J. Ryan Stradal SELLS and A Bookstore with a Mission

Summary

The Book Case — “J. Ryan Stradal SELLS and A Bookstore with a Mission”

Podcast: The Book Case
Hosts: Charlie Gibson & Kate Gibson (ABC News)
Date: December 4, 2025
Episode Focus:
This episode celebrates two “big news” stories in the book world: author J. Ryan Stradal’s new two-book deal (including the novel inspired by his mother) and the opening of Bound and Vine, an independent bookstore in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with a unique mission to unite military families and the wider community. The conversation dives into the nitty-gritty of book auctions, navigating the publishing industry, creative process, and building community through bookstores.

---

Episode Overview

The episode unfolds in two primary segments:

• The first delves deep into J. Ryan Stradal’s recent book sale, the emotional and financial stakes of being a working novelist, and how his latest character was crafted in loving tribute to his late mother.
• The second features a profile of Bound and Vine bookstore, exploring the vision and challenges of its military family founders, and their mission to create community in a transient military town.

---

Segment 1: J. Ryan Stradal’s Publishing Triumph and Process (04:42–22:16)

Big News: A Two-Book Deal at Auction

• J. Ryan Stradal announces:
  “My new manuscript, titled Next Week When Things Calm Down, sold to Atria this month in a two book deal at auction. And I'm super excited to be working with them.” (04:54)
• This is the first time Stradal has signed a multi-book deal; previously, he sold each novel individually.

The Road to Sale: From Manuscript to Auction

- The Revision & Submission Process:

• Stradal completed a strong early draft (“the best I could do at the time”), worked through two rounds of agent notes, and then the manuscript went on submission to multiple publishers before the holidays (05:12–06:16).

- What an Auction Entails:

• Multiple publishers bid by a certain deadline, and the agent orchestrates the auction, updating the author as offers and “sweeteners” come in (05:27).

- What Publishers See:

• “Complete manuscript. An early draft. …I mean there were still things I wanted to do with it, but the timing was so important.” (06:00)

Why a Multi-Book Deal Now?

• On his change of heart about multi-book deals:
  “Job security. A dad now. Yeah. In this economy? Yeah, I jumped at it. …It's also stressful. There was kind of a major thing I want to add that my editor is totally on board with, as is my agent that wasn’t in this.” (06:32–07:18)

Changing Publishers: Why Atria?

• On what drew him to Atria:
  “They're a commercial fiction publisher. They published Frederick Backman. Colleen Hoover is their big seller. ...by having that kind of golden goose in the stable, they are also able to take risks perhaps that others can't.” (07:51–08:10)
• He was attracted by their individualized marketing pitch, robust publicity, and editorial enthusiasm—not just the money:
  “They did have the highest number, too, but …the overall pitch was very impressive.” (08:53–09:04)

Editorial Fit — The Creative Matchmaking

• The Editor-Author Dynamic:

  • Authors meet editors before the auction to gauge vision and creative chemistry (09:38–10:08).
  • “I just want to see how cohesive our visions for the book are. …How would you pitch it? What comps would you use?...If all those things resonate with me, then I think we're in business.” (12:23)

• On resisting trends or editorial pressures:
  “I'm not gonna work with any editor who wants me to add sparkly vampires. …I don't want to adapt this story to fit some sort of temporary spike in reader interest.” (12:45)

Writing a Character Based on His Mother

• The Personal Connection:

  • Stradal’s latest protagonist is modeled on his late mother, channeling not only her memory but an imagined life she might’ve led after her untimely passing at 55 (03:24–03:50, 14:42–15:03).
  • “He has said in other programs that if he is not writing about his mom, he is writing to his mom. …This woman is his conscience. She is his Jiminy Cricket, I think, his artistic Jiminy Cricket.” (03:24–03:50)

• On the challenge of writing goodness:

  • “I somewhat exaggerated the most positive aspects of her personality...I more or less took the person who she was 70% of the time and made that person 100% of the time. ...I might have made her too one-dimensionally good.” (15:03)
  • Stradal aspires to deepen complexity in revisions, drawing on literary models like John Irving (15:03–16:21).

The Title: Next Week When Things Calm Down

• Origin:

  • “It just came to me when I was writing. …It came up in dialogue. It’s sort of an Internet meme.” (16:25)

• Comma or No Comma?

  • Stradal opted against a comma:
    “Because it sounds more breakneck without the comma. It sounds more frantic.” (18:13)

The Rollercoaster of Auction Day: Nerves, Family & Relief

• Pre-auction jitters:
  • “I went to bed that night totally just sweating bullets, like they’re all going to say no. …my agent, Ryan, he's so pragmatic. He’s like, they could. They probably won’t. But yes, it could happen.” (10:56)
• How Stradal coped:
  • Went to see the movie Good Fortune to distract himself (11:37).
• Receiving the news:
  • “I found out the next morning at drop off. …Ryan called me and say, I think we have a winner. Do you accept it? You know, and I said, yeah, I'll go with that deal.” (18:43)
• Midwestern understatement:
  • “I feel like I’m downplaying it now. I shouldn’t be, but I can’t tell you the relief I felt. Yeah, it was ecstatic. At least as ecstatic as I’m able to get in public.” (19:24)

