February 22, 2023 | Issue #131 |
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Latest News From "The Fab Four"
Patti Callahan Henry had a great weekend at The Savannah Book Festival with MKA, listening to and seeing some of our favorite F&F authors and readers! She is in Seattle right now and talking to booksellers all about The Secret Book of Flora Lea out in only 10 weeks (a blink of an eye!). She is still celebrating (but has stopped drinking champagne for now) the Starred Kirkus review for Flora Lea. Book Tour announcement any day – so make sure you’re signed up for Patti’s newsletter for all Flora Lea updates.
Kristy Woodson Harvey just finished reading THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS for the last time! She made notes along the way so that she can give you special insight into all her favorite parts! She wants to remind all of you that are close to Florida to come see her, Karen White, and Meg Waite Clayton on March 9th in Naples! More info here!
Kristin Harmel is in the home stretch of her chemotherapy treatments (for stage one breast cancer); she had her last infusion on Thursday and is completing her final 21-day cycle. After that, it’s on to four weeks of daily radiation therapy, but she can see the light at the end of the tunnel. She is humbled by and tremendously grateful for all the support she has received from this community and especially loved seeing the pink ribbon photos from the Savannah Book Festival with Bubba Wilson, Annissa Joy Armstrong, Alison Hammer, Shelby Van Pelt, Bradeigh Godfrey, Patti, Mary Kay, and more. She’s also busy coordinating with Susan McBeth at Adventures by the Book to put together this star-studded virtual event featuring more than 60 all-star authors–the only cost of admission is a commitment to schedule your mammogram or encourage a loved one to do so. RSVP here now for the March 7 event at 7pm ET/4pm PT. She’s thrilled to have read Patti’s STARRED Kirkus review for THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA!
What Kristin is reading: Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. (My son, Noah, recently turned 7, and I gave him a copy of this book, which was a favorite of mine when I was around his age! We each read a few of the stories on our own at bedtime and talk about them in the morning! It has been so fun to reread a book I loved–and to see him enjoying it so much, too.)
Mary Kay Andrews loved being back at the Savannah Book Festival, this time as an audience member. Got to hang with Patti, celebrate her fantastic starred Kirkus review for The Secret Book of Flora Lea, and hug a bunch of our fave Friends & Fiction Book Club members as well as several former (and hopefully future) Friends & Fiction author guests. Now it’s back to copy edits for her forthcoming September book Bright Lights, Big Christmas.
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Announcing the SIBA Katie Trocheck Abel Award
NOMINATE A SOUTHERN INDIE BOOKSELLER!
As you may know, last year this time, our beloved Mary Kay Andrews lost her 39-year-old daughter, Katie Trocheck Abel. Katie had a huge heart for community outreach, lending countless hours of support to organizations such as No Kid Hungry, Atlanta's Free99Fridge, and Atlanta's Helping Mamas, which has named a car seat donation program in her honor. Katie was also a fierce supporter of her mom, and of the many booksellers who support MKA.
In Katie's honor, and to celebrate the often unheralded acts of kindness that take place all the time in our bookselling world, SIBA will award $500 to a SIBA bookseller who has gone above and beyond in their local community.
Do you know an indie bookseller in the southern US whose kindness, generosity, and dedication is a huge asset to their local community? If so, nominate them! The nomination form is open now through May 1, 2023 with the winner announced on July 3, 2023.
Find more details and the nomination form HERE.
The winner will be chosen by Mary Kay Andrews and her Friends & Fiction co-hosts Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Patti Callahan Henry.
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Virtual Event to Support Susan G. Komen
BREAST CANCER FUNDRAISING ADVENTURE IN HONOR OF KRISTIN HARMEL
On Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 7pm ET join Kristin Harmel along with more than FIFTY other authors—including the rest of the Fab Four: Kristy, Patti & MKA—at a virtual event sponsored by Adventures By the Book with the goals of raising money for Susan G. Komen, underscoring the importance of mammograms and other screenings, and reminding us all that we're stronger than we know. Click HERE to RSVP and to see the incredible list of authors, all of whom will be sharing something about a character of theirs who has discovered inner strength in a difficult time. The only cost of admission: a commitment that you've scheduled a mammogram or encouraged a loved one to do so. Don’t miss this great online event, all for a great cause!
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Get to Know Our Friend, Lynn Cullen!
What would you be if you weren't a writer?
