Margs & Manuscripts
The book world is bigger than any one corner of it. Margs & Manuscripts brings it all together — writers, authors, agents, editors, bookstore owners, and readers — for real, unfiltered conversation about writing, publishing, and the reading life. Hosted by Cait and Jenna, two writer friends who pour a drink and let the conversation flow.
Episodes
45 episodes
The Hot Ghost Boyfriend Rules with Katie Jung
Katie Jung joins us to talk about her debut romance, You're the One That I Haunt, and the surprisingly hard rules of writing a love interest who can't be touched. We dig into how Trip became a ghost in the first place, the logic she ha...
The Case for the 58-Year-Old Protagonist | with Kathy Sherbrooke
What happens when the story you need to tell won't let you write it until you're ready? This week Jenna and Cait sit down with Kathy Sherbrooke (Katherine A. Sherbrooke), author of the new novel This Much Is True, out September 17th. It's a con...
Devouring the Fourth Wing Cookbook with Author Chelsea Cole
Episode Summary What happens when a sous vide nerd falls hard for a war college full of dragons? You get a cookbook. This week we sit down with Chelsea Cole, the mind behind A Guide to the Kitchen Quadrant, the (unofficial) ...
Died on Sub, Reborn on Substack | Elizabeth Richardson
What happens when your book dies on submission? For author Elizabeth Richardson, the answer turned into one of the best decisions she's ever made. This week we dig into her viral serialization of Trad, the novel she serialized on Subst...
In the Lime Light with E.L. Kaltenberg
This week on the Limelight, debut author Emily joins Jenna and Cait to talk about her first novel, The Care and Feeding of Dead Mothers. A disgraced author named Margot Hale flees Manhattan for the Wisconsin Northwoods after fraudulent...
An Irish Matchmaking Festival, Some Magic, and a Rom-Com | Kat Mackenzie
This week we're joined by travel rom-com author Kat Mackenzie to talk about her latest release, Experiments in Offline Dating (Avon), out today. Set in County Clare, Ireland, the book is built around a real-life Irish matchmaking festi...
In the Lime Light with Marissa Malson
Some people dream of writing a book their whole lives. Marissa Malson wrote her first three chapters in her phone's Notes app after a yoga class and never looked back. This week we sit down with the author behind the cozy-adjacent Average Jane ...
"I'm the Magic Here": Cara Alwill on Girl Code, Pink Ink, and Never Waiting to Be Chosen
Cait has been trying to get Cara Alwill in a room with us for ages, and she finally said yes. This one is a masterclass in building your own universe instead of waiting for one of the Big Five to hand you a key.Cara is the 10-book author...
This YA Debut Reads Like Her Tenth Book | Jasmine Smith
Featured Guest:Jasmine SmithJasmine Smith is the author of Death Card, a witchy YA fantasy set in New Orleans. A former English major with a love of women's and gender studies, Jasmine writes stories that put teen ...
The Extra Shot: Just Be a Good Hang
Welcome to The Extra Shot, our bonus episodes where it's just Cait and Jenna, no guest, and the inside thoughts fully become outside thoughts.This one started with an Amy Poehler Good Hang clip about TV writing and spiraled into our whol...
She Wrote a Rom-Com That Starts Where Romance Books End
What if the happy ending is where the real story begins?This week, we sit down with debut author Lavanya Lakshmi to talk about Leave and Come Back, the rom-com that had us wanting to book a flight to an Indian wedding. Lavanya j...
In the Lime Light with Rebecca Gould Baeurle
This bonus episode's Lime Light shines on Rebecca Gould Baeurle, author of The Secrets Trilogy — a love-story-with-a-criminal-twist series following two sisters through hardship, betrayal, and danger in Philadelphia. We talk about writ...
She Wrote a Sexy Retirement-Home Romance. And Nailed It | Julie Murphy
What if the retirement home wasn't the end of the story, but the beginning?This week, we sit down with #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy — of Dumplin fame — to talk about Vera Stein Is Fine, her...
She Scrapped a Finished Manuscript to Write Yes, Chef | Grace Reilly
What do you do when the book you're supposed to publish next is one you can't stand behind?This week, on release day for Yes Chef, romance author Grace Reilly tells us about the book she almost had to publish instead — ...
Season 2 Starts Now: Bigger Guests, Bigger Plans & Jenna's Book Update
Season 2 is officially here.After 30 episodes of interviewing authors, learning the publishing industry alongside our listeners, and accidentally building an incredible community, we're kicking off a brand new season with a behind-the-s...
Why Indie Authors Feel Set Up to Fail | Bitty Balducci
A conversation about publishing quickly turned into something bigger.After discussing author scams, we sat down with Bitty Balducci to talk about indie publishing, traditional publishing, BookTok, gatekeeping, and why so many auth...
The Scams Targeting Indie Authors Right Now | Bitty Balducci
What happens when the scam emails stop looking like scams?This week we're joined by author Bitty Balducci to talk about the increasingly sophisticated scams targeting indie authors. From fake HarperCollins editors and fraudulent b...
Discovery Writing, Outlining & Trusting Your Characters | Lauren Okie
What happens when your characters know the story before you do?This week, we sit down with romance author Lauren Okie to talk about discovery writing, outlining, second drafts, and learning to trust your creative instincts. From w...
She Turned a Situationship Into a Bestselling Book with Author Alissa DeRogatis
What happens when a five-year situationship finally ends and leaves you wondering what comes next?For author Alissa DeRogatis, the answer was writing the book she couldn't find on the shelf.In this episode, we chat with Alissa abo...
Places We'll Go Book Launch | Margs & Manuscripts LIVE
Episode SummaryWhat started as an Instagram friendship turned into a podcast, a publishing journey, and now a live book launch celebration.In this special first-ever live recording of Margs & Manuscripts, Jenna...
Sara Ney Unfiltered: 50 Books, Tropes, & Romance Writing Chaos
Romance author Sara Ney joins us for one of the funniest and most unfiltered conversations we’ve had on the podcast yet. From writing 50+ romance novels and navigating BookTok-driven publishing trends to hockey romance, favorite tropes, spicy s...
Mom-fluencers, Motherhood & Midwest Family Chaos | Claire Swinarski
Mom influencers. Midwest family dynamics. Wisconsin supper clubs. Postpartum anxiety. Parenting pressure. Somehow, Claire Swinarski wrapped all of it into one of the most emotionally honest books we’ve read this year.In this episode, we ...
We Need to Talk About Abigail Adams with Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray
What if the story we’ve been told about the American Revolution is only half the picture?In this episode, we sit down with bestselling authors Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray—the powerhouse duo behind America’s First Daughter<...
The Fantasy Series That Made It Out of the Group Chat | Cozy Fantasy with E.B. Asher
What happens when a group chat turns into a published fantasy series?This week, we’re joined by E.B. Asher—aka Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegemund-Broka—the trio behind one of the most fun, chaotic, and genuin...
The AI Conversation in Publishing Has Gone Off the Rails
AI in publishing is getting loud—and not always helpfulEveryone has an opinion about AI right now, especially in the publishing and writing world. But instead of thoughtful conversations, what we’re seeing is a lot of noise, fear-based t...