The Financial and Emotional Stakes of Author Life

• On finances between books:
  “I threaded the needle like, I can pay our mortgage next month, and then I'm out of money. Like, this book sale came at the exact right time. It couldn’t have come one month later.” (20:32)

• On selling a particularly personal book:
  “This is a really particularly personal. ...I have a stake in it that really goes beyond putting food on the table.” (21:13)

The Long Road to Publication

• Why does it take so long for a finished book to reach shelves?
  • The answer is somewhat mysterious even to Stradal:
    “Yeah, it's going to be another year and a half...Why so long? ...I wish I knew.” (21:49)

---

Memorable Quotes:

• “If he is not writing about his mom, he is writing to his mom.” – Kate Gibson (03:24)
• “Job security. A dad now. Yeah. In this economy? Yeah. I feel like I jumped at it.” – J. Ryan Stradal (06:32)
• “Colleen Hoover pays your advance.” – J. Ryan Stradal, relaying another Atria author’s joke (08:10)
• “I felt like, oh wow, I’ve got a few months of work to do on this. So I was also looking for an editor willing to work with me on it. ...The editors who bid on it obviously wanted to work on it with me.” (06:36)
• “There was a danger in making this character, I might have made her too one-dimensionally good. But there’s a lesson there, and I think there’s books I can read that offer instruction on how to write a good-hearted character that’s still complex.” (15:03)
• “This book sale came at the exact right time. It couldn’t have come one month later.” (20:32)

Key Timestamps:

• 04:54 — Stradal announces the two-book deal
• 06:00 — The submission and auction process
• 07:51 — Why he chose Atria as a new publisher
• 09:38 — Editorial matchmaking and gauging creative fit
• 14:42 — The protagonist’s roots in Stradal’s mother
• 16:25 — Title genesis and meaning
• 18:43 — The moment Stradal agreed to the deal
• 20:32 — Personal financial stakes and relief

---

Segment 2: Bound and Vine — A Bookstore with a Mission (25:42–36:57)

Meet the Owners: Kelly and Andrew Artis

• Recently retired after 22 years in the military, Andrew and his wife Kelly decided to put down roots in Fayetteville, NC, and open Bound and Vine—a bookstore and wine bar (27:44–29:06).
• On Andrew’s support for Kelly:
  “I've never seen Kelly fail at anything she's done. ...When she said she wanted to do this...I can help you.” (29:32)

Curation and Community through Books and Wine

• On intentional curation:
  • “We have a huge military interest category...Our community of military spouses is...just amazingly diverse...constantly having to reinvent themselves and find new community...” – Kelly (30:04)
• On creating a ‘third place’:
  • “We gave up a lot of retail space for the seating. ...I really want people to feel like they can have somewhere to be and meet someone new and, you know, spark up a conversation on the sofa...” – Kelly (30:39)

Adapting and Learning

• Bound and Vine plans to learn and adapt to community needs, with a willingness to adjust their inventory and offerings after seeing what resonates (30:59–31:44).

Mission: Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide

• Building instant community for military families:

  • “We do this really quickly. So we're really good at community. We have to be. ...Why not bring that superpower to something that we want to build here so that we can be a flag, you know, on the hill for the new military spouse that gets to Fayetteville and maybe isn't plugged in?” – Kelly (32:18)
  • Kelly describes how military families forge ‘emergency communities’ upon moving, since relatives aren’t nearby.

• Broader impact:

  • “We want to expand that to the civilian community...The more exposure and the more touch points that people have to our community and that we have to feel included in the broader civilian community, I think are all great things.” – Kelly (33:30)

Opening Day Results

• The store’s grand opening was a smash, with crowds, persistent business, and staying open late (35:44):
  • “[Kelly] said, over the moon. They had such a big crowd. …They actually had to stay open an hour after their closing time on opening day.” – Charlie Gibson (35:44)

A Model for Other Military Towns?

• Kate suggests Bound and Vine could be a model for other military bases:
  • “I never thought about bookstores being a great way for military families to connect, to exchange ideas, but also to instantly build community. What a great idea.” (34:37)

Key Timestamps:

• 27:44 — How Bound and Vine began
• 30:04 — Curation philosophy and store layout
• 32:18–33:30 — Building community for military and civilian populations
• 35:44 — Report on opening week success

---

Notable Closing Ideas

• Stradal on the purpose of books:
  “Books, their job is not only to be an escape, but they are—even the most demanding book is still an escape. And you want to give the reader some sense of, 'I'm glad I did this.' A sense of happiness for having chosen your book.” (37:52)

---

Overall Episode Takeaways

• For Readers and Writers:
  Get a behind-the-scenes view of the high-stakes, uncertain, and deeply personal nature of selling a novel in today’s publishing world. The emotional labor and financial pressure are real, but so is the satisfaction when it all comes together.
• For Book Lovers and Community Builders:
  Bound and Vine offers a powerful example of how bookstores can act as essential “third places,” especially for transient or isolated populations, and how intentionality in space and curation can foster true belonging.

---

Recommended If You Like…

• Honest, practical insight into the business and art of modern writing
• Moving, real-life stories about literary creation as an act of remembrance
• Community-driven independent bookstore stories, especially in unique environments

---

(For books mentioned and more details, see episode description in your podcast app.)

Transcript

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Experience a membership that backs your business journey with American Express Business Platinum. When you pay with membership rewards points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with a qualifying airline through Amex Travel, you can get 35% of those points back up to 1 million points back per calendar year. American Express Business Platinum. There's nothing like it. Terms apply. Learn [e-mail] Business Platinum.

