Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, July 10th, at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Mary Kay Andrews & Ron Block welcome NYT-bestselling author Christina Dodd to discuss her brand-new book A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, a humorous historical update on the Romeo and Juliet story which Susan Mallery has called “a tour de force,” and Kristin Hannah has praised as “fun, funny, charming, and absolutely delightful.”
Christina Dodd is a perennially bestselling author whose suspense, paranormal, mystery, regency and contemporary romance novels have been translated into 30 languages, have sold more than 15-million copies, and have won numerous awards including the Romance Writers of America RITA and Golden Heart Awards. She joins us from her home in the Pacific Northwest to discuss her new novel, A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, which has been described as Knives Out meets Bridgerton. This book kicks off a frothy, irreverent, witty new series with an irresistible premise—Romeo and Juliet’s daughter as a clever, rebellious, fiercely independent woman in fair Verona—told from the delightfully engaging point of view of the captivating Rosie Montague herself.
Watch the video broadcast of this interview as it airs on Wed 7/10 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel, or catch the audio version on our podcast on Fri 7/12.
Meanwhile, grab Christina’s new book at a discount in our F&F Shop on Bookshop.org where all your purchases support our show, our guests, and indie bookstores nationwide!
Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for bonus Q&A’s with our guest authors which include a writing tip, book recommendation, and information about their works-in-progress, plus other great material not covered on the show!
Enter to Win the Friendly Killers Giveaway!
To go along with our fabulous mash-up of F&F and the Killer Author Club last week, we have combined efforts on a fantastic 7-book giveaway! Here’s your chance to win ALL of the latest novels by the four hosts of F&F (Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey & Patti Callahan Henry), and those by the three Killer Authors (Heather Gudenkauf, Kimberly Belle & Kaira Rouda).
Enter to win all SEVEN books. One entry per person. Entry deadline: Mon 7/15 at midnight ET. We will announce the one lucky winner on Wed 7/17 on the air during the LIVE episode of The Friends & Fiction Show (beginning at 7pm ET!) with guest Jamie Brenner. Good luck!
Details & entry form HERE.
Latest News from the Fab Four!
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY is still on her tour for A HAPPIER LIFE! She is having such a great time and meeting so many Friends and Fiction members. She still has a few more events, and would love to see you as she wraps up her tour! Kristy created a fun playlist to pair with A HAPPIER LIFE for Fresh Fiction, if you are looking for something to listen to while you read!
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin. “I have already devoured this book but am now listening to the audio and is loving it!”
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY had a very very hot but very very fun week with a houseful for the fourth of July. Her family entered the Bluffton parade and did not win with their weak attempt at an Olympics theme, BUT they would have won for having the most fun, if that was a category. Now it’s back to work on copy edits for The Story She Left Behind (out March 4th) and heading out for her run through Arkansas for One State Reads! If you’re anywhere near please come see her! She will also be in Atlanta at the Atlanta History Center interviewing Emily Giffin for her newest The Summer Pact on Friday, July 12th.
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali. “This novel opens with a bang and I am furiously turning the pages to find out what happens to two best friends separated by a betrayal – all set in a transformative time in Tehran. Kristin and I will be interviewing Marjan for the show and I can’t wait to talk about it.”
KRISTIN HARMEL spent the Fourth of July with her mom, husband, son, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephews, and it was lovely to have that family time together (though she missed her brother and his family)! She started this week off with yet another Disney stay (it’s hard to resist since she has loads of Disney Vacation Club points – and she doesn’t have a pool at home to cool off from the million-degree days in Orlando) at her favorite Disney hotel, Animal Kingdom Lodge–and she took 8-year-old Noah to see the new Despicable Me movie (which was hilarious) at Universal Studios Orlando, followed by rides on the two Minions rides at Universal Studios for a totally Minion day.
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: A Novel Summer by Jamie Brenner. “This fabulous summer read is our Friends & Fiction book of the month for July – and we’ll be talking to author Jamie Brenner live next Wednesday. In the meantime, place your preorders for this book immediately! An immersive, emotional roller coaster from beginning to end, A NOVEL SUMMER is suffused with the inimitable charm of summers in Cape Cod and the healing magic of independent bookstores. In Jamie Brenner's capable hands, not a single main character has an easy path to redemption--which keeps us turning the pages more and more quickly as the complications deepen --but you'll find yourself rooting for all of them as they figure out who they are and where they belong. I loved every moment of A NOVEL SUMMER, a love song to Provincetown, and to the redemptive power of friendship to show us the way home.”
MARY KAY ANDREWS had a fun and family-filled Fourth of July weekend, enjoying the neighborhood parade and a cookout with neighbors. Now she’s getting creative with all the homegrown ‘maters from Mr.MKA’s garden.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen. “In 1968, a struggling obituary writer for a London newspaper decides the key to entering the newsroom as a reporter follows the story of the disappearance of a young girl to a long-abandoned village in Dorset where three other young girls vanished twenty years earlier. As a former journalist, I am transfixed with this mystery.”
Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for an ongoing series of roundtable discussions and personal essays by the Fab Four about their careers, writing processes, and all things book and publishing related!
Upcoming Events
Click HERE to see Kristy Woodson Harvey’s full book tour for the June 25th release of her new hardcover, A Happier Life.
