In THE WHISPER SISTER, Jennifer S. Brown delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.

The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor, and she understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?

When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real moneymaker: a speakeasy.

When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom.

At what price does the American dream come true?

Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.

Check out Jennifer S. Brown’s THE WHISPER SISTER on Amazon and in other bookstores.

Check out Josie's website at https://josiebrown.com

This has been a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur with Josie Brown.

AI was not used in the creation of this podcast.

(c) 2024 Josie Brown.

In prolific screenwriter Daniel Pyne’s latest thriller, WATER MEMORY—Black Ops specialist Aubrey Sentro may be one concussion away from death. But when pirates seize the cargo ship she’s on, she must decide whether to risk her life to save her fellow passengers.

As she plays their deadly game of cat and mouse, she pushes herself to survive by focusing on thoughts of her children. She’s never told them what she really does for a living, and now she might not get the chance.

While her memories make her vulnerable, motherhood makes her dangerous.

Daniel and I also discuss his process for writing the novel his first series, and the similarities and differences between writing for film and television as opposed to novels.

Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest thriller, HER PERFECT LIFE, Lily Atwood, is an award-winning on-air television reporter with a seemingly perfect life. A job she loves that earns her incredible celebrity status, a seven-year-old loving daughter, Rowen, who goes to a posh private school; and the perfect beautiful home in a safe neighborhood. But not everything is as perfect as it seems. Lily has several dark secrets—including the fact that her older sister disappeared when Lily was Rowen’s age.

This chilling psychological standalone has received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, which called it "A superlative thriller." It has also garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and is now nominated for the Anthony Award for Best Novel, and the iconic Mary Higgins Clark Award.

Like protagonist Lily, Hank is also a television news reporter. She and I discuss how the idea of this plot came to her; what about Lily’s on-air career mirrors her own; and how she overcomes the doubt every author faces: writing that next novel.

Novelist Josie Brown interviews best-selling author James Rollins on his thriller, CRUCIBLE.

Something old—in this case, an ancient witch hunter's tome—and something new: artificial intelligence, which goes by the less frightening initials AI.

When combined, they are a hair-raising combination in James Rollins' thriller, CRUCIBLE.

Rollins success as a thriller author comes from his research. His deep dives into subjects from our past always comes from not just asking, "What if?..." But "What if it's catastrophic to the world—or worse yet, world order?"

Since writing CRUCIBLE, AI's conquests is everywhere: not just the sciences but the arts too. Rollins saw it coming, making this 2018 interview prescient on too many levels.

For more information on Josie, her books, and her interviews, visit her website: JosieBrown.com

In New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s latest thriller, A COLD TRAIL, Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite returns home to Cedar Grove, where a brutal murder and her haunted past come to a crossroads.

There her husband, lawyer Dan O’Leary, is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. At the same time, Tracy is urged by the local Police Department to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of the new police chief’s wife who was also local reporter investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman.

As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy may have put everyone she loves at risk.

Josie and Robert talk about the genesis for the book's plot, a family recipe for great spaghetti sauce (hint: a family recipe) and the REAL Tracy Crosswhite.

In the first novel of Stella Bixby’s RILEY COOPER series, CATFISHED, Bixby’s protagonist is at her lowest point: living in her parent’s basement with no prospects for employment — until she becomes a park ranger. And that’s when the fun — and the murders — begin

Stella and I discuss how her former careers as a park ranger and firefighter molded her plots, Riley’s her love-hate relationship with the cop on the beat, Luke Hannah, and the changes in Riley’s future, now that the 16th novel of the series will soon be released. There’s still a lot ahead for this former prom queen, and you’ll want to hear all about it.

Stella Bixby's CATFISHED is free now at your favorite digital bookstore. Josie is running a contest this week for a $50 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. No purchase necessary. To enter, just correctly answer the question posted here about this podcast.

This is a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur.

No AI was used in the creation of this episode.

In FIELDS' GUIDE TO ABDUCTION—the first novel of Julie Mulhern’s POPPY FIELDS funny mystery series—Hollywood influencer Poppy Fields’s trip to Mexico, is much less relaxing than sunbathing by breathtaking infinity pools or attending glittering parties on patios overlooking the Pacific. Instead, she’s got to placate a drug cartel boss whose infatuated with Poppy’s movie star mother. With death lurking around every corner, Poppy will need more than her smarts, acting skills, and a lot of luck to make it back to Rodeo Drive.

Julie and I talk about how the character of Poppy came to her, the added layer that fame puts on the already complex dynamic of mother-daughter relationships, and how Julie’s world travels have been incorporated into Poppy’s life—all great stuff for a heroine whose whirlwind life is already 8 novels and counting.

Julie Mulhern's FIELDS' GUIDE TO ABDUCTION is free now at your favorite digital bookstore. Josie is running a contest this week for a $50 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. No purchase necessary. To enter, just correctly answer the question posted here about this podcast.

This is a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur.

No AI was used in the creation of this episode.

In ONE HIT WONDER, the first novel in Kristi Roses’s Samantha True funny mystery series—her heroine, rookie forensic photographer—discovers that her small Washington town of Wind River has a sinister underbelly when it is hit with not just one murder, but two. And what does a Sasquatch sighting have to do with it? Well, you’ll have to read it to find out.

Kristi and I talk about the fun she has surrounding Samantha with a marvelous cast of quirky characters; how Samantha’s dyslexia forces her think outside the box; and how Kristi plots her books so that, even six books later, the twists and turns keep on coming.

JB Lynn’s mystery, THE HITWOMAN AND THE FAMILY JEWELS, is free now at your favorite digital bookstore.

FOR A CHANCE TO ENTER JOSIE'S 5 DAYS - 5 AUTHORS - 5 BOOKS CONTEST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $50 BOOKSTORE GIFT CARD, HERE'S THE LINK:

This is a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur.

No AI was used in the creation of this episode.