Tune in LIVE at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, September 4th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Ron Block and Patti Callahan Henry welcome mega-bestselling author TJ Klune to discuss his new novel, Somewhere Beyond The Sea, the hugely anticipated sequel to his smash hit, The House in the Cerulean Sea, which is one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade.
TJ Klune is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, The Extraordinaries and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it’s important — now more than ever — to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories. We are so excited to talk to TJ about Somewhere Beyond The Sea, which (in a starred review) Library Journal has called, “a heart-wrenching tale of being perceived as different, finding acceptance, and having a place in the world.”
Watch the video broadcast of this show as it airs Wed 9/4 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 9/6.
Order TJ’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 the Labor Day weekend with family and friends in North Carolina! She hiked and wrote and read and enjoyed the cooler mountain air. After a Dahlia Dinner (the most beautiful flowers she has EVER seen), and the last Bingo of the season, she is now back at the desk! Her newsletter is out this week and in it – among other things like what is inspiring her now and a video – is a GOODREADS GIVEAWAY for The Story She Left Behind!!! CLICK HERE TO ENTER.
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: The House Without Windows by Barbara Newhall Follett. I am re-reading this 1927 children’s fantasy novel as I begin to write essays and “the story behind the story” for my March release. This author, who disappeared at 26 years old, was the inspiration for THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND. I am diving back into Barbara’s first novel (which she wrote when she was eight years old) to bring her alive for the reader in backstory material.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had the best, best Labor Day Weekend and is wringing out every last drop of summer—but excited for football season and pumpkin spice too! She’s hosting a Rebecca Saint James-style dinner party this weekend to celebrate her mom’s birthday with a few best family friends, and can’t wait to share pics with everyone! She’s also looking forward to a number of upcoming solo events in Pine Knoll Shores, NC and Cape Carteret, NC and Friends & Fiction events in High Point, Winston-Salem, Orlando, and Amelia Island! She’s hoping to see you there! She’s also super grateful to Readers Digest for giving so much love to A HAPPIER LIFE last week, and BookBub for shining a light on last year’s novel, THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS.
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: Bummer Camp by Ann Garvin. If you caught THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS last year, you might know that I’m a big summer camp fan! So what could be better than grown up summer camp inside the pages of Ann Garvin’s latest laugh-out-loud funny pageturner? I can’t think of a thing! There are still a couple weeks left in official summer, but this is camp for any time of year. Check it out!
KRISTIN HARMEL had a long Labor Day weekend split between hanging out with her mom and aunt at Disney World, and hanging out with her in-laws in Palm City, Florida. She’s back in the writing saddle this week—and can’t wait for her first pumpkin spice latte of the season.
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: I’m re-reading Madeline Martin’s The Booklover’s Library, which I read ages ago for a blurb. I loved the book and am happy to dive back in–which I’m doing to prepare for a conversation with Madeline at the Winter Park Library next Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 6pm. (Join us if you can!) Madeline was our guest on the show last week, and talking to her about the book reignited my love for it!
MARY KAY ANDREWS spent the Labor Day weekend with family, and hosted an early birthday celebration for her son Andy, featuring Mr. MKA’s barbecued ribs, her family’s favorite macaroni and cheese (the recipe is in her Beach House Cookbook) and of course, homemade birthday cake. Now she’s off on a much-anticipated trip to Ireland, where she’ll be doing research for her next novel.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: The Wedding People by Alison Espach. What better way to close out summer reading than with this delicious tale of a stranger who shows up at a wedding? Funny, romantic, delicious.
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Upcoming Events
Wednesday, Sept. 11, 6pm ET – Join Kristin at the Winter Park (FL) Library as she interviews Madeline Martin about The Booklover’s Library. Hosted by Writer’s Block Bookstore. RSVP here.
Friday, September 27, 4pm ET — Join us for an F&F Live “Toast to the Ta-Tas” event at the beautiful High Point Country Club in High Point, NC to benefit Earlier.org. The Fab Four will be sharing fascinating insider talk about publishing and writing and discussing their newest releases, all to raise funding for critical research to identify an earlier biological detection test for breast cancer. Books will be available for purchase care of The Country Bookshop with each author signing select books and proceeds benefiting Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test®! Get details & tickets HERE.
Sunday, September 29, 10am ET — An F&F Live brunch event at the 19th Annual Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors in Winston-Salem, NC. Close out the book festival with us at this super fun event to be held at the Benton Convention Center. There are two ticket options. The 10am Meet & Greet + Brunch Event is $80 (plus taxes & fees) will include a mimosa and the chance to mingle, meet the authors, and take photos, plus a wristband to get to the front of the signing line following the brunch. The 11am Brunch Event only is $50 (plus taxes & fees) and includes a seated program and book signing. Note that there will not be an opportunity for posed photos during this portion of the event. Get tickets HERE.
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, 12:30pm ET — An F&F Live luncheon event hosted by the Amelia Island Book Festival at The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, FL. Ticket price will include tea fare: light lunch, snacks, and refreshments. For members of book clubs who are interested in reserving an entire table, the Book Club Pre-Sale will open on August 15th. If interested, email bookclubs@ameliaislandbookfestival.org identifying yourself and providing a main point of contact. Ticket sales will open up to the public on September 1st. Details HERE. Ticketing link 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, Kristin Harmel & Ron Block welcomed bestselling author Madeline Martin to discuss The Booklover’s Library, her heartwarming new story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books to bring them together. We were also treated to a pop-in by Emmy-award winning journalist turned novelist Linda Hurtado Bond to chat about her gripping new thriller All the Missing Girls. Order Madeline’s book & Linda’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: Killer Author Club (Kimberly Belle, Heather Gudenkauf & Kaira Rouda)
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Christina Dodd, A Daughter of Fair Verona
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: F&F Pick of the Month: Jamie Brenner, A Novel Summer
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Emily Giffin, The Summer Pact
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Marjan Kamali, The Lion Women of Tehran
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Rhys Bowen, The Rose Arbor
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Greer Macallister, The Thirteenth Husband
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: F&F Pick of the Month: Jessa Maxwell, I Need You to Read This
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Madeline Martin, The Booklover's Library
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
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
We have a Friends & Fiction merch store with t-shirts (both short- and long-sleeved), 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 Kristy Woodson Harvey about her novel, A Happier Life. Mark your calendars for September 16th for their next author guest, Wanda Morris, when they’ll discuss her novel, What You Leave Behind. 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 September prompt is to read a true crime book.
Stay in Touch!
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Shop our guests’ & hosts’ books in our shop on BOOKSHOP.
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