[Charlie Gibson]

Welcome back, bookcasers. It's Charlie Gibson and.

[Kate Gibson]

Oh, and this is Kate Gibson. Sorry, I didn't realize he was going to throw to me quite that fast.

[Charlie Gibson]

Well, I had to wake her up and it was a little jab to the ribs and she came alert right away. We have an old friend this week. J. Ryan Straddle is with us. If you have been listening over the weeks, you have known that J. Ryan Straddle, author of three very successful novels, has been with us as our writer in residence. Why he agreed to be our writer in residence is a mystery that we will never be able to answer. He was sober at the time and we appreciate that.

[Kate Gibson]

Well, we should give them a little bit of a pressy. If you haven't been listening and you really should, if you want to go back to the beginning and listen to the very first episodes with him, you'll see that this writer in residence experience has really been, it could be called the genesis of a novel. You know, we've talked about the fact that this is a masterclass on writing. We ask almost every writer about their process. We found out that there's no one way to write a book. And so we thought it might be fun to contact an old friend of mine from college, himself a very successful novel writer, as dad mentioned right when he was starting a book and talk about his processes, his frustrations, which pieces of paper did he ball up and throw into the trash can. And you know what really got him excited about getting motivated to be finished. And so the last time we talked to him, when we last checked in with our writer in residence, Jay Ryan Struttle, he had just finished the draft and had just taken notes from his agent, Ryan, who's also a friend of his, and they were about to go to market.

[Charlie Gibson]

Yes. And that's a part of the book writing process that we knew nothing about. And I think if you listen, you'll, you'll learn a lot. He is admitted, acknowledged that he had no X number of book deal, didn't have a three book deal or a four book deal or whatever. When his first book came out, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, he sold it as an individual book, and the subsequent two novels he sold as individual books, but we knew nothing about this taking a book to market. And once he had the draft finished, and it's still. It's still a work in progress, but it was sent out to publishers. And he's going to talk you through, as you hear the process that he went through, to find out that his new novel is. Has been sold and it has been, and he's very. He's very excited and we are for him. But the interesting part of all this, as you've been listening, is that this new novel is about. Well, the principal character is modeled on his mom. She obviously, as you've been listening, has been very, very influential in his life. She passed away at the age of 55. She was just getting into the next stage of her life, and he wanted to write a novel about what that next stage could have been.

[Kate Gibson]

He has said in other programs that if he is not writing about his mom, he is writing to his mom. So that is how influential she has been on his choices as an artist and as a writer. I mean, this woman is his conscience. She is his Jiminy Cricket, I think his artistic Jiminy Cricket. And so I can't wait to learn about her obliquely through this character that he has written in his new book. I love everything she written.

[Charlie Gibson]

Jiminy Cricket. Where did that come from?

[Kate Gibson]

Wasn't Jiminy Cricket his conscience? Wasn't he Pinocchio's conscience?

[Charlie Gibson]

Yes, he was.

[Kate Gibson]

Well, there you go then. It was a reference that worked. It might have been obscure, but. But it worked.

[Charlie Gibson]

Well, if you need to follow Kate's logic, go back and read Pinocchio or watch the movie. But it has absolutely nothing to do with this podcast. J. Ryan Straddle has sold the book. He has, as I said, more work to do on it. But this is a process that we didn't know anything about. And it turns out Jay Ryan didn't know a whole lot about it either. It just sort of happens. His representative, his agent, takes it to the publishers and you'll hear a reference to Ryan takes it to the publishers. Well, I'm not going to get into that. We'll let Jay Ryan tell you the story.

[Kate Gibson]

Jay Ryan, it is amazing, as always, to have you back in the bookcase, the frequent flyer of the bookcase that you are. You have big news. So let's start with the big news and then we'll walk it back. What's the big news?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

My new manuscript, titled Next Week When Things Calm down, sold to Atria this month in a two book deal at auction. And I'm super excited to be working with them.

[Kate Gibson]

So first of all, we need to have some time for some celebration.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Oh, thanks.

[Kate Gibson]

Celebration. Rounds of applause. Woo hoo.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Thank you.

[Kate Gibson]

Let's walk it back. So you finish Ryan, your agent sends you notes. You do. He sends you two rounds of notes. You do both rounds of notes and then what happens? Walk us through how like. Because I know this went to auction, but I think people at home don't know what that means.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Right. He put on submission multiple publishers were interested. And that means that he sets a date by which you get your bid in. And all the people who submitted bids by that date are now in an auction that he conducts. I'm not privy to this, so I don't know how it works, but he'll call me intermittently throughout and say so and so, up their bid or so and so offered this concession or this sweetener.

[Kate Gibson]

So what did these people actually see? So in order to come to the auction block, what did Ryan get them in advance?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Complete manuscript. An early draft. Yes. I mean the best I could do at the time, I think, I mean there were still things I wanted to do with it, but the timing was so important. We really wanted to get this book out before the holidays out into the marketplace. If you don't, then you're waiting till January.

[Charlie Gibson]

You said something interesting that went by a two book deal.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

I know I had avoided that.

[Charlie Gibson]

You have not done that before. You've been very adamant in saying you sell each book individually.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

That's right.

