Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode! 

Join us Wednesday, October 30th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Kristin Harmel & Patti Callahan Henry welcome #1 bestselling author Louise Penny to discuss her new novel The Grey Wolf, the 19th installment in her wildly successful Armand Gamache mystery series.

Louise Penny is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She was also the co-author with Hillary Rodham Clinton of the #1 New York Times bestselling thriller State of Terror. A former journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and a recipient of the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture, Louise has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and multiple Agatha Awards, and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Louise joins us from her home in a small village south of Montreal to discuss her new book, The Grey Wolf, in which Gamache and his team are propelled toward the terrible realization that something much more sinister than any one murder is fast approaching the tiny Québec village of Three Pines.

Watch the LIVE video broadcast of this interview as it airs Wed 10/30 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 11/1.

Order Louise’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 Today is her son’s thirtieth birthday and she is celebrating him! Last week was a blur and she ended with a book festival in Jackson Hole Wyoming, the inaugural event where she heard from fascinating authors and spent some time in the gorgeous landscape of that place. Did you hear about her pre-order giveaway? Click HERE for all the news about that! And countdown to seeing her FF family next week in Orlando and Amelia! Click HERE for more on that. 
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny. What an incredible continuation of the Armand Gamache series. Kristin and I loved interviewing her for this week’s episode. Louise is all heart and it shows in her powerful stories. 

KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY is SO excited about one of her top three favorite nights in Beaufort: Halloween, of course! She has an event coming up this Saturday at Par 108 in Cape Carteret, NC. If you’re in the area, check it out! And she’s announcing what book she’ll be reading next as a part of her Chapters Tour on her blog next week. Most of all… she can’t wait to see her F&F crew and incredible readers next week!
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne! I read her holiday novel last year and this is the second in the series. I cannot wait to be back in Shelter Springs again this holiday season!

KRISTIN HARMEL read over her first pass pages for The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau this week, which means that she got to review the story, laid out in book form for the first time, which always feels like a meaningful part of the process. She can't wait for advanced review copies to become available (by the end of this year) and to share it with all of you when it's published in June 2025! She also walked proudly in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Orlando over the weekend. The walk was chaired by Kristin’s breast surgeon, Dr. Anu Saigal, one of the most amazing people Kristin knows!
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: To Die For by David Baldacci: I'm looking forward to having David on next week’s show. It will be his first time on F&F, and I can't wait for you all to meet him–and to hear about the exciting latest installment of his 6:20 Man series, as well as his incredible advocacy for literacy.

MARY KAY ANDREWS is trying to keep her distance from that witch’s kettle full of Halloween candy (600 pieces at last count) for the hordes of trick-or-treaters who annually descend on her Atlanta neighborhood. Those Reese’s peanut butter cups keep calling her name. But in the meantime she’s celebrating the Tuesday publication of her first Amazon Original Christmas short story, Holiday Hideaway. Available in digital form only here, you can download it to read on any tablet, laptop or even your phone, or listen to the audio version as an Audible Original. 
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: MKA is absorbed in an advanced reader copy of The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. This thriller is out June 3. It’s the story of Olivia Dumont, a seasoned ghostwriter whose new client turns out to be her bestselling horror writer father Vincent, who’s hired her to write his memoir–including his first-person account of the long-unsolved murder of his brother and sister, who were found slashed to death five decades earlier.

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

Wednesday, November 6, 6pm ET — Join us 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. * The last day to buy tickets is Oct. 31, so get yours now!

Thursday, November 7, 12:30pm ET — Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books will emcee a lively and fun F&F Live luncheon event hosted by the Amelia Island Book Festival at The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, FL. Ticket includes book signing, photo opps, and tea fare: light lunch, snacks, and refreshments. Get tickets HERE.

Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 11am – Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 2pm —  Patti & Kristin together with Kwame Alexander at the 20th Annual Wild Dunes Author Event & Weekend hosted by Mary Alice Monroe. Info & tickets HERE.

