Racing the Shadows – CH Hooks on Can’t Shake the Dust

In this compelling episode of Read Between the Lines, host Molly Southgate sits down with acclaimed author C.H. Hooks to talk about his powerful new novel, Can’t Shake the Dust.

The story follows “Little” Bill Lemon III as he struggles to outrun a family legacy filled with hardship, violence, and resilience. From the gritty cages of The Monkey Palace—his grandfather’s rough-and-tumble bar—to the questionable ventures of his parents, Little finds his escape on the dirt track every Saturday night. In a car that barely runs, he races not just for victory, but for redemption in the backroads of the South.

Hooks masterfully captures the weight of legacy, poverty, and perseverance in a world where there’s never enough—money, opportunity, or even soap to wash away the Georgia red dirt. With its heart-pounding scenes and unflinching truths, Can’t Shake the Dust is a southern tale you won’t forget.

Purchase Can't Shake the Dust at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781646034994

C.H. Hooks is the author of the novel Alligator Zoo-Park Magic (2019). His work has appeared in Los Angeles Review, American Short Fiction, Four Way Review, The Tampa Review, and The Bitter Southerner. He has been a Tennessee Williams Scholar and contributor at the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and attended the DISQUIET: Dzanc Books International Literary Program in Lisbon. When he’s not writing, he can often be found on the waters around St. Augustine, Florida, where he teaches at Flagler College.

📚 Connect with C.H. Hooks
🌐 Website: https://www.chhooks.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ch_hooks
🐦 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ch_hooks
📖 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17556827.C_H_Hooks

🔑 Keywords:
Can’t Shake the Dust, CH Hooks, Southern fiction, dirt track racing novel, Georgia red dirt, family legacy in literature, rural American stories, literary fiction author interview, Read Between the Lines podcast, Molly Southgate, coming-of-age novel, resilience in fiction, backroads Southern culture, racing redemption stories, southern grit in literature

#️⃣ Hashtags:
#CantShakeTheDust #CHHooks #SouthernFiction #BookPodcast #AuthorInterview #ReadBetweenTheLinesPodcast #MollySouthgate #LiteraryFiction #SouthernGrit #DirtTrackRacing #NewBookRelease #RuralFiction #FamilyLegacy #StorytellingPodcast #ReadersLife

🎧 Tune in to celebrate mistakes, embrace the awkward, and discover how storytelling can turn even the messiest moments into something meaningful.

In this episode of Read Between the Lines, Molly Southgate sits down with award-winning author Bob Johnson to discuss his gripping new short story collection, The Continental Divide. These fourteen stories shine a light on a side of the Midwest few dare to explore—where violence simmers beneath the surface, and moral choices are rarely black and white.

From a country woman forced into a Sophie’s Choice for her family’s survival, to a small-town marshal hunting his own son for murder, and a former football star confronting his role in a brutal locker room ritual, Johnson captures the haunting complexities of human nature along the St. Lawrence Divide in northern Indiana.

About Bob Johnson
Bob Johnson is an award-winning short story writer and graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His work has been published by The Common, Philadelphia Stories, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, The Barcelona Review, and more. His story The Continental Divide was named Short Story of the Year in The Hudson Review. He lives in South Bend, Indiana.

Purchase The Continental Divide at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781960329646

Keywords:
Bob Johnson, The Continental Divide, short story collection, Midwestern literature, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, dark fiction, literary fiction, rural America stories, morality and violence, St. Lawrence Divide, award-winning author, American short stories, Midwest noir, contemporary fiction, author interview.

Hashtags:
#ReadBetweenTheLinesPodcast
#BobJohnsonAuthor
#TheContinentalDivide
#MidwestFiction
#ShortStoryCollection
#LiteraryFiction
#DarkFiction
#MidwestNoir
#AmericanAuthors
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#IowaWritersWorkshop
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🎧 Tune in to celebrate mistakes, embrace the awkward, and discover how storytelling can turn even the messiest moments into something meaningful.

Guest: Alice Kaltman
Host: Molly Southgate
Episode Title: Laughing at Life’s Stumbles: Alice Kaltman on Mistakes, Growth, and Writing Honestly

In this heartfelt and hilarious episode of Read Between the Lines, host Molly Southgate chats with celebrated author Alice Kaltman about her newest release, Alice’s Big Book of Mistakes — a graphic memoir that celebrates the beauty of imperfection and the power of reflection.

From childhood gaffes to adult missteps, Alice brings humor and insight to every page.

