Author: Mandy Webster

Amanda L. Webster is the author of If You Didn't See It Coming, One Bad Cat, Demons of the Night, DIY High, Valley of the Bees, and F-ing Freddy Fisher. She is also a writing teacher who lives part-time in a sorority house.
Social Commentary

Ancient Technology Freed Humanity—Modern Tech Keeps Us Trapped

Mandy Webster

Ancient inventions like the wheel and the needle gave humanity the freedom to create art and stories, but modern technology has trapped us in a new kind of survival mode.

Throughout history, technological advancements have transformed the way humans live, work, and think. In ancient times, simple but revolutionary inventions such as the knife, the needle, and the wheel began to free humans from the constant struggle for survival. These tools enabled people to hunt, sew clothing, and transport goods more efficiently, allowing them to devote time and energy to higher-level activities such as storytelling, art, and religion. These pursuits not only enriched individual lives but also fostered the development of complex societies. By freeing humans from the grip of immediate survival, ancient technologies created the foundation for cultural and intellectual progress.

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Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

Book Review: Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

Mandy Webster

Megan Miranda’s Such a Quiet Place unfolds with an eerie precision that turns the familiar suburban landscape into a pressure cooker of secrets and lies. Hollow’s Edge, the quintessential quiet neighborhood, becomes a vivid character in its own right—a place where the veneer of idyllic community is paper-thin and ready to crack under the weight of a murder that’s left everyone raw and mistrustful.

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

This novel is set in a tightly-knit neighborhood where most of the residents also work together at the college across the lake. Everyone’s lives seem to revolve around one another’s in this insulated community. Keys to each house are scattered among the neighbors, and everyone is always listening in on everyone else. It’s an environment rife with tension and secrets—an unfortunate combination when the neighborhood is already grappling with a horrific crime. I couldn’t imagine being this immersed in the lives of my own neighbors. This setup creates intriguing dynamics, especially between the protagonist, Harper, and her boss—one of the murder victims. Living in close quarters with coworkers would be challenging enough, but add a murder into the mix, and it’s downright suffocating.

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Author Interview

Author interview with Teri Polen, writer of horror, science fiction, and fantasy

Mandy Webster

My guest author today is another Louisville Book Festival participant. Meet Teri Polen!

Teri Polen is the author of young adult horror, science fiction, and fantasy novels. Sarah, her debut novel, was a horror finalist in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. ReadFREE.ly named Subject A36 one of the 50 Best Indie Books of 2020. An avid reader, movie watcher, and chocolate lover, Teri lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband and Feline Overlord, Bond.

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Find Your Next Read

Historical fiction book club picks for 2025

Mandy Webster

Are you looking for new historical fiction for your book club to read in 2025? Check out my list on Elderfly Books & Gifts!

https://bookshop.org/widgets.js Read more: Historical fiction book club picks for 2025
Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

Book Review: What Have You Done by Shari Lapena

Mandy Webster

Shari Lapena has done it again with What Have You Done, a chilling and twisty tale set in the seemingly idyllic town of Fairhill, Vermont. Known for her talent in crafting domestic suspense, Lapena expertly transforms Fairhill from a sleepy, trusting community into a landscape of fear and suspicion after a young girl, Diana Brewer, is found dead in a hayfield. With vultures circling overhead and an air of menace settling over the town, Lapena dives deep into the darkness lurking behind closed doors.

What Have You Done by Shari Lapena

At its heart, What Have You Done is more than just a murder mystery—it’s a sharp commentary on the societal dynamics that enable violence against young women. Lapena skillfully portrays how quickly suspicion can spread, as the police draw up their list of suspects: the jealous boyfriend, the male teacher accused of inappropriate behavior, and the creepy customer who harassed Diana at her job. These characters feel all too familiar, not just in fiction but in the real world, where stories of young women harmed by those around them are all too common.

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Author Interview

Author interview with romantasy writer M.J. Etkind

Mandy Webster

I met M.J. Etkind back in October at the Louisville Book Festival, and I was enchanted with the cover and premise of her novel, Dishwasher Safe. It’s the story of a young woman who is an up-and-coming chef by day and returns to her life as a mermaid at night– reminds me of how so many of us authors have to “go to work” during the day to support our magical “real lives” outside our jobs!