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 live to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, Paula Hawkins, to discuss her propulsive and powerful new book, our October 2024 Pick of the Month, THE BLUE HOUR, an addictive thriller which takes place on a remote Scottish island with only one house, one inhabitant, and one way out. Order Paula’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: F&F Pick of the Month: Jodi Picoult, By Any Other Name
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Liane Moriarty, Here One Moment
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Sequel
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Sophie Kinsella, What Does It Feel Like
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Marybeth Whalen, Every Moment Since
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: F&F Oct. Pick of the Month: Paula Hawkins, The Blue Hour
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf
Watch Oct. 30 | Listen Nov. 1

J.T. Ellison, A Very Bad Thing
Watch Nov. 6 | Listen Nov. 8

David Baldacci, To Die For
Watch Nov. 13 | Listen Nov. 15

F&F Pick of the Month: Michael Connelly, The Waiting
WATCH LIVE Nov. 20 | Listen Nov. 22

Craig Johnson, Tooth and Claw
Watch Nov. 27 | Listen Nov. 29

Signe Pike, The Shadowed Land
Watch Dec 4 | Listen Dec. 6

Jillian Cantor, The Greatest Lie of All
Watch Dec. 11 | Listen Dec. 13

F&F Pick of the Month: Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb, Christmas with the Queen
WATCH LIVE Dec. 18 | Listen Dec. 20

F&F Secret Santa Holiday Party
Watch Dec. 25 | Listen Dec. 27

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.

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 Sarah Pekkanen about her novel, HOUSE OF GLASS. Mark your calendars for November 18th for their next author guest, Kimberly Brock, when they’ll discuss her novel, THE FABLED EARTH. 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 November prompt is to read a collection of short stories or essays.

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.

Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode! 

Join us Wednesday, October 23rd 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, Paula Hawkins, to discuss her propulsive and powerful new book, our October 2024 Pick of the Month, THE BLUE HOUR, an addictive thriller which takes place on a remote Scottish island with only one house, one inhabitant, and one way out.

Paula Hawkins is the #1 NYT-bestselling author of three suspense novels including Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning. Her debut novel that shook the nation, The Girl on the Train, spent 80+ weeks on the NYT bestseller list — including 20 weeks at #1 — and was named the USA Today Book of the Year. It has gone on to sell more than 23-million copies worldwide, has been published in more than 50 languages, and was a box office hit film starring Emily Blunt. A former journalist, Paula was born and raised in Zimbabwe and moved to London in 1989 and now splits her time between there and Edinburgh.She joins us to discuss her masterful, page-turning, unsettling new novel that recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith and cements Hawkins's place among the very best of our most nuanced and stylish storytellers. Lee Child has called The Blue Hour “the best Paula Hawkins yet — by a tense and haunting mile,” and we cannot wait to talk to her all about it.

Watch the LIVE video broadcast of this interview as it airs Wed 10/23 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 10/25.

Order Paula’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 first wants to tell you some exciting news! Her publishing house (S&S/Atria) has organized the most beautiful gift for readers! Check it all out HERE! Once you pre-order from any retailer in any format, you’ll be eligible for lots of great goodies including a gorgeous digital travel journal that shows all the amazing pictures and stories from Patti’s research trip to London and England’s Lake District, along with custom-designed bookplates. Atria has also just launched another Goodreads giveaway on now through Nov 12. Enter HERE to be a winner of one of 100 ARCs. Patti had the most amazing week in New York City with her publishing house and agent, along with Meg Walker and a truly synchronistic visit with our Mary Kay Andrews who was in the city at the same time. From a lunch where Patti met some of the most fascinating people in media, to publishing meetings where they brainstormed some amazing things for our readers, as well as two plays and some time with friends (See instagram post with photos!). It was a whirlwind before she set off to the mountains in NC for the wedding of a dear friend’s daughter whom she’s known since she was four years old. (Time is moving too fast.) She LOVES the fall weather and has so many exciting things coming up with the new release, The Story She Left Behind. 
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe. “The FF Book Club did a cover reveal for Mary Alice’s newest and I have been diving into this family saga while traveling. This book has all the things that mean the most to Mary Alice – family, nature, and our connection to both! It follows the Rivers family and their deep connection to the land and one very particular place along the river. I can’t wait to see what happens to this complicated family and their matriarch, Eliza Rivers.” 

KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY was completely enchanted by seeing Taylor Swift in person in Miami last weekend! If you want to see her photos, her instagram is basically a Swiftie fan page right now! She is hard at work on her 2026 novel and is getting so excited to announce her 2025 book to you all this week! Be on the lookout for the exciting news!
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts. “Sheila always gets me in the holiday spirit with her Christmas books and this one is no exception! The Merry Matchmaker is a reimagining of Jane Austen’s, Emma. It is set in a small rural town that is all about Christmas. I am really enjoying it so far!”

