The Author Pitch

Rich Bennett

Details

The Author Pitch is a short‑form, audio‑only podcast where writers from around the world deliver a powerful pitch for their book and read a compelling excerpt in their own voice. Each episode runs 10–15 minutes and offers a focused, intimate look at new fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry, and emerging literary voices. Hosted by Rich Bennett, the show blends the energy of a book launch with the intimacy of a live reading. Every episode follows a simple, engaging structure: A tight, high‑impact pitch from the author A dramatic excerpt that brings the book to life A brief conversation about the story behind the story Designed for readers, writers, and anyone who loves discovering new books, The Author Pitch is a curated, seasonal series featuring 12 episodes per season. It’s perfect for listeners who want to explore fresh voices, sample new genres, and hear authors present their work in the way only they can. Whether you’re looking for your next great read or simply love the craft of storytelling, The Author Pitch invites you to slow down, listen closely, and discover the books that deserve a place on your shelf.

Recent Episodes

OCT 6, 2026
Simplicity by the Sea by Jennifer Vido
Simplicity by the Sea is Jennifer Vito’s concluding Gull Island novel, and I present it as a heartfelt coastal romance about love, second chances, and finding one’s way home. I emphasize that it is the third and final volume in an award-winning low country trilogy set on Fripp Island, South Carolina, with a strong sense of place. We include an excerpt that opens with Delaney Huger rushing through traffic to attend the wedding of the season, a scene that establishes her character and key relationships. I describe the book as a Hallmark-style, slow-burn, sweet romance that offers readers a gentle escape and a satisfying happily ever after. I also note Jennifer’s discussion of her life as a writer, her active promotion of the book, and her forthcoming Christmas-set Nashville novel, and I invite listeners to find her work at major booksellers and online. We engage in a measured conversation about Simplicity by the Sea, the culminating volume of an award-winning low country romance trilogy. I describe the novel’s coastal milieu and its provenance in thirty-five years of family visits to the South Carolina shore. We recount the opening excerpt in which Delaney Huger arrives late to a high-profile island wedding, slips into the reception tent, and confronts a complex mix of guilt and belonging beneath the lighthouse’s beacon. The passage furnishes immediate character insight and establishes the narrative arc of second chances and emotional reconciliation. We note recurring figures from earlier volumes, including Kate and Knox, and the presence of a small-town custodian figure, Old Man Henry, who functions as communal anchor. I emphasize the book’s Hallmark-like tonal qualities: gentle pacing, wholesome intimacy, and a dependable happily-ever-after. Practical details are also provided: the author balances a full-time professional role with disciplined evening writing, maintains an active reader presence via social media, and undertakes an ongoing book tour. We conclude by situating the novel as an escapist offering that privileges place, steady characterization, and emotional warmth, inviting readers who seek comforting romantic narratives and vivid coastal settings. Takeaways: I designed the Gull Island series to offer readers calm, heartfelt romance and nostalgic coastal escape. I highlighted the lighthouse and shrimp shack imagery to convey a strong sense of place and community. I balance my full-time work with disciplined nightly writing routines, producing multiple books and planning a new Nashville holiday series. We encourage readers to pre-order and leave reviews because I know honest reader endorsements drive discoverability and author success. Links referenced in this episode: harfordsheart.com jennifervido.com freshfiction.com Companies mentioned in this episode: Harford's Heart Harford County Public Library Hoopla Hallmark Channel jennifervido.com Amazon Goodreads Instagram TikTok Facebook Threads X Harford County Bar Foundation FreshFiction.com McIntosh Bookshop Indigo Books Springtide Market Vanderbilt University
24 MIN
SEP 29, 2026
Repurposed Rising Coming Back to Yourself - Michelle Taylor
I present Repurposed Rising by Michelle Taylor, a guided healing and self-reflection journal created to help women come back to themselves through inner child work and the repurposing of past pain. I explain that the book uses prompts, affirmations, quotes, and structured exercises to guide readers through recognizing, addressing, releasing, and forgiving emotional wounds. I note that the material is drawn from Michelle’s own healing journey and that the journal is intended to be a safe space for honest reflection. I describe Michelle’s supporting work, including clarity and intention workshops, vision board sessions, coaching, and speaking engagements. I inform listeners that the book is available on Amazon and that Michelle can be reached via Repurposed Rising on social media, by phone at 410-499-3760, or by email. I urge readers to move through the work one step at a time, to be honest with themselves, and to give themselves grace. I present Repurposed Rising as a guided healing and self-reflection journal authored from my lived experience. I wrote this work for women who have carried burdens while appearing to function, for those who have shown up despite exhaustion and self-doubt. I state plainly that the book is not a memoir but a deliberate tool created from my heart, mind, and soul. The journal instructs