M.J. Etkind lives a double life. By day, she is a corporate girly with a business degree. By night, she writes romance novels in a cozy, book-filled apartment. When she is not writing, she can be found walking her dog and getting coffee. M.J. Etkind’s most favorite fun fact is that she once took an entire vacation to visit a bookstore.

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Book Reviews, Find Your Next Read

A Haunting Escape: Book Review of After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss

Mandy Webster

I love a good cult novel, and Brooke Beyfuss’s After We Were Stolen did not disappoint! It is a gripping exploration of cult life, family, and the enduring power of the human spirit. The novel follows Avery, a young woman who escapes a secretive, controlling cult after a devastating fire. As she navigates the complexities of the outside world, Avery grapples with the trauma of her past and the uncertain future that lies ahead.

After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss

Raised in a secluded compound, Avery’s life has been defined by rigid rules, grueling physical training, and an unwavering belief in her father’s teachings. When a fire ravages the compound, forcing her to flee with her brother, Cole, Avery is thrust into a world she barely recognizes. Struggling to adapt to the unfamiliar landscape of freedom, she must confront the horrors of her past and the lingering fear that her family may not have survived the blaze.

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Author Interview

Author interview with YA fantasy writer Benjamin Kamphuis

Mandy Webster

Benjamin Kamphuis, author of the Shades of Aura Series – The Walls of Toterrum, writes to celebrate all the creatures within our ecosystems, advocate for mental health support, create fantasy worlds with epic magic systems, and to provide stories to encourage lovers of Pokémon and other video games to love reading again.

Being a survivor of severe anxiety, Benjamin believes in community and writes books supporting the need for others to navigate a world where things aren’t always right in our heads.

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Author Interview

Author interview with writer Olivia J. Bennett

Mandy Webster

Olivia J. Bennett (she/they) is the award-winning author of the novel, Casually Homicidal. In 2018, her flash fiction “Clutching Roses” was awarded a National Gold Medal from Scholastic Art & Writing, and her creative nonfiction and short stories have been published in literary journals such as Euphemism and Outrageous Fortune. 

Their writing has been described as “visceral, honest, and evocative” and “gritty, yet poetic,” and their work often explores themes of mental health, being an eldest daughter, and overcoming past trauma. She loves to include morally-gray female heroines, atmospheric settings, and genre-bending horror in her contemporary, fantasy, and science fiction works.

When not creating, Olivia is most likely baking cookies, binge-watching Naruto or Lost with their partner, or cuddling their two cats, Baloo and Bagheera. She can be found somewhere between the corn and the big blue sky in Illinois.

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Find Your Next Read

New Fiction Book Club on Facebook

Mandy Webster

Despite my addiction to mainstream thriller novels, I also love it when I find an amazing book that no one is talking about. When this happens, I find myself wanting so bad to get people talking about the book. I’ve joined book clubs in the past hoping to find like-minded individuals only to end up reading a bunch of books that I just didn’t like (one book club even made me read George W. Bush’s memoir about George H.W. Bush). So, what do I do when I can’t find what I want? I make my own! That’s why I’ve decided to start my own online fiction book club on Facebook!

I’m currently in the “inviting members” phase of this project and would love it if you could join my group! The club officially launches in January, so if your New Year’s Resolution is to read more or expand your reading horizons, then maybe this group can help keep you accountable so you can reach that goal!

If you’re in, visit the book club page on Facebook and join. Be sure to answer the questions to get into the group. I know it’s annoying to have to go through this vetting process, but anymore it’s the only way to keep spammers out of Facebook groups. I’ve already posted our first read, so if you’re looking for something to read over a holiday break (if you’re lucky enough to have one,) you can get started on our very first book club read today!

I can’t wait to get started on our first book, which I actually haven’t read yet myself, and start the discussion. Feel free to invite your reading friends to join us. Happy reading!