Bookish Flights: Books, Author Interviews & Must-Read Recommendations - Fake Dating & Full-Cast Audiobooks: Creating Know Your Newlywed with Heather Taylor and Hillary Nussbaum (E131)

Fake Dating & Full-Cast Audiobooks: Creating Know Your Newlywed with Heather Taylor and Hillary Nussbaum (E131)

02/12/25 • 40 min

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Bookish Flights: Books, Author Interviews & Must-Read Recommendations

In today’s episode, we have not only one guest but two! I am chatting with HEATHER TAYLOR and HILLARY NUSSBAUM. Together they wrote Know Your Newlywed, a full-cast audio production starring Mary Mouser of Cobra Kai and Tyler Posey of Teen Wolf. Know Your Newlywed is set between Boston and Chicago, and the female main character is an anthrozoologist—how cool is that? Heather writes and directs TV, film, and audio projects about complicated family relationships. She strives to destigmatize mental illness, disabilities, and poverty in her work. Hillary is a writer, director, and producer with a background in television development.

Episode Highlights:

Writing Exclusively for Audio – The challenges of storytelling without visual descriptions.
Creating Connection Through Sound – How to portray emotions & chemistry using audio.
Sound Environments – Using sound design to transport listeners between settings.
Casting & Voice Acting – The fascinating process of selecting voice actors and how they create authentic relationships despite recording separately.
Collaboration in Audiobook Production
Book Flight: Rom-Coms with the Fake Dating trope.

Connect with Heather Taylor and Hillary Nussbaum:

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

Ann Patchett books
L.M. Montgomery books
The Shennara Series by Terry Brooks
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Kitchen Science
Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
Population: 485 - Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry
The Night Shift by Dr. Brian Goldman
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Aknar

Book Flight

The Spanish Love Decepetion by Elena Armas
Funny Story by Emily Henry

Ready for a monthly literary adventure? We now have the BFF Book Club. Join us each month to explore a new book. After reading, connect with fellow book lovers and meet the author in a live interview! Can’t make it live? Don’t worry—we’ll send you the recording. You can find all our upcoming book club selections HERE.

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

Send us a text

Episode Highlights:

Writing Exclusively for Audio – The challenges of storytelling without visual descriptions.
Creating Connection Through Sound – How to portray emotions & chemistry using audio.
Sound Environments – Using sound design to transport listeners between settings.
Casting & Voice Acting – The fascinating process of selecting voice actors and how they create authentic relationships despite recording separately.
Collaboration in Audiobook Production
Book Flight: Rom-Coms with the Fake Dating trope.

Connect with Heather Taylor and Hillary Nussbaum:

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

Ann Patchett books
L.M. Montgomery books
The Shennara Series by Terry Brooks
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Kitchen Science
Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
Population: 485 - Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry
The Night Shift by Dr. Brian Goldman
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Aknar

Book Flight

The Spanish Love Decepetion by Elena Armas
Funny Story by Emily Henry

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

Previous Episode

Leading with Purpose: Military Medicine, Mental Health and Shaping Future Leaders with Dr. (Colonel) Josh McConkey (E130)

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In today’s episode, I am chatting with Dr. Josh McConkey. Dr. (Colonel) Josh McConkey is an award-winning/best-selling author and esteemed Emergency Physician with over two decades of clinical experience. He served as a professor at Duke University and maintains Board Certification in Emergency Medicine. With 22 years of military service, Dr. McConkey now commands the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron in the US Air Force Reserves, demonstrating exceptional leadership and dedication. He is a devoted father of three and his greatest passion lies in shaping future American leaders alongside his wife, Elsa.

Key Highlights:

Josh’s Career: Serving as an air transport/CCAT doctor in the Air Force Reserves, where he provides critical care during medical evacuations. Insights into his work as a flight surgeon and how his perspective on adrenaline and risk-taking has evolved since becoming a father.
The Weight Behind the Spear: Discussion on his book, which encapsulates his leadership ethos and was inspired by the increasing mental health challenges he has witnessed as an emergency room physician. Despite the divide in our country, his books talks about empowering and equipping the next generation.
Taking Action on Mental Health: The importance of community engagement, personal empowerment, and leveraging individual strengths to make a meaningful impact.
Personal Development & Leadership: A deep dive into his book flight, featuring titles that have shaped his leadership philosophy and personal growth.

This conversation is packed with wisdom, experience, and actionable insights—don’t miss it!

Connect with Dr. Josh McConkey:

Books and authors mentioned in the episode:

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough

Book Flight

Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis and Bing West
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
Everything is F*cked by Mark Manson

Support the show

Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!

Next Episode

A Literary Feast: Sweet Foodie Rom-Coms & Flash Fiction with Jordan Millsaps (E132)

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In today’s episode, I am chatting with Jordan Millsaps. Jordan is a wife and mama of two little girls living in East Tennessee. When she’s not writing romance, she enjoys reading, baking, working 1000-piece puzzles, and traveling with her family. She never gets tired of talking about books and connecting with other readers and writers.

Key Highlights:

Food & Fiction – From baking bread to making pasta, Jordan shares her love for food and how it inspires her writing.
Book Flight: Foodie Romance Novels – If you love books with delicious descriptions and swoon-worthy romance, this one’s for you! All of Jordan’s books and book flight are sweet, clean closed door rom-coms.
Flash Fiction 101 – Writing stories in 1,000 words or less? Jordan explains how this helped her discover her favorite genres.
Thrillers That Won’t Keep You Up at Night – Love suspense but need your sleep? We’ve got recommendations!
Indie Publishing Insights – Jordan talks about the journey of self-publishing and what it really takes to be an indie author.

Why listen?
✔️ Get delicious book recommendations
✔️ Learn how to start writing flash fiction
✔️ Find thrillers that balance suspense with sleep
✔️ Discover the indie author journey

Connect with Jordan Millsaps:

Books and authors mentioned: