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.