Meet Steven Rowley TONIGHT!
Weekly News from Friends & Fiction—May 22, 2024
Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, May 22nd, at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Mary Kay Andrews & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome the bestselling, award-winning novelist Steven Rowley to discuss THE GUNCLE ABROAD, the long-awaited sequel to a beloved story, all about the complicated bonds of family, love, and what it takes to rediscover yourself, even at the ripe age of fifty.
Steven Rowley is the New York Times bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book; The Editor, an NPR Best Book of the Year; The Guncle, winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Novel of the Year; and The Celebrants, a Today Show Read with Jenna book club pick. His fiction has been translated into twenty languages. He joins us from his home in Palm Springs before departing on book tour to tell us all about his highly-anticipated follow-up to his beloved novel in which Patrick O'Hara is called back to his guncle duties, this time for a big family wedding in Italy.
Watch the video broadcast of this interview Wed 5/22 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 5/24.
Pre-order Steven’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 bonus Q&A with Steven which includes a writing tip, book recommendation, and information about his work-in-progress, plus other great material not covered on the show!
Latest News from the Fab Four!
MARY KAY ANDREWS Woot! MKA got to celebrate the debut of Summers At the Saint at #9 on the New York Times bestseller list during last week’s F&F live show. She finished out the second week of her book tour in a flurry of sold-out signings in St. Louis, Boston and the Jersey Shore before heading home to Georgia for another round of events. Along the way she was thrilled to see or be in conversation with author pals like Katherine Center, Lian Dolan, Joy Callaway, and our own Kristy Woodson Harvey. Catch up with her HERE on tour and HERE on Instagram to see all of her book tour adventures.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: Meg and I loved every second of listening to the audiobook of Annabel Monaghan’s Summer Romance while driving many miles through many storms on book tour. We loved Ali & Ethan from the jump (that meet cute!). The banter and slow-burn second-chance romance are top-notch. And the smaller characters (the kids! the dogs!) round this out as a truly enjoyable rom-com that deserves pride of place in your beach bag.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had so much fun at a friend’s wedding this weekend and came home realizing that A HAPPIER LIFE launches in FIVE WEEKS! And, in amazing, wonderful news, the book hit must-read lists on Katie Couric, Parade, AND First For Women over the weekend. How exciting is that?! Her launch in Greenville, SC at M. Judson is sold out, which is making her even more excited to see everyone on tour. She’ll be in NC, SC, MO, MA, RI, NJ, KY, and IN. She hopes to see you at an event near you. Check out her tour schedule!
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: I had an event with Joy Callaway last week (Thanks to F&Fers Annissa, Laurie, and Cindy for joining us!), and began listening to her What The Mountains Remember. Joy is so fantastic at sucking the reader right into the time period, and I am loving this peek into 1920s Asheville. Some of you might remember that my novel THE WEDDING VEIL, about the real-life Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt and Biltmore Estate is set in Asheville between 1914 and 1934, so I am loving reading about this time period that I spent so much time immersed in from a totally different perspective. And I love The Grove Park Inn, so learning more about the history is too cool!
KRISTIN HARMEL is just getting her bearings after a whirlwind paperback book tour for THE PARIS DAUGHTER, which took her to Tampa, St. Pete, Orlando, and Venice, Florida; Raleigh, Southern Pines, and Ocean Isle Beach, NC; Doylestown, PA; and Bethany Beach, DE. She got to meet so many of you at each stop, and she can’t stop smiling. Now it’s back to a busy week, finishing the second draft of her 2025 novel and celebrating the end of the school year (this Friday) for her son, Noah! She’s also thrilled that the New York Rangers are in the Eastern Conference finals (which begin today!), and she’s excited to hopefully catch a game in person this weekend.
