June 30, 2021 | Issue #48 |
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Five Facts from Our Friend, Kristan Higgins
The one thing you’ve learned you can’t live without during the pandemic:
My dog, Luther. Whenever things got tense or scary, Luther would jump up next to me and wedge himself into the chair, then fall asleep and snore gently. He’s a good boy.
Your perfect day:
June or September, sunny, breezy, 75 degrees, working on the porch, hubby cooking dinner for the kids and me. Wind chimes, birdsong, chipmunks dashing around. That’s it! That’s everything, really. Heaven should be that nice.
Your favorite independent bookstore:
RJ Julia in Madison, Connecticut. Not JUST because it’s my local indie, but because the staff is so nice, and it’s cozy, has a creaky floor and lots of alcoves for perusing. Did I mention the café in the back with the best coconut cupcakes you’ve ever had? Yes. That, too.
The last book you raved about:
I’m gonna say PRETTY LITTLE WIFE by Darby Kane. It’s a domestic noir kind of book…a teacher, his cool and beautiful wife, a string of missing women over the past ten years. I love that right away, you’re told who the killer is. It’s the body that’s a problem. It seems to have disappeared.
Your next book in ten words or less:
Two sisters, one cheating husband, old love and Cape Cod.
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Five Facts from Our Friend, Colleen Oakley
The one thing you’ve learned you can’t live without during the pandemic:
TEACHERS!
Your perfect day:
Curled up in a hammock on a Caribbean island with a stack of books to plow through, and a frosty pina colada in my hand.
Your favorite independent bookstore:
I have so many! I love FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA, and E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, GA. One time when I was in E. Shavers signing books, I overheard a customer say "This is the most magical place on earth." And I have to agree!
The last book you raved about:
Your next book in ten words or less:
Octogenarian and 21-year-old girl on the lam, á la Thelma-and-Louise.
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Latest News From "The Fab Five"
KRISTIN HARMEL is so excited that THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS, her new novel set in the forests of World War II-era Eastern Europe, will be out on TUESDAY! She looks forward to seeing some of you at virtual and in-person events in July; her full schedule can be found here.
MARY ALICE MONROE is thrilled that her middle grade novel THE ISLANDERS debuted #2 on the New York Times bestseller list! She celebrated with the Fab 5 in Beaufort with champagne. She is so grateful to everyone who has written congratulations. This week, MAM’s first New York Times bestseller, THE BEACH HOUSE, the founding book of her beloved series, was re-released with a gorgeous new cover. Book Passage in California hosted Mary Alice, her co-author Angela May, their Aladdin Books editor Alyson Heller, and her The Book Group agent Faye Bender to discuss the world of middle grade books. Watch now. Deep South Magazine included MAM, MKA, and KWH's new releases on its annual Summer Reading List.
PATTI CALLAHAN is so thrilled to be settling in for a week with family during the fourth of July and celebrating Kristin’s launch of The Forest of Vanishing Stars. Slowly recovering from last week in Kristy’s hometown of Beaufort, NC she is so grateful for all the F&F readers who came to the events! Last week, Patti announced a beautiful giveaway for Once Upon a Wardrobe pre-orders and you can GO HERE to find the details!
MARY KAY ANDREWS is trying to figure out how to use the bumper crop of yellow squash threatening to take over her garden. Are squash cupcakes a thing? Asking for a friend. Planning tour events for The Santa Suit (look out, Atlanta, Savannah and Raleigh) in between practicing her online musical debut for the launch of Kristin’s The Forest of Vanishing Stars.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY is finishing her first pass pages on Christmas in Peachtree Bluff, devouring The Forest of Vanishing Stars by one Ms. Kristin Harmel, and is so excited that her launch party for Under the Southern Sky was featured in Walter magazine this month! (Speaking of… Under the Southern Sky is the perfect 4th of July read, complete with a red, white and blue cover!) She is SO grateful that her F&F author sisters—plus Meg and Ron—joined her in her hometown of Beaufort, NC last week for four fun-filled events.
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An Original Essay by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Each week, the Friends & Fiction authors take turns
writing an essay for Parade.com, the online home of Parade magazine.This week, Kristy shares a column about getting in the summer state of mind.
My love affair with summer began, as I think it does for most people, in childhood. The day that school got out was—and remains—one of the most amazing days of every year. No more waking up early. No more homework. Trips to the beach. I felt sorry for everyone without a summer birthday like I have because they had to go to school on their special day.
Looking back, that love of summer had to have burrowed itself deep within my cells, must have been the reason that, now, as an adult, I write summer beach reads. Even in the depths of a gray, rainy, freezing February, I can open my laptop, move my fingers, and find myself sitting in the sun, water from my favorite shore lapping at my feet even if outside, the snow is falling.
Someone asked me on a podcast interview recently if my novels, which are set on real and fictionalized versions of the North Carolina coast, had ever influenced anyone to move to this slice of paradise where summer—or, at least, that summertime feeling—seems to last much of the year. My answer was immediate and simple: Yes, they have. My books influenced me.
