December 14, 2022 | Issue #123 |
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Latest News From "The Fab Four"
All I want for Christmas is…
Patti Callahan Henry: Health and purposeful creative living for myself, my family, my friends and you! (is that too much?)
Kristy Woodson Harvey: A book club pick and world peace! But, seriously, I wish for happiness and health and love for our whole Friends & Fiction family!
Kristin Harmel: Health and happiness for myself and those I love. (I’m pretty much just copying Patti’s answer!)
Mary Kay Andrews: Full house, full heart. Family gathered together celebrating with laughter, tears and grateful hearts for making it through the toughest year of our lives.
My favorite F&F episode of the past year:
Patti Callahan Henry: All of them. Okay, that’s cheating, even if true. I’ll choose Louise Penny from last week as her warmth and wisdom are still with me.
Kristy Woodson Harvey: I loved every single episode this entire season but if I absolutely had to pick a favorite I would say Kevin Wilson. He was so insightful and funny and warm all at once and I loved the idea of writing about your obsessions. We are so fortunate to have had such incredible guests this season, and are looking forward to another great season coming out!
My favorite read of the year:
Patti Callahan Henry: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Kristin Harmel: Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline
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Get to Know Our Friend, Debbie Macomber!
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
From a very early age! As a child I was the highest paid babysitter in town. The kids loved me because I told them stories that I would create, using them as the characters. I started my first book at around the time I was twelve.
Tell us about the first piece of fiction you ever wrote.
My first work was my diary, from which my brother Terry profited greatly. He sold pages of my diary to kids at school. Later, I wrote a story about three girls who discovered they were adopted. Their names were Faith, Hope, and Charity. In high school I started another book although I never allowed anyone to read what I’d written.
Do you have any writing rituals?
I set a specific number of pages to write each day. I don’t quit until they’re finished. I write best in the morning and don’t read emails until my quota has been met or at a certain page count.
The last book you raved about:
Tell us about your work-in-progress.
My next year’s release, MUST LOVE FLOWERS is a story of two women, a widow named Joan who is in her 50’s who takes in a struggling young woman named Maggie as a boarder. Both are at different stages of lives and share a heartwarming path to discovery and growth.
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Get to Know Our Friend, Viola Shipman!
What would you be if you weren't a writer?
Institutionalized.
What's the biggest misconception people have about you and your work?
Besides the obvious confusion by some that I’m a woman, or the reasons why I chose a pen name for my fiction, I will address a bigger misconception about the type of books that I – and we – write: Writing “women’s fiction” is not easier than writing other types of fiction or nonfiction. It is not “easy” to create characters of depth, real relationships, conflict, clever, emotional dialogue, books that offer escape while also dealing with difficult topics and subjects, like loss, death, loneliness, divorce, health and family issues. There is a notion this is “easier,” and it is bunk. That stereotype is seen even in the way my (our) books are categorized and marketed: “Women’s fiction.” “Romance.” Men’s fiction is not categorized this way. It is simply “fiction” or “literature,” and all of this diminishes the art we create.
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
Ever since I was a little boy. My Ozarks grandmas and mom were wonderful oral storytellers, and they would often start fanciful tales and ask me to continue the story. That oral storytelling led me to writing. I wrote nonstop as a child, in high school, college, grad school and my career, but I never believed I could become what I always dreamed of being: An author. I was always told it was “silly,” not a “real career,” and I always believed I’d never be published or make any money. I was scared. We must nurture our passions and dreams. Too many of us allow fear to rule our lives. That not only stops us from dreaming, it stops us from living. Moreover, fear is the worst enemy of any writer. Now, I live, and write, without fear.
Tell us about the first piece of fiction you ever wrote.
