January 4, 2022 | Issue #124 |
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Latest News From "The Fab Four"
Patti Callahan Henry spent the holidays with family, so much family, in SC where the temps went from 17 to 70 at a dizzying speed. She had such a lovely time, and now she is looking forward to the new year with great expectancy as she heads into the launch for The Secret Book of Flora Lea. She has great giveaways and pre-order details coming!
Kristy Woodson Harvey spent New Year’s week in the sun because, gloriously, it has been in the high 60s in Beaufort. She loves spending the week planning out her next year and has also been doing plenty of writing. She is excited for 2023 and the release of The Summer of Songbirds!
Kristin Harmel is so excited to be back with her Friends & Fiction friends (including YOU!) tonight. She, her husband, and her son spent a quiet holiday together this year, which felt just right. She’ll be sharing some news on tonight’s show about a challenge she’s facing in 2023… but she’s also excited to get the new year underway, because we’re now just five months away from the launch of THE PARIS DAUGHTER, coming June 6!
Mary Kay Andrews rang in the New Year at Ebbtide on Tybee Island with a few old friends. Had a double helping of collard greens and black-eyed peas hoping for a luckier 2023. Now she’s taking a deep breath after handing in the latest round of revisions for her fall 2023 book. Maybe shoveling out her office before starting next book, or maybe procrastinating. Again.
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Get to Know Our Friend, Mary Kubica!
What would you be if you weren't a writer?
If I wasn’t a writer, I’d be a teacher. Before I began writing professionally, I worked as a high school history teacher both in the suburbs of Chicago and in the Omaha Public Schools. I absolutely loved it. I stepped away from teaching back in 2005 when my daughter was born and I wanted time to start my family, not expecting that in the years to follow I’d write and sell my first book, THE GOOD GIRL, and become a full time author. I still like to get back into the classroom whenever I can and love talking to students about writing and publishing.
What's the biggest misconception people have about you and your work?
My books are thrillers, many of my characters are suspicious or unreliable, and sometimes I think that readers expect me to be too! At book events readers are often surprised to find that I’m pretty upbeat, friendly and don’t give off the same creepy vibes as my books. All of my books have dark themes and I think that if I had lived through many of the same things my characters do, I wouldn’t want to write about it. What I love is stepping outside of my comfort zone and writing about something so different from my ordinary life.
Do you have any writing rituals?
I don’t have too many rituals, but I am a proud member of the 5am writing club (and sometimes the 4am writing club depending on how tight the deadline). When I sold my first book and my second was under contract and I had two young children at home – one who only went to preschool about 4 hours a week – I knew I needed to carve out writing time in my day and the hours of 5am-7am were it! At first it was out of necessity but I quickly learned that I loved the peace and quiet of writing at that time of day so that now, with my kids grown and either out the door by 7am for school or sleeping until noon, I am still up almost every day at 5am writing.
Is there a particular independent bookstore or library you'd like to shout-out?
So many! I’m so grateful for the support of independent bookstores and libraries. With the vast number of books published each year, it would be easy to be overlooked if not for the booksellers recommending and hand-selling books to their readers or hosting us for events. A few of my favorites include Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC, and FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA (I could go on and on). As for libraries, living in the suburbs of Chicago, we have an infinite number of them, many of which have enthusiastically hosted me for events and I’m grateful for all of them, but Plainfield Public Library in Plainfield, Illinois, stands out. A non-local favorite of mine is the Hoover Public Library in Hoover, Alabama, who hosts an incredible annual event – Southern Voices – which is where I first met the lovely and talented Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry!
The last book you raved about:
J.T. Ellison’s IT’S ONE OF US. I got an early look at this book, which will be released in February. It’s a masterpiece. I’ve always been a huge Ellison fan, but she has really outdone herself with this one. The book is poignant and moving. It will be relatable to many, as the protagonist, Olivia, is a woman who’s been struggling with infertility for years and feels increasingly desperate to become a mother. But it’s also a dark, page turning thriller because Olivia learns that her husband’s DNA has been linked to a murder and comes to discover that he, unbeknownst to her, fathered a son who is now a murderer. It’s the type of book you can’t put down and that you find yourself thinking about even when you’re not reading. Mystery fans will love this one!
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Spotlight on Deborah Goodrich Royce
We are so looking forward to introducing you to Deborah Goodrich Royce on tonight’s after show! The author of three novels, Deborah writes domestic thrillers that examine puzzles of identity. Her debut novel FINDING MRS. FORD was included on many 2019 best-of lists including Forbes, Book Riot, and Good Morning America. RUBY FALLS won the Zibby Award for Best Plot Twist in 2021. Deborah began as an actress on All My Children and in multiple films, before transitioning to the role of story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago and A Wrinkle in Time. With her husband, Chuck, Deborah restored the Avon Theatre, Ocean House Hotel, Deer Mountain Inn, United Theatre, Savoy Bookstore, and numerous Main Street revitalization projects in Rhode Island and the Catskills. She serves on the governing and advisory boards of the American Film Institute, Greenwich International Film Festival, New York Botanical Garden, Greenwich Historical Society, and the PRASAD Project. We can’t wait to hear all about her brand-new novel REEF ROAD.
