In this week’s episode of The Bookshop at the End of the Internet, author Ben Gonshor discusses his new novel, The Book of Izzy. In this book, we meet a gentleman named Izzy who is at a dead end in his career, his romance, and his life in general. He is also experiencing a mental health crisis. But Izzy is given an opportunity to play the main character in The Dybbuk, a play that is considered Yiddish theater’s Romeo and Juliet. This novel follows Izzy’s journey from Izzy going off his meds, to experiencing the world of amateur dramatics, to ultimately discovering the impact that Yiddish theater has on his identity and his search for meaning in his life. The Book of Izzy blends dark humor with magical realism while paying tribute to Yiddish culture. In this episode, I’ll chat with Ben about his writing journey, how his success as a playwright led him to write his first novel, and what he describes as the miracle of writing.
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In this week’s episode of The Bookshop at the End of the Internet, author Raymond Paul Johnson discusses his debut novel, Conspiracy Ignited. Ray’s main character is a former CIA combat pilot-turned-California litigator named Eric Ridge. As the book opens, an attempt is made on Ridge’s life, which sets off a twisty, suspense-filled game of cat and mouse that ultimately leads to his discovery of a powerful cabal vying for control of the US legal system. In this fast-paced thriller, Ray covers everything from civil trial lawyers to CIA operatives, and the world of aviation to the post-combat experiences of military veterans. Ray has wanted to be a writer since high school, but he had a number of other careers -- engineer, Air Force pilot, CIA pilot, and civil trial lawyer -- before finally publishing Conspiracy Ignited. In this episode, I’ll chat with Ray about his writing journey, why he decided to focus the conspiracies in the novel on the judiciary and the jury system, and why the theme of “tough never quits” is found not only in his debut novel but in all of his careers to date.

The Bookshop at the End of the Internet is also available on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and YouTube. Subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode!​​