The summer I wrote Slightly South of Simple, the first book in my Peachtree Bluff Series, set in a fictional town based on the coastal town of Beaufort, NC, was the first time my husband, toddler son and I had packed up and moved for the whole summer—to Beaufort—where my husband was setting up a satellite office. Research, perhaps. An excuse, certainly. But, then again, why not? When we weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the town we loved so much, we decided not to pack our bags, not to go back home—just for the year. My husband could work in Beaufort, after all, and our son was in preschool. If we were ever going to do it, this was the time. I wrote two more Peachtree Bluff books
To read the rest of Kristy's column, click HERE.
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Debut Spotlight
On Tuesday, July 6th, the brand new publishing house Spiegel & Grau will publish their debut title and one of the most buzzed-about books of Summer 2021: FOX & I: An Uncommon Friendship. Debut author Catherine Raven has a PhD in biology and is a former national park ranger at Glacier, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Voyageurs, and Yellowstone. FOX & I is the unforgettable memoir about a friendship between a solitary woman and a wild fox. The early accolades include raves from Temple Grandin, Yann Martel, Ian Frazier and Stephen Batchelor. It’s already an IndieNext Pick, one of People Magazine's Best Books of Summer, and a Summer Reading Pick from The New York Times Book Review, Time Magazine, Kirkus, and a BuzzFeed. Grab a copy of theis “offbeat and charming memoir” (Publishers Weekly) and the book that The New York Times calls “[a] book that everyone will be talking about… [A] real-life friendship that mirrors the one between Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince and his fox, full of tenderness and understanding.”
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Listen to the F&F Podcast!
Coming soon! Out this Friday, July 2nd!
Mary Kay Andrews sits down with publishing veterans Julie Grau and Cindy Spiegel to talk about the launch of their new independent publishing house, Spiegel & Grau. Hear about their first book Fox & I: An Uncommon Friendship (in stores July 6th), and what it’s like to launch a boutique publisher in the midst of so much consolidation and the rise of the mega-publisher.
Out Now! WB_S1E3—Origin Stories—Chris Whitaker (We Begin at the End) and Amy Jo Burns (Shiner) join hosts Patti Callahan and Ron Block to discuss the ideas that sparked their most recent novels. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S1E2—Celebrate Pride Month with F&F! Members of the LGBTQ community join host Ron Block to discuss their latest books and writing journeys. Guests are: Steven Rowley (The Guncle), P.J. Vernon (Bath Haus) and James Beard Award winning Chef, Virginia Willis (The Secrets of the Southern Table). LISTEN NOW!
Listen, download, subscribe, rate, review & share wherever you get your podcasts!
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News from the F&F Official Book Club
Have a look at our monthly book club schedule through January 2022! All sessions are at 7 pm ET. Save the date!
July 19: The Summer of Lost and Found and The Islanders with Mary Alice Monroe
July 23: Book Club One-Year Anniversary Party—with surprises!
Aug 6: Happy Hour with Ron Block
Aug 16: The Forest of Vanishing Stars with Kristin Harmel
Sept 20: The Bookshop at Water's End with Patti Callahan Henry
Oct 1: Happy Hour with Ron Block
Oct 18: Second Star to the Right with Mary Alice Monroe
Nov 15: Once Upon a Wardrobe with Patti Callahan Henry
Dec 3: Happy Hour with Ron Block
Dec 6: The Santa Suit with Mary Kay Andrews
Dec 20: Christmas in Peachtree Bluff with Kristy Woodson Harvey
Jan 17, 2022: The Sweetness of Forgetting with Kristin Harmel
If you missed our book club discussion of The Newcomer with Mary Kay Andrews, click HERE to see it!
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And Now a Word from our Partners
MAMA GERALDINE'S
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WELCOME STORYPOINT WINES!
Beginning NOW we are kicking off “The Summer of Storypoint” on Friends & Fiction! Each week, the after-show will be called “Sip & Stay with Storypoint” and will be sponsored by Storypoint Wines. This distinctive collection of flavorful wines—Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay—from California’s best growing regions, seeks to champion stories that inspire. After all, many great stories and ideas unfold over a shared bottle of wine. The experience of a wine—like that of a good book—should tell you something, invite you to discover new things, and surprise you. So, stick around after the show each week all summer long where we will indulge in stories, sips, and surprises!
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Friends & Fiction Merchandise
THE F&F MERCH STORE IS HERE!
Our merch is here!
Cozy cotton with a flattering v-neck and our signature Friends & Fiction logo, these comfy
t-shirts are the perfect way to show your
Friends & Fiction wine sippies are available for preorder and will be shipping soon from Oxford Exchange! ORDER WINE TUMBLERS HERE.
We can’t wait to see you model your merch!
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CONNECT WITH THE FRIENDS & FICTION HOST AUTHORS! |
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