WB_S3E37 Mother Daughter Murder Night with Nina Simon

On this episode, host Kristy Woodson Harvey interviews NYT bestselling author, producer and screenwriter, Rebecca Serle all about her forthcoming novel, EXPIRATION DATES. Told with Rebecca's signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, this book has been called “a romantic gem” by Laura Dave, “sometimes heart-wrenching, often heartwarming” in a starred review by Publishers Weekly, and “compulsively readable” by Booklist. We will hear from Rebecca about her road to publication, her shift from writing YA to adult, hwe involvemewnt with her screen adaptations of her novels, and the uncanny real-life love story that happened in her own life after writin ghtis book.

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On this episode, hosts Patti Callahan Henry & Kristin Harmel welcome this week’s guest, the Pulitzer Prize-finalist and author of the breakout bestseller THERE THERE, Tommy Orange, to discuss WANDERING STARS, his masterful follow-up to his already classic first novel. Tommy Orange is a graduate of the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. An enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Oakland, California. Tune in to hear about his highly-anticipated second novel, WANDERING STARS, which extends his constellation of narratives into the past and future, tracing the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations. We are eager to introduce you to this “outstanding . . . dazzling work of literary fiction” (Boston Globe), which has been named to most-anticipated lists by TIME, Real Simple, Oprah Daily & NPR.

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On this episode all four of our fabulous hosts — Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry, Mary Kay Andrews & Kristin Harmel — interviewing our Featured Author of the Month, Tia Williams, to hear all about her new book, our F&F Pick for February, A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE. Join us as we discuss Tia’s highly-anticipated follow-up to her NYT bestselling Reese's Book Club pick DEVEN DAYS IN JUNE. This enchanting love story features a free-spirited florist and an enigmatic musician who are irreversibly linked through the history, art, and magic of Harlem, and has been praised for its “dazzling prose” by the New York Times, and predicted as “one of your most memorable reads of 2024” by People. We hear from Tia all about the hints of magic sprinkled through this novel, her research into the Harlem of today and its renaissance era of the 1920s, the importance or representing black excellence and black love stories in mainstream literature, and even her dream casting choices should this book be adapted for the screen.

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On this episode, hosts Mary Kay Andrews & Kristin Harmel interview bestselling authors Kate Quinn & Janie Chang all about their new co-written novel, THE PHOENIX CROWN, a thrilling and unforgettable narrative about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles. Kate is a NYT & USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction (including THE ALICE NETWORK, THE HUNTRESS, THE ROSE CODE, and THE DIAMOND EYE) whose work has been translated into multiple languages. Janie Chang writes historical fiction (including the Globe and Mail bestsellers DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD and THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS) often drawing on her family history with 36 generations of recorded genealogy. We hear from them about their inspiration and research, the logisitcs of writing a novel together, and all that they learned along the way. Tune in to hear all about the book NYT bestselling author Jamie Ford calls “impeccably researched, magnificently rendered, and breathlessly paced.” 

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On this episode, hosts Patti Callahan Henry and Ron Block welcome critically-acclaimed author Amy Jo Burns who previously penned the memoir CINDERLAND and the novel SHINER, which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick and an NPR Best Book of the Year. We will hear all about Amy Jo's new novel, MERCURY, in which a roofing family's bonds of loyalty are tested when they uncover a long-hidden secret at the heart of their blue-collar town. Tune in and learn about the inspiration for the mystery at the heart of the novel, how she crafted the blue-collar setting and strong female characters, her path to publication, and lots more.

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On this episode, hosts Patti Callahan Henry & Kristy Woodson Harvey interview award-winning, bestselling author, Jennifer Moorman about her new novel, THE MAGIC ALL AROUND, a treasure hunt through the past that reveals one woman’s extraordinary gift for arranging the future. Jennifer is the author of the Mystic Water Series, which includes the reader favorite, The Baker’s Man. A southern Georgia native, Jennifer once toured the US for 5 years as a singer-songwriter with a full band. A Harry Potter fanatic, she considers herself a traveler, an amateur baker, and a dreamer who can always be won over with chocolate, unicorns, or rainbows. Tune in to hear about the inspiration behind her new novel, her writing life, her baking, and of course, magic!

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On this episode, hosts Patti Callahan Henry & Kristin Harmel welcome NYT bestselling author Abbott Kahler to discuss her new novel, WHERE YOU END (in stores Jan 16), which is inspired by a true story of identical twins and amnesia. Once named “a pioneer of sizzle history” by USA Today, Abbott Kahler is the author of four NYT bestselling works of narrative nonfiction under the name Karen Abbott. A prolific writer and media guest, her books have been optioned for television and film, and been featured as Indie Next picks, Amazon’s and Library Journal’s best books of the year, and Smithsonian Magazine’s best history books of the year. Tune in to hear about her leap to writing fiction, her real-life inspiration for this novel, her research, her writing process, and more.

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Join all four F&F hosts—Patti Callahan Henry, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel & Kristy Woodson Harvey—on the 200th episode of our Wed night web show as they interview our Featured Guest for January, Kristin Hannah, about our F&F Pick of the Month, THE WOMEN! Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, the instant No.1 NYT bestsellers The Great Alone and The Four Winds, and Firefly Lane, which was the No.1 Netflix series around the world the week it came out. Her novels have hit the NYT, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstores’ bestseller lists; won the People’s Choice award for best fiction; been named Book of the Year by Book Of the Month Club; been voted the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads; been chosen as book club picks by Reese Witherspoon and the TODAY Show; and been highlighted as best books of the year by outlets such as Amazon, iTunes, and Buzzfeed. THE WOMEN (in stores Feb 6) is an intimate and eye-opening portrayal of Army nurses during the Vietnam War, and is at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

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Join Mary Kay Andrews and Ron Block as they welcome award-winning screenwriter and bestselling novelist, Grady Hendrix. He is the author of of more than a dozen books including Horrorstör, My Best Friend’s Exorcism (which is being adapted into a feature film by Amazon Studios), and the NYT bestseller The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires (currently being adapted into a TV series). Grady joins us to discuss his latest instant New York Times bestselling campy and darkly comic Gothic thriller, How to Sell a Haunted House, just released in paperback. Tune in to hear from this master of horror about what drew him to the genre, why puppets and dolls are so compelling, his roots in Southern storytelling, along with lots of self funny and deprecating insights into his road to publication and his writing process. 

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This Winter 2024 season premiere of the Friends & Fiction Show will get you in the spirit for all the new and exciting things we have ahead in 2024! On this special “Just Us” episode, you will hear from the Fab Four all about our new format for the new year, including a run-down of our guests for the entire Winter season, plus an impromptu chat amongst our four hosts and founders about how F&F has changed them, howwriting advice they've gleaned from our guests has impacted their own craft, what they’re looking forward to in the new year, and their vulnerabilities as writers.

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