Books That Make You Podcast

Books That Make You brings you conversations with both authors and literary folks on the business side of things. We discuss new books, old books, indie books, and all the wonderful themes found within books. Whether you're an author or an avid book reader, this is the show for you.

Books That Make You Podcast is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Books That Make You Podcast, a arts show with 100 episodes published.

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  Episode #29

  S:7 E:29 | Is Your Phone Choosing How You Live, Reclaiming Your Life from Endless Scrolling

  Sep 22, 202629 minS7

  How much of your digital life are you actually choosing? In this episode of Books That Make You, author Heather Henderson joins Desireé Duffy to discuss her book, Reclaim: How to Stop Scrolling Through Your Life and Start Living It, and the subtle ways technology can shape our attention, habits, choices, and relationships. After spending a decade working inside technology companies including Google and Uber, Heather saw firsthand how deeply our digital environments can influence the way we live. She also experienced the personal cost of constant achievement and connection, including a stress-induced asthma attack while working at Google that forced her to reconsider the way she was living. Heather explains why she believes technology itself is not the enemy. Instead, the challenge is recognizing when unconscious habits begin making decisions for us. The conversation explores the five human needs Heather says we often turn to technology to meet: ease, distraction, connection, growth, and impact. She also introduces her digital regulator archetypes, including "the watcher," and explains how identifying the emotional needs behind our digital habits can help us make more intentional choices. Heather and Desireé also discuss "growth theater," the habit of consuming endless self-improvement content without applying what we learn, and Heather's one-to-one rule for turning information into action. What would change if you stopped measuring your life by what you captured, posted, or consumed—and started paying closer attention to the moments you were actually living? Reclaim: How to Stop Scrolling Through Your Life and Start Living It Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Reclaim-Scrolling-Through-Start-Living-ebook/dp/B0HB7BKZDH/

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  Episode #28

  S:7 E:28 From Broken to Brave with Amy M. Le: A Heart Warrior's Journey

  Sep 2, 202634 minS7

  How do you keep going when life gives you every reason to stop? In From Broken to Brave , author and publisher Amy M. Le shares the deeply personal experiences that shaped her life, from escaping the Vietnam War as a five-year-old child to undergoing life-saving open-heart surgery shortly after arriving in America. Amy joins the Books That Make You Show to discuss why, after years of writing fiction and helping other authors tell their stories, she knew it was finally time to tell her own. Her memoir explores survival, identity, family, discrimination, homelessness, trauma, and the complicated experience of growing up between Vietnamese and American cultures. Amy also shares how reconnecting with a college friend helped her recover a missing piece of her past and gave her what she needed to finally complete the book. But From Broken to Brave is about more than what Amy survived. It is also about what came afterward. Amy discusses finding her voice, becoming an author, writing with her son, and building Quill Hawk Publishing, a hybrid publishing company focused on amplifying diverse voices. She also explains why community has been so important throughout her writing career and offers a simple piece of advice to aspiring authors: find your tribe and don't try to do it alone. Amy's journey shows how storytelling can connect generations, preserve history, create community, and help us make meaning from experiences we once struggled to understand.

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  Episode #27

  S: 7 E: 27 Inside Audiobook Production with Becky Parker Geist of Pro Audio Voices

