Category Archives: Readers Delight

Reader’s Delight, Episode 32, July 26th, 2026

Episode XXXII of Reader’s Delight features authors Alison Gadsby, Crystal AJ Smith, and John Degen, as well as What’s In A Name with Erica and Andrew from Old Goat Books in Waterloo, Ontario.

Alison Gadsby joins the show to talk about her writing journey and the development of her short story collection Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive (Guernica Editions, 2026), and then reads an excerpt from the first story in the collection.
Social Media:
Instagram: @ay.jay.gee
Substack: @alisongadsby
Facebook: Junction Reads
Bluesky: @junctionreads.bsky.social
LinkedIn: Alison Gadsby
Book: Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive

Crystal AJ Smith and I talk about her debut novel Gitwaałtk (Gordon Hill Press and The Porcupine’s Quill, 2026), the characters she created, the Highway of Tears, and what prompted her to write the book, then she reads from the novel.
Book: Gitwaałtk

John Degen discusses the genre of “Nordic Noir” and the crafting of his new novel, the whodunnit Seldom Seen Road (Latitude 46 Publishing, 2026) before reading an excerpt from the beginning of the book.
Social Media:
Instagram: @jkdegen
Facebook: John Degen
TikTok: Shore Report
Book: Seldom Seen Road

Erica and Andrew from Old Goat Books in Waterloo,  Ontario tell us how the name of the store came about.

 

Reader’s Delight, Episode 31, June 28, 2026

Episode XXXI of Reader’s Delight features authors Conor McDonnell, Stephanie Wyeld, and Susan Grundy, as well as a What’s In A Name Bookstore Story from Jeanette of Dog-Eared Cafe in Paris, Ontario.

Conor McDonnell joins us to talk about his writing journey as both a poet and a medical professional, and read from his debut poetry collection, What We Know So Far Is…
Social Media:
Instagram: @conorpunchbook
Website: conormcdonnell.com
Books: What We Know So Far Is…

Stephanie Wyeld discusses the inspiration behind her debut novel, The Book of Maggie, as well as what she loves about being a writer, and then reads from the Prologue and Chapter 1 of the book.
Social Media:
Instagram: @wyeldchild
Facebook: Stephanie Wyeld
Books: The Book of Maggie

Susan Grundy and I talk about her latest novel Black Creek, and the family history that informed it, then Susan reads from two different characters’ perspectives in the novel.
Social Media:
Instagram: @susan_grundy_author
Website: susangrundy.com
Books: Black Creek

Jeannette from Dog-Eared Cafe in Paris, Ontario tells us how the name of the store was chosen.

Reader’s Delight, Episode 30, May 24, 2026

Episode XXX of Reader’s Delight features authors Kevin Andrew Heslop, Bill Garvey, Kess Mohammadi, as well as a What’s In A Name Bookstore Story from Shannon McKechnie of Commonplace Books in Ingersoll, Ontario,

Kevin Andrew Heslop discusses his most recent essay collection, The Writing’s on the Wind’s Wall: Dialogues About ‘Medical Assistance in Dying‘, and then reads selections from the book.
Books: The Writing’s on the Wind’s Wall

Bill Garvey joins us to talk about all things poetry, and reads from his two collections, The basement on Biella and Leaning in the same direction.
Social Media:
Facebook: Bill Garvey
Website: Bill Garvey
Books: Leaning in the same direction, The basement on Biella

Kess Mohammadi and I talk about their latest poetry collection The Book of Interruptions as well as their upcoming collection, out soon, and then Kess reads from The Book of Interruptions.
Social Media:
Instagram: @DearKestral
Website: Khashayar Mohammadi

Shannon McKechnie of Commonplace Books in Ingersoll tells us how she chose “Commonplace” for the name of the store.

Reader’s Delight, Episode 29, April 26, 2026

Episode XXIX of Reader’s Delight features authors Ewan Whyte, Crystal Quast, and Shani Mootoo, as well as What’s In A Name Bookstore Stories from Blueink Bookstore Cafe and Hidden Gem Book Co., both in Woodstock, Ontario.

