Historical Bookworm Podcast Por KyLee Woodley and Darcy arte de portada

Historical Bookworm

Historical Bookworm

De: KyLee Woodley and Darcy
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The Historical Bookworm Podcast is for lovers of history and fans of Inspirational Historical Fiction. It’s a unique interview show with a historical spin! Find out more at HistoricalBookworm.comAll audio works owned by Historical Bookworm. Copying or sharing for profit is prohimbited. Arte Historia y Crítica Literaria Mundial
Episodios
  • Episode 122: The American Revolution and Family Bonds with Laura Frantz

    Episode 122: The American Revolution and Family Bonds with Laura Frantz
    Mar 9 2026
    Award-winning, bestselling author Laura Frantz is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying. Proud of her heritage, she is also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Special Guest Co-Host Heather Tabers Today we have someone special joining us. Since Darcy was unable to join for this recording, our friend Heather Tabers stepped in to cohost with KyLee. Heather writes Historical Romance and Children’s Fiction, and she also hosts The Hope-Filled Romantic—a podcast where faith and fiction meet real-life love stories. And now for the interview with Laura Frantz, discussing her latest novel, The Belle of Chatham. (pronounced “chat-um”) Is there a word or goal that’s inspiring you in this chapter of life? Laura: You hit it on the head when you opened and said, “How do we pursue God through our writing?” I’m eighteen novels in now, and my pursuit for the Lord is stronger than it was even with my debut novel back in 2009. I just want to honor him with a gift. He gave the writing gift–it wasn’t one I asked for or really wanted, but it was a sign to me. We’re here to bless and minister to others, and I think the written word does that. So my desire is just to press on. Life is often a spiritual fight, and I just want to finish well. We don’t know how much time we have. I’m old enough to remember the nation’s bicentennial, which was 1976 and now we’re at 2026. So this is a huge milestone, historically for us as a nation, and personally. Whatever time I have left, hopefully it’s many more years and many more books, I want to pursue God with everything that is in me and try to honor him with every story I write. Read more: Episode 122: The American Revolution and Family Bonds with Laura Frantz KyLee: Wow, I admire that. Just to press on, to move forward–whatever’s in front of you, whatever comes your way–just to keep moving towards God. And you’re speaking specifically towards the books you’re writing, but really that’s applicable to every area of our life, as parents, and spouses, and at work, and everywhere we go. And when I think about pressing on with God, I picture that light in front of us, guiding us. What is one book that you read last year that really stuck with you and why? Laura: You know, I read a lot of historical fiction, mostly for research, but one thing I’ve gotten invested in is a 24-book series in the general market – Anne Perry’s William Monk Victorian Mysteries. And there’s a reason I invested in that. My book that releases next January is set in London. I wanted to see how another author, even in a different time period, handled that same setting along the River Thames, and with the police force at that time. So I thought, “Oh, I’ll just read one book.” But there’s a reason Anne Perry is so wildly popular and prolific. She has some of the smartest writing I’ve ever read. So the William Monk series is clean, although a little bit bloody or gruesome at times, but so eye-opening into Victorian England. Do you have a favorite historical figure who inspires you? Laura: George Washington and also Daniel Boone. Men who were both totally intrepid and stalwart. George Washington didn’t know that he’d be on our currency now, or we’d name our capital after him. He had no idea he was the great “George Washington.” And Daniel Boone plays a big part in my heritage. I’m from Kentucky, and recently, I read a document that listed my ancestor as coming into Kentucky with Boone in the latter 18th century. And also George Humes, my ancestor, is credited with teaching surveying to the very young Washington from 1748 to 1750 in Virginia. So to see how the Lord has allowed me to write so close to my ancestry is such a beautiful thing to me. I don’t understand it, but just seeing my people come alive in history, and with such an amazing godly historical figure like Boone, is truly amazing. This crazy woman in the 21st century is writing about these amazing historical figures, and there’s actually a link. Only God could have done that. Heather: My family is the McFeeders family, and we came from the Hume Clan, so I have to believe that we’re cousins somehow. Laura: Long-lost cousins! I love it! KyLee: You never know what you’ll find when you start digging into your genealogy. I have chills just hearing you found out that one of your ancestors came over with Daniel Boone. Digging back and finding out where your people come from is very exciting. And is there anything especially interesting that you haven’t covered ...
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  • Crossover Episode with the Lit Ladies Podcast