It was a poem entitled, The Rouse House, written on an aquamarine Selectric typewriter my grandma Shipman (my pen name) got me for Christmas from the Sears Wish Book. That poem not only inspired the one written by Susan, the main character in A WISH FOR WINTER, that kicks off the novel, it inspired an essay I wrote about my family’s (kooky and quirky) love of the holidays that I sent to Erma Bombeck, who responded with a letter and autographed picture I still have. I ended up teaching and speaking at the Erma Bombeck Humor Writers Conference twice, and I felt like I’d come full circle in my life.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Yes. I wake at dawn as I like to write before the day “intrudes,” while I’m fresh. I try not to look at the news or social media before I dive into my work. I drink lots of coffee (make my own lattes, froth my own creamer) and head to my writing studio. I really only require two things to write: Quiet and a view. I’m blessed to have writing offices in Saugatuck, Michigan, and Palm Springs, California, that offer both: My Michigan office is in a carriage house overlooking our woods filled with sugar maples and pines, the lake roaring in the distance. In Palm Springs, I sit across from the mountain, with a wide view of the San Jacintos. Both are so, so peaceful. I wear one of two robes constantly (they’re essentially a single thread now). I am not a “public” writer, meaning I’m not productive at a coffee shop or restaurant.
Is there a particular independent bookstore or library you'd like to shout-out?
McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Michigan, is not only one of my favorite indie bookstores in Michigan but in the world. And the store, town, and owners helped inspire the setting as well as the bookstore – Sleigh by the Bay Books – that is the heart of A WISH FOR WINTER.
The last book you raved about:
Tell us about your work-in-progress.
FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN publishes June 13, and it is a funny, quirky, poignant novel about an intergenerational friendship between two women – one in her 80s and one in her 40s – who have nothing in common but end up completing one another in ways they never imagined. It was inspired by my friendship with two women in their 80s, who have taught me so much about living life to the fullest, approaching each day with gratitude and gusto, never fear.
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FREE Ornament & Holiday Card When You Order the Friends & Fiction 2023 First Edition Subscription Box by December 15th!
Purchase of this special 2023 Friends & Fiction First Edition Subscription Box includes each 2023 NEW & SIGNED hardcover release from ALL FOUR of the Friends and Fiction host authors plus a fun, small gift included with the first shipment. ORDER BY DEC 15TH and you will receive a special FREE BONUS GIFT of an exclusive 2022 F&F Christmas ornament and holiday card from the Fab Four while supplies last.
Subscribers will receive four shipments around each book release:
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May 2023—Patti Callahan Henry's The Secret Book of Flora Lea
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June 2023—Kristin Harmel's The Paris Daughter
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July 2023—Kristy Woodson Harvey's The Summer of Songbirds
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Sept 2023—Mary Kay Andrews's new Christmas novel (title coming soon!)
Subscription price of $125 includes shipping and tax. ORDER NOW!
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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:
We can’t wait to see you model your merch!
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Listen to the F&F Podcast!
Coming this Friday, December 16th—Ron & Patti talk to Paige Crutcher about her new novel The Lost Witch— a spellbinding tale of contemporary fantasy, romance, and Irish mythology.
Out Now! WB_S4E19—We are re-releasing our interview with Bonnie Garmus about her blockbuster New York Times bestselling novel (and GMA Book Club pick) LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, which has been named Barnes & Noble’s 2022 Book of the Year. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S4E18—Ron welcomes one of the world’s most respected and sought-after story consultants and writing teachers, John Truby, whose legendary The Anatomy of Story is indispensable to novelists and screenwriters alike. John joins us to discuss his brand-new book, The Anatomy of Genres, a guide to understanding the major genres of the story world—and to do a deep dive into Patti’s and Mary Kay’s latest works in each of their respective genres. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S4E17—Ron & Patti speak with Reyna Grande about her sweeping and powerful historical novel, A Ballad of Love and Glory, delving into Reyna's beginnings as a writer and her path to becoming a strong immigrant voice in literature. 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.
Dec 21: Join us as we take over the main F&F Facebook page with guest Meg Walker who will reveal the line-up for the Winter 2023 season of the F&F Wednesday night web show
Grab these books and start reading now!
If you missed our Dec 8th Happy Hour with Ron Block and special guest Mary Kay Andrews, watch it HERE.
If you missed our Nov 21st book club discussion with Kristin Harmel
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!
Have you been enjoying our fun 12-month reading challenge in 2022? We’ve been challenging each other all year long to read books in a different category every month. Hopefully this has helped all of us broaden our horizons and read books in different genres we may not have chosen for ourselves. The theme for December is: Holiday. What holiday-themed novel will you read in December? We will run another challenge for 2023, so stay tuned for details. 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!
Subscribe Today!
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Did you miss the December 7th episode with Louise Penny & Rae Meadows? 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 7th 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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