Meet Emily Giffin TONIGHT!
Weekly News from Friends & Fiction—July 24, 2024
Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Patti Callahan Henry and Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin to discuss her new novel THE SUMMER PACT in which a group of friends, in the wake of tragedy, make a pact that will cause them to reunite a decade later and embark on a life-changing adventure together.
Emily is the author of twelve internationally bestselling novels, including All We Ever Wanted, The Lies That Bind, and Meant to Be. A Chicago native, Emily is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. She practiced litigation at a large Manhattan firm for several years while dreaming of becoming a writer. When her 2004 debut novel Something Borrowed (which was adapted as the 2011 feature film starring Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, and John Krasinski) became a sensation, Emily vowed never to practice law again. With books translated into thirty-one languages and more than twelve-million copies sold worldwide, Emily has been dubbed a “modern-day Jane Austen” by Vanity Fair and a “dependably down-to-earth storyteller” by the New York Times. She joins us to discuss her latest instant NYT-bestseller, THE SUMMER PACT, which Booklist called “a triumph” in a starred review.
Watch the video broadcast of this show as it airs Wed 7/24 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 7/26.
Pre-order Emily’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!
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had the best week celebrating her birthday with friends and family and enjoying some time at home! Her copy edits for her 2025 novel are here, so she’s hard at work on those—and can’t wait to tell you all about it! AND, have you reviewed A HAPPIER LIFE on Goodreads, Amazon, and other review sites yet? (FYI: You don’t have to have bought a book on Amazon to review it there!) Kristy will be randomly picking two favorite reviews each week for the next three weeks and sending winners a “Coffee is the Secret to a Happier Life” tumbler and assorted summer reading prize pack! She will also be featuring those reviews in her newsletter and other places around social media. For more information visit her blog!
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: Ace, Marvel, Spy, the forthcoming novel of Alice Marble by Jenni L. Walsh, which tennis idol Billie Jean King called “a smashing success.” I’m loving the tennis angle of this novel and astounded by this incredible woman!
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY spent the week at home and loved every minute of it – summertime! Catching up on work, learning to play MahJong (brain melt), brainstorming a new book, and looking forward to a trip this weekend to see her mom and dad. She is working on some exciting plans for The Story She Left Behind, so keep your eyes and ears out! If you missed her newsletter this week with the things that are inspiring her now CLICK HERE.
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: I Need You To Read This by Jessa Maxwell. She is our August pick of the month and I am loving it. So here’s the set-up: When Alex finds herself at the helm of a famous advice column, she is elated. The only problem is that the woman who held the position before her was murdered. Pages are flying by!
KRISTIN HARMEL spent a lovely few days at the beach, worked on edits for her 2025 book, and got to meet her new niece!
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskins. This novel (coming Feb 2025) is both pulse-pounding and deeply emotional; it follows a quiet Minnesota librarian with a secret past buried in war-torn early-90s Bosnia, where she endured tragedies that are suddenly reawakened in the modern day.
MARY KAY ANDREWS managed to meet two old friends for lunch, worked on her next novel, read two books and started packing for next week’s Maine vacation with Mr. MKA.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave. The author of runaway bestseller The Last Thing He Told Me has written a quiet kind of domestic thriller that asks how well we really know someone we love. Out Sept 17, and she’ll be our guest on F&F!
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
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, the Fab Four gathered to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, Jamie Brenner, to discuss her brand-new book, our July 2024 Pick of the Month, A NOVEL SUMMER, in which a bestselling author finds love and second chances in the stacks of a quaint beach town bookshop. Order Jamie’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!
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 Katherine Center about her novel, The Rom-Commers. Mark your calendars for August 19th for their next author guest, Kristy Woodson Harvey, when they’ll discuss her novel, A Happier Life. 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 July prompt is to read a book from a Little Free Library (bonus if you take a book and leave one!) and the August prompt is to read a book that inspired a TV show or movie.
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