We recently interviewed Sandy Grubb, the 2022 Kraken Contest winner for her middle-grade novel, Just Like Click, which released yesterday, April 16, 2024. Just as Sandy has been inspired by so many talented authors who came before her, her adventure story with heart and humor is certain to inspire a new generation of readers. We hope you enjoy the conversation. RHP: Your book is out in the world! How does that feel? SG: I’m elated. I’m humbled. I’m jittery. I have all the feels, all at once. But I’m so grateful to my family and friends who encouraged my dream of publishing a children’s book ..read more

by Catherine Browder Flagship Books celebrated its second anniversary in the historic Strawberry Hill district of Kansas City, Kansas, on January 27, 2024. Brothers Ty and Joel Melgren left a more residential block and moved uphill to their current storefront in April of 2023. The old downtown district of Kansas City, KS, with Strawberry Hill nearby, is perched on bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers. This once Central European neighborhood is enjoying a multi-national renaissance. “Here, we’re in the heart of Strawberry Hill,” Ty explains. Currently, at 510 N ..read more

by Beth Uznis Johnson The exterior of M. Judson Booksellers impresses with 1918 architecture. The women who founded M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, SC, were not deterred by the economic reality in 2015. At a time when many indie bookstores were closing across the US, and amid the rise of a certain-unnamed-profit-gobbling-ecommerce-giant trying to force customers to buy and read books on screens, they accomplished an incredible feat: bringing the experience of books and stories back to downtown. In a ‘go big or go home’ move, M. Judson Booksellers opened its doors in the historic courthous ..read more

Volumes Bookcafe, Wicker Park in Chicago, 1373 N. Milwaukee Ave. By Beth Uznis Johnson Who remembers that glorious day in May 2020 when 28 authors from around the country released a reenactment of the library dance scene from The Breakfast Club to the song “We Are Not Alone”? I’d seen their faces on book jackets, Twitter, and a few in person at writing events over the years. Amid the isolation of the pandemic, to get this inside peek at their homes and dance styles was beyond thrilling. Themes of social justice proliferate all sections of the Wicker Park store. Not only did they dance their as ..read more

Gerry Wilson interviews John Evans, the founder/owner of Lemuria Books The façade of Lemuria Books would be impressive anywhere, but in Jackson, Mississippi, Lemuria’s doors represent the entrance to a long literary tradition. Lemuria’s founder and owner, John Evans, has a story to tell about the sculpture of a “book in hand” over the front doors. He reminds me that Lemuria spent the early years (I was a customer even then) in a closet-size space in The Quarter, a small shopping center located on the outskirts of Jackson, and in Highland Village, which was a step-up location-wise, but it wasn ..read more

by Patrick O’Dowd When I close my eyes and picture a bookstore, the one that appears is Montclair Book Center. Rows upon rows overflowing with new and used books. Walls floor to ceiling with shelves of the same. A staircase that leads you upstairs from fiction to non-fiction. If you’d rather stay in fiction, you turn right at the stairs, and there’s another sea of books—children’s, sci-fi, fantasy. Deeper still, in the basement, are scores of records and an event space. They have rare books, first editions, comics, movies, anything your heart could desire lurks somewhere in this brilliant maze ..read more

RHP staff got the chance recently to sit down with Janice Deal, author of The Sound of Rabbits (releasing June 6), to ask those particular questions that we’ve always wanted to know! You know, the really important questions about chocolate and wine (in addition to the writing craft!), and we are delighted to share her answers with you! And don’t forget to pick up a copy of her marvelous book (either from us or from your local indie bookseller!) 1. Do you see chocolate/wine as an intrinsic aid to writing? Oh yes. Yes, please. With an emphasis on chocolate. I operate well under the influence of ..read more

By Beth Castrodale It’s a weekday and just minutes after opening time at Papercuts Bookshop, but the shop is already bustling with customers. To anyone who’s grown to love the store, as I have, that’s no surprise. Located in the heart of Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood, Papercuts is home to an abundant, thoughtfully curated collection of books. A children’s nook But it isn’t just the books that make the store such a draw. It has a warm, inviting ambience and a sweet-natured pup, Sammy, who roams about, pausing now and then to accept a pat or ear scratch from a customer. Also, it’s easy to ..read more

We, at Regal House, had the delightful opportunity to sit down with Stephanie Cowell, author of the upcoming The Boy in the Rain, a love story of two young men in Edwardian England, releasing May 1, 2023, and ask her all the particular questions we had regarding her writing process, her hobbies, and her inspiration for her upcoming book. We’re thrilled to share that interview with you! What surprising skills or hobbies do you have? Stephanie as a balladeer age 25 Before I threw myself into writing novels, I was a high soprano, singing both traditional folk music with guitar, and opera. With f ..read more

by Thérèse Soukar Chehade Broadside Bookshop has been in the same Main Street location since 1974 Broadside Bookshop in Northampton, Massachusetts, was the first bookstore I visited after moving to western Massachusetts from my native Lebanon in the summer of 1983. I liked the welcoming staff, the small space, and the shelves piled high with books. Even though my Arabic and French education hadn’t exposed me to the English-speaking authors on display, I felt that I was viewing a collection curated with love and intelligence. I made it a point to visit often. The civil war was still raging in L ..read more