[Charlie Gibson]

Now multi book deals are not unusual for authors, but they are for you. So why did you do it?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Job security.

A dad now. Yeah. In this economy? Yeah. I feel like I, I jumped at it. That was one thing that was on the table from the winning bidder, Atria and I felt like, oh wow, that right there might be enough. Yeah, I was excited by that. Job security. Cause it's also stressful. I forgot it's been a long time to have a book out in submission, especially when you know it's not quite done. There was kind of a major thing I want to add that my editor is totally on board with, as is my agent that wasn't in this. And so I felt like, oh man, I've got a few months of work to do on this. So I was also looking for an editor willing to work with me on it. You know, I suppose any editor who felt like I only want a finished manuscript, I just want to rubber stamp it they probably didn't bid at all. I mean, I think it was pretty evident to most editors who read this that, oh, this needs some work. But the editors who bid on it obviously wanted to work on it with me. So I can't begrudge anyone who is like, I'm too busy to do developmental editing.

[Charlie Gibson]

So this is a new publisher for you?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

Atria. I don't. I don't know the publishing business. But this is a different publisher than you've had in the past.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yes, it is. Yeah. Completely different.

[Charlie Gibson]

So what causes an author to move on? You said they can. Atria can do more things for you.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

I would know what they. Yeah, I was really excited by their pitch. They're a commercial fiction publisher. They published Frederick Backman. Colleen Hoover is their big seller. She'd be the big seller anywhere. But Colleen Hoover. Yeah, Right. Yeah. Oh, that Colleen who. Yeah.

Yeah. So I think by having that kind of golden goose in the stable, they are also able to take risks perhaps that others can't. I met another Atria author at a book festival in Burbank last weekend, and she said, oh, it's great being on Atria because Colleen Hoover pays your advance. You know, I mean, she said something like that. I hadn't thought of that. Um, but that said, because of that, they have a pretty robust marketing and publicity department. And I love their pitch. To me, it sounded really thoughtful, really tailored to my book. Not just a boilerplate, but something that felt like, oh, this would be a great home, and these folks will know what to do with it and how to get it out in the marketplace.

[Charlie Gibson]

So, Jay, it's more than just a number.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah. Yeah. They did have the highest number, too, but. Oh, well, there was more. The overall pitch.

[Charlie Gibson]

Throw that in.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah, the overall pitch was very impressive. Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

But it's not only just the number. It is. This is what we can do in X category. What is X? Is it publicity? Is it marketing? Is it. I don't know.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah. Yeah. They have demonstrated success in that. Yeah. Atria books are front and center. They really know how to market and sell books. And I thought, well, this is a good shot. This is not quite anything I've done before in terms of focusing on that realm of the publishing experience. With this title, I felt, wow, these folks think this book could be a commercial bestseller. And I thought, let's find out. I'm on board for that.

[Kate Gibson]

I mean, do they say, we'll give you X editor, and you get to have a conversation with that editor to see if they understand Your vision, Like, how do you know that creatively it might be the right fit for you as well?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

That's a great question. The editor is the person who makes the bid. So, yes, when an editor does. So if they're serious, you know, when you get to the auction or right before it. Yeah, I did meet with them. I did meet with the interested.

[Kate Gibson]

Okay, so you meet with the people that anticipate bidding for your project before they bid.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yes, and I hear their pitch.

[Kate Gibson]

Oh, okay.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah. Now, what's interesting is, like, I heard these pitches the next morning at drop off at my son's kindergarten. I ran into a literary agent, Holly Root, who represents Gretchen Anthony, a Twin Cities writer who I'm friends with. And I asked her, hey, do authors ever get pitches from publishers? You know, where they roll at the red carpet. You meet marketing, publicity, you hear the editor's vision for the book, and then they don't bid during the auction. And she said, oh, yeah. And I was like, what kind of crazy world is like? Like, I thought, yeah, because I thought, oh, wow, I heard these great pitches. Like, someone's gonna be interested in this book. Now I feel like I can rest a little easier thinking that, like, oh, wow, I've sold a book. Like, regardless of who wins, I've sold a book. There are multiple people interested.

[Kate Gibson]

That question, huh?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Right. And now it's like, oh, wow, they could all pull out. I went to bed that night totally just sweating bullets, like, they're all going to say no. They're all going to change their minds, you know? And I. Then I call my agent, Ryan, and he's so pragmatic. He's like, they could. He's like, they probably won't. But, yes, it could happen. Yes. I'm not going to tell you it can't happen, because it could, but probably not.

[Kate Gibson]

I knew you were nervous because you never write me asking for support.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Oh, yeah.

[Kate Gibson]

Jay Ryan is a Midwesterner through and through, is an island. He is a rock. And on the day you went to auction, the message I got was about to go to auction. Wish me luck. Am on way to the movies.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kate Gibson]

By the way, what movie did you see?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

I went to go see Good Fortune that Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Got it, got it, got it.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah. There's something totally distracting like.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Kate Gibson]

Something totally stupid you had to go see like a John Wick or a.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Whatever. Exactly, exactly. Yeah, yeah.

[Kate Gibson]

Something stupid.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

So I wasn't gonna see one battle after another. I'll tell you.

[Kate Gibson]

Exactly.

