Meet Amy Jo Burns TONIGHT!
Weekly News from Friends & Fiction—February 7, 2024
Tune in TONIGHT to watch this week’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, February 7th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel with hosts Patti Callahan Henry and Ron Block as they welcome this week’s guest, critically-acclaimed author Amy Jo Burns, to hear all about her new novel, MERCURY, in which a roofing family's bonds of loyalty are tested when they uncover a long-hidden secret at the heart of their blue-collar town.
Amy Jo Burns is the author of the memoir Cinderland and the novel Shiner, which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, an NPR Best Book of the Year, a Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club selection, and “told in language as incandescent as smoldering coal,” according to the New York Times. Her writing has appeared in Elle, Good Housekeeping, The Paris Review Daily, and the anthology Not That Bad. We are eager to hear from Amy Jo about MERCURY which People Magazine called “an exquisitely observed tale about blood bonds and the toll of secrets” when they named it their Book of the Week.
Watch the video broadcast of this interview Wed 2/7 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast this Fri 2/9.
Buy Amy Jo’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 a in-depth Q&A with Amy Jo which includes a writing tip, book recommendation, and lots of other stuff not covered on the show!
Latest News from the Fab Four!
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY just arrived home from an incredible week offline and with family. She was thrilled to come home and see that The Secret Book of Flora Lea is a Barnes and Noble must read for 2024. She is now diving back into her next novel (nearly done) and batting around titles with her Friends and Fiction co-horts! What would she do without them? Also, this week Patti is launching her new Substack and would love to have you over to visit! It’s called Stories Are My Thing and she’ll be sharing essays, newsletters, creative ideas, and as always the things that inspire her.
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell. I am so enamored by Maggie’s writing, and I’ve been reading loads of books set in Ireland, and this one is so beautiful and heart-wrenching, and innovative.
MARY KAY ANDREWS had a fabulous whirlwind visit with her publishing team in New York City, to discuss marketing and publicity plans for SUMMERS AT THE SAINT, which will be out in three short months! Meg Walker joined MKA in the city for the meeting and lunch with the folks at St. Martin’s Press–and their traditional night of theater–this time around the delightful revival of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, starring Sutton Foster. After she got back home to Atlanta, Mary Kay even managed to sneak in a couple estate sales before getting ready to host a surprise birthday dinner party for a dear friend.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND by Wanda Morris. Wanda Morris has penned another can’t-put-it-down legal thriller, this time mostly set in Coastal Georgia, a landscape Mary Kay knows well.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had a great weekend celebrating her hubby’s birthday and celebrating Valentine’s Day early with the Beaufort Historic Site—which plays a huge role in her forthcoming A HAPPIER LIFE! She is putting the finishing touches on her tour and can’t wait to share it with you!
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams. She has been seeing this one everywhere and can’t wait to host Tia in the show in a couple weeks!
KRISTIN HARMEL got to go see middle grade author James Ponti (CITY SPIES) speak at her son Noah’s school last week, and she absolutely loved seeing how inspired and excited the kids were to hear from a real, live author. It was such a great reminder of the impact of our words–and James is absolutely amazing at telling relatable stories to kids. They were hanging on his every word, and it was such a joy to witness that! This coming Tuesday, Feb. 13, she’ll be in Winter Park, Florida with longtime Friends & Fiction friend Sadeqa Johnson, in conversation about Sadeqa’s The House of Eve, new in paperback. More information here; Kristin and Sadeqa hope to see you there!
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang: I loved every second of this dual-narrative historical novel set before, during, and after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Kate and Janie are two of my favorite historical novelists, so having a book written by both of them, together, was basically a dream come true. You’ll love it, too, and we hope you’ll tune in as Mary Kay and I talk to Kate and Janie next week, in an episode airing Feb. 14 on Facebook and YouTube at 7pm ET (coming to podcast format Feb. 16).
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
Tues, Feb 13, 6pm: Join Kristin in conversation with author Sadeqa Johnson at the Winter Park Public Library in Winter Park, Florida. RSVP here.
In Case You Missed It
Last week on The Friends & Fiction Show, hosts Patti Callahan Henry & Kristy Woodson Harvey interviewed author Jennifer Moorman about her new novel, THE MAGIC ALL AROUND, which is a treasure hunt through the past that reveals one woman’s extraordinary gift for arranging the future. Tune in to hear about Jennifer’s take on magical realism, her inspiration for this setting and her characters, her use of symbolism, and her love of baking. Order Jennifer’s book (out now!) from the F&F Shop on Bookshop.org, where you’ll also find books by all our hosts and guests, all at a discount, all while supporting 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: 2024 Sneak Preview with the Fab Four
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Grady Hendrix, How to Sell a Haunted House
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: F&F January Pick of the Month: Kristin Hannah, The Women
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Abbott Kahler, Where You End
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Jennifer Moorman, The Magic All Around
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Amy Jo Burns, Mercury
Watch: Feb 7 | Listen: Feb 9
Kate Quinn & Janie Chang, The Phoenix Crown
Watch: Feb 14 | Listen: Feb 16
F&F February Pick of the Month: Tia Williams, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
Watch LIVE: Feb 21 | Listen: Feb 23
Tommy Orange, Wandering Stars
Watch: Feb 28 | Listen: Mar 1
Rebecca Serle, Expiration Dates
Watch: Mar 6 | Listen: Mar 8
F&F March Pick of the Month: Chris Bohjalian, The Princess of Las Vegas
Watch LIVE: Mar 13 | Listen: Mar 15
Anna Quindlen, After Annie
Watch: Mar 20 | Listen: Mar 22
Allison Pataki, Finding Margaret Fuller
Watch: Mar 27 | Listen: Mar 29
Bonus Episodes!
The Fab Four are taking turns interviewing some additional authors in short 10-minute video segments we are calling “Behind the Book.” Check out a few recent bonus interviews that our host authors have run on the F&F YouTube channel!
NEW! Patti Callahan Henry had the privilege of talking to Frye Gaillard about A Hard Rain. As a child of the Sixties and one of the leading civil rights reporters of his generation, Frye Gaillard has given us a riveting tour along what he calls the fine line between history and journalism. This is a fascinating discussion where Frye tells us about the day he came face-to-face with Martin Luther King as he was arrested in Birmingham, about the fine line between fiction and non-fiction, and stories about this most fascinating decade. WATCH HERE.
WATCH Patti & Kristy’s interview with Rachel Linden about Recipe for a Charmed Life.
WATCH Kristy & Kristin’s interview with Jeffrey Blount about Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way.
WATCH Kristin & Kristy’s interview with author Kristina McMorris & illustrator Amanda Yoshida about their new children’s book, Ellie Mae Dreams Big!
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. You can also order the F&F 2024 SUBSCRIPTION BOX through our friends at Oxford Exchange. All details HERE!
F&F Official Book Club & 2024 Reading Challenge
Join Brenda Gardner & Lisa Harrison on Monday, February 19th at 7pm ET on the Facebook page for the F&F Official Book Club with Brenda & Lisa as they welcome author Virginia Kantra to discuss their February pick, The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale. Also join them for a Happy Hour with special guest Ron Block on Thursday, February 29th at 7:30pm ET. 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 writing duo Christine Platt & Catherine Wiggington Greene about their book, Rebecca, Not Becky. 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 February prompt is to read a debut novel by an author of color.
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Shop our guests’ & hosts’ books in our shop on BOOKSHOP.
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