Watch our LIVE show with Jodi Picoult TONIGHT!
Weekly News from Friends & Fiction—September 18, 2024
Tune in LIVE at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, September 18th LIVE at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as the Fab Four gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, Jodi Picoult, to discuss her captivating new instant #1 New York Times bestseller, our September 2024 Pick of the Month, BY ANY OTHER NAME, in which two women, centuries apart — one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare's plays — are forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard.
Jodi Picoult is the #1 bestselling author of 29 novels, including Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, and My Sister’s Keeper, and with her daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Jodi’s books have been translated into 34 languages and published in 35 countries. Four of her novels, The Pact, Plain Truth, The Tenth Circle, and Salem Falls, have been made into television movies. My Sister’s Keeper was a New Line Cinema film starring Cameron Diaz. Mad Honey, Small Great Things, and Wish You Were Here have been optioned or are currently in development. Jodi has written five issues of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman, and she is also the co-librettist for several stage musical adaptations which have appeared Off Broadway and in London’s West End. We can’t wait to discuss Jodi’s new novel, BY ANY OTHER NAME, which skyrocketed instantly to #1 and was both a GMA Book Club Pick and a People Magazine Book of the Week.
Watch the LIVE video broadcast of this show as it airs Wed 9/18 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 9/20.
Order Jodi’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 has been on a clean-out-the-attic purge and keeps getting bogged down looking at memorabilia. There’s probably a story in there somewhere…meanwhile she is working on some extra material for the book club kit for THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND. This weekend she did cheer her Auburn Tigers to victory (See? There’s always next week!), and celebrating our milestone at Friends & Fiction – A QUARTER MILLION MEMBERS in our community! I am so happy for all of us.
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray. This novel doesn’t release until February but it is a pre-order must. Victoria is part of the co-writing team with Marie Benedict in The Personal Librarian, and here she brings to life the extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance, Jessie Redmon Fauset. I loved it.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY How, oh how, is it the last week of summer?! Man, it’s going to be a good one! Tomorrow, reporters are coming for my first ever Peachtree Bluff/A Happier Life combo (all-day!) tour. Wednesday, I get to interview Kelly Bishop AKA Emily Gilmore at Meredith College, and I’m FREAKING OUT! Thursday, breakfast with my publicist, a dinner for UNC Library followed by a big Friday UNC Friends of the Library meeting, laying my eyes on the best collab EVER—UNC + Lululemon!!!—, and the UNC Best of Dentistry party at NC Botanical Gardens with my love. Saturday, Mom and Dad join us for the Carolina football game and a day of Chapel Hill fun. Can’t think of a better week!! Won’t be much writing time, but living is the best book fodder, right?! I hope whatever your week calls for, you get a chance to savor these last summer days!
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: Kristy is listening to The Third Gilmore Girl because she loved it so much she had to hear it in Kelly’s voice!
KRISTIN HARMEL has had a busy week of mom-ing, with basketball, Cub Scouts, and piano lessons now in full swing! She’s eagerly awaiting the first cover concepts for her June 2025 book and is excited to have a final cover and title to share with you soon! Meanwhile, she’s muddling her way through copyedits and chipping away at an outline for her next novel.
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: The Day I Left You by Caroline Bishop: I just started reading this book, which is set in East Berlin in the early 1980s as well as London decades later. It’s the fascinating story of a meant-for-each-other couple who have the perfect life together–until one day, the woman walks out and never returns. It’s beautifully written, and East Berlin is such a fascinating backdrop. I love it so far. Out this February!
MARY KAY ANDREWS is in life re-entry mode after a fabulous week-long trip to Ireland. She’s headed to Beaufort, S.C. on Wednesday to tape an interview for South Carolina Public Television’s By The River program, then back home to be a speaker at this weekend’s Broadleaf Writer’s Conference in Decatur, GA.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. This is (duh) the sequel to the author’s hugely entertaining The Plot, which was a bonkers thriller/satire/expose of the contemporary publishing world. Can’t wait to see if the chillingly cunning protagonist will meet her match this time around.
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Upcoming Events
Tuesday, September 24, 7pm Central — Kristin will be speaking at the World Theatre in Kearney, Nebraska as part of the "One Author Kearney" program, a partnership between the library and the Kearney Public Library Foundation. Tickets are sold out, but you can join the wait list by calling 308-233-3282. More information 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. Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books will serve as Master of Ceremonies for this lively and fun event. Ticket includes tea fare: light lunch, snacks, and refreshments. Details & ticketing info 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, Mary Kay Andrews and Patti Callahan Henry welcomed #1 New York Times bestselling author Laura Dave to discuss her new thriller, The Night We Lost Him, in which estranged siblings discover their father has been keeping a secret for over fifty years — one that may have been fatal. Order Laura’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!
Already aired: TJ Klune, Somewhere Beyond the Sea
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Laura Dave, The Night We Lost Him
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
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
Stay tuned for the big reveal of our Fall 2024 guest line-up — coming soon!
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 September prompt is to read a true crime book.
Stay in Touch!
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