  Aug 11, 202631 minS7

  Can listening to a book create a richer experience than reading it on the page? Becky Parker Geist, CEO of Amplify Audiobooks and Pro Audio Voices, joins Books That Make You to explore how the human voice can transform a story. She explains why skilled narration does more than read the words—it draws listeners into the characters, atmosphere, emotions, and meaning of a book. Becky also takes us behind the scenes of professional audiobook production. From manuscript preparation and casting to recording, editing, proofing, mastering, distribution, and marketing. Every decision helps shape the listener's experience. She shares why the right narrator must connect with the specific book and why authors should only narrate their own books when they feel genuinely excited and prepared to do so. The conversation also examines the challenges independent authors face after investing in an audiobook. Becky explains how traditional retail platforms can limit royalties, pricing control, marketing options, and direct relationships with listeners. Amplify Audiobooks was created to offer another approach. The platform brings authors, narrators, and listeners together through live events, real-time audiobook clubs, direct communication, promotional tools, and Reflections, a feature that works like writing in the margins of an audiobook. Discover how audiobooks can become shared experiences rather than simple transactions—and why supporting authors through a different listening platform may be easier and more rewarding than you may realize. #Audiobooks #AudiobookProduction #IndependentAuthors #BookPublishing #Narration #AmplifyAudiobooks Amplify Audiobooks: https://amplifyaudiobooks.com/ Pro Audio Voices: https://proaudiovoices.com/

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  Episode #26

  S:7 E:26 Angel on a Bridge: Becca Moore's Fight for Family Beyond Football

  Jul 28, 202636 minS7

  What happens when doing the right thing comes at a deeply personal cost? Author Becca Moore joins Books That Make You to discuss her memoir, Angel on a Bridge, a story shaped by childhood trauma, family sacrifice, public criticism, and the courage to stand beside young people who need an advocate. Becca reflects on being adopted by her aunt and uncle at age nine after growing up in an abusive home. That experience changed the direction of her life and taught her that love often requires sacrifice. Years later, that lesson returned when she and her husband were asked to take custody of Thayer Munford, a talented student-athlete facing academic struggles and an unsafe living situation. Their decision led to court proceedings, media attention, and accusations that questioned their motives. Becca explains why she continued fighting, even when public opinion became harsh, and why she believes success should be measured by far more than athletic achievement. The conversation also explores mentorship, social media criticism, racial assumptions, the pressures placed on young athletes, and the responsibility adults have to see the person beyond the uniform. Becca shares how writing Angel on a Bridge helped her revisit painful memories, honor the women who changed her life, and recognize the lasting impact of offering someone a safe path forward. This is a candid conversation about resilience, advocacy, family, and the people who help us cross the bridges we cannot cross alone.

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  Episode #25

  S:7 E:25 | Becoming Your Own Hero with Debbie Bishop in PILLYWIGGIN: AWAKENING

  Jun 23, 202642 minS7

  Debbie Bishop on PILLYWIGGIN: AWAKENING and Becoming Your Own Hero PILLYWIGGIN: AWAKENING with Debbie Bishop | Fantasy, AI and Resilience Debbie Bishop's PILLYWIGGIN: AWAKENING Blends Fantasy and Real Power Inside PILLYWIGGIN: AWAKENING with Fantasy Author Debbie Bishop Debbie Bishop on Epic Fantasy, Reinvention and PILLYWIGGIN: AWAKENING 2. YouTube video description What if no one is coming to save you—and that is actually the good news? In this episode of Books That Make You, award-winning author and entrepreneur Debbie Bishop joins us to talk about PILLYWIGGIN: AWAKENING , a sweeping fantasy adventure filled with fey worlds, hidden realms, imprisoned boys, dragon danger, martial arts, strategy, friendship, and the powerful idea of becoming your own hero. Debbie shares how the story explores resilience, reinvention, and the strength that comes from rising through difficult circumstances rather than waiting for rescue. She discusses the layered world of PILLYWIGGIN: AWAKENING , where characters build bonds, train themselves, challenge stereotypes, and discover courage in unexpected places. The conversation also moves beyond fantasy into Debbie's own creative life, including her work in Hollywood, her experience reinventing herself after personal and professional setbacks, and her views on creativity, metaphysics, AI, and the future of storytelling. She opens up about learning to stop diminishing herself, step into her own voice, and finally promote the work she has spent years creating. This conversation is for fantasy readers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and anyone who has ever felt called to break out of their shell and trust their own power. #DebbieBishop #PILLYWIGGINAWAKENING #FantasyBooks #BooksThatMakeYou #EpicFantasy #AuthorInterview #CreativeWriting #AIAndStorytelling #WomenAuthors

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