The Correspondent
Virginia Evans discusses The Correspondent, letters, reinvention, and the persistence behind her debut novel’s success.
On this episode of Shelf Care Society, Brian Larson sits down with #1 New York Times bestselling author Virginia Evans to talk about her breakout novel, The Correspondent . Together, they explore Sybil Van Antwerp’s unforgettable voice, the ethics of saying exactly what we mean, and the emotional architecture of letters both sent and unsent. Virginia opens up about writing six novels before finding traditional publication, how rejection became data instead of identity, and what it felt like to watch this book climb slowly, then suddenly, to the top of the bestseller list. They discuss Ireland, distance, chosen vocation, the evolution of the cover art, and why the epistolary form became the perfect vessel for Sybil’s journey. Plus: Virginia shares her own “Yes! Moment” that changed her trajectory, and what she’s working on next.
“It’s the willingness to take the hits and to have the guts to keep trying and to keep putting yourself out there and to keep being prepared to receive a no.”
TJ Klune on “We Burned So Bright,” Queer Love & His New Book, "The Stars Look Like Home"
We Burned So Bright; The Stars Look Like Home
TJ Klune talks with Brian about queer love at the end of the world in We Burned So Bright, revisiting Murmuration, and writing grief and companionship in The Stars Look Like Home.
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What should be on your reading radar as we head into the final stretch of 2026?
Brian shares his late-2026 reading radar, with a mid-episode conversation with Taylor Tomlinson about reading on tour, audiobooks, and creativity.
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Kathryn Stockett on “The Calamity Club,” 17 Years After “The Help”
The Calamity Club
Brian and Kathryn discuss the seventeen years between "The Help" and "The Calamity Club," the publishing journey behind the novel, Depression-era Mississippi, and the "YES!" moment that unlocked the book.
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