Writer’s Digest Presents: Vacation Reads (Podcast, Episode 6)
In the sixth episode of the Writer’s Digest Presents podcast, we talk about what makes for a good vacation read, plus a conversation with authors Steven Rowley and Jessica Strawser and our first ever WD Book Club selection from debut author Grace D. Li.
In this sixth episode of the Writer's Digest Presents podcast, Amy, Robert, Moriah, and Michael discuss what makes for a good vacation read, what their favorite vacation reads are, and much more.
Thoughts on Vacation Reads From the WD Editors:
- "My idea of a vacation read is almost entirely dependent on where I'm going and who I'm going with...or if I am staying at home for a staycation, because hello, pandemic." -Amy Jones
- "I've got five kids, so usually when we go on vacation, 'vacation reads' is a very aspirational thing." -Robert Lee Brewer
- "To me, a vacation read is whatever you like to read." -Moriah Richard
- "I've had that book for a year, and I haven't had time to read it. I'm going to read it now." -Michael Woodson
Conversation With Steven Rowley and Jessica Strawser
After the opening discussion, Amy and Michael have a conversation with novelists Steven Rowley (author of The Guncle) and Jessica Strawser (author of The Next Thing You Know and former Editorial Director of Writer's Digest) about how they choose vacation reads, the power of book covers, and more.
From Steven Rowley on how he chooses books for vacation reads: "It's purely by weight, weight of the book."
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From Jessica Strawser: "I think for me vacation reading, if it's a road trip, usually starts in the car too on an audio book. I almost always have an audio book going and either a print book or a book on my Kindle going."
Book Club Conversation With Grace D. Li for Her Novel Portrait of a Thief
Then, Michael and Amy lead their first Writer's Digest Book Club conversation with debut novelist Grace D. Li for her novel Portrait of a Thief.
From Grace D. Li: "When I started off with thinking about these characters, I started off with these very classic archetypes. So I knew I needed a leader, a con artist, a hacker, so on so forth, and that five was probably the bare minimum that you needed to pull off a successful heist."