Ewan Whyte discusses his new book, Mothers of Invention: Essays on the Community of Jesus and Grenville Christian College (Wolsak and Wynn, 2025), and shares his thoughts about cults, Christian Nationalism, abuse, and reads “Landscapes From the Back of a Train” from the book.
Social Media:
Facebook – Ewan Whyte
Instagram – Ewan Whyte
Website: ewanwhyte.com

Crystal Quast joins us to talk about her darkly satirical psychological thriller series Serenity Acres, and talks about the writing process and the inspiration behind it all. Crystal and I do a shared reading of the third book in the series, Eye Spied.
Social Media:
Facebook: Dinked Serenity Acres
Instagram: @DinkedSerenity
Books: Serenity Acres Series

Shani Mootoo makes an appearance to talk about her work as both a poet, novelist, and visual artist, and how she approaches different genres. She reads from her sixth novel, Starry Starry Night (Book*hug Press).
Social Media:
Instagram: Shani Mootoo
Website: Shani Mootoo
Books: Shani Mootoo
Wikipedia Page: Shani Mootoo

 

Reader’s Delight, Episode 28, March 22, 2026

Episode XXVIII of Reader’s Delight features authors Danila Botha, Jason Allen, and Paul Edward Costa.

Danila Botha tells us about her new graphic novel Vidal (At Bay Press, 2026) and discusses some of the inspiration behind her latest novel A Place For People Like Us (Guernica Editions, 2025), then reads from the opening chapter of A Place For People Like Us.
Social Media:
Bluesky – @danilabotha.bsky.social
Facebook – Danila Botha
Instagram – @danilabotha
Website – http://www.danilabotha.com
Books – Vidal, A Place For People Like Us

Jason Allen joins us to talk about his debut non-fiction collection of essays, 52 Things To Do In Hamilton: An Insider’s Guide To Fun In The Hammer. We talk about why he wrote the book, the wide variety of activities and events that Hamilton has to offer, and then he reads selections from the collection.
Social Media:
Website: jasonallen.ca
Book: 52 Things To Do In Hamilton

Paul Edward Costa makes an appearance and discusses his writing process, the style and themes that inspired his poetry collections Vigils of the Night Office (DarkWinter Press, 2025 ) and Some Half-Human Creature Thing (Mosaic Press, 2025), and the art of spoken word performance before he reads selections from his works, including his upcoming collection Black Pasture Insurgent (DarkWinter Press, 2027).
Social Media:
Instagram – @paul.edward.costa
Facebook – Paul Edward Costa
Books: Vigils of the Night Office, Some Half-Human Creature Thing

Reader’s Delight, Episode 27, February 22, 2026

Episode XXVII of Reader’s Delight features authors Irina Moga, David Giuliano, and Whitney French.

Irina Moga talks about her writing process, her love of poetry that fuses the cerebral and the sensory, and then reads from her new collection, Quantum, published by DarkWinter Press last year.
Social media: @pictopoems
Books: irinamoga.com

David Giuliano joins us to discuss writing in a variety of genres, what inspires his writing, and provides an overview of his new book The Upending of Wendall Forbes (Latitude 46, 2025) before reading an excerpt from the novel.
Social media: David Giuliano on Facebook
Books: www.davidgiuliano.ca

Whitney French is with us to talk about her roles as writer, editor, and publisher, her love of writing in trees, and her new work, Syncopation, A Novel in Verse, which was just released by Wolak and Wynn earlier in February 2026, before reading from the book.
Social media: @whitneyfrenchwrites
Books: Syncopation, A Novel in Verse

Reader’s Delight Episode 26, January 25, 2026

Episode XXVI of Reader’s Delight features authors Cindy Matthews, Brad Smith, and Melissa Schnarr.

Cindy Matthews joins us to talk about her third short story collection Audrey Droop (DarkWinter Press, 2026), her writing routines and processes, and reads an excerpt from one of her favourite stories.
Instagram: @cindymatthews1957
Book Site: The Roach Family and Other Stories

Brad Smith discusses  his love of history, politics, and baseball and their influences on his work, as well as his writing routine, before reading from his latest novel, Billy Crawford’s Double Play (Wolsak and Wynn, 2025).
Instagram: @virgilcain3
Website: Brad Smith Books

Melissa Schnarr tells our listeners about her new poetry collection A Bow Forged from Ash (Palimpsest Press, 2025), her publishing journey and the background to the creation of the collection, then reads several pieces from the collection.
Instagram: @mel_schnarr 
Book Site: A Bow Forged from Ash

Reader’s Delight Episode 25, December 28, 2025

Episode XXV of Reader’s Delight features authors Lindsay Mayhew, Connor LaFortune, Kyle Flemmer, and Vanessa Ricci-Thode.

