Meet Sophie Kinsella TONIGHT!
Meet Sophie Kinsella TONIGHT!
Weekly News from Friends & Fiction—October 9, 2024
Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, October 9th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Kristy Woodson Harvey & Mary Kay Andrews welcome #1 mega internationally bestselling author Sophie Kinsella to discuss her new novella — her most autobiographical work to date — WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?
Sophie Kinsella has sold more than 45-million copies of her books which have been translated into 40+ languages in more than 60 countries. She first hit the UK bestseller lists in September 2000 with her first novel in her beloved Shopaholic series, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Heroine Becky Bloomwood captured readers’ hearts worldwide and has since featured in eight further bestselling books. Bloomwood also came to the big screen in 2009 with the hit Disney movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher. Sophie’s twelve standalone novels have all been bestsellers around the world, including The Burnout, The Undomestic Goddess, and Love Your Life. She has also published YA, illustrated children’s books, and seven novels under her real name, Madeleine Wickham. Sophie joins us from the UK to discuss WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?, the heartbreaking and life-affirming story of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew, which has been called “the bravest book you’ll read all year” by Jodi Picoult
Watch the video broadcast of this show as it airs Wed 10/9 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 10/11.
Order Sophie’s book on Bookshop.org!
Shop all of our guests’ & hosts’ books in our F&F Shop on Bookshop.org!
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!
Latest News from the Fab Four!
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY spent last week writing in South Carolina after cleaning up the debris all over her yard and throwing away the rotten food after three days without power. She is mourning all the damage from Florida to NC and beyond; sending so much love to everyone affected. This week she is in a small town in Texas where Blue Bell Ice cream began (she’ll def be having some!), and speaking about her beloved Once Upon a Wardrobe. She was thrilled to announce that she has committed to another three novels with her publisher, Atria. Now off to write!
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Unger. Ariel Lawhon suggested this book to me and I grabbed it in the airport on my way to Texas, and I have to say the flight whooshed by – a page turner filled with glorious language. Set in a not-too-distant America, this is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had the best weekend celebrating her son’s THIRTEENTH birthday—and taking part in a long-standing Carteret County tradition: the NC Seafood Festival! She put the finishing touches on her 2025 book and can’t believe she’s read it for the very last time! She can’t wait to share more with you about it so very soon.
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: Every Moment Since by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. I chatted with Marybeth about this one a few months ago and have been eagerly awaiting this one! Ron and I are looking forward to interviewing Marybeth for the show and podcast very soon!
KRISTIN HARMEL is thrilled to reveal the cover of her 2025 book, THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU, this week. Here it is on Amazon and B&N (it has only posted in those two locations so far – she’ll update her website next week with additional buy links). She also had the honor of doing a press conference for AdventHealth (her local hospital system) with her breast surgeon, Dr. Anu Saigal, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Friday, and then on Saturday, she got to take a mini girls’ trip with her friends Lisa and Amber over to Cocoa Beach to attend a Stephen Kellogg concert. Longtime F&F viewers might remember Stephen as “Aleksander” in 2021’s FOREST OF VANISHING STARS F&F musical! He is such a warm, great guy, and he’s absolutely spectacular live – if you’re anywhere he’s going to be this fall on tour, I encourage you to go! You can find tour dates at StephenKellogg.com. Today, Kristin is finishing up the last of her storm prep for Hurricane Milton (which is on track to impact Florida, where she lives) and is praying for those in the storm’s path, especially on the already-battered west coast of Florida.
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: On my way out to the coast on Saturday for Stephen Kellogg’s show, I listened to the audiobook of Objects In The Mirror, Stephen’s thought-provoking and inspiring essay collection, which he narrates himself (with an intro from Adam Duritz of Counting Crows). I had already read the book, but there’s something really special about hearing Stephen tell you his stories in his own voice–and you’ll find yourself enormously moved by his openness, honesty and self-awareness. He’s a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter–but more importantly, he’s a son and a husband and a dad and a person just trying to be a better version of himself, and he has poured his whole heart onto the page in this book. I highly recommend it. He even recorded an album to go hand-in-hand with the book!
MARY KAY ANDREWS is so excited about the response to news of her Amazon Original digital short story, Holiday Hideaway! It’s out October 29, but is already a Kindle bestseller! For those who prefer audiobooks, it’ll also be an Audible Original which you can pre-order here. In the meantime, she’s sending up prayers for safety for everyone in her hometown of St. Petersburg, and for everyone in the path of Hurricane Milton.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: As a longtime fan of Michael Connelly, MKA is thrilled that he’s joining us for our F&F live show in November. So it’s no surprise that she devoured his upcoming The Waiting, in one loooonnng night, sitting in a relative’s hospital room. This time around, the protagonist is LAPD Detective Renée Ballard, whose Open-Unsolved Unit is tracing a serial rapist/murderer. In the meantime, Maddie Bosch, (daughter of Connelly series sleuth Harry Bosch) a new recruit to the unit, may have stumbled across the identity to LA’s most infamous serial murderer, the Black Dahlia killer.
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
Wednesday, November 6, 6pm ET — Join us 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, 12:30pm ET — Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books will emcee a lively and fun F&F Live luncheon event hosted by the Amelia Island Book Festival at The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, FL. Ticket includes book signing, photo opps, and tea fare: light lunch, snacks, and refreshments. Get tickets HERE.
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 & Mary Kay Andrews welcomed bestselling author Jean Hanff Korelitz to discuss her new novel THE SEQUEL—the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her "insanely readable" (Stephen King) and "perfectly told" (Malcolm Gladwell) NYT-bestseller, The Plot. Order Jean’s book 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: F&F Pick of the Month: Jodi Picoult, By Any Other Name
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Liane Moriarty, Here One Moment
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Sequel
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Sophie Kinsella, What Does It Feel Like
Watch Oct. 9 | Listen Oct. 11
Marybeth Whalen, Every Moment Since
Watch Oct. 16 | Listen Oct. 18
F&F Pick of the Month: Paula Hawkins, The Blue Hour
WATCH LIVE Oct. 23 | Listen Oct. 25
Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf
Watch Oct. 30 | Listen Nov. 1
J.T. Ellison, A Very Bad Thing
Watch Nov. 6 | Listen Nov. 8
David Baldacci, To Die For
Watch Nov. 13 | Listen Nov. 15
F&F Pick of the Month: Michael Connelly, The Waiting
WATCH LIVE Nov. 20 | Listen Nov. 22
Craig Johnson, Tooth and Claw
Watch Nov. 27 | Listen Nov. 29
Signe Pike, The Shadowed Land
Watch Dec 4 | Listen Dec. 6
Jillian Cantor, The Greatest Lie of All
Watch Dec. 11 | Listen Dec. 13
F&F Pick of the Month: Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb, Christmas with the Queen
WATCH LIVE Dec. 18 | Listen Dec. 20
F&F Secret Santa Holiday Party
Watch Dec. 25 | Listen Dec. 27
F&F Merch Store
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 Wanda Morris about her novel, What You Leave Behind. Mark your calendars for October 21st for their next author guest, Sarah Pekkanen, when they’ll discuss her novel, HOUSE OF GLASS. 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 October prompt is “Team Vampire or Team Werewolf: You Decide!”
Stay in Touch!
Subscribe to our PODCAST.
Join our FACEBOOK group.
Follow us on INSTAGRAM.
Subscribe to our YOUTUBE channel.
Find details about everything F&F on our WEBSITE.
Shop our guests’ & hosts’ books in our shop on BOOKSHOP.
Join the F&F Official BOOK CLUB with Brenda & Lisa.
Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for bonus content from our hosts and guests.