Tune in LIVE at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, May 21st 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, New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Kristy Woodson Harvey, to discuss her delightfully moving new novel, our May 2025 Pick of the Month, Beach House Rules, about a mother-daughter duo learning to lean on their community of women—and each other—after their world is turned upside down.
Kristy is the NYT-bestselling author of a dozen novels, including The Wedding Veil, Under the Southern Sky, and The Peachtree Bluff series. A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in Southern Living, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, Domino, and O. Henry. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize and she blogs with her mom, Beth Woodson, on Design Chic. She joins us from her home in coastal North Carolina before heading out on a massive tour to support Beach House Rules, which Booklist, in a starred review, calls, “charming and beachy in the best way.” These LIVE launch episodes are always a blast and you do not want to miss this!
Watch the LIVE video broadcast of this interview as it airs Wed 5/21 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 5/23.
Order Kristy’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 had an incredible week watching Kaelyn Grace Apple take The Story She Left Behind to the Lake District of England. It was both surreal and thrilling to see Kaelyn as she walked to the places and spaces of the novel, the same places Patti visited during her research. You can follow along on this incredible journey RIGHT HERE. Patti wrote about this journey in her SUBSTACK NEWSLETTER. She is also SO excited for tonight’s show to talk about the release of Kristy’s Beach House Rules. Patti spent the weekend in Lancaster, PA where she interviewed Fredrik Backman in front of over a thousand readers for his new book, My Friends. It was an incredible experience to see and feel the way the readers relate to his honesty and raw vulnerability in both his books and his interview.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY is SO excited that it’s time for the launch of BEACH HOUSE RULES! Hooray! She has a fun, final preorder promo going on! Right now, when you preorder from your retailer of choice, everyone receives a keychain, signed bookplate, bookmark, and BHR magnet. But TEN winners will also receive a signed paperback of A HAPPIER LIFE! Get all the details on her substack! Also, she wants to remind everyone that she has dozens of tour dates coming up. Seeing you there keeps her going on tour, and she appreciates all of your support so very much. Her full tour dates are here–and many events are almost sold out, so grab your tickets now! A million thanks to this amazing community for making every book launch such a special treat!
KRISTIN HARMEL cannot WAIT for Kristy’s beautiful BEACH HOUSE RULES to fly out into the world, and she’s so delighted seeing the Friends & Fiction community come together to support it. She can’t wait to celebrate tonight! Her new book (THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU) will be out just three weeks after Kristy’s, and she has just signed hundreds of books for the Oxford Exchange Spring ‘25 Subscription Box (still available here), so just a reminder that if you’re looking for a signed first edition of Kristy’s book, Kristin’s book AND Patti’s 2025, book, you can get them all right there! Kristin is scrambling to finish an edited first draft of her 2026 book before she leaves for tour in less than four weeks–and she’s also working on several film and TV projects. Don’t forget to check out her tour dates; she’ll be on the road for the last two weeks in June, visiting bookstores coast to coast!
MARY KAY ANDREWS was also thrilled to be in conversation with Fredrick Backman last week in Atlanta. But the biggest thrill was watching her grandson Griffin graduate from middle school, with honors. On Sunday she and her co-grandmother enjoyed taking a garden tour in Midtown Atlanta. Now it’s back to wedding planning—and writing.
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
View Kristy’s full 2025 book tour for Beach House Rules HERE.
View Kristin’s full 2025 book tour for The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau HERE.
See Patti’s upcoming events HERE.
See MKA’s upcoming events HERE.
Friday, May 30, 2025—Friends & Fiction Live in Myrtle Beach to celebrate the launch of Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Meet all four Friends & Fiction host authors! Hosted by Litchfield Books at 21 Main At North Beach in North Myrtle Beach, SC. The event begins at 10:45AM. Tickets are $80 and include a signed copy of Beach House Rules, a special gift, keynote presentation delivered by the Fab Four (plus Meg & Ron!), author Q&A, plated lunch & dessert, meet & greet, photo opportunity, and admittance to the private restaurant. Couples of the same household may exchange one event book for another title in the bookstore. Additional books by all four authors will be available for purchase at the event. GET TICKETS!