I decided I was going to be a writer at age 6, encouraged by a terrible (though I thought it was great!) story I’d written about a bear who ate too much honey, causing him to have to roll home in a barrel. I’ve had tunnel vision about writing as a career ever since. However, I am super interested in animal behavior. I could happily be a biologist studying birds or wildlife.
What's the biggest misconception people have about you and your work?
This question stops me in my tracks. I don’t have a sense of how people conceive of me! I hope they think that I’m kind. I really value kindness in people. I hope that my writing projects that.
Do you have any writing rituals?
I like to write under the tree hanging over my patio, where I can watch cardinals nesting and raising their young or bluebirds hopping about. See: Super interested in animal behavior. Otherwise, I grab my laptop, find a couch in whichever room my husband isn’t at the moment, drink coffee, and get cracking on my book. I write all day, taking breaks for walks with a friend or my husband or hanging with my daughters and grandkids.
Is there a particular independent bookstore or library you'd like to shout-out?
Atlanta brims with fantastic indie bookstores: Bookmiser, Eagle Eye, FoxTale, and Tall Tales to name just a few. What makes these stores so great are the people who run them. They’re some of my closest friends in the writing community because we share such a love of reading and books. I’d also like to give a shout-out to Joe Davich at the Dekalb County Public Library. He has supported me from my earliest days, sponsoring events and naming several of my books “Books All Georgians Should Read.” And he’s a lot of fun.
The last book you raved about:
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. I flipped out as I read it because a) it’s sheer genius, b) I love to laugh and I laughed out loud on nearly every page—cried a bunch, too, and c) it’s about the uphill battles fought by mid-century women in science, like my book is, but while mine is about real women in real situations, Lessons in Chemistry follows a fictitious woman, to great effect.
Tell us about your work-in-progress.
I love to write about historical figures who are misunderstood or undervalued. My next book features two women who are one of each.
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Get to Know Our Friend, Sadeqa Johnson!
What would you be if you weren't a writer?
If I wasn't a writer I would work at a museum. I'm not sure in what capacity, I just know that being around art all day would make me feel like a cool human being.
What's the biggest misconception people have about you and your work?
That it's only for women. I do believe that while my stories feature strong and ambitious women that usually have surmountable challenges to overcome, men will enjoy my books and best of all learn something new.
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
When I was a kid I wanted to be an actress. I had this big dream that I would go to college in New York city for about two weeks and then get my big break. I'd quit school and the rest would be history. Well, I graduated from college, got a job in publishing, and it was while sitting at my desk reading I thought, I can do this!
Tell us about the first piece of fiction you ever wrote.
The earliest piece of fiction I can remember writing was about an evil stepmother all up in my business. It was partially based on my father's significant other at the time, so you can only imagine what happened after the family read it!
Do you have any writing rituals?
I usually light a candle, pour a cup of coffee and I pull out a notebook. I still write by hand and I like sitting by a window because that's where my muse likes to stir my imagination.
Is there a particular independent bookstore or library you'd like to shout-out?
The last book you raved about:
Tell us about your work-in-progress.
Well, it's just an inkling in my head right now. It's a historical set in the late 1940s that will tell the story of a woman whom not many people have heard of and she has set my soul on fire. All I can say is stay tuned!
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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, February 24th—Ron & Patti talk to Pamela Terry about her new novel WHEN THE MOON TURNS BLUE.
Out Now! WB_S5E7—Ron & MKA talk to Kristen Mei Chase about her debut novel A THOUSAND MILES TO GRACELAND, a road trip rom-com that explores mother-daughter relationships and what it means to be mixed-race in America. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S5E6—Ron & Meg talk to Chinese-American debut novelist Lauren Kung Jessen about her brand-new rom-com LUNAR LOVE, an enemies-to-lovers tale set around an LA-based Chinese zodiac matchmaking business. 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.
Coming up:
Grab these books and start reading now!
If you missed it:
Watch our Feb 9th happy hour with Ron Block HERE.
Follow us!
We are on YouTube! View previous book club discussions and happy hours at your leisure. Subscribe to our channel HERE!
Not a member of the Friends & Fiction Book Club? Join us on Facebook. 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!
Subscribe Today!
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Did you miss the February 15th episode with J.T. Ellison and Jill Santopolo? 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 February 15th 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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CONNECT WITH THE FRIENDS & FICTION HOST AUTHORS! |
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