July 21, 2021 | Issue #51 |
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Winter Wonderland Subscription Box
Three of the Fab Five (Mary Kay Patti & Kristy) have new books coming this holiday season! Here is your opportunity to be among the very first to read these books just as they are released—and to obtain loads of exclusive extra swag available only to those who subscribe! This package is available for purchase only through our friends at Nantucket Book Partners.
Books will ship when they release this fall.
For the one-time flat-rate charge of $82, subscribers will receive:
- An autographed first edition copy of each book
- A QR code distributed only to subscribers which grants access to a private recorded presentation together with all three authors discussing their books
- An exclusive Friends & Fiction coffee mug
- A package of Friends & Fiction branded hot chocolate
- A book club kit sent with each book containing discussion questions, a letter from the author, a recipe, and other special content
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Five Facts from Our Friend, Vanessa Riley
The one thing you’ve learned you can’t live without during the pandemic:
Good chocolate and Charmin toilet tissue
Your perfect day:
Fall day, clear skies, soft breeze and I am writing on my porch
Your favorite independent bookstore:
The last book you raved about:
Your next book in ten words or less:
Two women that won the Haitian Revolution
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Five Facts from Our Friend, Susan Boyer
The one thing you’ve learned you can’t live without during the pandemic:
A neighborhood. I used to think I wanted to live on a deserted beach somewhere, or up in the mountains, at the end of a long, winding dirt road—this would cut down on distractions, I thought. But during the pandemic, I could not have survived without my neighbors. Our socially-distanced “pod” gatherings out in the community green space kept us all sane.
Your perfect day:
It starts with a walk on the beach, followed by great coffee and yogurt and granola pancakes with peaches and blackberries. Then I write, in a spot with a view of the ocean—and where I can hear the surf—for a few hours. At some point, I nibble on some cheese and crackers and fruit for lunch. Later, after all the words are out of me for the day, I sit in a screened porch overlooking the ocean and read until dinner time, at which point Jim and I have dinner together. An evening swim would be the perfect ending.
Your favorite independent bookstore:
The last book you raved about:
I just finished The One You’re With, by Lauren K. Denton, which I just loved. She does family relationships so well.
Your next book in ten words or less:
LOWCOUNTRY LIES is a mystery set on Sullivan’s Island.
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Bookseller of the Week
FoxTale Book Shoppe
Our featured independent bookseller of the week is FoxTale Book Shoppe in historic downtown Woodstock, GA. A top book tour destination in the Southeast for hundreds of bestselling authors, FoxTale boasts an eclectic mix of new books including signed first editions, hardcovers, and paperbacks, in all genres. Visit the specially curated F&F page on the FoxTale website to shop for ISLAND QUEEN by our guest Vanessa Riley, the Lowcountry series by our Sunday Bonus guest Susan M. Boyer of Lowcontry Book Club, as well as new and recent titles from the Fab Five. SHOP NOW!
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Latest News From "The Fab Five"
KRISTIN HARMEL has been on a whirlwind tour through the southeast, which included events with three of the four other F&F authors. (She missed Kristy terribly and can’t wait to see her in August at the Mississippi Book Festival.) She has been brought to tears multiple times in the last week by the stories Friends & Fiction members have shared with her in person at her events about their experiences with F&F over the last year, and she’s prouder than ever to be a part of this beautiful community of readers.
MARY KAY ANDREWS will be a guest this Friday, at noon on A Mighty Blaze, to discuss The Newcomer. In the meantime, Christmas in July plans are underway as the book tour for The Santa Suit (out Sept. 28) is shaping up. Look for her in Atlanta, Savannah, Raleigh, Southern Pines, N.C. and, yes, Deadwood, South Dakota. Stay tuned to her social media for full book tour details.
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An Original Essay by Patti Callahan
Each week, the Friends & Fiction authors take turns
writing an essay for Parade.com, the online home of
Parade magazine.This week, Patti shares a column
about choosing your "grandma name."
I was standing in my home office three years ago, the aroma of damp dog in the air as my adorable Springer Spaniel Winnie ran in from the rain, when my 26 year old daughter called, her question halting my whirling thoughts as she asked, “Is Dad home to get on the phone, too?”
“Nope,” I told her. And then it hit me. She wanted us both on the phone. She had something tell us. “Wait, are you pregnant?” I asked.
She laughed. “How’d you know?”
And then, she asked another question, one that would stop me in my tracks. “What will my baby call you?”
My oldest child, my daughter, Meagan and her husband, Evan were having a baby. This was thrilling. I’m going to be a grandma, I thought. And yet I couldn’t make the idea stick to the image I had of myself as I ran out the door to yoga and planned my next book tour. I’m not a grandma.
I’m not…old.
To continue reading Patti's column, click HERE.
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Listen to the F&F Podcast!
Coming soon! Out this Friday, July 23rd!—Celebrate grilling month with Ron & Kristy as they interview Chef and the Farmer restaurateur, cookbook author, and television host Vivian Howard.
Out Now! WB_S1E6—Ron talks to author MJ Rose about her books and former career as an ad exec and to Pauline Hubert, the founder of the popular book club app Book Movement. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S1E5—Ron & Patti talk to authors Lisa Patton (Rush) and Susan Cushman (John and Mary Margaret) about writing novels centered around the college experience and using the college campus as a setting. LISTEN NOW!
Out Now! WB_S1E4—Boutique Publishing—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. 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
Join us on Friday, July 23rd at 7pm EST for our one-year anniversary party!! There will be special guests, surprises, a game, and a special giveaway for someone watching live. Cheers to one year!! You don't want to miss this!!
Have a look at our monthly book club schedule through January 2022! All sessions are at 7 pm ET. Save the dates!
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 6/21 book club discussion of The Newcomer with Mary Kay Andrews, click HERE to see it!
If you missed our live chat with Kristin Harmel on Friday 7/2 for her pre-pub day event with us, you can view the recording HERE.
If you missed our live book club chat on Monday night with Mary Alice Monroe about The Summer of Lost and Found and her middle grade book The Islanders co-written with Angela May, click HERE to watch 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 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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