Lindsay Mayhew and Connor LaFortune join us to discuss the evolution of the anthology they co-edited, A Thousand Tiny Awakenings, and to read their own contributions to the collection.
Social media: @lindsaymayhewpoet
http://NMKNS.ca
Books: A Thousand Tiny Awakenings

Kyle Flemmer talks about his work as a multi-media artist and reads from his recent poetry collection Supergiants (Wolsak and Wynn), as well as sharing with us about his upcoming book The Wiki of Babel.
Website: kyleflemmer.com
Vanessa Ricci-Thode is back to talk about the last book in her Fireborn series, Favour Fire, and to read from the book.

Reader’s Delight Episode 24, November 23, 2025

Episode XXIV of Reader’s Delight features authors Aamir Hussain, Susan Salomonsson, and Margo LaPierre.

Aamir Hussain joins us to talk about the development of his debut novel Under the Full and Crescent Moon (Dundurn Press, 2025), especially the influence of family on the novel, and reads an excerpt focusing on the main character.
Website: https://aamiranauthor.ca/
Book Site: https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459754447-under-the-full-and-crescent-moon

Susan Salomonsson shares the second part of her Thread Through Time Series A Lemon Pie Life and explains the significance of the title before reading from  the first chapter of the novel.

Margo LaPierre tells our listeners about her new poetry collection Ajar (Guernica Editions, 2025), her publishing journey and the background to the creation of the collection, then reads several pieces from the collection.
Website: Margo LaPierre Linktree
Book Site: Ajar

 

Reader’s Delight Episode 23, October 26, 2025

Episode XXIII of Reader’s Delight features authors Maria Sayde, Jane Ann McLachlan, and Tolu Oloruntoba.

Maria Sayde joins us her introduce her new manuscript, a Greek-Phoenician mythology retelling titled Sea Of Stars and reads from the Prologue and Chapter 1 of the book.
Website: http://linktr.ee/mariasayde
IG: http://instagram.com/mariaasayde
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mariaasayde

Jane Ann McLachlan talks about writing in a variety of genres and reads from her latest medieval historical fiction novel, The Lode Stone.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZR9RDQD

http://www.janeannmclachlan.com/

Tolu Oloruntoba discusses his approach to writing poetry and discusses his latest poetry collection Unravel (McClelland and Stewart, 2025) before reading a selection of pieces from the work.
https://www.tolu.ca

Reader’s Delight Episode 22, September 28, 2025

Episode XXII of Reader’s Delight features authors Jinwoo Park, Michael Mirolla, and Emily De Angelis.

Jinwoo Park discusses his new novel Oxford Soju Club (Dundurn Press, 2025) and his writing journey then reads an excerpt from the novel.
Website: https://jinwoopark.com/
Indigo Buy Link: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/oxford-soju-club/9781459755109.html
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Oxford-Soju-Club-JinwooPark/dp/1459755103

Michael Mirolla  talks about writing in a variety of genres, tells our listeners about his upcoming release, the novel How About This (At Bay Press, November 2025) and reads from the book.
https://www.michaelmirolla.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mirolla
Amazon Buy Link: Michael Mirolla

Emily De Angelis joins us again to introduce her latest manuscript, For the Sake of Mercy, her second magic realism Young Adult novel with a protagonist who, this time, deals with her personal trauma through poetry, and then reads from the novel.
Amazon Buy Link: Emily De Angelis

Reader’s Delight Episode 20, July 27, 2025

Episode XX of Reader’s Delight features authors Catherine Bush, Laura Gorman, and Saad Omar Khan.

Catherine Bush reads an excerpt from her short story “Derecho”, from her collection Skin (Goose Lane Editions).

Laura Gorman discusses her poetry and reads several pieces from her work in progress.

Saad Omar Khan discusses his publishing journey and what inspired him to write his debut novel, Drinking The Ocean (Wolsak and Wynn).

 

Reader’s Delight Episode 19, June 22, 2025

Episode XIX of Reader’s Delight Features authors Natalie Lim, Alexis von Konigslow, and James Cairns.

Natalie Lim talks about her new poetry collection Elegy for Opportunity (Wolsak and Wynn) and reads several pieces from the collection.

