August 12, 2020 | Issue #2 |
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Five Facts From Our Friend, Karin Slaughter
The one thing you can’t live without in quarantine:
Pita chips. PLEASE TAKE THEM AWAY.
Your perfect day:
Quarantine
Your favorite independent bookstore:
The last book you raved about:
Your next book in ten words or less:
I would love to tell you but I hate following rules.
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Bookseller of the Week
FOX TALE BOOK SHOPPE
Our guest, Karin Slaughter, chose FoxTale Book Shoppe as our featured independent bookseller of the week. Named the Best Bookstore in Atlanta 2019 and 2013 by Atlanta Magazine, it's located in historic downtown Woodstock, GA. Its eclectic mix of books includes signed first editions, hardcovers, paperbacks, new and used books in all genres.
FoxTale is one of the top book tour destinations
in the Southeast for hundreds fo bestselling authors.
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Debut Spotlight
Kristin mentioned this debut earlier in the year, and it remains one of her favorite books of 2020. It came out in early April, before most stores were hosting virtual events, so Kristin wanted to remind you about it again, now that summer is drawing to a close. Set in a beach town in Florida's panhandle, YOU AND ME AND US by Alison Hammer follows the lives of Tommy (who is dying from cancer), his wife Alexis, and his teenage daughter CeCe. Beautiful, heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting. Bring tissues!
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Up Close with Mary Alice Monroe |
It’s another summer ON OCEAN BOULEVARD! And that means it’s sea turtle nesting season on Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. I’m always pleased when readers tell me they’ve fallen in love with these animals after reading The Beach House series. I understand! When I joined the Island Turtle Team 20 years ago, I didn’t know that it would change my life.
Each year is unique. We’ve had years when the nest numbers were low, and years when they’ve soared, like last year. 2020 is so far so good with 40 nests on Isle of Palms and 8 nests on Sullivan’s Island. Like with most everything else, Covid-19 has changed the way we tend turtles. We can only have two team members present for duties, we keep a distance and we do not announce our nest inventories. The good news is we didn’t lose nests from Isaias like other beaches did. But we did have coyote predation! Those darn critters tore into one nest and knocked down sticks and chewed tape for another. (We think maybe the pups were having fun.)
A big surprise was a green sea turtle nest—our first on Isle of Palms! (Loggerheads are the type that nest on our beaches) I’ll post photos of the inventory on my Facebook Author page!
It’s no surprise to you, I’m sure, that I am passionate about sea turtles. Each time I witness a turtle laying a nest, or the hatchlings scramble out of a nest in their comical, Keystone Cops manner, it’s like the first time. It never gets old to witness the cycle of life. And this year in particular, I find that reassuring.
This is the theme of On Ocean Boulevard. As is resilience. Turtles are lone swimmers as they travel countless miles in the ocean, through turbulent waters, past the glare and distraction of lights, avoiding persistent predators, boats, and the mire of trash. Yet somehow, they persevere. Following their instincts, they keep swimming. A good lesson for us all to remember.
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Latest News From "The Fab Five"
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY is revealing the cover of her March 2021 book, Surviving Savannah, TODAY! Watch her Facebook and Instagram feeds and tune in to the show tonight to hear Patti talk all about this new book's cover!
This week, KRISTIN HARMEL's The Book of Lost Names moved up to the #2 spot on both the Toronto Star and Globe & Mail bestseller lists, the two main bestseller lists in Canada.
Between writing and back-to-school prep,
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY took some time
MARY KAY ANDREWS took time out of her busy daily writing schedule this past weekend to host a farm stand in her driveway, selling her own homegrown produce and flowers to raise money for a local elementary school. She is missing tonight's episode due to a prior commitment—a virtual event with the Avalon Public Library at the Jersey Shore.
MARY ALICE MONROE has been writing every day and, this week, has slept a lot less soundly as she is reading Karin Slaughter's gripping new thriller, The Silent Wife.
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News from the F&F Official Book Club |
Don't forget to join the FRIENDS AND FICTION Official Book Club on Monday, August 17th at 7pm Eastern for a Facebook Live chat with Kristin Harmel about her new novel, The Book of Lost Names, the book club's August pick.
Because the book is still out of stock in many locations, she'll save spoilers for the final fifteen minutes, so join the group and ask your questions even if you haven't read the book yet.
September's book club pick will be Mary Alice Monroe's On Ocean Boulevard.
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CONNECT WITH THE FRIENDS & FICTION HOST AUTHORS! |
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