Whether you’re a reader, writer, or lifelong learner, this conversation is an empowering reminder that messing up is part of what makes us human.

Purchase Alice’s Big Book of Mistakes and all of Alice's books at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9798989394036

or on Amazon at:

https://amzn.to/4m5tJ8K

Alice Kaltman is the author of the story collections Staggerwing and Almost Deadly Almost Good, and the novels The Tantalizing Tale of Grace Minnaugh, Wavehouse, and Dawg Towne. Her short fiction has been recognized by Best American Short Stories, Best Small Fictions, and the Pushcart Prize. Alice also writes nationally published articles on mental health and parenting.

She splits her time between Brooklyn and Montauk, NY, where she lives with her husband, sculptor Daniel Wiener, and their beloved Ollie the Wonder Dog.

• 🌐 Website: www.alicekaltman.com

• 📸 Instagram: @alicekaltman

• 🐦 X (Twitter): @AliceKaltman

• 👍 Facebook: facebook.com/AliceKaltmanAuthor

Alice Kaltman, Alice’s Big Book of Mistakes, graphic memoir, humor memoir, nonfiction writing, learning from mistakes, mental health, parenting essays, Brooklyn author, Montauk writer, book podcast, creative process, writing about real life, embracing imperfections

#ReadBetweenTheLines
#AlicesBigBookOfMistakes
#AliceKaltman
#GraphicMemoir
#WritingLife
#BookLoversPodcast
#HumorAndHeart
#ParentingAndWriting
#MistakesMakeUs
#WritersOnWriting

🎧 Tune in to celebrate mistakes, embrace the awkward, and discover how storytelling can turn even the messiest moments into something meaningful.

In this gripping episode of Read Between the Lines, host Molly Southgate talks with Victoria Helen Stone, bestselling author of Jane Doe, about her newest psychological thriller, Bald-Faced Liar.

Stone introduces listeners to Elizabeth May, a traveling nurse who has spent her life changing identities to escape a dark and traumatic past. Now hiding in Santa Cruz, Elizabeth’s carefully constructed world starts to crumble when someone recognizes her — and begins stalking her with ruthless precision. As secrets unravel, trust vanishes, and danger looms, Bald-Faced Liar delivers tension, betrayal, and unexpected twists.

Victoria and Molly discuss:

• The emotional depth and complexity of Elizabeth’s character

• Themes of identity, trauma, and trust in suspense fiction

• The challenges of writing characters who live double lives

• Why Bald-Faced Liar resonates with fans of Jane Doe

• Victoria’s love for thrillers, mountains, and murder mysteries

If you're a fan of psychological suspense, unreliable narrators, and twisty page-turners, don’t miss this conversation with one of today’s most compelling voices in genre fiction.

Purchase Bald-Faced Liar and all of Victoria's books at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781662514616

Victoria Helen Stone, author of Jane Doe and The Hook, is known for writing emotionally layered thrillers filled with dark intrigue and psychological suspense. She has also written over two dozen novels as Victoria Dahl, a USA Today bestselling author, and is a recipient of the American Library Association Reading List award for best genre fiction.

Her international bestsellers have been published in over 17 languages and read around the world. Victoria currently lives in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, where she hikes in summer and hibernates with crime documentaries and dessert in winter.

Living a lie becomes a matter of life and death when Elizabeth May, a traveling nurse with a dark past, discovers someone knows her real identity. A stalker begins dismantling her carefully crafted life, pushing Elizabeth into a world of paranoia and revelations. As danger closes in, Elizabeth must decide whether to flee again — or finally face the truth.

• 🌐 Website: www.VictoriaHelenStone.com

• 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/VictoriaHelenStone

• 📸 Instagram: @VictoriaHelenStone

• 🐦 X/Twitter: @VictoriaHStone

Victoria Helen Stone, Bald-Faced Liar, Jane Doe, psychological suspense, thrillers 2025, women in fiction, identity thriller, stalker fiction, dark fiction, suspense novels, unreliable narrator, emotional suspense, book podcast, Read Between the Lines, trauma fiction, reinvention story, suspense author interview, genre fiction

#ReadBetweenTheLines
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In this episode of Read Between the Lines, host Molly Southgate sits down with Bryan Gruley, award-winning author and former journalist, to talk about his latest suspense novel, Bitterfrost — set to release on April 1, 2025.