So when you are out there looking for a new editor. How do you know that you guys will mesh? Like, how do you. Like, what are you looking for when you sit down? And what are you looking for them to say? And what. And, and at that point, do you say things like, boy, I anticipate taking the third chapter and throwing everybody in a boat and sending them to Guam? Like, do you tell her the ideas that you have in your head about changes you want to make at that time?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah, yeah. I just want to see how cohesive our visions for the book are. You know, I like to hear from them. What do you think this book is about? Describe it. How would you pitch it? What is it? Like, what comps would you use to it? And if all those things resonate with me, then I think we're in business. Yeah. Just want to make sure we're working on the same book. Yeah.

Yeah. She's only my second editor, so I don't have. I mean, I have some friends who work more or less with a different editor almost every book. And so I've yet to have that experience where I have an editor who is kind of in the wind, you know, or an editor that feels like I've got to chase whatever the current trend is. Like, I remember when Kitchens was out on submission, it was 2014. And I think, you know, I'm not gonna work with any editor who wants me to add sparkly vampires. Yeah, for me, it's like, I don't want to adapt this story to fit some sort of temporary spike in reader interest. Because also, by the time the book comes out, that likely will have waned. That's one of the fun things about publishing, is that the hang time is severe enough that you're thinking, you're thinking years ahead. Like, okay, this maybe is a book that people will want to read now, but what about in a year and a half? But he's still going to want to read it.

[Kate Gibson]

Yeah, totally.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah. But with this book, I think that'll be the case. I feel like it's probably my most feel good story. I felt after my most recent book with Viking, Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club felt like my saddest book. I felt like I want to cheer myself up. And frankly, I also really wanted to live in this character's world. I've talked about it on this podcast before, about how difficult it can be sometimes these days to enforce in yourself a feeling of generosity and open heartedness. But that's really what we need. That's what I need to do. Like to constantly value that part of me and enforce it in my behavior. And sitting down with this character every day, who is just this frighteningly positive person, had to put me in the mindset of being more positive. Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

To go back to when we started this more than a year and a half ago, when you volunteered to be our writer in residence and we went through this process of you writing this book. You've told us from the beginning this is a character based on your mom.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

The life that you would have wanted her to lead or that she could have led after she died prematurely at the age of 55.

[Kate Gibson]

Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

So did you have to give her a personality, an up personality that she didn't have to fulfill what you just talked about, or do you feel you accurately reflected what was her personality?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Oh, that's a great question. I felt like with this character, I somewhat exaggerated the most positive aspects of her personality, which wasn't difficult. I more or less took the person who she was 70% of the time and made that person 100% of the time. Now, that said, I probably should on this next draft, you know, I plan to make her a little more complex, just a little bit more myopic perhaps. You know, I feel like if I. There was a danger in making this character, I might have made her too one dimensionally good. But there's a lesson there, and I think there's books I can read that offers instruction on how to write a good hearted character that's still complex. I mean, certainly John Irving has a few. I feel like there are examples out there that can help me with that because. Yeah, you're right, Charlie. In creating this character and wanting. Wanting it to be both honor my mom and be sort of a continuation of her life was both kind of a blessing and a curse. Because in idealizing the best aspects of her personality, I might have made the character a little too ideal. Yeah. So I'm gonna look at that on my. On my way back around starting today and think about ways to show how this point of view filtered through this character will have its shortcomings and will create conflict.

[Kate Gibson]

You have a title. What is it? Where did it come from and when did it come from?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Oh, wow. I actually have the piece of paper I first wrote it down on on my desk. It just came to me when I was writing. So the title is Next Week when things Calm Down. When I was revising a chapter, it came up in dialogue. It's sort of an Internet meme. It's the kind of thing that if you look for it, you'll see a thousand tweets where people are saying some version of the sentiment, as you have.

[Charlie Gibson]

Told us over these many weeks that we have talked, that the central character is based on your mom.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

So I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of an editor who has read the book and is now calling you. And my publishing house is thinking about the book. And I'm wondering what I would want to talk to you about. Would I want to talk to you about the character, or would I want to talk to you about your mom and how those two conversations would overlap, or what you would want to convey to that editor?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Right. Well, at this point, I'm trying to tell the best story possible. So my attention and my editor's attention at this point is on the character, and it's up to me to decide how to reconcile that with things my mom would or wouldn't have done or said. And. Yeah. So right now I feel like my mom is sort of an assistant editor here. Like, I'm working with the editor on creating the most cohesive and appealing arc for this character that's based on my mom. But my mom is there to say, like, well, maybe don't do that thing, or maybe don't say it. That. Maybe don't say it that way, you know, and, yeah, that. That, to me, probably describes the relationship of those imperatives going forward.

[Kate Gibson]

So the most important question in the interview, and maybe we should even, you know, I. I would ask you what your mom would prefer. Is it next week when things calm down? Or is it next week, comma, when things calm down?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Oh, wow. I know. I had a conversation with Ryan about that. Like, do I put the comma or not? And ultimately, I decided not to do the comma at this point because it sounds more breakneck without the comma. It sounds more frantic.

[Charlie Gibson]

Jay, I'm curious as to the day. You've been to the movies.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

You're about to hear the results of the auction. You were nervous. And how did you feel as you heard the bids come in? Well, what was your feeling that day, and what did you feel that night?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

I didn't find out till the following morning. I found out the next morning at drop off. Yeah. Coincidentally got the call just as I was literally walking out of the security gate from my son's preschool, encountering a small gathering of parents that often sit around and clash after drop off. And I was talking with them when Ryan called me and say, I think we have a winner. Do you accept it? You know, and I. I said, yeah, I'll go with that deal.

