Friends & Fiction

Are you ready to play the Feud? Survey says…YES! We are all in for big summer-camp-style family fun on this episode as the Fab Four gather to celebrate the launch of Kristy Woodson Harvey’s THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS. F&F’s Managing Director Meg Walker steps in to play game show host, leading Kristy, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel & Patti Callahan Henry in a rousing game of Family Feud featuring all questions about summer camp in an homage to Kristy’s fictional Camp Holly Springs, the setting of her brand-new novel which just hit stores from Gallery Books. The crew also talks to Kristy in depth about THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS and we learn all about her inspirations and research for her tenth novel. Tune in for all the fun and games—and to learn why perennial #1 bestseller Emily Henry says “put this book in your beach bag immediately!” Who are we to argue with an author who dominates the bestseller list week after week and clearly knows a perfect beach read when she sees one?! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

WRITERS' BLOCK: We love highlighting debut novels, and this week's guest has written a fantastic one! Ron Block and Meg Walker are joined by Alex Hay, author of the much anticipated novel, The Housekeepers. Sarah Penner said: “Rollicking fun and entirely original... Anyone who relishes a good party gone wrong will devour this.” Alex is a delight to talk with and learning his process and his path to publication was the source of great laughter. A don't miss book and podcast episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fresh on the heels of a hot holiday weekend we welcome Marie Bostwick and Terah Shelton Harris to the show to hear about two new books you just must stuff into your beach bags this summer. And we will have a special guest host — bestselling novelist John Searles — filling in for Kristin!Marie Bostwick is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nineteen uplifting works of historical and contemporary women’s fiction. Drawing on her lifelong love of quilting and her unshakable belief in the power of sisterhood, Marie’s popular COBBLED COURT QUILT series has been embraced across the globe by quilters and non-sewers alike. Marie’s novel, THE SECOND SISTER was adapted into the 2018 Hallmark Hall of Fame feature film Christmas Everlasting starring Patti LaBelle. Marie lives in Washington state and joins us from the road on book tour to discuss her latest novel ESME CAHILL FAILS SPECTACULARLY (William Morrow, May 30).Terah Shelton Harris is the Deputy Director of Alabama’s Dothan Houston County Library system, and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Women’s Health, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and more. As a librarian, Terah has written and received over a half-million dollars in grants and she is most proud of her Wifi-in-the-Park project which provides free Wifi to over 200 acres of Westgate Park. Originally from Illinois, Terah is a world traveler who has visited over 40 countries across six continents, and she joins us from her home in Alabama to discuss her debut novel, ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH (Sourcebooks, July 4). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

WRITERS' BLOCK: Ron Block is joined by Meg Walker for a conversation with Christine Pride and Jo Piazza. This writing powerhouse duo are the authors of You Were Always Mine which is the follow-up to their best-selling GMA pick, We Are Not Like Them, We discussed so many interesting aspects of writing with a partner, how race and class are viewed in the world and how important books are to building empathy and understanding. A fascinating episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode will have your beach bags overflowing with sparkling summer reads as we welcome FOUR authors to the show. Meet Annabel Monaghan and Megan Miranda on the main show and the writing duo of Mary Hollis Huddleston and Asher Fogle Paul on the After Show.Annabel Monaghan is the author of IndieNext and LibraryReads pick NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT as well as two young adult novels and a collection of humorous columns. She joins us from her home in Rye, NY, to discuss her highly anticipated follow-up novel, SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER (Putnam, June 6), which Elin Hilderbrand called “utterly charming” and Fiona Davis dubbed “the love story of the summer." Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of seven works of psychological suspense, including THE LAST HOUSE GUEST, which was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick, as well as several books for young adults. She joins us from her home in North Carolina to discuss her latest instant bestseller, THE ONLY SURVIVORS (S&S / Marysue Rucci Books, April 11), which was a Book of the Month, IndieNext, and LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection.Mary Hollis Huddleston is a high-end event planner in Nashville and runs the lifestyle platform Mrs. Southern Social. Asher Fogle Paul is a New York-based entertainment journalist who has written for Good Housekeeping, Us Weekly, and People. Together they co-wrote the 2021 rom-com about the glamorous, ruthless world of high-end Southern weddings, WITHOUT A HITCH. They’ll join us on the Aftershow to discuss their follow-up, PIECE OF CAKE (Harper Muse, June 20).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

