On May 24, 2025, I walked through leafy streets and past colourful spring gardens to the East Van recording studio of Fiona Jackson, host of the Bookmarkable podcast. Fiona had recently read The Broken Places and invited me to be the first author on her show.
Clutching my cheat-sheet of recent reads and favourite authors, because this is largely a podcast about reading, I worried that I’d have dry mouth or misspeak or forget something crucial. But the gracious and curious Fiona put me instantly at ease.
We talked about my work, and then got into the (for me) best part: reading, reading, reading; books, books, books. Thomas Hardy came up a lot, as did Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. I recalled reading the 18th-century novels Pamela and Clarissa, by Samuel Richardson; and a classic of another kind, Scruples, by Judith Krantz.
Both Fiona and I, it turns out, have wide-ranging, eclectic tastes in reading. I loved our discussion! Check it out: Bookmarkable episode 17, a free podcast.