[Kate Gibson]

You know, I just want to say that was so Midwestern. I was like, do you accept? Yeah, I accept. It's.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah. Oh, sure. Oh, geez.

[Charlie Gibson]

Yeah.

[Kate Gibson]

Oh, geez. Yeah, it's great.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Oh, no, I was. Yeah.

[Kate Gibson]

Oh, yeah.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

I feel like I'm downplaying it now. I shouldn't be, but I can't tell you the relief I felt. Yeah, it was ecstatic. At least as ecstatic as I'm able to get in public.

[Charlie Gibson]

The thing that I think is hard for people to understand, people live paycheck to paycheck in this world. They count on a regular income. They need to know exactly what their finances are and with some sense of what they're going to be when you spend. How long since Lakeside Supper Club came out?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

It came out 2023.

[Kate Gibson]

2023. So two years ago.

[Charlie Gibson]

So now we're two and a half years since the last book. And you're working and there's no regular check, it seems to me, coming in. No, that would.

[Kate Gibson]

That's what Brooke is for. Thank you, Brooke.

[Charlie Gibson]

That would create a feeling in the pit of my stomach that would be almost impossible to tolerate.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Oh, it's.

[Charlie Gibson]

How do you have to have faith? It seems to me, yes. And you have to have some idea in mind about when I need another check at some point.

Things are running low.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

I threaded the needle like, I can pay our mortgage next month, and then I'm out of money. Like, this book sale came at the exact right time. It couldn't have come one month later. So, yeah, I really threatened the needle in that regard. I didn't feel a total sense of existential panic, but I felt like, oh, yeah, this is not good. I need to sell a book by the end of the year. And I knew that, like this spring, I just. Doing the household budget and looking at what I knew was coming in, and I thought, okay, I'm gonna run out of money in December. Yeah.

[Kate Gibson]

But this novel really was very personal for you, so it must have also felt like. And you were putting your heart on the auction block as well.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah. Yeah. This is a really particularly personal. Probably my. I mean, all my books are very personal, but this one was, like, really? Yeah. Much more specific and intense way. Very meaningful to me, and I just didn't want just anyone to have it. And I felt like, I mean, I have a stake in it that really goes beyond putting food on the table.

[Charlie Gibson]

So a year and a half ago.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

You agreed in a moment of sobriety, yeah. To be our writer in residence.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Oh, my God.

[Charlie Gibson]

Yeah. It's going to be another year and a half, I understand, before the book comes out and the people can actually see it.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

Why so long?

[J. Ryan Stradal]

I wish I knew.

[Charlie Gibson]

What we do know, Jay Ryan, is that you're going to be able to pay the mortgage now. And that is a great sense of relief. This is so wonderful. We're rooting for you. All the best.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

Thank you so much, Charlie. Thank you, Kate.

[Kate Gibson]

We'll talk next week when things calm down.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

If only.

[Kate Gibson]

So you know, I can't wait. When it comes out on the shelves, I'm gonna be there with the big foam finger that says, Jay Ryan's number one. I'm pleased that he is pleased. As I say, he never writes me text messages. I'm always the one who checks in with him. So when I got a text message that said, it's going out at auction, I'm going to the movies, Please wish me luck. That's Jay Ryan saying, I'm very, very, very, very, very nervous in his very Midwestern way.

[Charlie Gibson]

Well, and you had to. And he had to wait overnight. As he says he was just taking his son Aiden to preschool when he got the word that there was an acceptable bid. And now a two book deal.

[Kate Gibson]

Yes.

[Charlie Gibson]

That he hadn't had before. His novels are really very good. And this one's not going to come out for a year and a half. That's amazing to me that it's going to come out in the middle of 2027. How much time do they need to print up the book? But that's their business. And we will check in when trying to find out from him why it takes so long. But if you haven't read any of his novels, Kitchens of the Great Midwest.

[Kate Gibson]

Blogger Queen of Minnesota, and Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club. And he just. He has a voice. And as I've said to people in the past when I've been waxing rhapsodic about his talent, if you're not seeing the world through the eyes of Jay Ryan's fiction on occasion, boy, are you really missing out. I love the way he sees the world. And he has a very distinct voice. I highly recommend picking him up. And I can't wait to read the new one.

[Charlie Gibson]

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how he depicts his mom. Anyway, Jay Ryan straddle. The book is sold. Congratulations, Jay. We're really very pleased for you.

[Kate Gibson]

Yeah. Watch this space.

[Charlie Gibson]

We're going to take a break. When we come back, a really interesting bookstore. We talked to them on the eve of the day they were going to launch. We'll be back.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Meet the computer you can talk to with Copilot on Windows. Working, creating and collaborating is as easy as talking. Got writer's block? Share your screen with Copilot Vision to help spark inspiration and use Copilot voice to have a conversation and brainstorm ideas. Or maybe you need some tech help with Copilot Vision. Copilot sees what you see. Let Copilot talk you through step by.

[Kate Gibson]

Step guidance so you can master new.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Apps, games and skills faster. Try [e-mail] copilot Abercrombie Kids is bringing the cheer all holiday season and the gifts too. No matter how long their wish list is the there's always room for just one more. Whether it's a new winter coat, an extra pair of jeans or cozy matching sweatsets. Get gifting with looks they've been waiting for all year. Shop Abercrombie Kids in the app online and in stores.

