November 2, 2022 | Issue #117 |
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Latest News From "The Fab Four"
Kristin Harmel had a great time last Thursday at the Amelia Island Book Festival Celebrity Author Luncheon, where she was the featured speaker. Not only did she get to help the organization raise money to help support literacy efforts, but she finally got to meet the booksellers from The Book Loft and Story & Song, two independent bookstores in Fernandina Beach that she has been wanting to visit for ages. She also loved trick-or-treating on Monday with her 6-year-old son, Noah, who dressed up like a dragon. She’s still shaking her head in awe at that story author Santa Montefiore told about Queen Elizabeth II during last week’s episode of Friends & Fiction, and she wants to acknowledge fellow author Larry Loftis (who writes fascinating WWII nonfiction), who is generously standing in for her at a private event this weekend.
What Kristin is Reading: Listening to Catch Me If You Can on audiobook (It’s a great book for a long drive!)
Mary Kay Andrews is six weeks past deadline for her book for fall 2023 and stress eating allll the Halloween candy while trying not to act manic. You can catch her on Tybee Island, Ga. this Saturday 11/5 at Seaside Sisters’ Holiday Open House, where she’ll be signing copies of all four of her previous Christmas books, plus other backlist titles. Can’t make it? Call and order signed copies here. They ship! She’s got lots more events coming up throughout Nov-Dec, so check them all out HERE!
Patti Callahan Henry is so sad to miss this week’s show with the incredible Wanda Morris, but in the middle of the episode Patti will be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean on her way to visit her daughter and family for a week. Last week she traveled to SC and was honored to be the keynote to support First Book (what a great cause for kids and books!). She also celebrated her son’s birthday, and fell into the TV mini-series, The White Princess while preparing for Phillipa Gregory next week (sooo good!).
Kristy Woodson Harvey had the best, best, best long weekend in Chapel Hill at the UNC Friends of the Library Board Meeting and then the fabulous football game where the Tarheels beat Pitt! (They’re 7-1 now. What a season!) Also, she really wants to see YOU this week in Winston-Salem on Wednesday night or Greensboro with O. Henry Magazine on Thursday night! If you can’t make it, come see her in Oriental, NC on Sat 11/19 at The Red Rickshaw in River Dunes. The Red Rickshaw will be debuting the Southern Living Idea House Christmas decorations that night. So you can tour and shop. What could be better? For all event info click here!
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Get to Know Our Friend, Wanda Morris!
What would you be if you weren't a writer?
I'd still be a lawyer and dreaming of being a writer. I've wanted to write for years and never acted on it until I felt compelled to do so. I'm so glad I took the leap and took a chance on myself!
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
Probably when I was in high school, but I dismissed the idea thinking that I wasn't talented or smart enough to write.
Tell us about the first piece of fiction you ever wrote.
I was in high school and I wrote a short story about a set of twins in utero about to be born and the conversation they were having with each other about what the world outside might be like. Yikes, I shudder at the premise, but I really wish I had kept that story. Again, I didn't believe in myself so I didn't consider it worth saving.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Yes! I write all my first drafts in longhand with a yellow legal pad and blue Pilot G-2 gel ink pens. After I get a substantial portion of the manuscript drafted, I type it into my computer, making edits along the way. Once done, I print that first draft and make revisions using a red Pilot G-2 gel ink pen. It's probably the most inefficient process for writing, but it works for me.
Is there a particular independent bookstore or library you'd like to shout-out?
Yes! The Bookworm Bookstore in Powder Springs, Georgia. They sell new and used books and they are so generous and welcoming to authors in the area. Please shop at their store in person or online!
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Listen to the F&F Podcast!
Coming this Friday, November 4th— Ron and Patti will be talking with Amy Wallen, author of How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies. Such a fun and delicious episode for aspiring writers, readers and bakers alike!
Out Now! WB_S4E13—Ron & Patti talk to publishing veteran Bethanne Patrick about her new podcast Missing Pages. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S4E12—Ron and Patti talk to Alyssa Cole and Jean Kwok about their essay contributions to the new Miss Marple collection published by William Morrow, Marple: Twelve New Mysteries. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S4E11—Ron & Kristin talk with #1 New York Times bestselling Swedish author Fredrik Backman about his latest novel, THE WINNERS, the third in his acclaimed Beartown series. 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
It's official! The Friends & Fiction Official Book Club with Brenda and Lisa has won a Zibby Award in the Best Virtual Book Club category. The awards were presented by Zibby Owens at a ceremony on Friday, October 28, 2022, in New York City.
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.
Dec 8: Happy Hour with Ron Block and special guest Mary Kay Andrews, 7:30 pm ET
Grab these books and start reading now!
If you missed our Oct 24th book club discussion with Stacy Willingham about A Flicker in the Dark, please view it on our YouTube channel HERE.
If you missed our fabulous book club discussion about The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare with Kimberly Brock on Monday September 19th, please view it on our YouTube channel 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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Join the F&F 2022 Reading Challenge!
Join us in 2022 for a fun 12-month reading challenge. We will challenge each other all year long to read books in a different category every month. This will help all of us broaden our horizons and read books in different genres we may not have chosen for ourselves. This is a fun way to join with the rest of the F&F community and share a fun reading experience. And the F&F Reading Journal makes the perfect companion piece to this 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!
Subscribe Today!
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Did you miss the October 26th episode with Ariel Lawhon, Susan Meissner, Kristina McMorris & Santa Montefiore? 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 October 26th 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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Friends & Fiction Merchandise
SHOP THE F&F MERCH STORE!
These keepsake mini-posters from the Summer 2022 F&F Live Tour feature a full-color original design printed on glossy heavyweight card stock. Every single poster has been hand signed by each one of the Fab Four and is individually packaged in a protective sleeve. Priced at a flat rate of $15 including all taxes, postage, and handling, they're shipped with care anywhere in the continental US. ORDER POSTERS HERE!
Stay on track with the exclusive Friends & Fiction Reading Journal, featuring 52 book entries (one for every week of the year), a lending library, reading list, and books you put down. With a cloth cover, gold foil embossing, a satin ribbon page marker, elastic band, heavyweight paper, and a back pocket to store notes, this is the perfect gift for the book lover in your life—or for yourself! ORDER READING JOURNALS HERE.
Cozy cotton with a flattering v-neck and our signature Friends & Fiction logo, these comfy t-shirts are the perfect way to show your Friends & Fiction pride! ORDER T-SHIRTS HERE.
We can’t wait to see you model your merch!
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CONNECT WITH THE FRIENDS & FICTION HOST AUTHORS! |
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