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: I listened to both The Women (by Kristin Hannah) and The Paradise Problem (by Christina Lauren) while driving around on book tour last week, and both were extraordinary (in completely different ways). I know I’m late to the party on The Women, but it truly has everything you could ask for in a historical fiction book; it’s wonderful. And The Paradise Problem? You guys, the banter and sexual tension in this book are so, so, so good, and I absolutely loved both Liam and Anna. My face hurt from smiling so much, and I lost track of how many times I laughed aloud. It just came out last week, and I would highly, highly recommend it!
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY enjoyed a whirlwind few days this week at the happiest place on Earth with her two granddaughters, husband, daughter, and son-in-law. Disney did not disappoint and the girls had the time of their lives. But now we need a vacation from our vacation as they say. Back to the beautiful South Carolina coast for some down time, some family time, and some writing time.
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: I’m reading Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan. She’s so darn good! I really enjoyed this sparkling rom-com with great banter, fun characters, and a setting you want to get lost in.
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Upcoming Events
Click HERE to see Mary Kay Andrews’s full book tour for the May 7th release of her new hardcover, Summers at the Saint.
Click HERE to see Kristin Harmel’s full book tour for the May 14th release of the trade paperback edition of The Paris Daughter
Click HERE to see Kristy Woodson Harvey’s full book tour for the June 25th release of her new hardcover, A Happier Life.
Friday, June 28, 7pm ET —Join all four founders and hosts of Friends & Fiction—along with Meg Walker & Ron Block—together in-person in St. Louis for a launch celebration and garden party for Kristy’s A Happier Life hosted by The Novel Neighbor at the St. Louis County Library Post Event Space, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., Ladue, MO. Get tickets HERE.
Want to know what these F&F Live events are all about? Watch this video compilation! And then grab your tickets to meet up with us in St. Louis in June!
In Case You Missed It
On last week’s LIVE episode of The Friends & Fiction Show, the full F&F team gathered for a LIVE show to celebrate the launch of our May 2024 Pick of the Month, Mary Kay Andrews’s SUMMERS AT THE SAINT, a fresh new summer mystery full of romance, betrayal, and long-buried secrets. Order MKA’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: Lisa Scottoline, The Truth About the Devlins
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Jo Piazza, The Sicilian Inheritance
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: F&F April Pick of the Month: Emily Henry, Funny Story
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Sally Hepworth, Darling Girls
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Janet Skeslien Charles, Miss Morgan's Book Brigade
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Ruth Ware, One Perfect Couple
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: F&F May Pick of the Month: Mary Kay Andrews, Summers at the Saint
Watch LIVE: May 15 | Listen: May 17
Steven Rowley, The Guncle Abroad
Watch: May 22 | Listen: May 24
Sunny Hostin, Summer on Highland Beach
Watch: May 29 | Listen: May 31
Annabel Monaghan, Summer Romance
Watch: June 5 | Listen: June 7
Lisa Wingate, Shelterwood
Watch: June 12 | Listen: June 14
F&F June Pick of the Month: Kristy Woodson Harvey, A Happier Life
Watch LIVE: June 19 | Listen: June 21
Chris Whitaker, All the Colors of the Dark
Watch: June 26 | Listen: June 28
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 Kristin & Kristy’s interview with Lisa Barr about her highly-anticipated new novel The Goddess of Warsaw.
WATCH Patti & MKA’s interview with Sheila Roberts about her newest The Best Life Book Club.
WATCH Meg & Ron’s interview with Caroline Leavitt about her new novel Days of Wonder.
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 exclusively through our friends at Oxford Exchange. You get the two first-edition autographed hardcover books (and the adorable pouch!) shown below, plus the option to add Patti’s & Kristin’s 2024 paperback editions of last year’s books. All details HERE!
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 Brenda Novak about her novel, Tourist Season. Mark your calendars for June 17th for their next author guest, Mary Kay Andrews, when they’ll discuss her novel, Summers at the Saint. 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 April prompt is to read a book by an author who uses a pen name and, for May, it’s to read a book set in a place you’d like to visit.
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Shop our guests’ & hosts’ books in our shop on BOOKSHOP.
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Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for bonus content from our hosts and guests.