WRITERS' BLOCK Mary Kay Andrews and Ron Block are joined by NYT Bestselling Autho, Curtis Sittenfeld about her newest, Romantic Comedy, which was the April 2023 Pick for Reese's Book Club! A fascinating look behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live type show thorugh the eyes of a female comedy writer. Our conversation focuses on this Rom-Com but also the complicated assumptions within modern relationships. A great dive into a great book! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 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, we welcome Hazel Gaynor and Katherine Reay—and T.I. Lowe joins us for the After Show.Hazel Gaynor is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, Irish Times, and internationally bestselling author of seven historical novels including The Girl Who Came Home, When We Were Young and Brave, and The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter. Hazel has also co-written three novels with Heather Webb (Last Christmas in Paris, Meet Me In Monaco, and Three Words For Goodbye) with another (Christmas with the Queen) forthcoming in 2024. Hazel’s work has been translated into 18 languages and published in 25 territories. She joins us from her home in Ireland to discuss her new novel, THE LAST LIFEBOAT (Berkley, June 13), which was named a most anticipated book by Real Simple, SheReads, and BookBub.Katherine Reay is the bestselling and award-winning author of ten novels including The London House, The Printed Letter Bookshop, and The Austen Escape, as well as one work of nonfiction, Awful Beautiful Life. Katherine’s lifelong affair with books and history shines through in her stories which she has referred to as “love letters to books.” She joins us from her home outside Chicago to discuss her latest novel, A SHADOW IN MOSCOW (Harper Muse, June 13), which features two courageous female spies, MI6’s best Soviet agent, and the CIA’s newest Moscow recruit in the thick of the Cold War.T. I. Lowe is the author of nearly twenty published novels, including her recent bestselling and critically acclaimed, Under the Magnolias, and her debut breakout, Lulu's Café. She joins us from her home in coastal South Carolina to discuss INDIGO ISLE (Tyndale House, June 6).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight’s episode features the star power of THREE amazing author guests whose novels deliver a night of mid-20th century glitz and glamor.Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of six historical novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Magnolia Palace, The Dollhouse, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her novels have been translated into more than twenty languages and chosen as “One Book, One Community” reads, and her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and O Magazine. She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. She joins us from her home in New York City to discuss her latest novel, THE SPECTACULAR (Dutton, June 13), a June LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection which transports us back to 1950s Manhattan and glamorous Radio City Music Hall.Heather Webb is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of nine historical novels, including The Next Ship Home, Rodin’s Lover, Last Christmas in Paris, and Meet Me in Monaco. She has won the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award, been a finalist for the Goldsboro RNA award and the Digital Book World’s Fiction prize, and been named as GoodReads Top Picks. Her books have been translated to seventeen languages. She joins us from New England to discuss her latest historical novel STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT (William Morrow, March 21), based on the tumultuous romance between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner that scandalized the world. Brenda Janowitz is the author of eight novels, including The Liz Taylor Ring and The Grace Kelly Dress, which has been optioned for film by Hallmark. A former lawyer who did a federal clerkship with the Eastern District of New York, Brenda is the former Books Correspondent for PopSugar whose writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today among many other outlets. She joins us to discuss her latest novel, THE AUDREY HEPBURN ESTATE (Graydon House, April 18), which was chosen as the Reader’s Choice by the CBS New York Book Club with Mary Calvi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

WRITERS' BLOCK Kristy Woodson Harvey and Ron Block have a fascinating conversation with Ashley Audrain, author of the mega-selling popular debut, The Push, about her followup book The Whispers, about 4 women who are neighbors and how one tragic event affects their relationships in different ways, making them question all their relationships, their lives and their roles as women and mothers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight’s episode once again marks the triumphant return of “F&F Theater” as the Fab Four, podcast host Ron Block, and F&F’s Managing Director Meg Walker gather to celebrate the launch of Kristin Harmel’s THE PARIS DAUGHTER in grand style! You won’t want to miss this show, complete with props and bad accents — but also with loads of moving insights about Kristin’s new novel and, as always, lots of laughs.THE PARIS DAUGHTER (Gallery Books, June 6, 2023) is a gripping historical novel about two mothers who must make unthinkable choices in the face of the Nazi occupation. We agree with Lisa Scottoline who says “Harmel exemplifies the best in historical fiction.” Martha Hall Kelly raves: "THE PARIS DAUGHTER tore up my heart and put it back together again," while Kate Quinn calls the book "a gorgeous, gut-wrenching read!" We know that Kristin’s latest is shaping up to be one of the hottest books of Summer 2023 and it’s one you most definitely do not want to miss out on! So be sure to tune in and hear all about it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.