the reader to move with care, to breathe, and to meet the inner child with gentleness. I emphasize that the reader is not broken and that healing commences through honest awareness and steady practice. I describe a defined four-part healing framework that undergirds the journal: recognize, address, release, and forgive. I guide readers through prompts that recover early memories of feeling unseen and trace how unresolved inner wounds shape present relationships and decisions. I provide concrete features—affirmations, quotes, closing sections, and daily reflections—that reinforce sustained change. The tone throughout is sober and resolute. I invite readers to show up without pretense, to be patient, and to observe patterns without self-reproach, because awareness is the first substantive step toward reclamation. Takeaways: I wrote Repurposed Rising as a guided journal to help women reconnect with themselves. I describe a four part inner child healing process: recognize, address, release, and forgive, step by step. I lead vision board and clarity workshops and coaching, emphasizing daily practice and visible reminders to shape intentions and focus. I emphasize the importance of honest reflection, gentle self compassion, and consistent presence with the journal, instructing readers to show up daily without judgment and patience in the healing journey. I share that the journal originates from my lived experience and that users should attend to their inner child, acknowledge long held patterns, and use prompts, affirmations, and reflections to gradually repurpose pain into purpose for serving others. Links referenced in this episode: ecocoolhvac.com Repurposed Rising https://stan.store/RepurposedRising Companies mentioned in this episode: EcoKool HVAC TikTok Facebook Instagram Snapchat YouTube Amazon Alexa
19 MIN
SEP 22, 2026
The Golden Thread & The Lineage of the Light by Nicolette Halladay
I introduce a mythic memoir that centers on reclaiming self‑trust and healing family lineage. I host Nicolette Halliday, author of The Golden Thread and the Lineage of the Light, who explains that much of the book was written in real time and was channeled through visions. She tells us the book is for people who have lost themselves in relationships and who seek a path back to wholeness. We hear an excerpt in which the narrator recognizes her role as a healer and describes how steady presence helped transform a troubled family. I note that the book is available on Amazon, will appear in other retailers, and I urge listeners to support authors by purchasing and leaving reviews. I describe my book as a mythic memoir that traces the recovery of self after living inside a confusing and toxic relationship. I explain who the book is for: people who have lost themselves in partnership, those who doubt their intuition, and anyone navigating a difficult life transition. I detail the spiritual element that threads through the narrative and emphasize the need for an open mind to receive the messages embedded in the text. I describe the book's origin as largely written in real time, often channeled, and I show how that immediacy created raw honesty. I outline the central concern of trusting inner guidance, and I invite readers to find empowerment in the process of unraveling and becoming. I also mention practical matters: the book is currently available on Amazon and will expand to other retailers. I ask readers to support authors by leaving reviews and sharing images of their purchase. The summary conveys the book's purpose, its tone of spiritual reflection, and its promise to guide readers back to wholeness. Takeaways: I wrote the book for people who have lost themselves in relationships and need to trust themselves again. I wrote much of the book in real time while I was leaving a toxic relationship, which shaped its honesty. I call the work a mythic memoir because it mixes my real story with spiritual visions and channeled material. I show how healing can be a lineage work where one person's recovery helps transform an entire family over time. We ask readers to support authors by buying the book, leaving reviews, and sharing photos to help reach more people. Links referenced in this episode: ecocoolhvac.com offer.inspiredhearts.co/home Companies mentioned in this episode: Eco-Cool HVAC Amazon Barnes & Noble Target Walmart
15 MIN
SEP 15, 2026
K9 Tambo by Chris Bingham
I speak with Chris Bingham about his children's book, Canine Tambo (K9 Tambo), and about Tambo's fight with cancer that inspired many people. I describe how Tambo bonded with Chris and became a devoted working dog and a source of hope. We discuss how Chris documented the journey and how those accounts led him to write the book for children who feel small or unseen. I ask about the book's illustrations, the local and online places to buy it, and the ways readers can support it. I explain that the book teaches resilience and comfort to families facing illness. I note that Tambo later passed, and that his story endures through the book and the lives it touched. I speak with Chris Bingham about his children's book, Canine Tambo (K9 Tambo), and about Tambo's fight with cancer that inspired many people. I describe how Tambo bonded with Chris and became a devoted working dog and a source of hope. We discuss how Chris documented the journey and how those accounts led him to write the book for children who feel small or unseen. I ask about the book's illustrations, the local and online places to buy it, and the ways readers can support it. I explain that the book teaches resilience and comfort to families facing illness. I note that Tambo later passed, and that his story endures through the book and the lives it