Friends & Fiction

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome New York Times bestselling author, J.T. Ellison, to discuss her new novel, A Very Bad Thing, about one author at the pinnacle of her career, whose past threatens to destroy everything she has and everyone she knows. J.T. Ellison is the NYT & USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels and the Emmy Award-winning co-host of the literary TV show A Word on Words. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker and runs the popular blog, The Creative Edge. With millions of books in print — which have been optioned for TV and published in 28 countries — her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. J.T. joins us from her home in Nashville to discuss her taut new thriller, A Very Bad Thing, which Library Journal calls, “a fun, fast-paced thriller that keeps secrets until the very last page.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Kristin Harmel & Patti Callahan Henry welcome #1 bestselling author Louise Penny to discuss her new novel The Grey Wolf, the 19th installment in her wildly successful Armand Gamache mystery series. Louise Penny is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She was also the co-author with Hillary Rodham Clinton of the #1 New York Times bestselling thriller State of Terror. A former journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and a recipient of the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture, Louise has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and multiple Agatha Awards, and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Louise joins us from her home in a small village south of Montreal to discuss her new book, The Grey Wolf, in which Gamache and his team are propelled toward the terrible realization that something much more sinister than any one murder is fast approaching the tiny Québec village of Three Pines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, the Fab Four (Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey & Patti Callahan Henry) gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, Paula Hawkins, to discuss her propulsive and powerful new book, our October 2024 Pick of the Month, THE BLUE HOUR, an addictive thriller which takes place on a remote Scottish island with only one house, one inhabitant, and one way out. Paula Hawkins is the #1 NYT-bestselling author of three suspense novels including INTO THE WATER and A SLOW FIRE BURNING. Her debut novel that shook the nation, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, spent 80+ weeks on the NYT bestseller — list including 20 weeks at #1 — and was named the USA Today Book of the Year. It has gone on to sell more than 23-million copies worldwide, has been published in 50+ languages, and was a box office hit film starring Emily Blunt. A former journalist, Paula was born and raised in Zimbabwe and now splits her time between London and Edinburgh.She joins us to discuss her masterful, page-turning, unsettling new novel that recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith and cements Hawkins's place among the very best of our most nuanced and stylish storytellers. Lee Child has called THE BLUE HOUR “the best Paula Hawkins yet — by a tense and haunting mile,” and we cannot wait to talk to her all about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode Ron Block & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome Marybeth Whalen to discuss her new novel EVERY MOMENT SINCE. Marybeth Whalen is the author of This Secret Thing, Only Ever Her, When We Were Worthy, The Things We Wish Were True, and five previous novels, which have sold more than a half-million copies. Together with author pal Ariel Lawhon, Marybeth co-founded The Book Tide, a book community dedicated to helping readers find books they’ll love and authors find a loyal, supportive audience. The mother of six and a native of Charlotte, NC, Marybeth joins us from her home in Sunset Beach, NC to discuss her tenth novel, EVERY MOMENT SINCE (Harper Muse, Oct. 1), a book that, with hauntingly vivid prose, peels back the curtain on the inner turmoil of those left behind in a small Southern community after a little boy goes missing. We are eager to chat with Marybeth about this novel which has been called, “everything you want in a novel,” by Patti Callahan Henry, “unforgettable,” by J.T. Ellison, and “sophisticated, compelling, and unflinching” by Kimberly Brock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Kristy Woodson Harvey & Mary Kay Andrews welcome #1 mega internationally bestselling author Sophie Kinsella to discuss her new novella — her most autobiographical work to date — WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE? Sophie Kinsella has sold more than 45-million copies of her books which have been translated into 40+ languages in 60+ countries. She first became a bestseller in September 2000 with the first novel in her beloved Shopaholic series, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Heroine Becky Bloomwood captured readers’ hearts worldwide and has since featured in eight further bestselling books. Bloomwood also came to the big screen in 2009 with the hit Disney movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher. Sophie’s twelve standalone novels have all been bestsellers around the world, including The Burnout, The Undomestic Goddess, and Love Your Life. She has also published YA, illustrated children’s books, and seven novels under her real name, Madeleine Wickham. Sophie joins us from the UK to discuss WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?, the heartbreaking and life-affirming story of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew, which has been called “the bravest book you’ll read all year” by Jodi Picoult. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Mary Kay Andrews welcome bestselling author Jean Hanff Korelitz to discuss her new novel THE SEQUEL—the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her "insanely readable" (Stephen King) and "perfectly told" (Malcolm Gladwell) NYT-bestseller, The Plot. Jean Hanff Korelitz is the NYT bestselling author of the novels The Plot and The Latecomer (both of which are being adapted as limited series), You Should Have Known (which aired on HBO as The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, and Donald Sutherland), and Admission (which was adapted as a film starring Tina Fey), among several other works. Jean’s company BOOKTHEWRITER hosts Pop-Up Book Groups in which small groups of readers discuss new books with their authors. She joins us from New York City where she lives with her husband, Irish poet Paul Muldoon, to discuss her deliciously fun and suspenseful new novel, THE SEQUEL. Loaded with Jean’s signature wit and sardonic humor, this spellbinding new book illuminates and satirizes the world of publishing while giving us an anti-hero to root for in Anna, the widow of The Plot’s protagonist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Kristy Woodson Harvey & Kristin Harmel welcome #1 New York Times bestselling global sensation Liane Moriarty to discuss her new novel HERE ONE MOMENT, a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. Liane Moriarty has written ten novels which have sold more than 20-million copies worldwide. Her novels Big Little Lies, Apples Never Fall, The Husband’s Secret, and Truly Madly Guilty have all hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, and Apples Never Fall were all adapted into popular television series with star-studded casts including Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Melissa McCarthy and Annette Bening. Liane joins us from her home in Sydney, Australia to discuss HERE ONE MOMENT (Crown, Sept 10), which Kirkus Reviews called “a fresh, funny, ambitious, and nuanced take on some of our oldest existential questions” in a starred review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry, Mary Kay Andrews & Kristin Harmel gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, Jodi Picoult, to discuss her captivating new instant #1 New York Times bestseller, our September 2024 Pick of the Month, BY ANY OTHER NAME, in which two women, centuries apart — one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare's plays — are forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard. Jodi Picoult is the #1 bestselling author of 29 novels, including Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, and My Sister’s Keeper, and with her daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Jodi’s books have been translated into 34 languages and published in 35 countries. Four of her novels, The Pact, Plain Truth, The Tenth Circle, and Salem Falls, have been made into television movies. My Sister’s Keeper was a New Line Cinema film starring Cameron Diaz. Mad Honey, Small Great Things, and Wish You Were Here have been optioned or are currently in development. Jodi has written five issues of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman, and she is also the co-librettist for several stage musical adaptations which have appeared Off Broadway and in London’s West End. We can’t wait to discuss Jodi’s new novel, BY ANY OTHER NAME, which skyrocketed instantly to #1 and was both a GMA Book Club Pick and a People Magazine Book of the Week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On tis episode, Mary Kay Andrews and Patti Callahan Henry welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Laura Dave to discuss her new thriller, The Night We Lost Him, in which estranged siblings discover their father has been keeping a secret for over fifty years — one that may have been fatal. Laura Dave’s novels have been published in thirty-eight languages and have been chosen by Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club, Indie Next, Book of the Month Club, Best of Amazon, and Best of Apple Books. The Last Thing He Told Me was named 2021’s Goodreads Thriller of the Year. Six of Laura’s novels have been optioned for film and television, including The Last Thing He Told Me, which is a limited series on AppleTV+ starring Jennifer Garner. We are excited to talk to Laura about her eagerly anticipated follow-up, The Night We Lost Him (Marysue Rucci Books, Sept 17), which People says “serves up Dave's signature blend of pulse-pounding suspense and moving family drama,” and TIME calls “a twisty thriller that will keep you guessing.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Ron Block and Patti Callahan Henry welcome mega-bestselling author TJ Klune to discuss his new novel, Somewhere Beyond The Sea, the hugely anticipated sequel to his smash hit, The House in the Cerulean Sea, which is one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade. TJ Klune is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, The Extraordinaries and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it’s important — now more than ever — to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories. We are so excited to talk to TJ about Somewhere Beyond The Sea, which (in a starred review) Library Journal has called, “a heart-wrenching tale of being perceived as different, finding acceptance, and having a place in the world.