[Charlie Gibson]

Hey Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is off offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half the price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day.

[Kate Gibson]

Yeah.

[Charlie Gibson]

Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com.

[Charlie Gibson]

So today's bookstore is bound and B O U N D and V I N E. It's in Fayetteville, North Carolina and they have a wonderful mission. I think two owners who have interesting backgrounds and interesting mission in the way they are integrating that background into the philosophy of their store.

[Kate Gibson]

Yeah, they're a husband and wife team. He's in the military. He has recently retired and she always, you know as military families are want to do they move from base to base to base as is required by their assignment. And of course it's hard to feel a sense of community. You have to form those emergency communities as soon as you get on any base. And so she really, Kelly, Andrew's wife really wanted to house a space where new wives, veteran wives can meet and form community and husbands of course military husbands as well as well as get the outside community to get to know the military community and the military community to get to know the outside community. So I just, I Love their mission. I also love. This is the second bookstore we've talked to on the eve before they're opening. And I love watching people on the eve before their opening because they have a look on their face that's part excitement, part terror, part, am I completely crazy? Please, for the love of God, tell me that I'm not crazy. So it's sort of nice to talk to them and reassure them that they're not crazy and that we wish them great luck.

[Charlie Gibson]

These two owners are Kelly Artis and her husband, Andrew Ardus. And as Katie said, he is retired after 22 years in the military. I talked to Kelly today. This is now a week after their opening, when we record this, but we talked to them, as Katie said, on the eve of their opening. And I'll let you know how the beginning went. Well, I can give you.

[Kate Gibson]

No, no, no. They have to have a reason to stay tuned. That's a tease. When we. When we come back from the interview, we'll tell you how the opening went.

[Charlie Gibson]

This is. This is Andrew and Kelly Artis.

Kelly Artis, it's good to talk to you. Tell me how this all began. What was the germ that has resulted in your store opening tomorrow?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Well, Charlie, I would love to say that it's a dream that I've had since I was a little girl, but I would be lying to you if that were what I said. We. It was kind of a perfect storm of things that I wish existed, opportunities that came available, and kind of a desperate need to bring something just really nice to our community. So we are a military family. My husband, Andrew, has served 22 years at this point in the army, and we are located here in the center of the army universe, which is known as Fort Bragg. And we decided that he would close that chapter. So we made that decision last fall and decided to retire. So a little bit of a Runway for retirement. So, you know, finding oneself, figuring out what the next chapter holds, literally. Next chapter. I can't help it.

[Kate Gibson]

Somebody stop me.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I know I've been.

[Kate Gibson]

Mark.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I've been writing marketing copy. Can you tell? So that happened. And then we made the decision to stay in Fayetteville. So that was a big one.

[Charlie Gibson]

So what came first, the decision to do the bookstore or your husband's decision to retire? In other words, had he already decided to retire and you had to figure out, oh, my goodness, what's next?

[Andrew Artis]

Yeah, a little bit. So I. I decided to retire last fall. And shortly after, you know, having this discussion and making this decision, Kelly proposed this Idea. She pitched the idea on our couch downstairs in our living room. And I said, yeah, why not?

[Kate Gibson]

You said, why not? And I'm thinking, well, money, space, whatever, blah, blah, blah, blah. But your initial reaction was, why not? What is it about Kelly that insp you to have that reaction?

[Andrew Artis]

I've never seen Kelly fail at anything she's done. I've. I've always seen Kelly has done some tremendous things in her career, and I believe in her. So when she said she wanted to do this and we're going to do this, I thought, you know, I'm not the one who comes up with good ideas, but I can make things happen. So that's how I can help you.

[Kate Gibson]

Talk on your website about the importance of curating your collection and being thoughtful about your collection. So how would you describe your curation philosophy, both of books and, and of wine? Because I know there's also a wine bar as well.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

We have a huge military interest category that I myself identify as a military spouse. I've supported my husband through 20 plus years of service. Our community of military spouses specifically is a really, just amazingly diverse community of really impressive, mostly women who are constantly having to reinvent themselves and find new community and build new friendships and networks at every new duty station. So that has played a huge part in not only the book creation, the added element of the wine, and the ability to, like the seating. I mean, we gave up a lot of retail space for the seating. And I know that's a risky choice. I mean, it could be detrimental, but I really want people to feel like they can have somewhere to be and meet someone new and, you know, spark up a conversation on the sofa, you know, so. So yeah, I would say that that's the thought behind all of that.

[Andrew Artis]

I think from just operating a bookstore perspective, what we'll learn is what's selling, what's not selling, and then how we have to adjust from there. I think Emily Russo on your, on your last podcast had a great discussion about that, and we have a lot to learn about what we are going to order, what we're going to keep, what our community wants, and that's going to come in, in the next few months. So when you asked us what are we thinking about before we open, it's things like that. I think we have an idea of what we're creating and what that needs to look like. But I think our community is going to help us learn over the next few months. And again, if we could come back and tell you a little bit in a few months of how it's going. I'm sure we'll, we'll have some more points.