touched. Takeaways: I recount how Tambo transformed from an aloof, misunderstood dog into a devoted partner. I describe the medical crisis, the surgical intervention, and the resilience that allowed Tambo to survive beyond initial prognosis for months. I wrote the children's book to comfort children who feel small, unseen, or are facing illness. We discuss publication details, local bookstore availability, online retailers, and my forthcoming adult memoir with potential film interest. Links referenced in this episode: ecocoolhvac.com amazon.com ingramspark.com barnesandnoble.com goodreads.com instagram.com/k9_tambo Companies mentioned in this episode: Eco-Cool HVAC Joe Mercantile (Washington Street Bookstore) Barnes & Noble Odd Book Bookstore Amazon IngramSpark Goodreads Instagram I recount the trajectory of a bond forged in service and adversity. I adopted a German shepherd named Tambo who arrived with the label of being aloof and unbondable. I recognized in him a reflection of my own history and committed to the labor of forming trust. Together we conducted thousands of detection sweeps and answered hundreds of calls. When Tambo was struck by aggressive hemangiosarcoma, I chose surgery and spent months documenting his recovery and his fight. That documentation became the impetus for a children’s book designed to reach young readers who feel small, unseen, or unwell. I read the finished volume to my son and to Tambo. The act of sharing that story with them was solemn and affirming. I now present the book as a testament to resilience, to the quiet courage of a canine partner, and to the consolation that deliberate companionship can offer families facing illness. Takeaways: I recount how Tambo transformed from an aloof, misunderstood dog into a devoted partner. I describe the medical crisis, the surgical intervention, and the resilience that allowed Tambo to survive beyond initial prognosis for months. I wrote the children's book to comfort children who feel small, unseen, or are facing illness. We discuss publication details, local bookstore availability, online retailers, and my forthcoming adult memoir with potential film interest.
13 MIN
SEP 8, 2026
Go Make Ripples by Jennifer Godwin
The central theme of this podcast episode revolves around the profound personal journey of Jennifer Godwin, author of "Go Make Ripples," which encapsulates her spiritual odyssey and the significance of sharing faith through everyday actions. Jennifer elucidates the essence of her book as an honest portrayal of her experiences in discovering Jesus and emphasizes the importance of communal encouragement in overcoming self-doubt during the writing process. Throughout the discourse, we explore the transformative power of perseverance and obedience to God, as well as the ripple effects that one individual's journey can have on a broader community. The episode also highlights the accessibility of her book, inviting listeners to engage with her narrative as a means of inspiration. Ultimately, Jennifer's reflections serve as a clarion call for others to embark on their own journeys of faith and to share their stories with authenticity and courage. The discussion centers around Jennifer Godwin's book, "Go Make Ripples," which chronicles her spiritual journey and the transformative power of faith in everyday life. Godwin articulates her quest for understanding Jesus and how she learned to share this faith through simple actions and authentic conversations. The narrative unfolds her personal experiences, beginning from her childhood curiosity about the juxtaposition of traditional Christmas figures against the backdrop of spiritual teachings. She emphasizes the importance of community support and encouragement in overcoming self-doubt, particularly during the arduous process of writing her book. Godwin's reflections reveal a deeply personal journey, marked not only by moments of vulnerability but also by the profound realization of how personal stories can inspire others and create a ripple effect in their lives. She shares insights on perseverance, highlighting how faith can guide individuals through challenging times, ultimately illuminating the path for others to follow. Furthermore, the episode delves into the significance of obedience to God and how such obedience can lead to unexpected blessings and opportunities for growth, both personally and within the community. Takeaways: The podcast episode features an author, Jennifer Godwin, discussing her book 'Go Make Ripples' which chronicles her spiritual journey and the significance of sharing one's faith with others. Jennifer emphasizes that her writing process was inspired by God, and that the act of writing was not initially a desire of hers, but rather a calling she felt compelled to answer. The author reflects on the challenges she faced during the writing process, including doubts about her abilities and the fear of judgment from potential readers, which she ultimately overcame with encouragement from her community. Listeners are encouraged to understand that sharing one's faith can be done in simple, everyday actions rather than grand speeches, making the message accessible to all. The importance of perseverance is a recurring theme in Jennifer's narrative, as she shares how maintaining faith in God helped her to continue writing despite numerous obstacles. Finally, the episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to support the author by purchasing her book and leaving reviews, thereby fostering a community of encouragement for aspiring writers. Links referenced in this episode: ecocoolhvac.com gomakeriples.com Companies mentioned in this episode: Eco-Cool HVAC Amazon Culver's Go Make Ripples
14 MIN