Tuesday, June 17, 2025—Friends & Fiction Live at the Jersey Shore to celebrate the launch of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel. Meet all four Friends & Fiction host authors! Hosted by Booktowne at the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan, NJ. Doors open at 6:00PM. The show begins at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $45 and include a signed copy of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau, lively keynote presentation delivered by the Fab Four (plus Meg & Ron!), and live audience Q&A session—plus sips & nibbles, meet & greet, book signings, and photo opportunities in the courtyard after the show! Additional books by all four authors will be available for purchase at the event. GET TICKETS!
Want to know what our 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, Ron Block & Kristin Harmel welcomed New York Times bestselling author and award-winning food editor and restaurant critic Ruth Reichl to discuss her book The Paris Novel, which was an instant bestseller that met with rave reviews in hardcover last year and was recently released in trade paperback.
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: F&F March Pick of the Month: Patti Callahan Henry, The Story She Left Behind
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Emma Donoghue, The Paris Express
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Emilia Hart, The Sirens
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Nita Prose, The Maid’s Secret
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Happy Land
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: F&F April Pick of the Month—Jeneva Rose, The Perfect Divorce
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Jasmine Guillory, Flirting Lessons
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Carley Fortune, One Golden Summer
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Mary Alice Monroe, Where the Rivers Merge
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
Already aired: Ruth Reichl, The Paris Novel
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!
F&F May Pick of the Month—Kristy Woodson Harvey, Beach House Rules
Watch LIVE May 21 | Listen May 23
Kristina McMorris, The Girls of Good Fortune
Watch May 28 | Listen May 30
Summer Kick-Off Beach Party with Mary Kay Andrews, Annabel Monaghan, Meg Mitchell Moore, Martha Hall Kelly, Wendy Francis, Amy Mason Doan & Brooke Lea Foster
Watch June 4 | Listen June 6
F&F June Pick of the Month—Kristin Harmel, The Stolen Life of Collette Marceau
Watch LIVE June 11 | Listen June 13
Julie Clark, The Ghostwriter
Watch June 18 | Listen June 20
Jess Walter, So Far Gone
Watch June 25 | Listen June 27
F&F 2025 Subscription Box with Oxford Exchange
The 2025 FRIENDS AND FICTION Subscription Box is available for purchase now, exclusively from our friends at Oxford Exchange.
This subscription includes three separate shipments:
1. MARCH 18th: A hardcover, signed, first edition of Patti Callahan Henry’s forthcoming book THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND with an exclusive Friends & Fiction friendship bracelet and car magnet
2. MAY 27th: A hardcover, signed, first edition of BEACH HOUSE RULES by Kristy Woodson Harvey!
3. JUNE 17th: A hardcover, signed, first edition of THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU by Kristin Harmel!
*Optional add-on: A paperback, signed, first edition of SUMMERS AT THE SAINT by Mary Kay Andrews (coming in paperback June 3)!
Get your subscription NOW from Oxford Exchange!
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.
Tees in New Summer Colors!
We’ve added two fun, new summer colors to our Bonfire merch store in our signature Name List apparel line. These are perfect for the upcoming F&F Live events or when attending Kristy & Kristin’s upcoming tour stops. How fun to dress to match the books?!
F&F Official Book Club & 2025 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 35,000 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 Viola Shipman about her novel, The Page Turner. Mark your calendars for June 23rd for their next author guest, Kristy Woodson Harvey, when they’ll discuss her new novel, Beach House Rules. The Book Club is also hosting the 2025 F&F Reading Challenge. Join them for a different category prompt each month to read outside your comfort zone. The May prompt is to read a book with water on the cover and for June it’s to read a book recommended by a friend.
Stay in Touch!
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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.
Such a fantastic book.
I’m hearing THE BEST things about Kristy’s book! Cannot wait to read!