Watch our LIVE show with Jamie Brenner TONIGHT!
Weekly News from Friends & Fiction—July 17, 2024
Tune in LIVE at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, July 17th 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, 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.
Jamie Brenner is the bestselling author of eight novels including The Forever Summer and Blush. She grew up in suburban Philadelphia on a steady diet of fiction and soap operas, then moved to New York City where she worked in book publishing and fashion. After raising two daughters in Manhattan, Jamie has returned to her hometown and spends her summers visiting the beaches that inspire her novels. Her compulsively readable new book, A NOVEL SUMMER (July 16, Park Row Books), has been praised as “a rich, satisfying and surprising summer read” by Adriana Trigiani and this “summer’s BIG book that everyone will be raving about” by Kristy Woodson Harvey.
Watch the LIVE video broadcast of this show Wed 7/17 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 7/19.
Pre-order Jamie’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 time on tour but is so excited to be back home with her family to celebrate her birthday! Thank you to everyone who was so supportive on this tour and if she wasn’t in a town near you, make sure to catch her on July 25 discussing A HAPPIER LIFE as the Brenda Novak July book club selection over on Brenda’s book club page!
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak. “This book is so timely and caught my attention in a big, big way from the very first chapter! I can’t wait to see what this story of sisterhood and small towns has in store!”
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY spent much of the week at amazing book events (and saw so many of you, the generous FF community). She loved staying in the squirrel’s nest at MKA’s where there is magic in the air and she had a plot revelation in the morning hours. She had the best time interviewing Emily Giffin at the Atlanta History Center for her latest The Summer Pact. Patti’s run through Arkansas talking about The Secret Book of Flora Lea for the Arkansas statewide read program has been so wonderful. There, in Arkansas, she hung out with librarians (what could be better?), met readers, talked story, and visited the simply stunning Crystal Bridge Museum where there is a powerful exhibit called Exquisite Creatures. She implores you to check it out! She’ll be sending a new issue of her newsletter next week, so make sure you are signed up!
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes (the author of Under the Tuscan Sun). “I am loving this book set in North Carolina and London – a story of an epic family, their great loves, and a new marriage that might make it all fall apart. Or not. I can’t wait to find out! I will be interviewing Frances in Charleston on August 15th.
KRISTIN HARMEL had a busy week of getting back to work after a week off for family vacation…. She’s hard at work on her edits for her 2025 book and is in the early stages of outlining the book that will come after that. Less than a month to go before Noah starts third grade…. How can we already be in the waning days of summer break?
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: I just finished The Shadowed Land by longtime Friends & Fiction friend Signe Pike. “It’s the third in her Lost Queen series, and I was reading it for a blurb – and OH MY GOODNESS, it was so good! It’s the first novel to tell the story of the real-life sixth-century warrior Artúr mac Aedan--history's real King Arthur–and it was full of battles and magic and love and betrayal and true 6th century history. Signe Pike is such a master of writing about the early medieval years in Scotland; this book is a stunner (and can absolutely be read alone if you haven’t read the other two). But since THE SHADOWED LAND isn’t out until December, doesn’t that give you plenty of time to pick up the first two books in the series? They’re already in my Bookshop.org cart!”
MARY KAY ANDREWS took some down time after minor eye surgery then enjoyed hosting PCH during her event to help launch Emily Giffin’s newest, The Summer Pact at the Atlanta History Center–where she got to bump elbows with Atlanta author Colleen Oakley and hang with lots of our F&F members. Now it’s back to work on her next novel.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave. “I’m reading it for Laura’s upcoming appearance on F&F, and also because her propulsive thrillers have become must-reads for me.”
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, Mary Kay Andrews & Ron Block welcomed NYT-bestselling author Christina Dodd to discuss her brand-new book A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, a humorous historical update on the Romeo and Juliet story which has been described as Knives Out meets Bridgerton. Order Christina’s new 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!
F&F Pick of the Month: Jamie Brenner, A Novel Summer
Watch LIVE: July 17 | Listen: July 19
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.
Stay in Touch!
Subscribe to our PODCAST.
Join our FACEBOOK group.
Follow us on INSTAGRAM.
Subscribe to our YOUTUBE channel.
Find details about everything F&F on our WEBSITE.
Shop our guests’ & hosts’ books in our shop on BOOKSHOP.
Join the F&F Official BOOK CLUB with Brenda & Lisa.
Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for bonus content from our hosts and guests.