Friends & Fiction

On this episode, Kristin Harmel & Ron Block welcome acclaimed NYT-bestselling novelist Jane Hamilton to discuss her stunning new coming-of-age novel, The Phoebe Variations, about girls, mothers, and finding one's way in the world. Jane's novels have won literary prizes, have been made into films, and have been international bestsellers. Two of them — The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World — were selections of Oprah's Book Club. Her nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times; The Washington Post; Allure; O, The Oprah Magazine; Elle; and various anthologies. She joins us from her home on an apple farm in Wisconsin to discuss her latest novel, The Phoebe Variations (Sept 23, Zibby Publishing), which is already an Oprah Daily Best Book of Fall, an Indie Next Pick for October, and a LibraryReads Pick for September and which has been described by Meg Wolitzer as “glorious,” and by Allegra Goodman as “poignant and funny with plenty of unexpected twists and turns.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, Mary Kay Andrews & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome bestselling, award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan to discuss her new cross-country cat-and-mouse chase, All This Could Be Yours. Hank is the USA Today bestselling author of 16 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, five Anthonys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She’s also the on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, and has won an unprecedented 37 EMMY awards for her groundbreaking journalism and true crime stories which have changed laws, changed lives, and resulted in millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for consumers. A past president of National Sisters in Crime, she is now on the board of International Thriller Writers. She joins us to discuss her new “nail-biting thriller” (People), All This Could Be Yours, which Library Journal says “should be on everyone’s reading list!” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Mary Kay Andrews & Kristin Harmel gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, #1 NYT-bestselling novelist Elin Hilderbrand along with her daughter Shelby Cunningham, to discuss our September 2025 Pick of the Month, their irresistible new co-written novel, The Academy, the deliciously scandalous story of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school. Elin is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the Iowa Writers Workshop. The Academy is her 31st novel, and the first co-written with her daughter. Elin is the co-host of the podcast Books, Beach and Beyond with @TimTalksBooks creator, Tim Ehrenberg. Last year’s TV adaptation of her novel The Perfect Couple, premiered in Netflix's #1 slot with more than 20-million views in its first four days becoming the most-watched original streaming series in the US for several weeks running. Shelby Cunningham was born and raised on Nantucket Island. A 2024 graduate of Rhode Island’s St. George's School, she is presently a student at the University of Miami. This dynamic mother-daughter duo joins us to discuss their fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life which represents a thrilling new direction from one of America's most satisfying and popular storytellers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, Kristin Harmel & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome NYT-bestselling author Sarah McCoy to discuss her spellbinding new novel, Whatever Happened To Lori Lovely?, which is based on the true story of a beautiful young movie star of Hollywood’s Golden Age who gives up her bright career to become a nun. Sarah is the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of six novels including Mustique Island, Marilla of Green Gables, and The Baker’s Daughter, which was a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. Her work has been featured in the short story collection Grand Central as well as in Newsweek, Lit Hub, and Real Simple. Previously a writing teacher at Old Dominion University and the University of Texas at El Paso, Sarah hosted the monthly radio program “Bookmarked with Sarah McCoy” and is the founder of The McCoy Grant for southern booksellers who dream of being published authors. She joins us from her home in Winston-Salem, NC to discuss Whatever Happened To Lori Lovely? (William Morrow, Sept. 2), which Chris Bohjalian calls, “part mystery, part history, [and] always a joy.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Kristin Harmel welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline and award-winning author Anne Burt to discuss their stylish, twisty thriller, Please Don’t Lie in which a young woman heads to the Adirondacks with her new husband for a fresh start—but the past won't let her go. Christina is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World. She is the recipient of the New England Society prize for fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Prize. She has also written and edited five nonfiction books. Anne is a nonfiction writer and editor whose debut novel, The Dig, was an Indie Next pick and their lead "Thrills & Chills" reading group title for Summer 2024. Together they have co-written Please Don’t Lie (coming September 1st) which has been praised as “twisty-turny” and “riveting” by Lisa Scottoline, "psychologically rich and bone chilling” by Megan Abbott, and “unsettling, atmospheric, and propulsive” by Mary Kubica. We are excited to talk to both of them about their first thriller! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, the full F&F family — Patti Callahan Henry, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Kristin Harmel & Mary Kay Andrews — gathers to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, bestselling novelist Francesca Serritella to discuss our August 2025 Pick of the Month, FULL BLOOM, her stunning new novel about ambition and untapped desire in which a woman’s life is forever changed by a mysterious perfume. Francesca is the New York Times bestselling author of GHOSTS OF HARVARD, nominated for Best First Novel by International Thriller Writers, and a nine-book series of essay collections co-written with her mother, bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, which was based on their Sunday column in The Philadelphia Inquirer. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University, where she won multiple awards for her fiction, including the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize. She joins us to discuss her second novel, the USA Today bestseller FULL BLOOM (August 5th, Ballantine), which Sarah MacLean calls “an absolutely gorgeous read—the perfect combination of romance, mystery, and magical realism, with a vibrant cast of characters.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, Ron Block & Patti Callahan Henry welcome author Victoria Benton Frank to discuss THE VIOLET HOUR, her heartwarming and empowering new novel about thriving after tragedy. Victoria was born in New York City and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, but considers herself to have dual residency in the Lowcountry. A graduate of the College of Charleston and the French Culinary Institute, Victoria worked in restaurants in New York before returning to Charleston, South Carolina, which she now calls home. According to Ann Patchett, Victoria’s 2023 debut novel MY MAGNOLIA SUMMER cemented her as “the rightful heir to the crown of summertime storytellers.” Victoria joins us to discuss her second novel, out August 12th from Gallery Books, which our own Patti Callahan Henry praises as “enchanting, hilarious, and insightful.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome TWO debut novelists! We love the discovery of new voices on F&F, so this week we are thrilled to bring you two first-time authors—Laura Dickerman whose Hot Desk will hit stores on September 2nd, and Morgan Pager whose The Art of Vanishing came out on July 1st. With an MA in English from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School, Laura Dickerman has taught high school English at the Hopkins School, the Collegiate School, and Germantown Friends. She joins us from her home in Atlanta to discuss her rollicking, sparkling, and funny novel that spans decades and generations of a family in the publishing industry. A fresh take on the workplace rom-com, Hot Desk is described as Younger meets Writers & Lovers. Morgan Pager is a publishing professional and the content creator behind NYC Book Girl. A graduate of Duke University, Pager joins us from her home on the Upper West Side to discuss her “wildly inventive” (Jodi Picoult) debut The Art of Vanishing. This stunningly original love story between a museum employee and the man in a masterpiece hanging on the walls is a breathtaking debut about time, art, and the enduring power of love. We are excited to introduce you to both of these first-time novelists! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Mary Kay Andrews welcome #1 NYT-bestselling author Susan Wiggs to discuss her wrenching but life-affirming new novel, Wayward Girls, based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption set in the turbulent Vietnam era in Buffalo, New York. Susan Wiggs is the author of more than fifty novels, including the beloved Lakeshore Chronicles series and the recent New York Times bestsellers The Lost and Found Bookshop, The Oysterville Sewing Circle, and Family Tree. Her award-winning books have been translated into two dozen languages. She joins us from her home in Washington State’s Puget Sound to discuss Wayward Girls, her haunting and thrilling new tale of six teens condemned to forced labor in the dark and secretive Good Shepherd Catholic reform school controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns. Called “a gut-wrenching story of survival, friendship, and justice,” by Robert Dugoni, and “a page-turner, replete with mystery and suspense,” by Adriana Trigiani, this novel is a bold leap in a new direction for Susan and we are so excited to talk to her all about it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode, the full F&F family gathers to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, #1 bestselling novelist Lisa Scottoline to discuss our July 2025 Pick of the Month, her new gothic thriller with dashes of romance and excellent twists, The Unraveling of Julia, in which a young widow inherits a Tuscan estate from a mysterious benefactor and finds herself thrust into the crosshairs of a dangerous conspiracy. Lisa is a #1 bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of 37 novels. She also wrote a series of humorous memoirs, co-authored with her daughter, novelist Francesca Serritella. Lisa is President of Mystery Writers of America and she reviews fiction for the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. A former trial lawyer, she graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania and cum laude from its law school, where she taught Justice & Fiction. There are 30 million copies of her books in print, and she is published in 35 countries. She joins us from her Pennsylvania farm with her array of disobedient pets to discuss her twisty, transportive, and haunting, new novel, The Unraveling of Julia. Called "pulse-pounding, propulsive, and utterly unputdownable,” by our own Kristy Woodson Harvey, this is suspense with a passport and we are excited to talk to Lisa all about it! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.