Our Writer in Residence Finishes His First Draft

The Book Case

ABC News

Fiction, Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.1 • 766 Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

J. Ryan Stradal is our Writer in Residence, if you have been following along. What does that mean? Well, we have been with him from step one since he started his fourth novel, as yet unnamed. A deeply personal novel that imagines the third act his mother might have lived if she had progressed past the age of 55. She was J.’s person, his guiding light and his North Star. He has now finished his first draft and we talk to him as he tackles notes and thinks about bringing the novel to market. Also joining us is Jonah Zimiles, one of our all-time favorite booksellers with his mission based independent bookstore, Words in Maplewood. Join us for a great show with old friends. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal The Sportswriter by Richard Ford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:36.1	Well, hello there.
0:38.1	It's The Bookcase with Kate and Charlie.
0:40.0	I'm Charlie.
0:41.0	And I am Kate.
0:42.0	And hello, happy Thursday to all of you out there in Listeningland.
0:46.2	We were kidding around a couple of weeks ago about our being the official podcast of the National Hockey League.
0:52.3	And somebody actually said to me, you weren't serious, were you that you're the official podcast of the National Hockey League. And somebody actually said to me, you weren't serious, were you, that you're the official podcast of the National Hockey League? I said, no, we were kidding around. But we are the official podcast of Betty Crocker's Cake Mixes. But I think we should make a pitch here. I think we should make a pitch. NHL, we are great for the penalty box. We are a great penalty box podcast. Well, she looked at me like I was
1:12.8	nuts. But, you know, if we could get on any or every Betty Crocker cake mix box as the official
1:18.2	podcast, we might be doing better than we are. Who knows? We're apparently also open to being sued
1:25.5	by both major sports organizations, product placement,
1:29.3	and Betty Crocker. So, you know, if anybody's feeling litigious today. Well, I was feeling
1:33.9	we were more trying to get bribes. We're in the market for bribes. Also very much on the up and up.
1:40.8	Anyway, if you've been listening to the podcast for the last year and a half,
1:44.7	and you better have been listening, absolutely, you know that the writer Jay Ryan Straddle,
1:50.8	who wrote Kitchens of the Great Midwest, he wrote The Lager Queen of Minnesota, he wrote
1:55.6	Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, he has written a series of very successful books.
2:02.5	And we asked him,
	...

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