Friday, September 27 — An F&F Live event to benefit Earlier.org at High Point Country Club in High Point, NC. Details & ticketing info to come.
Sunday, September 29 — An F&F Live brunch event at the Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors in Winston-Salem, NC. Details & ticketing info to come.
Wednesday, November 6, 6pm ET — Join all four founders and hosts of Friends & Fiction—along with Meg Walker & Ron Block—together in-person at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando, FL for a unique fundraising event benefiting the Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) Foundation which will include a reception over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, an intimate presentation, book sales, and an autograph session. Get tickets HERE.
Thursday, November 7 — An F&F Live afternoon tea event hosted by the Amelia Island Book Festival at The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, FL. Details & ticketing info to come.
Want to know what these F&F Live events are all about? Watch this video compilation!
In Case You Missed It
On last week’s episode of The Friends & Fiction Show, Patti Callahan Henry, Kristin Harmel & Mary Kay Andrews welcomed the three bestselling authors—Heather Gudenkauf, Kimberly Belle & Kaira Rouda—who make up the Killer Author Club, a unique platform for suspense and mystery fans to hear from their favorite authors as they chat about killing—of the fictional kind, of course. Order Heather, Kimberly & Kaira’s latest books from the F&F Shop on Bookshop.org, where you’ll also find books by all our hosts and guests, all at a discount—and where all your purchases support our show and our beloved indie bookstores nationwide!
You can WATCH that episode on Facebook or YouTube, or LISTEN to it on our podcast.
Coming Up on The Friends & Fiction Show
All shows can be watched on Facebook & YouTube each Wednesday evening at 7pm ET, and listened to on our podcast each Friday, all year long.
Already aired: Annabel Monaghan, Summer Romance
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Lisa Wingate, Shelterwood
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: F&F June Pick of the Month: Kristy Woodson Harvey, A Happier Life
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Chris Whitaker, All the Colors of the Dark
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Announcing our Summer 2024 Line-Up!
Already aired: Killer Author Club (Kimberly Belle, Heather Gudenkauf & Kaira Rouda)
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Christina Dodd, A Daughter of Fair Verona
Watch: July 10 | Listen: July 12
F&F Pick of the Month: Jamie Brenner, A Novel Summer
Watch LIVE: July 17 | Listen: July 19
Emily Giffin, The Summer Pact
Watch: July 24 | Listen: July 26
Marjan Kamali, The Lion Women of Tehran
Watch: July 31 | Listen: August 2
Rhys Bowen, The Rose Arbor
Watch: August 7 | Listen: August 9
Greer Macallister, The Thirteenth Husband
Watch: August 14 | Listen: August 16
F&F Pick of the Month: Jessa Maxwell, I Need You to Read This
Watch: August 21 | Listen: August 23
Madeline Martin, The Booklover's Library
Watch: August 28 | Listen: August 30
TJ Klune, Somewhere Beyond the Sea
Watch: September 4 | Listen: September 6
Laura Dave, The Night We Lost Him
Watch: September 11 | Listen: September 13
F&F Pick of the Month: Jodi Picoult, By Any Other Name
Watch LIVE: September 18 | Listen: September 20
Liane Moriarty, Here One Moment
Watch: September 25 | Listen: September 27
Bonus Episodes!
The Fab Four (along with Meg & Ron) are taking turns interviewing some additional authors in short video segments we are calling “Behind the Book.” Check out a few recent bonus interviews that we’ve run on the F&F YouTube channel!
WATCH Kristy’s interview with Gilmore Girls star Devon Sorvari, who is also the voice of Keaton in the audiobook version of A HAPPIER LIFE.
WATCH Kristin’s interview with Erika Robuck about her new highly-anticipated WWII historical novel, The Last Twelve Miles.
WATCH Kristin & Kristy’s interview with Lisa Barr about her new highly-anticipated WWII historical novel, The Goddess of Warsaw.
WATCH Kristin’s conversation with Christina Lauren about their brand-new instant NYT-bestselling hit The Paradise Problem.
WATCH MKA’s conversation with the award-winning voice artist Kathleen McInerney who narrates the Summers at the Saint audiobook.
WATCH Patti & MKA’s interview with Sheila Roberts about her newest The Best Life Book Club.
F&F Merch Store & 2024 Subscription Box
We have a Friends & Fiction merch store with t-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs and a book bag on Bonfire. We also have other items like wine tumblers, reading journals, and our original white v-neck logo tees available through Oxford Exchange.
F&F Official Book Club & 2024 Reading Challenge
Join Brenda Gardner & Lisa Harrison for monthly book club picks and live online author chats on the Facebook page for the F&F Official Book Club with Brenda & Lisa, where they’ve amassed more than 30k of their own members. You can also follow the Book Club on Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel where you can catch past discussions, including their most recent chat with Mary Kay Andrews about her novel, Summers at the Saint. Mark your calendars for July 15th for their next author guest, Katherine Center, when they’ll discuss her novel, The Rom-Commers. With the help of Annissa Armstrong, the Book Club is also hosting the 2024 F&F Reading Challenge. Join them for a different category prompt each month to read outside your comfort zone. The June prompt was to read a book with the word “summer” in the title, and for July, it’s to read a book from a Little Free Library. (Bonus if you take a book and leave one!)
Stay in Touch!
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