Bitterfrost follows Jimmy Baker, a former minor-league hockey player turned Zamboni driver in his small Michigan hometown, who finds himself entangled in a gripping double-murder investigation. As past violence resurfaces, Baker must confront guilt, memory, and mystery in a town frozen in more ways than one.

Bryan shares:

• The real-life inspiration behind Bitterfrost

• How hockey culture and crime fiction collide

• Writing deeply atmospheric Michigan noir

• His journey from journalism to bestselling author

• What fans of Starvation Lake and Bleak Harbor can expect next

If you love literary thrillers, small-town secrets, and complex characters, this conversation is a must-listen.

Purchase Bitterfrost and all of Bryan's books at Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781448315406

Bryan Gruley is the Amazon Charts bestselling and award-winning author of Bitterfrost, the Starvation Lake trilogy (Starvation Lake, The Hanging Tree, The Skeleton Box), and two novels set in the fictional Bleak Harbor (Bleak Harbor and Purgatory Bay).

A journalist for over 40 years, Bryan shared in the Pulitzer Prize awarded to The Wall Street Journal for its coverage of the September 11 attacks. A graduate of Notre Dame, avid hockey player, and amateur musician, Bryan lives in northern Michigan with his wife, Pam.

• 🌐 bryangruley.com

• 📘 Facebook

• 🐦 X/Twitter

• 📷 Instagram

Bryan Gruley, Bitterfrost, Starvation Lake, Bleak Harbor, Michigan fiction, murder mystery, hockey thriller, crime fiction, small-town mystery, journalist turned author, literary suspense, pulp noir, cold case, Zamboni mystery, thriller 2025, Amazon Charts author, Edgar finalist

#ReadBetweenTheLines
#BryanGruley
#Bitterfrost
#CrimeFiction
#HockeyThriller
#SmallTownMystery
#MichiganNoir
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#PulitzerPrizeJournalist

📚 About AT THE FOUNT OF CREATION:

For four hundred years, the world’s remaining Orisha have fought to survive the rapaciousness of the soul-stealing Godkillers and the charismatic words of the singular, mysterious figure who leads them, known as the Teacher. Now they seek to kill the one person whose existence defies their very mandate.

Now that Ashâke carries within herself the spirits of the surviving Orisha, she is on the hunt for allies who can help her defeat the encroaching army of Godkillers. But their influence is everywhere, and no one is immune—not even Ashâke. If she is to succeed, Ashâke will need to answer the question the Godkillers pose—are the Orisha even worth saving?

At the Fount of Creation on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781250908032

📖 About Tobi Ogundiran

Tobi Ogundiran is the award-winning author of Jackal, Jackal, a collection of 18 dark and fantastical tales. He has also been nominated for the British Science Fiction Association, Nommo and Shirley Jackson awards. His short fiction has been featured on the hit podcast LeVar Burton Reads, but also appears in journals such as Lightspeed, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and in several Year's Best anthologies. Born and raised in Nigeria, he now lives and works in the US South.

• 📸 Instagram: @tobi_ogundiran

• 🐦 Twitter/X: @tobiogundiran

• 🌍 Website: https://www.tobiogundiran.com

Tobi Ogundiran, Jackal Jackal, At the Fount of Creation, African fantasy, Orisha mythology, Nigerian authors, Godkillers, dark fantasy, award-winning author, speculative fiction, LeVar Burton Reads, Lightspeed Magazine, Shirley Jackson Awards, Nommo Awards, British Science Fiction Association, fantasy podcast, epic fantasy, diverse fantasy, Read Between the Lines, Molly Southgate

#TobiOgundiran #JackalJackal #AtTheFountOfCreation #AfricanFantasy #Orisha #DarkFantasy #SpeculativeFiction #BlackVoicesInFantasy #FantasyPodcast #MythologyInFiction #AwardWinningAuthor #LeVarBurtonReads #FantasyBooks #ReadBetweenTheLinesPodcast #MollySouthgate #BIPOCAuthors #EpicFantasy #NigerianAuthors

Enjoying deep dives into today’s most imaginative authors? Subscribe to Read Between the Lines with Molly Southgate and share this episode with your fellow readers, writers, and lovers of mythic fantasy.

Molly talks with Travis Baldree about his book, "Legends & Lattes".

📚 About Legends & Lattes

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

The Legends & Lattes on Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/a/10588/9781250886088

📖 About Travis Baldree

Travis is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author, a Locus, Nebula, and Hugo finalist, and a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog.

_______________________________________________________________

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Read Between the Lines is hosted by Molly Southgate and is produced/edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.

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