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Historical Bookworm

Historical Bookworm

Written by: 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. Art World
Episodes
  • 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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  • Episode 119 | Jewels of Kalispell — Behind the Pages

    Episode 119 | Jewels of Kalispell — Behind the Pages
    Nov 15 2025
    Today we are joined by two guests to chat about the latest book they have co-written, An Unexpected Grace Book 3 in the Jewels of Kalispell series. We’ve visited with both of them individually before, and we’re so excited to have them on together today. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than 100 novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than 6 million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than forty fiction and nonfiction books. She has won The Carol Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and has finaled in the Selah Awards and the Spur Awards. She is passionate about Bible study, reading, music, cooking, and pretty-much-all-things-crafty. Kim and her incredible husband of thirty-plus years live in Colorado, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandbaby, and research all the history around them. Co-Writers and Friends It’s fascinating what makes a good co-writing team, and Tracie and Kim are no exception. They start the interview by sharing about their process, and how they each contribute to research and writing; but, more than that, they share how their friendship supports them in all areas of their lives. Kalispell, Montana As we discuss the third book in this series, Tracie and Kim share about their time in the northern Montana town of Kalispell. Each of the books features a particular landmark of the historic town — in this case, the opera house. We learn more about the settling of Montana, what kept Kalispell on the map, and all about their research trip to the opera house. When Callings Clash An Unexpected Grace explores what it means to be called by God to a particular path in life — and how those callings sometimes clash with those closest to us. Tracie and Kim never neglect the faith thread in their stories, even diving into complex aspects of our faith. A Show-Stealing Side Character When we asked Tracie and Kim if they had a favorite side character in this story, they both immediately came up with the same name. Learn which character stole their hearts (and readers’), and why they’ve come to love her so much. Connect with Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse at their websites, where you can find their newsletters, blogs, and social media links. About the Book Can unexpected grace lay the foundation for a second chance at love? After a decade away, Parker Bennett returns home with a traveling troupe to perform a play based on Uncle Tom’s Cabin at the Kalispell Opera House. Parker has relished his life on the road, but being home awakens long-buried emotions when he encounters his first love, Johanna St. John. He can’t help but wonder if there might still be a place for him in her heart. Widowed for three years, Johanna devotes all her time to a demanding toddler, an injured father, and a successful millinery business. After the loss of her husband, she desires to move on, but reconnecting with her past love leaves her unsure of what lies ahead. Both committed to God’s distinct calling on their lives, Johanna and Parker struggle to see how their futures can unite, and when strange things start happening around town, their second chance at a life together seems more unlikely than ever. Other episodes with Tracie and Kim: A Bookchat about A Love Discovered with Tracie Peterson A Bookchat about Remember Me with Tracie PetersonEpisode 38: Guest Tracie Peterson with Beyond the Desert SandsExploring History and Faith with Author Traci PetersonRemember Me by Tracie PetersonA Bookchat about Set In Stone with Kimberley WoodhouseA Bookchat about A Mark of Grace with Kimberly WoodhouseA Bookchat about A Gem of Truth with Kimberley WoodhouseBookworm Review: A Deep Divide by Kimberly Woodhouse Bookworm Review Written in Secret by Crystal Caudill, reviewed by Angela Bell Castle meets Miss Scarlet & the Duke in this rollicking tale of love and danger! Set in Gilded Age Cincinnati, this historical romance features a spunky dime novelist, exacting poetic justice with her pen, and a straitlaced police officer, investigating a string of literary-inspired murders. When the pair are forced to work together to stop a killer, sparks fly as they debate the difference between justice and vengeance. Fans of Jen Turano and Michelle Griep will love Caudill’s unique blend of humorous shenanigans, quirky characters, action-packed mystery, sarcastic wit, and an enemies-to-more romance with all the banter. If you fancy a book brimming with flirtation, faith, and firearms, Written in Secret is sure to be your cup of tea! THE AUTHOR Crystal Caudill is a tea-drinking, book-hoarding, history nerd. Her award-winning stories are ripe with history, danger, ...
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    33 mins
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