KRISTIN HARMEL spent some time on Florida’s east coast over the weekend with her in-laws, to celebrate her niece’s 12th birthday. And now that her 2025 book has a cover and a title (The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau), it will be out in galley form (advanced readers copies) in less than a month, and she’s excited to begin sharing it with early reviewers! She’s also excited that this week marks the re-release of When We Meet Again (originally published in 2016), with a brand-new cover, updated text, and a new Author’s Note! If you haven’t read it yet, she’d be deeply grateful if you’d take a look this week! It’s out now!
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe. “Our friend Mary Alice, one of the original co-founders of Friends & Fiction back in 2020 (alongside me, Mary Kay, Patti, and Kristy), is back this May with a sweeping family saga set in 20th century South Carolina. Spanning between 1908 and 1988, Where the Rivers Merge is the first book in a duology about headstrong family matriarch Eliza Pinckney Rivers, who comes of age during a period of great transition for the South, and in the twilight of her life, is holding on fiercely to the family property she has loved and protected for nearly a century. Filled with both great heartbreak and great joy, the novel is also a reminder to all of us to conserve the land–an environmental message that Mary Alice has long held dear.”

MARY KAY ANDREWS spent a whirlwind few days in New York City last week. She had an amazing lunch with her St. Martin’s Press publishing team, and managed to meet up with PCH and Meg to sneak in dinner and a play–a touching rom-com called Left On Tenth. For research purposes for her next novel she toured the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and then Ellis Island, before heading over to New Jersey for the Morristown Festival of Books. She’s excited about the publication of her Amazon Original Christmas short story Holiday Hideaway, which will be available Tuesday 10/29 as an e-book and as an Audible Original. Go here to pre-order.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: The Page Turner by Viola Shipman. “It’s a funny and sharply-observed tale of a young romance writer confronting the secrets and snobbery of her publishing insider family.”

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

Wednesday, November 6, 6pm ET — Join us 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. * The last day to buy tickets is Oct. 31, so get yours now!

Thursday, November 7, 12:30pm ET — Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books will emcee a lively and fun F&F Live luncheon event hosted by the Amelia Island Book Festival at The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, FL. Ticket includes book signing, photo opps, and tea fare: light lunch, snacks, and refreshments. Get tickets HERE.

Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 11am – Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 2pm —  Patti & Kristin together with Kwame Alexander at the 20th Annual Wild Dunes Author Event & Weekend hosted by Mary Alice Monroe. Info & tickets HERE.

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, Ron Block & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcomed Marybeth Whalen to discuss her new novel EVERY MOMENT SINCE (Harper Muse, Oct. 1), a book that, with hauntingly vivid prose, peels back the curtain on the inner turmoil of those left behind in a small Southern community after a little boy goes missing.Order Marybeth’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: F&F Pick of the Month: Jodi Picoult, By Any Other Name
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Liane Moriarty, Here One Moment
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Sequel
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Sophie Kinsella, What Does It Feel Like
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Marybeth Whalen, Every Moment Since
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

F&F Pick of the Month: Paula Hawkins, The Blue Hour
WATCH LIVE Oct. 23 | Listen Oct. 25

Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf
Watch Oct. 30 | Listen Nov. 1

J.T. Ellison, A Very Bad Thing
Watch Nov. 6 | Listen Nov. 8

David Baldacci, To Die For
Watch Nov. 13 | Listen Nov. 15

F&F Pick of the Month: Michael Connelly, The Waiting
WATCH LIVE Nov. 20 | Listen Nov. 22

Craig Johnson, Tooth and Claw
Watch Nov. 27 | Listen Nov. 29

Signe Pike, The Shadowed Land
Watch Dec 4 | Listen Dec. 6

Jillian Cantor, The Greatest Lie of All
Watch Dec. 11 | Listen Dec. 13

F&F Pick of the Month: Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb, Christmas with the Queen
WATCH LIVE Dec. 18 | Listen Dec. 20

F&F Secret Santa Holiday Party
Watch Dec. 25 | Listen Dec. 27

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.

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 Sarah Pekkanen about her novel, HOUSE OF GLASS. Mark your calendars for November 18th for their next author guest, Kimberly Brock, when they’ll discuss her novel, THE FABLED EARTH. 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 October prompt is “Team Vampire or Team Werewolf: You Decide!” and for November it’s to read a collection of short stories or essays.