[Charlie Gibson]

So many of the bookstore owners that we've talked to have talked about how critical it is to help build a sense of community where they are, that people can come together as sort of a third home for people in their community. And in your website you talk about how that relates to the military and your decision that with that military experience it was important to add to the community in Fayetteville. Tell me how those two things relate the military and your desire to build a community with the bookstore.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I adore the military community. There are so many amazing, incredible people that you get to encounter and meet and become family with. We go through really hard things together. We connect really quickly because there is a steady sort of universal language that we all understand. We have this joke in the military spouse community, particularly where you literally will get to a new duty station and the first person that you meet that you kind of get a good feel for will become your emergency contact. So I can't tell you how many people I've had in my phone. Cause you don't. But think about it from a psychological perspective. When you're signing your kid up to a new school and you get to that question of who's your emergency contact, it's devastating. I don't live near family anymore. I don't have someone that I could call to get my kid if something happened. So we do this really quickly. So we're really, we're really good at community. We have to be. So why not bring that superpower to something that we want to build here so that we can be a flag, you know, on the hill for the new military spouse that gets to Fayetteville and maybe isn't plugged in, in the traditional community ways that, that we have available to us. I mean, it's weird to be on the flip side of 20 years and we're like the. I'm the seasoned spouse is what they call us now. So it's weird to be on the flip side of that and sort of becoming a bit of a mentor to some of the younger spouses who are a different generation. So they just operate differently. They're a bit more independent and self sufficient. But I want them to know, like, okay, but you don't always have to be. So maybe it's not them plugging in in the traditional ways, but as long as they know that they've got somewhere to just come sit on a sofa, I'll come talk to you. You know, and I can come be your community and I can introduce you to the next person so it doesn't have to look the ways that it typically looks for forging community for folks that are new to a place. And then also we want to expand that to the civilian community that we're surrounded by and that is our home while we're here. That's often talked about in, you know, academic circles about the military civilian divide. We are very inundated with military families in Fayetteville, but I think nationally that's not the case. So the more exposure and the more touch points that people have to our community and that we have to feel included in the broader civilian community, I think are all great things. So we're going to do our part as much as we can here in little old Fayetteville.

[Charlie Gibson]

Very well said, actually.

[Kate Gibson]

I wonder if this would be a good model for military outposts across the country. I never thought about bookstores being a great way for military families to connect, to exchange ideas, but also to instantly build community. What a great idea, Kate.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

You might be letting a little cat out of a bag.

[Kate Gibson]

You guys should open mound and vines around forts all around and Air Force bases all around the world. Like, I love that idea. It would take a day or two to feel a little less lonely. And the fact that you're providing folks the opportunity to feel less lonely instantaneously, that's. That's a hell of a mission.

[Charlie Gibson]

22 years in the military. Andrew, we thank you for your bookstore and thank you. We wish you great success. You can find it in Fayetteville at 134 Person Street. It'll be up and operating by the time our listeners hear this. We wish you great success.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Thank you.

[Andrew Artis]

Thank you so much.

[Kate Gibson]

My dad talked to Kelly today, and unfortunately, it did not go well.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

And, and.

[Kate Gibson]

And she and Andrew have had to take to selling oranges by the side of the highway to. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.

[Charlie Gibson]

It's he. She said, over the moon. They had such a big crowd. They had a line out the door. She said, it is kept up all week. A lot of people came in to drink the wine. And she said they. They actually had to stay open an hour after their closing time on opening day. And they had to tell people, last call.

[Kate Gibson]

It's.

[Charlie Gibson]

It's time for you all to go.

[Kate Gibson]

But, you know, it's. So many bookstores talk about the fact that we are the community, we build community, and we are the community. And we loved, first of all that we talked to these people the night before they opened. But also, what a greatly needed and specific community mission. Uh, we feel like there should be bookstores like this near every military base across the country because what a great way to bring people together to talk about their commonalities. Yeah, it's just cool. It's just so cool.

[Charlie Gibson]

As Kate said, you know, if you're in the military, you're a transient person. You're living in. Well, a friend of mine who had a military background or her parents did, she went to eight different schools before she graduated from high school. They're moving all the time. So what better way to meet other military husbands and wives than in a bookstore and have them also meet people from the community? We wish them well.

[Kate Gibson]

We sure do.

[Charlie Gibson]

Bound and vine in Fayetteville, North Carolina, right near Fort Bragg. We thank them for joining us and we wish them well in the Future. May the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th weeks go as well as the first one did. I will bring you up to date this time on the people who make this podcast possible, since every week you seem to be doing it.

[Kate Gibson]

Thank you.

[Charlie Gibson]

So I want my two cents in there. And then we'll have a coda from Jay Ryan. Straddle the Bookcase with Kate and Charlie is a joint production of Good Morning America and ABC Audio. It is edited by Tom Butler of TKO Productions and our executive producer is Simone Swink. We want to make special mention of Amanda McMaster, Sabrina Kohlberg and Ariel Chester of ABC Good Morning America and Josh Cohan of ABC Audio. You can follow us and rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcasts. And if you like to find any of the books mentioned on this podcast, you can find them listed in the episode description.

[J. Ryan Stradal]

I mean, books, their job is not only to be an escape, but they are even the most demanding book or even the book that's the most work for its reader is still an escape. And you want to give the reader some sense of. I'm glad I did this. A sense of happiness for having chosen your book.

[Charlie Gibson]

Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means half day. Yeah. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. New customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of network's busy taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com.