    Crossover Episode with the Lit Ladies Podcast
    Dec 29 2025
    Today we have the pleasure of sharing an episode from one of our favorite podcasts, the Lit Ladies Podcast. Here is more about their show: We are three writers and moms exploring how to live out our faith in our literary lives. We span the country—from the coasts to the Midwest—and with different stages of life, careers, and favorite genres, we are sure to cover the literary landscape. In every episode, we’ll discuss books we love, reading life, and writing craft, using the Bible as our guide for beauty, goodness, and truth. New episodes drop every other Friday! Historical Fiction, War Stories, and What We Sip While We Read This Lit Ladies Podcast crossover with the Historical Bookworm team covers why historical fiction matters, how war settings shape stories, and what everyone is reading right now. Key takeaways Historical fiction makes history personal, which helps you see how everyday people lived.Accuracy matters most when it grounds the characters and the social pressures of the era.War settings work best when the focus stays on human cost, resilience, and the ripple effects on families.Reading older books can mean meeting older blind spots, which calls for discernment instead of reflexive dismissal.Lesser-known conflicts can add fresh perspective, especially when anchored in solid research. Welcome to the crossover Karissa: Hello and welcome to the Lit Ladies Podcast. Today we’re doing a special crossover episode with our friends KyLee Woodley and Darcy Fornier and their historical fiction podcast. We’re so excited to have you here today. Darcy: So excited to be here. We have so much fun hanging out with you guys. KyLee: Thanks for the invite. Glad to be here. Karissa: KyLee Woodley is a podcaster and author of the Outlaw Hearts series, adventure romances set in the American Wild West. Darcy Fornier is a podcaster and author of The Crown and the Axe, and they are both the hosts of the Historical Bookworm podcast, which is in its fifth season. It’s for lovers of inspirational historical fiction, and the show features author interviews, bookish and historical segments, and a wide variety of guests, from Christy Award-winners to high-quality indie authors. Favorite reading beverages Karissa: Before we jump in today, I want to know what is everyone’s favorite reading beverage of choice? Christie: I usually drink water, or else I don’t really drink anything because I’m too busy speed reading. But today for the podcast, since we’re doing it in the morning, I get to drink coffee. Darcy: Usually coffee. If I said anything else, my sisters would say I was lying. But I also enjoy hot chocolate or tea. Anything hot. I’m not going to be drinking lemonade even in the summer. KyLee: The nice thing about being in the South is that the AC is always blasting. So it’s hot cocoa, coffee, soup, any time of the day. My current favorite beverage to go with my reading, which I seldom read, but audiobooks, big on audiobooks these days, is the Iced Pecan Crunch Oat Milk Latte. I don’t usually go to Starbucks. I find their coffee very bitter, but this is a blonde espresso. I get it without the foam. It’s too sweet and it takes up too much in my cup. Karissa: I like to drink herbal tea. That’s my main comfort drink. Why historical fiction Karissa: What draws you to historical fiction? KyLee: For me, I like the nostalgia. I grew up very sheltered. We didn’t have a TV until I was 12. My mom would just drop us off at the library, then go shopping, then pick us up whenever. We always had audiobooks or books on tape. When we did get a TV, it was black and white. We watched a lot of black and white shows. For me, I remember those good times with old classic films and literature. There’s also this idea of, “What was.” Historical and fantasy are best friends because there’s that sense of wonder. But historical is like, this really did happen. This was really true. I like to dig into history and see who someone was, and go back to where they were if that’s possible. I love to research the way people lived and thought, the things they invented, and how resourceful they were. Darcy: Mine is similar. It’s about the people that came before, and how their stories influenced our lives today. You can go to historical sites and almost touch the lives that they had there. We tend to study history as the big overview. This person was king, these wars happened, all this stuff. Historical fiction lets you dive into what it was like for the day-to-day person. Even if you’re writing about a king, you’re asking what motivated him and what it felt like. People are people as long as they’ve lived. Karissa: That’s my favorite part too. How did people actually live, what challenges did they face, and what did they wear? KyLee: I also like when an author challenges what we accept as historical norms. Bring out something different that we wouldn’t expect. Like a female rancher who ran...
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  • Holiday Treats, Jane Austen, and a Gothic Regency Mystery with Julie Klassen

