May 2025: Viola Shipman’s (aka Wade Rouse’s) The Page Turner

Episode 61

Beloved author Wade Rouse—who writes under the pen name Viola Shipman—joins Jen for a heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply insightful conversation about writing, identity, and honoring the women who shape us. Known for his evocative novels rooted in love, memory, and family, Wade shares the origin of his pen name (a tribute to his grandmother), the transition from memoir to fiction, and how Michigan became the emotional landscape for so many of his stories.

In this touching episode, Jen and Wade dive into:

• The joy (and exhaustion) of book tours
• The beauty of writing from grief
• The fight against genre-shaming in publishing
• Why women’s voices in literature matter more than ever
• His latest novel The Page Turner, and what inspired it
• His upcoming project that’s giving Golden Girls a queer twist

Whether you’re a book lover, an aspiring writer, or someone who believes in the power of personal stories, this episode is packed with inspiration, connection, and literary magic.