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.

Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode! 

Join us Wednesday, October 16th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Ron Block & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome Marybeth Whalen to discuss her new novel EVERY MOMENT SINCE.

Marybeth Whalen is the author of This Secret Thing, Only Ever Her, When We Were Worthy, The Things We Wish Were True, and five previous novels, which have sold more than a half-million copies. Together with author pal Ariel Lawhon, Marybeth co-founded The Book Tide, a book community dedicated to helping readers find books they’ll love and authors find a loyal, supportive audience. The mother of six and a native of Charlotte, NC, Marybeth joins us from her home in Sunset Beach, NC to discuss her tenth novel, EVERY MOMENT SINCE (Harper Muse, Oct. 1), a book that, with hauntingly vivid prose, peels back the curtain on the inner turmoil of those left behind in a small Southern community after a little boy goes missing. We are eager to chat with Marybeth about this novel which has been called, “everything you want in a novel,” by Patti Callahan Henry, “unforgettable,” by J.T. Ellison, and “sophisticated, compelling, and unflinching” by Kimberly Brock.

Watch the video broadcast of this interview as it airs Wed 10/16 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 10/18.

Order Marybeth’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 a glorious week packed full of travel and family. First she was in Brenham Texas for a community read of Once Upon a Wardrobe – this town is the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream so that was a good excuse to have much of it. She stayed in a most assuredly haunted B&B and had a blast. Then she rushed to North Georgia for her nephew’s wedding on a bluebird sky day and was surrounded by the love that reminds us that there is more we have in common than what tears us apart these days. Now she is off to New York City for meetings and videos for The Story She Left Behind and she can’t wait to tell you more! 
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: A Very Bad Thing by JT Ellison. I am always looking toward JT’s next book and this one is a banger from page one! I am so thrilled to be diving into this thriller about an author at the pinnacle of her career whose past threatens to destroy everything she has and everyone she loves. A page turner and an Amazon First Reads Pick! 

KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had the most fun fall break with her family and four others. Twenty-two friends with kids of all ages under one roof should be a recipe for disaster, but this annual tradition is one of our very favorites! We had an absolute ball hiking, apple picking, boat riding, and generally relaxing. This weekend she’s crossing something off her bucket list: Kristy heads to Miami for Taylor Swift! She is SO excited. Speaking of the Eras Tour… Have you been following along with Kristy’s Chapters Tour? This month, to kick things off, they are reading FEELS LIKE FALLING. Fewer than 100 Chapters Tour free gift packets remain, so, if you haven’t snagged yours yet, get it now! 
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman. I just started this new release, and, at the very beginning, a woman moving to a Florida retirement community comes into contact with a man from her past–who she thought she’d never see again. I love anything with past loves and grandparent-aged characters, so I’m ALL in!

KRISTIN HARMEL had a wild week, beginning with hunkering down for Hurricane Milton, continuing with a whole day of yard cleanup, then a flight cancelation that nixed a long-planned family trip (to Louisville, KY for her husband, Jason, to run a half-marathon). As usual, Disney saved the day; in lieu of the Kentucky trip–and with her son, Noah, off school because of the hurricane for nearly a week–the family spent a few days at Disney’s Beach Club, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios, so while it wasn’t the vacation they were anticipating, it was still a lovely time.
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: Grace of the Empire State by Gemma Tizzard: This delightful debut, set during the Great Depression, tells the story of an Irish-American immigrant who must step in for her twin brother Patrick when he’s injured on the building site of the Empire State Building. The problem is that in the 1930s, women weren’t allowed to serve as riveters on construction sites–and if she loses the job, their family won’t have enough money for food. So Grace–a recently laid-off dancer–has to keep up the ruse that she’s Patrick, or her family will lose everything. It’s a fascinating look at a pivotal time in American history through the eyes of one woman who played a role in the construction of one of the most iconic buildings in the world. Coming January 2025!

MARY KAY ANDREWS is in New York this week combining research for her 2026 novel with meeting with her publishing team at St. Martin’s Press, and yes, enjoying autumn in the Big Apple. On Saturday, she’ll be on a panel at the Morristown (NJ) Book Festival, with Jamie Brenner and Elle Evans. 
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins. This stylish thriller by the novelist whose The Girl on the Train spawned a host of books featuring unreliable narrators is a wildly entertaining look at the nature of an artist’s obsession–set on an island off the coast of Scotland only reachable for twelve hours a day, with one house and one inhabitant and a long-unsolved mystery. The author will be our guest on next week’s live show, and Mary Kay can’t wait to chat with her.