Alexis von Konigslow shares how she wrote her latest novel The Exclusion Zone (Wolsak and Wynn) and reads an excerpt from the book.

James Cairns discusses the evolution of his new essay collection In Crisis, On Crisis (Wolsak and Wynn) with host Suzanne Craig-Whytock and reads from the collection.

 

Reader’s Delight Episode 18, May 25, 2025

Episode XVIII of Reader’s Delight features authors Vanessa Ricci-Thode, Rick Hipson, and Sarah Mae Conrad.

Vanessa tells us about the upcoming Waterloo Bookfest on Saturday, May 31st from 2pm to 8 pm at Waterloo Town Square, and reads from her upcoming release The Dragon Next Door.

Rick Hipson shares the creative process behind his popular book A Reviewer’s Guide To Reviewing Books, talks about the art of writing drabbles, and reads from his collection 13 Dreadful Drabbles To Die For.

Sarah Mae Conrad discusses her new collection of romantic comedy short stories M Is For Meet Cute, and reads from the first story in the collection, A Is For Airplane.

Reader’s Delight Episode 17, April 27, 2025

Episode XVII of Reader’s Delight features authors Emily De Angelis, Sruthi Amalan, and Caitlin Galway.

Emily discusses her new chapbook IN THE SPACE BETWEEN: THE ‘NEW WOMAN’ IN THE WRITING OF FLORENCE CARLYLE and reads some of her poetry as well as excerpts from Florence Carlyle’s work. She also provides a synopsis of her Young Adult novel The Stones of Burren Bay (Latitude 46 Publishing).

Sruthi Amalan speaks about her creative process and reads from her new poetry collection The skin is an ocean, due to be published in 2026 by DarkWinter Press.

Caitlin Galway offers some insight and background to her upcoming short story collection A Song For Wildcats (upcoming with Dundurn Press) and reads an excerpt from the title story in the collection.

Reader’s Delight, Episode 16, March 23, 2025 with Sarah Tolmie, Ruth Thompson, and Adrienne Stevenson

Cohosts Suzanne Craig-Whytock and Richard H. Stephens are delighted to share the 16th episode of Reader’s Delight.

On Sunday, March 23rd, we had the privilege to  not only speak with 3 more talented authors, but also enjoyed listening as they read excerpts from their books.

Our guests listed by order of appearance:

Sarah Tolmie: Sarah is the author of three collections of poetry with McGill-Queen’s University Press: Check (2020), The Art of Dying (2018: finalist for the Griffin Prize) and Trio (2014: finalist for the Pat Lowther Award). She has published eight books of fiction, embracing short story, novella and novel, including The Fourth Island (2020) and All the Horses of Iceland (2022) with Tor.com, and The Stone Boatmen (2014: finalist for IAFA’s Crawford Award) and The Little Animals (2019: Special Citation at the Philip K Dick Awards) with Aqueduct Press. She is also a medievalist trained at the University of Toronto and Cambridge and is a Professor of English at the University of Waterloo.

To find out more about Sarah’s books, please click here.

Ruth Thompson: Ruth is a Holistic Nutritionist in Cambridge with two books about holistic health—sharing insights on how to balance ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

To find out more about Ruth’s books, please lick here. 

Adrienne Stevenson: Adrienne writes both nonfiction and fiction, poetry, short stories, and novels. A story of one woman’s courage and perseverance to save her family when the United States invades Canada.

To find out more about Adrienne’s books, please click here.

Reader’s Delight, Episode 16, featuring Ruth Thompson, Adrienne Stevenson, and Sarah Tolmie

Join us this Sunday at 2PM as we talk with Ruth Thompson and Sarah Tolmie in studio, as well as hear from Adrienne Stevenson who will be joining our show via a recording all the way from Ottawa.

Ruth Thompson is a Holistic Nutritionist in Cambridge with two books about holistic health–sharing insights on how to balance ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually. To learn more about Ruth, click here.

Adrienne Stevenson writes both nonfiction and fiction, poetry, short stories, and novels. A story of one woman’s courage and perseverance to save her family when the United States invades Canada. To learn more about Adrienne, click here.

To learn more about Sarah Tolmie, click here.