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Kristin Harmel & Ron Block welcome bestselling author Madeline Martin to discuss The Booklover’s Library, her heartwarming new story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books to bring them together. We’re also treated to a pop-in by Emmy-award winning journalist turned novelist Linda Hurtado Bond to chat about her gripping new thriller All the Missing Girls. Madeline Martin is the NYT, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and internationally bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books translated into more than 25 languages. She joins us from sunny Florida to discuss her latest, The Booklover’s Library, which has been dubbed “a must-read for booklovers” by Chanel Cleeton and “a quiet little jewel of a wartime novel” by Kate Quinn. By day, Linda Hurtado Bond is an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist. By night, she’s an author of James Bond-like adventures and heart-stopping thrillers. The host of “Tampa Bay Reads,” Linda has hosted all of F&F’s hosts on her television segment. She joins us to discuss her new spine-tingling mystery, All the Missing Girls, featuring her recurring character, Tampa crime reporter Mari Alvarez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, the Fab Four gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, Jessa Maxwell, to discuss her new book, our August 2024 Pick of the Month, I NEED YOU TO READ THIS, a sly and addictive new mystery about an advice columnist searching for answers about her predecessor’s murder. Jessa Maxwell is the author and illustrator of five picture books for children whose comics and cartoons have been published in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and whose writing has been published in Slate, Marie Claire, and many other publications. She previously joined us on our podcast in March 2023 to discuss her debut adult novel, the darkly beguiling locked-room mystery The Golden Spoon. We are excited to welcome Jessa back to discuss her clever new cat-and-mouse murder mystery, I NEED YOU TO READ THIS (Atria Books, Aug 13), which Booklist called a “palm-sweat-inducing psychological thriller,” and which Publishers Weekly praised for its “scintillating tension.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Mary Kay Andrews welcome bestselling author Greer Macallister to discuss THE THIRTEENTH HUSBAND, the story of scandalous heiress Aimee Crocker, who lit up the Gilded Age tabloids with her devil-may-care attitude and worldwide adventures. Greer Macallister’s historical novels, including THE MAGICIAN'S LIE, GIRL IN DISGUISE, WOMAN 99, and THE ARCTIC FURY, have been named Book of the Month, Indie Next, LibraryReads, Target Book Club, and Amazon Best Book of the Month picks and optioned for film and television. As G. R. Macallister, she is the author of the Five Queendoms series, which Paste Magazine called “the best feminist fantasy series you probably haven't read yet.” She joins us to discuss her latest work of historical fiction, THE THIRTEENTH HUSBAND (Sourcebooks, Aug 6), which Fiona Davis has dubbed, “a whirlwind...a truly wonderful read,” and Marie Benedict has called, “utterly gripping.” This fictional tell-all has been described as THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO meets THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and we are excited to talk to Greer all about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Mary Kay Andrews and Patti Callahan Henry welcome New York Times bestselling author Rhys Bowen to discuss THE ROSE ARBOR, her haunting new novel of suspense which follows an investigation into a girl’s disappearance that uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II. Rhys Bowen has authored two historical mystery series, the #1 Kindle bestseller In Farleigh Field, and numerous other international bestsellers. Her work has sold 10-million copies in more than 30 languages. She’s been nominated for every major mystery award and has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Her childhood experiences with relatives in Wales colored her first mystery series about Constable Evans in the mountains of Snowdonia. She went on to write ten books in that series including the Edgar nominee Evan’s Gate. We are eager to hear from her about THE ROSE ARBOR which The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell author Robert Dugoni has called “a complex and intriguing mystery…with smart, exquisite prose.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Kristin Harmel and Patti Callahan Henry welcome award-winning, internationally bestselling author Marjan Kamali to discuss her new book, THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN, a heartfelt, epic novel of friendship, betrayal, and redemption set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran. Marjan Kamali is the author of several novels, including The Stationery Shop, a national and international bestseller, and Together Tea, a Massachusetts Book Award finalist. Born in Turkey to Iranian parents, Marjan was raised in Turkey, Iran, Germany, Kenya, and the U.S. The 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, her novels are published in translation in more than 25 languages, and her essays have appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Review of Books. She joins us to discuss her brand-new national bestseller, THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN, which is an Amazon Editors’ Pick, a Book of the Month main selection, an IndieNext pick, and an Apple Best Book of the Month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry and Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin to discuss her new novel THE SUMMER PACT in which a group of friends, in the wake of tragedy, make a pact that will cause them to reunite a decade later and embark on a life-changing adventure together. Emily is the author of twelve internationally bestselling novels, including All We Ever Wanted, The Lies That Bind, and Meant to Be. A Chicago native, Emily is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. She practiced litigation at a large Manhattan firm for several years while dreaming of becoming a writer. When her 2004 debut novel Something Borrowed (which was adapted as the 2011 feature film starring Kate Hudson & John Krasinski) became a sensation, Emily vowed never to practice law again. With books translated into 31 languages and more than 12-million copies sold worldwide, Emily has been dubbed a “modern-day Jane Austen” by Vanity Fair and a “dependly down-to-earth storyteller” by the New York Times. She joins us to discuss her latest instant NYT-bestseller, THE SUMMER PACT, which Booklist called “a triumph” in a starred review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, the Fab Four gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, Jamie Brenner, to discuss her brand-new book, our July 2024 Pick of the Month, A NOVEL SUMMER, in which a bestselling author finds love and second chances in the stacks of a quaint beach town bookshop. Jamie Brenner is the bestselling author of eight novels including The Forever Summer and Blush. She grew up in suburban Philadelphia on a steady diet of fiction and soap operas, then moved to New York City where she worked in book publishing and fashion. After raising two daughters in Manhattan, Jamie has returned to her hometown and spends her summers visiting the beaches that inspire her novels. Her compulsively readable new book, A NOVEL SUMMER, has been praised as “a rich, satisfying and surprising summer read” by Adriana Trigiani and this “summer’s BIG book that everyone will be raving about” by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Mary Kay Andrews & Ron Block welcome NYT-bestselling author Christina Dodd to discuss her brand-new book A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, a humorous historical update on the Romeo and Juliet story which Susan Mallery has called “a tour de force,” and Kirsitin Hannah has praised as “fun, funny, charming, and absolutely delightful.” Christina Dodd is a perennially bestselling author whose suspense, paranormal, mystery, regency and contemporary romance novels have been translated into 30 languages, have sold more than 15-million copies, and have won numerous awards including the Romance Writers of America RITA and Golden Heart Awards. She joins us from her home in the Pacific Northwest to discuss her new novel, A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, which has been described as "Knives Out meets Bridgerton." This book kicks off a frothy, irreverent, witty new series with an irresistible premise—Romeo and Juliet’s daughter as a clever, rebellious, fiercely independent woman in fair Verona—told from the delightfully engaging point of view of the captivating Rosie Montague herself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry, Kristin Harmel & Mary Kay Andrews welcome the three bestselling authors—Heather Gudenkauf, Kimberly Belle & Kaira Rouda—who make up the Killer Author Club, a unique platform for suspense and mystery fans to hear from their favorite authors as they chat about killing—of the fictional kind, of course. Kimberly Belle is a USA Today and internationally bestselling author with over one-million copies sold worldwide whose The Paris Widow came out on June 11th. Kaira Rouda is an award-winning, USA Today, Amazon charts, and internationally bestselling contemporary fiction author whose Under the Palms was released on May 21st. Heather Gudenkauf is the Edgar-nominated, NYT-bestselling author of 10 novels whose Everyone is Watching was released on March 26th. Together they started the Killer Author Club in 2022. Each bi-monthly, half-hour show, airing on Facebook, YouTube & Instagram, features a Killer Author, a Killer Cocktail, and a Killer Giveaway—all in a fun and fast-paced setting. We are excited for this cross-over episode where we deliberately collide our two worlds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Ron Block welcome the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Chris Whitaker to discuss his newly announced Read with Jenna pick, All the Colors of the Dark, an epic novel about a man fixated on finding a missing woman―and the FBI agent on his tail, who might be even more obsessed than he is. Chris Whitaker is the author of five novels including Tall Oaks, All the Wicked Girls, and The Forevers, as well as the instant New York Times bestselling phenomenon We Begin at the End which was optioned by Disney’s 20th Television and was named a No.1 Indie Next Pick, a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, a Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick, and a GMA Buzz Pick. Chris joins us to discuss his highly-anticipated and super buzz-worthy new novel which Kristin Hannah said kept her “frantically turning the pages and somehow made me cry at the end” and which Bonnie Garmus called “impeccably crafted, deeply emotional, entirely shattering.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices