes Frank's health isn't the only issue.
[00:16:53] Christina Consolino: Angie, his wife of 42 years, seems to be exhibiting abnormal memory loss. When Angie's denial of her symptoms results in dangerous consequences, the Raffaelli family understands that life as they know it is about to change. In 2015, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. That summer, I spent many hours with my parents, and I sat with my mom as she was assessed for cognitive changes.
[00:17:18] Christina Consolino: This book reflects my experiences from that summer and beyond. and exposes the toil and hardship that a health crisis can cause on everyone close to it. The book also tackles motherhood, marriage, family dynamics, sibling relationships, loss, grief, and more.
[00:17:33] Lainey Cameron: I asked Christina to tell us who this novel will especially appeal to.
[00:17:41] Christina Consolino: My hope is that anyone who has been or currently is a part of the Sanders generation will appreciate The Weight We Carry. People who have experienced a major health crisis that requires cooperation from the entire family will likely see themselves in this book. Caregivers, family members, friends, and anyone who has witnessed the cognitive decline in behavior that comes with dementia We'll understand the story all too well.
[00:18:03] Christina Consolino: I also hope that readers who like strong female characters and close sibling relationships will enjoy The Weight We Carry.
[00:18:12] Lainey Cameron: And last, Charlotte Dune is going to introduce us to a fun book that I've already had a chance to read. Charlotte joined us back in June, 2023 for the Women's Fiction Special episode, where I asked some industry experts to join me and talk about the future of the women's fiction genre.
[00:18:29] Lainey Cameron: Her latest release, Acid Christmas, is speculative apocalyptic fiction with psychedelic elements and two strong female leads. But let me have Charlotte tell you a little bit more about what she writes and about this new novel.
[00:18:44] Charlotte Dune: Hi, I'm Charlotte Dune, and I write psychedelic fiction with unusual female characters.
[00:18:49] Charlotte Dune: You might have read my last two novels, Cactus Friends or Mushroom Honeymoon. In my newest book, Acid Christmas, I tell the tale of five strangers trapped by an unexpected blizzard in the Toronto airport over the holidays. The tale of Acid Christmas is narrated by a Tim Hortons donut hole flipper, a man named Teddy with the crooked tooth, who moonlights as a stand up poet.
[00:19:12] Charlotte Dune: Our lead in the story is Candi. A disgruntled flight attendant is still grieving the premature murder of her husband. With her return home flight grounded by the storm, she soon makes friends and meets Vibes, a young, exuberant fashion influencer, and Frank, his opposite, a condescending wealth manager. The three try to pass the time in the airport with booze, conversations, and walks through the packed terminal, but the weather outside is not at all delightful, and they soon start to worry.
[00:19:49] Charlotte Dune: That's when they meet Gretchen, a weary freelance journalist who's been snooping out what's really been going on in the airport. As their paths converge, it soon becomes very clear that the blizzard is not a work of nature, but what it is they don't yet know. Is it a weather attack? Extraterrestrial?
[00:20:12] Charlotte Dune: Supernatural? No one can tell, though there's a lot of speculation. And the tinfoil hats are all out and about. The temperature is dropping, but that's not the only thing. When Candy finds a book of art, an LSD, and a stranger's jacket, that's when the real trip begins. Acid Christmas is a dark, but funny, Twisted, but ridiculous, sometimes disgusting tale of just how fast society can break down when no one knows what's actually going on.
[00:20:53] Lainey Cameron: So to take us home, let's have Charlotte tell us about who'll enjoy her latest. And I can tell you, I did. This one was so much fun.
[00:21:03] Charlotte Dune: You'll enjoy Acid Christmas if you like apocalyptic fiction with dark humor and an ensemble cast. It will also appeal to fans of the movie Annihilation, the novel Station Eleven, and the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, as well as the movie The Day After Tomorrow.
[00:21:22] Charlotte Dune: I also threw in some Canadian bacon. We've got Christmas trees, bad airport food, stale donuts, cold coffee, hungry raccoons, yoga pants, climate change horror, lockdowns, and airport security gone wrong. I mean, what else could you ask for this acid Christmas? Oh yeah, and there is a new COVID variant on the loose and something very strange outside the window.
[00:21:46] Charlotte Dune: So buckle up your seatbelt and grab your oxygen mask.
[00:21:49] Lainey Cameron: And that's it. That's our roundup of fun, interesting, exciting, emotional, new novels that you might be interested in checking out. I hope you found at least one book that piqued your interest and wished you the best at the end of this episode. That's all from Lainey Cameron.