    Holiday Treats, Jane Austen, and a Gothic Regency Mystery with Julie Klassen
    Dec 29 2025
    In this episode, KyLee and Darcy share a few holiday highlights, then KyLee sits down with author Julie Klassen to talk about research, faith, and her latest Regency release. Key takeaways Holiday traditions can be simple, and still feel special.Teachers and read-aloud stories can shape a reader and a writer for life.Julie Klassen weaves themes of grace, forgiveness, and second chances into her fiction.Real places and local legends can add weight and texture to historical novels.Whispers at Painswick Court blends romance with gothic atmosphere and a murder plot.Holiday baking, hot chocolate, and an Instagram inviteA Bookworm Review of The Lost Girl of Astor Street, Stephanie Morrill KyLee: Today I will be talking with Julie Klassen. Darcy will not be with us because she’s gone to spend some time with her family. We’re recording this beforehand, and Darcy, we are about 10 days until Christmas. I know you are full of Christmas cheer and doing tons of Christmas things. No, that is not true. Darcy and I were talking about how it feels like the season has not quite started because we have been so busy. However, there are a couple special things we would like to share with you. Darcy: The most Christmas-y thing I am doing this year is making hot chocolate over and over at the ice cream shop. I’m not complaining — I love hot chocolate. I love making it, frothing the milk and everything. I am really looking forward to visiting my sister for Christmas. She lives five hours away. We see each other regularly through the year, but I’m going to spend a whole week at her place with my younger sister. The three of us will be hanging out. She has to work, so we’ll probably be doing some reading during the day. I have a couple of Christmas novellas picked out, one by Rosanna White. I’m looking forward to relaxing and doing Christmas-y things after I get the chaos behind me. KyLee: Do you ever throw something in with your hot chocolate, or make it different? Darcy: I’m very classic. I like to stir it with a candy cane and let that slowly melt in. So it’s like a peppermint hot chocolate. KyLee: I only ask because I started baking while procrastinating on preparing for this episode. I had this idea to take peanut butter cookies, make them a little bigger, and put a Reese’s cup in the middle. Like you put a chocolate kiss in the middle. We got Reese’s cups and they were PB&J, which I’m not the biggest fan of. I thought, let’s see if I can make this work. I get halfway through the recipe. I have my sugar out, shortening measured, flour measured, and I have no peanut butter. I do not know how this happened in my house. My oldest has a pretty severe allergy to milk that affects her esophagus. Finding things like proteins is something we’re constantly trying to do. I pulled out some plant-based chocolate protein powder and mixed that in with the cookies, then cooked them up. They are so good. They are a little heavy on the sugar. Along with having my daughter with this severe allergy, my husband has diabetes. So I rarely bake. I was procrastinating and it is Christmas time, so I broke that out. He tried them against my recommendation. He hates coconut, and since it is plant-based, it has coconut, so he does not want them. So it worked out. Darcy: I love that you are improvising with your holiday baking. This may be a new tradition. You might end up making these chocolate-protein-powder cookies every Christmas now. KyLee: They might be the start of a beautiful Christmas dessert. For our listeners, we are going to do something fun. Pop over to Instagram, on the Historical Bookworm Podcast page. On Instagram, it is Historical Bookworm Podcast, not Historical Bookworm Show. You will find a picture of my cookies, and Darcy, a picture of some hot chocolate. Darcy: Yes, absolutely. KyLee: We would love to see pictures of your sweet treats that you are making this holiday season. Now we are going to get on to the show with Julie Klassen. Meet Julie Klassen Julie Klassen loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. She has also won the Minnesota Book Award, the Midwest Book Award, and Christian Retailing’s BEST Award. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota. KyLee: Julie, welcome to the Historical Bookworm Show. Julie: Thank you, KyLee. I’m happy to be here. The most Jane Austen thing, besides tea KyLee: Tea drinking goes without saying for an Anglophile. What is the most Jane Austen thing, other than drinking tea, that you might incorporate into your daily life? Julie: True confessions, I do not drink as much tea as I’m probably alleged to do. I am a coffee drinker. Normally it is coffee in the morning, and then I might switch to tea. I just went to the Jane Austen Christmas...
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