Reader’s Delight , Episode 15

Host, Richard H. Stephens, Fantasy Author, welcomed guest authors, Daryl J. Ball, Sruthi Amalan, and new Reader’s Delight host, Suzanne Craig-Whytock to speak a bit about themselves and read an excerpt from their writings.

Daryl J. Ball is the author of a vampiric journal-type novel called the Tannis Project, and the fantasy series, the Barriers of Mibekel.

Sruthi Amalan is a Tamil diaspora poet who writes to explore her intersecting identities and the world around her.

Suzanne Craig-Whytock, publisher and author, will also be adding the title radio show host to her list of accomplishments when she takes over Reader’s Delight this spring while Richard is away.

Here is episode 15 for your listening pleasure:

Reader’s Delight, Episode 15

Join us at 2PM as host, Richard H. Stephens, interviews authors Adrienne Stevenson, Sruthi Amalan, and Daryl J. Ball. During their discussion, the authors will be invited to read an excerpt from their works for your enjoyment.

You can find out more about Adrienne Stevenson by clicking here.

You can find out more about Sruthi Amalan by clicking here.

You can find out more about Daryl J. Ball by clicking here.

Reader’s Delight Episode 14 January 26, 2025

Reader’s Delight Episode 14, January 26, 2025 at 2P.M.

Enjoy listening to episode 14 of Reader’s Delight 

 

In this episode, host Richard H. Stephens, chatted with Caroline Topperman, Kimia Eslah, and Sandra Wilson.

To learn more about Caroline Topperman’s books, click here.

To learn more about Kimi Eslah’s books, click here.

To learn more about Sandra Wilson’s books, click here.

Reader’s Delight, Episode 14

Reader’s Delight Episode 14, january 26, 2025 at 2P.M.

Join us on Sunday, January 26 at 2:00 P.M. as Reader’s Delight returns to the air with the the wonderful literary talents of Sandra Wilson, Kimia Eslah, and Caroline Topperman. On this show, we will learn a little more about these wonderful authors and then sit back and enjoy as they read an excerpt from their books.

To learn more about Sandra Wilson’s books, click here.

To learn more about Kimia Eslah’s books, click here.

To learn more about Caroline Topperman’s books, click here.

If you have any questions about this show, or anything else writing related, please do not hesitate to contact the host of Reader’s Delight at: richardhstephens1@gmail.com

Readers Delight Episode 12

Join us December 1st, 2024 as we speak to Emily De Angelis, Suzanne Craig-Whytock, and Brian Van Norman.

A little about our guests:

Brian is an award-winning author of several books including the Against the Machine trilogy. Click here to visit his website.

Suzanne is the Editor-In-Chief of Darkwinter Magazine and Press, as well as the author of several novels and short stories. Click here to visit her website.

Emily is a writer and poet from Woodstock, Ontario whose debut novel, The Stones of Burren Bay was released in May 2024. Click here to visit her website.

Reader’s Delight Episode 10, A Conversation with Vanessa Ricci-Thode

A casual conversation about writing with Vanessa Ricci-Thode, co-founder of the KW Writer’s Alliance.

Today we discussed the importance of an editor and cover designer for unknown authors. We also read excerpts from our works.

Download: Readers-Delight-Episode-10-2024-10-6-1.mp3 (50MB, 50m19s, episode 10)

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Episode IX of Readers Delight

Readers Delight with cup of coffee

 

Episode IX of Readers Delight – features authors:  Charlotte Gibson, Mark Leslie & Jessica Vitalis.

Charlotte Gibson  read from her book, “Running with Unicorns”. Charlotte’s books are available on Amazon.

Mark Leslie read from his book, “One Hand Screaming”. You can find Mark’s books on Amazon & in local bookstores.

Jessica Vitalis read from her book, “Coyote Queen”. You can find Jessica’s book on Amazon & in local bookstores.

Episode VIII of Readers Delight

Readers Delight with cup of coffee

Download: ReadersDelight-2024-08-11T13_00_27.mp3 55 MB, 1h00m02s

Episode VIII of Readers Delight – features authors:  Vincent Anioke & Mariam Pirbhai

Vincent Anioke read from his book, “Perfect Little Angels”. Vincent’s books are available on Amazon & local bookstores.
Mariam Pirbhai read from her book,  “Garden Inventories: Reflections on Land, Place and Belonging”. You can find Miriam’s books on Amazon & local bookstores.

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