What makes an Elin Hilderbrand novel so impossible to put down?

In this episode of Hot Girls Read: Unabridged, I'm joined by #1 bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand for a conversation about her unforgettable characters, the interconnected world of Nantucket, and the stories behind more than 30 novels.

We talk about why her characters don't have to be likable to be relatable, whether the "beach read" label has caused people to underestimate her writing, and how her approach to storytelling has evolved over the years.

Elin also shares what it's been like collaborating with her daughter Shelby on The Academy and The Thoroughbreds, why she's remained loyal to audiobook narrator Erin Bennett, and some surprising Easter eggs connecting her books.

Plus, we get into her daily routine, what she's writing next, whether she'll ever return to Nantucket, and the three books she'd recommend to anyone discovering her work—including the novel she considers her very best.

Whether you've read every Elin Hilderbrand book or are just discovering her work, there's something in this conversation for you.

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What really goes into bringing an audiobook to life? 🎧

In this episode of Hot Girls Read: Unabridged, I’m joined by award-winning audiobook narrator Nancy Peterson, the voice behind more than 260 audiobooks, including The Things We Cannot Say, The German Wife, and The Warsaw Orphan.

Nancy takes us behind the microphone to share what audiobook narration actually looks like—from building distinct character voices and switching between accents to using her entire body to create a character. We also talk about how she prepares for emotionally difficult scenes, why she sometimes has to stop recording to cry, and the surprising ways narrators learn dialects.

We get into how Nancy prepares a book before recording, what makes certain writing particularly challenging to narrate, her work in historical fiction, and why the best audiobook performances can make you forget there’s a narrator there at all.

If you’ve ever wondered how audiobook narrators create so many voices, master different accents, or bring your favorite books to life, this episode is for you.

In this episode:
• How Nancy creates distinct character voices
• Why audiobook narration is surprisingly physical
• How narrators learn accents and dialects
• What happens when a book makes the narrator cry
• Why Nancy reads and prepares a book before recording
• What makes a book difficult to narrate
• The art of disappearing into the story
• Life behind the scenes as a professional audiobook narrator

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🎧 Hot Girls Read: Unabridged goes behind the scenes with authors, audiobook narrators, and book-world insiders to talk about the stories we love—and everything that happens behind the scenes