October 6, 2021 | Issue #62 |
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Join Mary Kay, Patti, Kristy & Kristin This Fall!
Four In-person Events in Florida in October!
Here's your chance to meet Mary Kay, Patti, Kristy & Kristin together in-person! The four F&F co-founders & co-hosts have a string of four events together in Florida in late October. They are hitting the road to celebrate the launches of MKA's The Santa Suit (9/28), Patti's Once Upon a Wardrobe (10/19) and Kristy's Christmas in Peachtree Bluff—with Kristin joining as a moderator. Read about all four events in one spot HERE or click through below for more info on each event and to reserve your spot!
Mon 10/25, 11am—F. M. Don's with Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda. Get tickets!
Mon 10/25, 5pm—Sanibel Community House w/ Macintosh Books in Sanibel. Get tickets!
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Bookstore of the Week
Warwick's
We have partnered with Warwick's in beautiful La Jolla, CA as our featured independent bookseller through the end of October. Warwick's is the country's oldest continuously family-owned and operated bookstore, so we see them as an ideal partner for our mission! We are going to keep encouraging you to shop local and shop small by buying from Warwick's all month long. And we will be offering you special opportunities along the way. Browse their selection which includes the F&F hosts' books as well as the latest by tonight's guest, Kwame Alexander.
Remember you can also always find all the books by every F&F guest, past and present, in the F&F Bookshop.org Shop, with portions of all sales placed there helping to fund F&F and going straight into the pockets of indie booksellers nationwide. Since its inception, Bookshop.org has raised more than $16 million for indie bookstores!
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Latest News From "The Fab Five"
In between signings for The Santa Suit, MARY KAY ANDREWS is still pounding away on her summer 2022 novel, The Homewreckers. Stay tuned for the cover reveal coming on next week's episode! You can listen to MKA talking about The Santa Suit and The Newcomer with Zibby Owens on her Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books podcast HERE, and with our own Ron Block on the Friends and Fiction Writer's Block podcast HERE. She is also thrilled that The Santa Suit has been hand-picked as one of Amazon's Editors' Picks for the Best Books in the Romance category.
PATTI CALLAHAN is trying to follow Kristy’s lead and pack for Once Upon a Wardrobe Book Tour; so far she’s packed beautiful ribboned bookmarks, candles and swag but not one lick of clothing. Where will you visit Patti, starting October 14th in her hometown of Mountain Brook, Alabama? She’s also listening over and over to Fiona Hardingham reading a snippet of the novel -- her gorgeous voice bringing Megs to life! Did you miss out on the LIVE and EXCLUSIVE The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe book club with Douglas Gresham (Lewis’ stepson?) -- if so you can CLICK HERE to get a link to watch and listen!
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had so much fun partnering up with a favorite blogger, Kristin from Always With a Book on a BookTrib Listicle: 8 of This Fall’s Most Anticipated Reads! Patti and Mary Kay’s were obviously on Kristy’s list! And Kristin included Christmas in Peachtree Bluff on hers! (Another Kristin…) She was also so excited to be with her friends Patti and Mary Kay on Deep South Magazine’s Fall/Winter Reading List. She can’t believe she leaves for tour in less than two weeks. Wow! Check out her whole tour schedule HERE!
What Kristy is Reading: Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber
KRISTIN HARMEL spent a few days last week at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, where she was thrilled to see the debut of Disney’s Enchantment, the brand-new fireworks show launched on Oct. 1, Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary. Kristin has had an annual pass to Disney World since she was 10, and prior to the pandemic, she took her son to the parks once or twice a week after school. They haven’t visited as frequently lately because of Covid concerns, but it meant a lot to her to be there for the big celebration--and to be able to bring her mom (who instilled a love of Disney in her long ago) with her for the festivities.
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An Original Essay by Mary Alice Monroe
Each week, the Friends & Fiction authors take turns
writing an essay for Parade.com, the online home of Parade magazine.This week, Mary Alice wrote about unplugging from technology and reconnecting with nature.
Nature makes children of us all. I was reminded of that when I was invited to tour the crown jewel of the South Carolina Park system—St. Philips Island, a pristine, uninhabited barrier island once owned by media mogul Ted Turner.
I met my two close friends and fellow travelers, Patricia Denkler and Kathie Bennett, at Huntington State Park outside Beaufort. We waited for our boat feeling like kids going to camp. What awaited us on the island where we would stay, completely alone and unreachable? Three days of utter solitude. We were met by our trip coordinator Melissa Gonzalez and park ranger John Alexander and boarded two speedboats. The island is only accessible by boat, though I’m told Ted Turner sometimes arrived by helicopter. We meandered through Story River, Trenchards Inlet and Three Sisters Creek (enchanting names!) on a crisp April afternoon. I felt the tensions of work, the pressure of deadlines, and the worries of life slide away the farther we traveled from the mainland. Ahead, the sea glistened in the sunlight, and I kept my eyes peeled for dolphins.
To continue reading Mary Alice's column
on Parade.com, click HERE.
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A Message from Mary Alice
In case you missed it on the Wednesday September 22nd episode, Mary Alice popped in with a big announcement for all of you in the F&F community. Lots of you have been asking if and when she might be coming back to F&F since announcing her sabbatical over the summer. Click the video to hear Mary Alice’s news from her in her own words. She will be missed as a regular host on the show. But rest assured she will be back to visit now and again—and MKA, Kristin, Kristy & Patti aren’t going anywhere! The show must go on!
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Listen to the F&F Podcast!
Coming soon! Out this Friday, October 8th!—Ron & Patti sit down with award-winning, New York Times bestselling poet, short story writer, and novelist Ron Rash.
Out Now! WB_S1E17—Ron Block sits down with our own Mary Kay Andrews to talk all about her brand new book just out this week The Santa Suit! LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S1E16—Ron Block sits down with USA Today bestselling thriller writer Hank Phillippi Ryan to discuss her new book Her Perfect Life. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S1E15—Ron Block & Patti Callahan sit down with Pulitzer finalist and National Book Award winning author of history, Nathaniel Philbrick to discuss his latest book Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy. 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 the end of the year and be sure to save the dates! All events are at 7pm Eastern unless otherwise noted.
Oct 17: 1pm Pre-Pub Day Virtual Brunch with Patti Callahan Henry
Oct 24: 4:30pm Kristy Woodson Harvey Live from The Oxford Exchange in Tampa for a Pre-Pub Day celebration of Christmas in Peachtree Bluff
Oct 25: The Orphan Witch with Paige Crutcher
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
If you missed our 9/23 pre-pub day celebration of The Santa Suit with Mary Kay Andrews, watch it HERE.
If you missed our 10/1 Happy Hour with Ron Block, watch it HERE.
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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 and shipping now from Oxford Exchange!
But that’s not all! We also have F&F 20oz travel tumblers for on-the-go coffee of drinks!
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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