After my “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad” experience with the MRI machine yesterday, I was delighted to remember that I had planned to “Meet the Author” at my local library last night.

Listening to Ethan Joella discuss his novels and writing process was a pleasure. I bought A Little Hope last week and read it over the weekend to prepare for the evening. A Little Hope was a Read with Jenna Bonus Selection, and I chose it because I felt like I needed a little hope right now. It did not disappoint! Of course, I chose the book with the most characters and had to make a little cheat sheet.

By the end of the evening, Ethan had me wanting to go home and start writing. His down-to-earth conversational style made me laugh and feel very comfortable asking questions. He didn’t sugar-coat the writing and publishing process, but his story made me hopeful.

Check out Ethan Joella’s books if you’re looking for a story with characters that feel like they could be your neighbors around the corner. https://www.ethanjoellawriter.com/

His other two novels are A Quiet Life (set in Bethlehem, PA) and The Same Bright Stars (set in his hometown of Rehoboth Beach, DE). After listening to his descriptions of these books and the comments of those who had read them, I am adding these to my TBR list. He has a new novel arriving in 2026 set in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania. While my reading life takes me around the world, I love reading books set in my area of the country in places I have visited.