Friends & Fiction

This episode of our Wed night web show is the launch celebration for our own Mary Kay Andrews’s BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS! Who’s ready to join in the reindeer games? Put on your Santa (er, thinking) caps and get ready for some holiday themed trivia! We’ve got lots of cheer and merriment in store as emcee Meg and referee Ron oversee the Fab Four in a rousing Christmas-themed game show. We follow that with an insightful interview with MKA about her fifth Christmas novel, which is hot off the presses and in stores everywhere now, ready for your early holiday shopping.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WRITERS' BLOCK Patti Callahan Henry and Ron Block have an inspiring and touching conversation with Author Ruth Watson about her recent historical fiction novel, A Right Worthy Woman, which tells the story of Maggie Lena Walker, the first Black woman to establish and preside over an American Bank (which still exists today!). Ruth's journey to get this story told is fascinating and showcases her persistance and determination to bring untold but necessary stories to light in fiction. This episode is certain to touch our listeners' hearts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On tonight’s LIVE episode of our Wednesday night web show, we are excited to host two incredible bestselling authors, Sarah Pekkanen and Etaf Rum!Sarah Pekkanen is the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of four novels of suspense including THE GOLDEN COUPLE and THE WIFE BETWEEN US. A passionate volunteer for rescue animals, she serves as an Ambassador for RRSA India, and works hands-on in India to heal and vaccinate street dogs. She joins us from her home outside of Washington, D.C. to discuss her new novel, GONE TONIGHT (St. Martin’s Press, Aug 1), which Harlan Coben calls “a wild ride.”The daughter of Palestinian immigrants, born and raised in Brooklyn, Etaf Rum is an undergraduate literature professor in North Carolina. She runs the Instagram account @booksandbeans, and is a Book of the Month Club Ambassador, showcasing her favorite selections each month. We first met Etaf in F&F’s tech-challenged early days when she came on the show to discuss her acclaimed New York Times bestselling debut novel, A WOMAN IS NO MAN. She joins us to discuss her highly-anticipated new novel, EVIL EYE (Harper, Sept 5).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WRITERS' BLOCK Ron Block and Kristy Woodson Harvey knew there was somethng special about Mother Daughter Murder Night by debut author, Nina Simon. This sparkling, lively and heartwarming conversation will give listeners a glimpse into why this book was named the September 2023 Reese's Book Club pick! From the origin story, to the natual setting and the relationships between the grandmother, Lana, her estranged daughter Beth, and Jack the grandaughter, each page illuminates this compelling murder mystery that combines with the multi-generational sleuths to give readers a highly satisfying read. What a great story and author! Don't miss this one. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On tonight’s LIVE episode of our Wed night web show, we have two incredible author guests in store for you!J.R. Ward is the author of more than 60 novels, including those in her #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood. There are more than 20-million copies of her novels in print worldwide and they have been published in 27 countries. After law school, Ward worked in healthcare in Boston and spent many years as Chief of Staff of one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers. She joins us to discuss her thrilling coming-of-age novel, THE ST. AMBROSE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, which Gallery Books published in July under the pseudonym Jessica Ward, and which is described as “Heathers” meets The Secret History. Denene Millner is an Emmy-nominated TV host, an award-winning journalist, and the New York Times bestselling author of 31 books, including Taraji P. Henson’s AROUND THE WAY GIRL, and the picture book EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. Millner is also the editorial director of Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, whose awards include two Caldecott Honors, a Newbery Honor, the Kirkus Prize, and a Southern Book Award. A MacDowell Fellow, Millner has written essays for the New York Times, Glamour and NPR, and hosted the acclaimed podcast, “Speakeasy with Denene.” She joins us from her home in Atlanta to discuss her multi-generational epic triptych on Black motherhood, ONE BLOOD (Forge, Sept 5).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WRITERS' BLOCK Join Mary Kay Andrews and Ron Block in a fantastic episdoe with the one and only Craig Johnson about his newest in the Longmire Series, Longmire Defense. Craig never ceases to amaze readers, and is very generous, hilarious and even touching sharing stories about his characters, the hugely popular Netflix show and his tours. Such a heartfelft and funny episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this live episode of our Wed night web show, we are thrilled to introduce you to the National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author, Elizabeth Acevedo! Elizabeth Acevedo is the author of THE POET X, which, among other honors, won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Carnegie medal. She is also the author of WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH, named a best book of the year by the New York Public Library, NPR, and Publishers Weekly, and CLAP WHEN YOU LAND, which was a Kirkus Prize finalist. A National Poetry Slam Champion, Elizabeth holds a BA in Performing Arts from The George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. She joins us from her home in Washington, DC, to discuss her much-buzzed-about, highly-anticipated first novel for adults, FAMILY LORE (Ecco Press, Aug 1), which is the August GMA Book Club Pick.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WRITERS' BLOCK Ready for a Laugh? Helen Ellis is the best-selling author of American Housewife and Southern Lady Code. She joins Patti Callahan Henry and Kristy Woodson Harvey for a hysterical conversation about her newest essay collection, Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge, which was written when she and her husband were on lockdown in their New York City apartment. Helen brings her incredible wit and humor, sharing stories of how the book came together, and about her own path to becoming a leading essayist. You'll find yourself laughing out lout listening to these three! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On tonight’s LIVE episode, we’ve got two great authors in store for you!We first met New York Times bestselling author Tracey Lange in 2021 when she joined us on our podcast to discuss her debut novel WE ARE THE BRENNANS. Born and raised in New York City, Tracey earned a degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico and owned a behavioral healthcare company for fifteen years. She completed the Stanford University online novel writing program while writing her debut novel. Tracey joins us from her home in Bend, Oregon to discuss her highly anticipated novel THE CONNELLYS OF COUNTY DOWN (Celadon Books, Aug 1), a story about fierce family loyalty, good intentions gone awry, and the consequences of improbable love.Aimie K. Runyan is a bestselling author of historical fiction who writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. An active educator and speaker in the writing community, Aimie has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a three-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year. Aimie joins us from her home in Colorado to discuss her latest captivating historical novel A BAKERY IN PARIS (William Morrow, Aug 1), in which a simple bakery in a tiny corner of Montmartre brings together two fierce women of the same family generations apartSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode we’ve got two fabulous and super fun authors in store for you!Ann Garvin is the USA Today bestselling author of five funny and sad novels about people who do too much in a world that asks too much from them. A nurse with her Ph.D., Anne taught for thirty years in the University of Wisconsin system and currently teaches creative writing at Drexel University. The founder of Tall Poppy Writers and a sought-after speaker on writing, leadership and health, Ann is committed to helping women writers succeed. We welcome her back to the show to discuss her latest novel, THERE’S NO COMING BACK FROM THIS (Lake Union, Aug 8), which our own Kristy Woodson Harvey calls “impossible to put down” and gave “five huge stars!”We are thrilled to welcome Ally Carter to the show for the first time. Ally is the bestselling author of the Gallagher Girls series, and, for more than a decade, her name has been synonymous with hilarious action-adventure and heart-pounding romance for young adults. Her first original screenplay, A Castle for Christmas, was recently No.1 on Netflix. Now she is bringing her trademark style and voice to the adult rom-com market with her new novel THE BLONDE IDENTITY (Avon, Aug 8). She joins us from her home in Oklahoma to discuss the book that Ali Hazlewood calls “unique, delightful, hilarious, unputdownable,” and which Susan Elizabeth Phillips says is “a delightful, delicious joy ride of a romp!"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.