The Women Books & More’s Podcast

Let's write a picture book---Julie Hedlund tells us how

Maybe you want to write a book. A children’s book. A children’s picture book.

Maybe about a wee hedgehog who wants to be a ballerina.

Or an alligator who dreams of becoming an astronaut.

Maybe about learning to cook in Nona’s kitchen.

Or a nonfiction book about the secret language of spiders

 

I mean…how difficult can it be to write a book for children?

 

The answer is…not as easy you might think.

 

But help is on the way.

 

Julie Hedlund, the founder of 12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge, explains all things picture book. And about how to join 12 x 12 and the benefits of membership. Direct submissions to agents. Critique ninjas. Community of like-minded writers. Webinars with authors, editors and agents. Dance Parties. Yes, virtual dance parties. It is a fun, joyful and supportive group.

12x12challenge.com

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FYI: Big, Bold & Brave Picture Book Summit is a day-long virtual event held every year in October. Agents. Editors, Best-selling authors. Caldecott and Newberry Medal winners. And the opportunity to submit your manuscript to the featured agents and editors. October 5, 2025. picturebooksummit.com

The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth

This one’s out of the vault and one of my favorite vampire stories. It is the second (in a series of five) President’s Vampire books by Christopher Farnsworth. It is about a vampire that works for the president of the United States. The book was published in 2011 so the president referenced could have been President Obama or it could have been West Wing’s President Bartlet. The story is paranormal but with a lot of buddy-cop action—if you can be buddies with a 140-year-old vampire. The plot is simple: the world is going to end, and it is up to the president’s vampire (Nathaniel Cade) and his human handler, Zach Barrows, to stop it. It is that simple. Even though evil supernatural forces are against the vampire and the reader knows that he must succeed (there are sequels, after all) but, until the very last page, you’re not quite sure how it will all turn out. A quick-and-easy-to-read book and a fun interview.

Christopher’s latest book is Buried Secrets (2025). "[An] entertaining tale . . . This is Farnsworth’s first entry in the series created by Robert Parker, and fans will be pleased. So, Paradise isn’t paradise, and the Parker legacy lives on." —Kirkus Reviews

chrisfarnsworth.com

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

OK. OK. Thank you for your messages. I get it. Everyone wants more Lisa See.

So today...I dove deep into the vault and found this interview—Shanghai Girl—from 2009. It is about the complex relationship between two sisters who live a privileged life in 1930s Shanghai—full of great wealth and glamour and called The Pearl of the Orient. Twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister May beautiful, modern, and having the time of their lives because their father can afford it. He’s a very rich businessman… until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth, and to repay his debts he plans to sell the girls as Chinese brides to mail-order suitors from Los Angeles. As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey that takes them across the Pacific to the foreign shores of America. In Los Angeles, they try to find love in their arranged marriages, to learn the American ways as they fight against discrimination and the stifling old ways and strict rules of Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Along the way there are terrible sacrifices, unimaginable choices and one devastating secret, but through it all the two sisters hold on to each other and never forget who they are – Shanghai girls.

It is such a good read.

lisasee.com

@lisasee_writer

A Conversation with author Lisa See

New York Times best-selling author Lisa See is Chinese American—although her tawny hair, freckles and pale skin belie her Asian heritage. Starting 30 years ago with family memoir, On Gold Mountain, her books always are drawn from and reflect her cultural roots.

She talks with us about some of her favorites: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (secret writing developed by women best-friends in 19^th century China), The Island of Sea Women (a community of women—some as old as 80—who free-dive for abalone on the remote Korean island of Jeju) and Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (based on a true story of a woman physician in 15^th century China). As always, Lisa’s historically accurate novels are about women’s friendships…about blame, guilt, and forgiveness and how secrets from the past can powerfully impact the present and future.

She gives us a sneak peek at her new novel, coming out on June 2, 2026. So excited.

Lisa is an in-demand speaker who makes herself available to talk (via zoom) with book clubs and library groups. lisasee.com

Follow her on Instagram lisasee_writer

Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates Daniel Klein Thomas Cathcart

This is one of my favorites from the vault. It originally ran on my radio show more than 10 years ago. I just listened to it again and laughed until I got the hiccups. How can talking about death be funny? Listen in and you’ll find out.

Here’s the story: From angels to zombies and everything in between, Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates is a seriously funny take on the philosophy, theology, and psychology of death. Deep thinkers like Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus, Sartre and, yes, Heidegger have been wrestling with the meaning of death for as long as they have been wrestling with the meaning of life. Fortunately, humorists have been keeping pace by creating gags about dying. Heidegger and a Hippo is a must-read for anyone and everyone who ever expects to die (not soon, of course).

Disclaimer: This is a humorous dip into philosophy, not a deep plunge. Listening to this podcast will not help you understand Heidegger any better. Sorry :)

 

Sisters on the Fly: We Have More Fun Than Anyone

Here’s the story: Sisters on the Fly was started by two real-life sisters, Maurrie Sussman and Becky Clarke, who loved fly fishing, camping in their vintage trailers, a glass of good wine, campfire cooking, and playing poker for pennies. They invited their friends to join them and soon there were 20.  Pretty soon there were 100. “When we started, we wanted to bring women together as best friends and sisters of the heart,” says Maurrie.

And...just like that…it is 25 years later and there are more than 24,000 Sisters on the Fly—in nearly every city and town in the U.S., in Canada, and in far-flung places like Australia, England, France and Italy. “So, we’re never alone when we’re traveling solo,” says Maurrie. “There’s always a Sister we can call when we’re in need…or just to connect over a cup of coffee or a home-cooked meal.”

Maurrie (Sister #1) and I (Sister #1322) sat down at my kitchen table to have a conversation. You can listen in.

And here’s a great deal: Maurrie has signed the last remining SOTF 25^th Anniversary Mooks (a cross between a magazine and a book) and is offering them FREE—you only pay for postage which should be somewhere around $6.

Click on this link to order to get an autographed copy:

http://sotf2024.foxycart.com/cart?name=Sisters+On+The+Fly+25th+Anniversary+Magazine&price=$18.95&category=Magazine&coupon=PodCast

Yes, I know it says $18.95 (The original price) but I’ve clicked on the link and see that this price is subtracted at check-out—so only the postage remains.

For more about Sisters on the Fly: sistersonthefly.com

 

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More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova

Lisa Genova a best-selling author and Harvard-trained neuroscientist. I talked with her for her book about Still Alice—an emotional look at Alzheimer’s. I’ll look in “the vault” to find that interview for you. Still Alice was made into a major motion picture starring Julianne Moore. She won an Oscar for her role as Alice Howland, a renowned linguistics professor descending into Alzheimer’s. The film is available on Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV. Warning: keep a box of tissues handy.

Each of Genova’s books explores the mysteries of the human brain. Her newest book, More or Less Maddy, focuses on bi-polar disorder with her usual blend of science and heart. It is a deeply empathetic look at a young woman (she’s just starting her first year in college) who is struggling to understand and accept a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. We are right there with Maddy Banks as she goes on a roller coaster ride of extreme highs and devastating lows. We are right there as her life spins out of control. We also get the perspective of her family as they attempt to cope—frustration, denial, tough love…nothing works. Spoiler alert: there is no “happy ending” but there is understanding, acceptance and humor, including a stint in a comedy club. (NB: Genova enrolled in a comedy workshop to get those chapters right). The book is raw, emotional and informative. Warning: keep a box of tissues handy.

lisagenova.com

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

dbsalliance.org