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Subscribe to the Friends & Fiction 2023 First Edition Subscription Box!
Purchase of this special 2023 Friends & Fiction First Edition Subscription Box includes each 2023 NEW & SIGNED hardcover release from ALL FOUR of the Friends & Fiction host authors plus a fun, small gift included with the first shipment—a kitchen towel that reads, “Dinner can wait. It’s time for Friends & Fiction!”
Subscribers will receive four shipments around each book release:
May 2023—Patti Callahan Henry's The Secret Book of Flora Lea
June 2023—Kristin Harmel's The Paris Daughter
July 2023—Kristy Woodson Harvey's The Summer of Songbirds
Sept 2023—Mary Kay Andrews's Bright Lights, Big Christmas
Subscription price of $125 includes tax and all shipping charges. Sign up now at Booktowne.com!
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Friends & Fiction Merchandise
SHOP THE F&F MERCH STORE!
BOGO T-SHIRTS IN THE F&F MERCH STORE!
Our figure-flattering, cozy cotton v-neck T-shirts with our signature Friends & Fiction logo are now on sale Buy One Get One FREE! ORDER T-SHIRTS HERE. Use Code FFBOGO at check-out to claim your FREE T-shirt when you purchase one!
Also available:
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Listen to the F&F Podcast!
Coming this Friday, January 6th—It’s new year, new you time! The first episode of the new year has Ron & Kristy in conversation with calligrapher, founder of All She Wrote Notes, and author Maghon Taylor all about reinvention, goal-setting, and her new book, 100 Days of Praise and Positivity.
Out Now! WB_S4E22—Our year-end episode features Brenda Gardner & Llsa Harrison, hosts of the beloved and Zibby Award winning Friends and Fiction Official Book Club with Brenda and Lisa. This dynamic duo, affectionately known as PB&J, talk about their backgrounds, how the book club began and how it’s run, along with what to look forward to in 2023! LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S4E21—Ron is joined by the Fab 4, along with Meg Walker and Shaun Hettinger for a special holiday edition of the popular "Ask Us Anything" segment, answering questions submitted by our community. Hilarity and holiday merriment ensues! LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S4E20—Ron & Patti talk to Paige Crutcher about her new novel The Lost Witch— a spellbinding tale of contemporary fantasy, romance, and Irish mythology. LISTEN NOW!
Listen, download, subscribe, rate, review & share wherever you get your podcasts!
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News from the Zibby Award-Winning Friends &Fiction Official Book Club with Brenda & Lisa
We’ve got some great events coming up! Take a look at our book club schedule and be sure to save the dates. All events begin at 7pm Eastern unless otherwise noted.
Jan 23: Bookends by Zibby Owens—We are excited to feature our first non-fiction book!
Grab the book and start reading now!
If you missed our Dec 21st takeover of the main Friends and Fiction page, you can view it here.
If you missed our Dec 8th Happy Hour with Ron Block and special guest Mary Kay Andrews, watch it HERE.
The Friends & Fiction Official Book Club is on YouTube! You can view previous book club discussions and happy hours at your leisure. Please subscribe to our channel HERE!
Not a member of the Friends & Fiction Book Club? Join us. We would love to have you!
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The F&F 2023 Reading Challenge!
We have announced the 2023 F&F Reading Challenge! This year the challenge is being run by the F&F Official Book Club with Brenda & Lisa. Join in on all the fun on their Facebook group page. Each month there is a different category prompt designed to get all of us reading outside of our comfort zone. Let’s have fun together all year long reading books from lots of different genres. On the book club’s Facebook page, there will be ideas shared for each category and the chance to talk with fellow members about your reading selections. The timeless F&F Reading Journal makes the perfect companion piece to this or any reading challenge, helping you keep track of all the books you read all year long. Grab your reading journal HERE.
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F&F is on YouTube!
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Did you miss the December 14th Fall season finale with Debbie Macomber & Wade Rouse (aka Viola Shipman)? If so, you can watch it on our YouTube channel HERE. We air our show on YouTube every Wednesday night at 7pm ET. And every episode since our show’s inception can be found there too. So if you ever miss one, or in case Facebook is being difficult, check us out on YouTube. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode and get alerted every time we post new content. We also have book trailers and highlight clips on our channel, too! Watch the December 14th show HERE.
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Join Us on Fable!
Introducing Friends & Fiction: Behind the Book
Have you joined F&F on Fable yet?! We are taking our immersive reading experience a step further by partnering with this unique social platform to form the “Friends & Fiction: Behind the Book” Premium Book Club! Let’s discover, read, and talk about great books together! Download the FREE Fable app for your phone or tablet. Join MKA, Kristin, Kristy & Patti as they talk about their own books, the books they love, and books they're just discovering together. They’ll feature a new book selection every month, plus special club events, exclusive content, and more! Join our Premium Club for just $5/month! JOIN TODAY!
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