Welcome to your backstage pass to the book world. Each week, Morgann Book (yes, that's her actual last name) sits down with the people bringing stories to life — from authors and actors to directors, producers, and more. Together, they go behind the scenes of the books we love, exploring how stories are researched, written, and brought from the page to the screen.
New episodes drop every Thursday—grab your tbr list and listen wherever you get your podcasts!
#61 J.K. MacLaren: From Drive to Survive to Writing an F1 Romance
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 35:17
What happens after you watch F1: Drive to Survive and decide to write an entire F1 romance book series?! This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Watty Award–winning author JK Maclaren to chat about her adult romance debut, Full Throttle. JK shares what she learned from writing eight full-length novels on Wattpad, and the night she found out her book had sold. Plus, the two discuss the best frozen yogurt combination and the race car bed JK had growing up!
#60 Claire Scanlon: Bringing The Love Hypothesis From Book to Screen
Thursday, September 24, 2026 • Duration 35:56
What happens when you turn one of BookTok’s biggest romances into a movie? This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with director Claire Scanlon to chat about directing The Love Hypothesis. Claire shares what she learned from editing The Office, how she captured Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch’s chemistry in Set It Up, and what eventually led her down the rabbit hole of Star Wars Fan Fiction. She takes us behind the scenes of adapting the book, from bringing fan-favourite moments to life and balancing Adam’s character to filming the movie’s intimate scenes. Plus, Claire reveals the scene that made her realize they officially “had a movie.”
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro & Welcome
02:09 What The Office Taught Claire About Directing
#59 Jodi Picoult: The Secret That Inspired Her 30th Novel
Thursday, September 17, 2026 • Duration 42:09
What is the wildest thing an author has done for research? This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Jodi Picoult to chat about her 30th novel, Hollow Bones, and the 29 novels before it. Jodi reveals how she collects research for her books and what it was like to interview a woman from jail or visit the Alaskan tundra. The two discuss what makes a good adaptation and what happened with My Sister's Keeper. They finish the episode with what Jodi is writing next for her 2028 book!
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro & Welcome
01:42 Are Writers Born or Made?
03:53 How Publishing Has Changed Since 1992
06:05 Why Jodi Still Answers Every Reader Email
09:14 Being a Lifelong Student
10:21 How Jodi Knows an Idea Is Worth a Novel
13:44 The Wildest Things She’s Done for Research
16:10 How She Knows When the Research Is Done
17:24 What My Sister’s Keeper Taught Her About Adaptations
19:12 The Problem With “Women’s Fiction”
20:59 The Story Behind Jodi’s First Tattoo
24:08 Inside Hollow Bones
24:26 Bringing Jesse From My Sister’s Keeper Back
27:15 The Real-Life Secret That Inspired Hollow Bones
30:44 Exploring 9/11 Through a New Generation
31:27 Researching Postpartum Psychosis
34:07 The Letter That Changed Hollow Bones
36:59 Why Women Are Falling Through the Healthcare Cracks
38:57 What Jodi Hopes Readers Take From Hollow Bones
39:33 Jodi Reveals Her Next Novel
41:11 Gifting Jodi With…
#58 Joss Richard: Why Romance Needs A Third Act Breakup
Thursday, September 10, 2026 • Duration 35:25
Have you wondered why the second book is always harder to write than a debut? This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits (back) down with Joss Richard to chat about her latest release, Let’s Kiss and Tell. Inspired by one of her favourite romantic comedies, Joss shares her writing and research process for a book rooted in sex positivity. She also shares what it was like to write after the success of her debut novel, It’s Different This Time, and what is coming next…
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro & Welcome
00:39 Joss Weighs In On The Jeremiah vs. Conrad Debate
03:24 Why Authors Need A Life Outside Of Books
05:27 What Book Tour Is REALLY Like
07:14 Did Joss Expect It’s Different This Time To Blow Up?
08:49 Adam Harper POV
10:45 Romance Books On Canada Reads
12:16 The Story Behind Let’s Kiss And Tell
13:34 The How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days Inspiration
14:11 Is The Second Book Harder Than The First?
16:42 Joss’s Writing Process
18:28 Why Joss Wanted To Write Let’s Kiss And Tell
20:51 What Joss Learned From OnlyFans Creators
23:35 Therapy, Dirty Talk & Writing Spicy Scenes
25:06 Defending The Third Act Breakup
27:16 Is Miscommunication Actually A Bad Trope?
29:42 The Story Behind The Let’s Kiss And Tell Cover
31:07 The Kind Of Love Joss Wanted To Write About
32:07 Joss Teases Her Next Romance
32:58 We Surprise Joss With Her Favourite Thing
34:05 The Diet Coke vs. Coke Zero Debate
#57 Lily Chu: How Audiobooks Have Changed Her Writing Process
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 • Duration 36:32
Did you know Lily Chu found her agent through a Twitter contest? This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Audible author Lily Chu to discuss her latest release, Just Kiss Already. Inspired by the hit television series Bones and her own archaeology background, Lily shares her research process, from interviewing a forensic anthropologist to filmmakers to craft the perfect story. She also shares what it’s like collaborating with actress and narrator Phillipa Soo and teases her next three books.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro & Welcome
02:04 Finding Her Agent Through Twitter
04:11 The Challenges Of Being A Writer
05:50 The Journey From Auction To Audible
07:45 Editing Novels for Audio and Print
08:50 Swearing in Audiobooks
10:04 How Audiobooks Have Changed The Writing Process
#56: Victoria S. Walsh Reveals What Everyone Gets Wrong About Writing Plus Size Heroines
Thursday, July 30, 2026 • Duration 43:55
This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with Victoria S. Walsh to talk about turning a lifelong dream into reality with her debut fantasy novel, The Iron Hex. From manifesting and leaving her corporate job to building a fantasy trilogy, writing meaningful representation, and why book pre-orders matter more than you think, Victoria shares the story behind her journey to becoming a published author. Plus, she teases what's next for The Iron Hex series and beyond.
#55: How Taylor Swift Inspired Molly Fader's 'Lady X'
Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 40:01
This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with author Molly Fader, who's written more than 50 books under various pen names - including one that made its way into Suicide Squad. They talk about her latest release, Lady X, a vigilante girl gang story set in 1977 New York City that was partly sparked by Taylor Swift's "Vigilante Shit." Molly opens up about switching literary agents after 25 years, the research that shaped the book, and what keeps her chasing that "lightning strike" feeling after six decades' worth of stories.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro & Welcome
02:38 Publishing Her First Book at 25
04:05 Toronto, Harlequin & Learning the Craft
04:37 The Cowgirl Phase
06:20 From Harlequin to Single-Title Books
08:52 The Pen Name Universe
12:34 How Many Books, Really?
17:00 The Suicide Squad Mystery
22:38 Introducing Lady X
24:29 The Spark Behind the Story
27:38 Writing Female Rage & Friendship
28:27 Plotter vs. Pantser
29:52 Researching 1977 New York City
31:18 Her Writing Space, Then and Now
32:24 A New Agent, After 25 Years
34:22 Selling Lady X & Canadian Rights
34:48 What She Wants Readers to Take Away
37:01 What's Next: 1980s Nashville
37:35 The Lightning Strike Feeling
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#54: How the Lucky Adaptation Came to Life with Marissa Stapley
Thursday, July 16, 2026 • Duration 45:48
This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with bestselling Canadian author Marissa Stapley, whose novel Lucky became Reese's Book Club's first-ever Canadian pick and is now being adapted into an Apple TV+ series starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Drew Starkey, and Annette Bening. Marissa shares the heartbreaking story behind writing Lucky while caring for her mom, how Reese Witherspoon discovered the book, what it was really like keeping the Reese's Book Club secret, and why she always pictured Anya Taylor-Joy as Lucky.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro & Welcome
00:35 - Why Marissa always knew she'd be a writer
03:25 - Her first novel that never made it to shelves
04:40 - How journalism shaped her writing career
06:02 - Ranking her wildest jobs (including cemetery gardener)
09:06 - Why she writes under multiple pen names
11:06 - How co-writing a novel actually works
12:44 - TV writing vs. novel writing
14:30 - The inspiration behind Lucky
17:06 - Creating Lucky Armstrong
20:22 - Writing Lucky while caring for her mom
22:30 - Becoming Reese's first Canadian Book Club pick
25:23 - Keeping the Reese's Book Club secret
27:56 - How the Apple TV+ adaptation came together
30:40 - Manifesting Anya Taylor-Joy as Lucky
35:04 - Visiting the set of Lucky
40:11 - The biggest changes from book to TV series
42:09 - Which episode Marissa can't stop thinking about
44:04 - What to expect from the Lucky sequel
#53: How Pride and Prejudice Inspired 'Behind Five Willows' With June Hur
Thursday, July 9, 2026 • Duration 40:22
This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with bestselling author June Hur to discuss her journey from writing Pride & Prejudice fanfiction to publishing Behind Five Willows. They chat about countless rejections, finding her voice as a writer, the inspiration behind her latest novel, Korean history, libraries, and why she chose to slow down her publishing schedule.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro & Welcome
01:14 Pride & Prejudice Started Everything
05:30 Growing Up Between Korea, Canada & the U.S.
08:23 Working at the Library & Favorite Books
10:07 15 Manuscripts, 100+ Rejections & Finding Her Voice
16:28 Why She Writes Korean Historical Fiction
18:11 Motherhood Changed Her Writing Career
21:36 Her Writing Process & Writing Korean on the Page
#52: Elle Kennedy Reveals Which Off Campus Character She Almost Killed Off
Thursday, June 25, 2026 • Duration 50:10
This week on Off The Shelf, Morgann sits down with bestselling author Elle Kennedy, the writer behind the beloved Off Campus books. Elle shares how she knew she wanted to be an author at just six years old, what it felt like selling her first novel, and why she almost never self-published The Deal. They also dive into the biggest behind-the-scenes secrets from the Off-Campus series, including the original plans for Tucker, why Dean almost ended up with someone else, what it was like visiting the set of the TV adaptation, and more!
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro & Welcome
02:35 Wanting to be an author at six years old
05:19 Selling her first book & publishing journey
08:41 How her writing process has evolved
12:41 Why The Deal was originally self-published
15:13 Creating Garrett, Hannah & the Briar universe
17:16 The original Off-Campus series plans
18:26 Tucker almost had a very different fate
21:07 Why Dean wasn't meant for Sabrina
24:34 Favourite scenes from the series
26:44 Which Off-Campus characters were easiest to write?
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