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

Wednesday, November 6, 6pm ET — Join us 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, 12:30pm ET — Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books will emcee a lively and fun F&F Live luncheon event hosted by the Amelia Island Book Festival at The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, FL. Ticket includes book signing, photo opps, and tea fare: light lunch, snacks, and refreshments. Get tickets HERE.

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, Kristy Woodson Harvey & Mary Kay Andrews welcomed #1 mega internationally bestselling author Sophie Kinsella to discuss her new novella — her most autobiographical work to date — WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE? Order Sophie’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: F&F Pick of the Month: Jodi Picoult, By Any Other Name
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Liane Moriarty, Here One Moment
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Sequel
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Sophie Kinsella, What Does It Feel Like
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Marybeth Whalen, Every Moment Since
Watch Oct. 16 | Listen Oct. 18

F&F Pick of the Month: Paula Hawkins, The Blue Hour
WATCH LIVE Oct. 23 | Listen Oct. 25

Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf
Watch Oct. 30 | Listen Nov. 1

J.T. Ellison, A Very Bad Thing
Watch Nov. 6 | Listen Nov. 8

David Baldacci, To Die For
Watch Nov. 13 | Listen Nov. 15

F&F Pick of the Month: Michael Connelly, The Waiting
WATCH LIVE Nov. 20 | Listen Nov. 22

Craig Johnson, Tooth and Claw
Watch Nov. 27 | Listen Nov. 29

Signe Pike, The Shadowed Land
Watch Dec 4 | Listen Dec. 6

Jillian Cantor, The Greatest Lie of All
Watch Dec. 11 | Listen Dec. 13

F&F Pick of the Month: Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb, Christmas with the Queen
WATCH LIVE Dec. 18 | Listen Dec. 20

F&F Secret Santa Holiday Party
Watch Dec. 25 | Listen Dec. 27

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.

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 Wanda Morris about her novel, What You Leave Behind. Mark your calendars for October 21st for their next author guest, Sarah Pekkanen, when they’ll discuss her novel, HOUSE OF GLASS. 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 October prompt is “Team Vampire or Team Werewolf: You Decide!” and for November it’s to read a collection of short stories or essays.

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.

Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode! 

Join us Wednesday, October 9th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Kristy Woodson Harvey & Mary Kay Andrews welcome #1 mega internationally bestselling author Sophie Kinsella to discuss her new novella — her most autobiographical work to date — WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?

Sophie Kinsella has sold more than 45-million copies of her books which have been translated into 40+ languages in more than 60 countries. She first hit the UK bestseller lists in September 2000 with her first novel in her beloved Shopaholic series, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Heroine Becky Bloomwood captured readers’ hearts worldwide and has since featured in eight further bestselling books. Bloomwood also came to the big screen in 2009 with the hit Disney movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher. Sophie’s twelve standalone novels have all been bestsellers around the world, including The Burnout, The Undomestic Goddess, and Love Your Life. She has also published YA, illustrated children’s books, and seven novels under her real name, Madeleine Wickham. Sophie joins us from the UK to discuss WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?, the heartbreaking and life-affirming story of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew, which has been called “the bravest book you’ll read all year” by Jodi Picoult

Watch the video broadcast of this show as it airs Wed 10/9 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 10/11.

Order Sophie’s book on Bookshop.org!
Shop all of our guests’ & hosts’ books in our F&F Shop on Bookshop.org!

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Latest News from the Fab Four!

PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY spent last week writing in South Carolina after cleaning up the debris all over her yard and throwing away the rotten food after three days without power. She is mourning all the damage from Florida to NC and beyond; sending so much love to everyone affected. This week she is in a small town in Texas where Blue Bell Ice cream began (she’ll def be having some!), and speaking about her beloved Once Upon a Wardrobe. She was thrilled to announce that she has committed to another three novels with her publisher, Atria. Now off to write! 
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Unger. Ariel Lawhon suggested this book to me and I grabbed it in the airport on my way to Texas, and I have to say the flight whooshed by – a page turner filled with glorious language. Set in a not-too-distant America, this is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. 

KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had the best weekend celebrating her son’s THIRTEENTH birthday—and taking part in a long-standing Carteret County tradition: the NC Seafood Festival! She put the finishing touches on her 2025 book and can’t believe she’s read it for the very last time! She can’t wait to share more with you about it so very soon. 
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: Every Moment Since by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. I chatted with Marybeth about this one a few months ago and have been eagerly awaiting this one! Ron and I are looking forward to interviewing Marybeth for the show and podcast very soon!

KRISTIN HARMEL is thrilled to reveal the cover of her 2025 book, THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU, this week. Here it is on Amazon and B&N (it has only posted in those two locations so far – she’ll update her website next week with additional buy links). She also had the honor of doing a press conference for AdventHealth (her local hospital system) with her breast surgeon, Dr. Anu Saigal, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Friday, and then on Saturday, she got to take a mini girls’ trip with her friends Lisa and Amber over to Cocoa Beach to attend a Stephen Kellogg concert. Longtime F&F viewers might remember Stephen as “Aleksander” in 2021’s FOREST OF VANISHING STARS F&F musical! He is such a warm, great guy, and he’s absolutely spectacular live – if you’re anywhere he’s going to be this fall on tour, I encourage you to go! You can find tour dates at StephenKellogg.com. Today, Kristin is finishing up the last of her storm prep for Hurricane Milton (which is on track to impact Florida, where she lives) and is praying for those in the storm’s path, especially on the already-battered west coast of Florida.
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: On my way out to the coast on Saturday for Stephen Kellogg’s show, I listened to the audiobook of Objects In The Mirror, Stephen’s thought-provoking and inspiring essay collection, which he narrates himself (with an intro from Adam Duritz of Counting Crows). I had already read the book, but there’s something really special about hearing Stephen tell you his stories in his own voice–and you’ll find yourself enormously moved by his openness, honesty and self-awareness. He’s a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter–but more importantly, he’s a son and a husband and a dad and a person just trying to be a better version of himself, and he has poured his whole heart onto the page in this book. I highly recommend it. He even recorded an album to go hand-in-hand with the book! 

MARY KAY ANDREWS is so excited about the response to news of her Amazon Original digital short story, Holiday Hideaway! It’s out October 29, but is already a Kindle bestseller! For those who prefer audiobooks, it’ll also be an Audible Original which you can pre-order here. In the meantime, she’s sending up prayers for safety for everyone in her hometown of St. Petersburg, and for everyone in the path of Hurricane Milton. 
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: As a longtime fan of Michael Connelly, MKA is thrilled that he’s joining us for our F&F live show in November. So it’s no surprise that she devoured his upcoming The Waiting, in one loooonnng night, sitting in a relative’s hospital room. This time around, the protagonist is LAPD Detective Renée Ballard, whose Open-Unsolved Unit is tracing a serial rapist/murderer. In the meantime, Maddie Bosch, (daughter of Connelly series sleuth Harry Bosch) a new recruit to the unit, may have stumbled across the identity to LA’s most infamous serial murderer, the Black Dahlia killer.

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Upcoming Events

Wednesday, November 6, 6pm ET — Join us 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, 12:30pm ET — Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books will emcee a lively and fun F&F Live luncheon event hosted by the Amelia Island Book Festival at The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, FL. Ticket includes book signing, photo opps, and tea fare: light lunch, snacks, and refreshments. Get tickets HERE.

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, Patti Callahan Henry & Mary Kay Andrews welcomed bestselling author Jean Hanff Korelitz to discuss her new novel THE SEQUEL—the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her "insanely readable" (Stephen King) and "perfectly told" (Malcolm Gladwell) NYT-bestseller, The Plot. Order Jean’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: F&F Pick of the Month: Jodi Picoult, By Any Other Name
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Liane Moriarty, Here One Moment
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Already aired: Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Sequel
WATCH now! | LISTEN now!

Sophie Kinsella, What Does It Feel Like
Watch Oct. 9 | Listen Oct. 11

Marybeth Whalen, Every Moment Since
Watch Oct. 16 | Listen Oct. 18

F&F Pick of the Month: Paula Hawkins, The Blue Hour
WATCH LIVE Oct. 23 | Listen Oct. 25

Louise Penny, The Grey Wolf
Watch Oct. 30 | Listen Nov. 1

J.T. Ellison, A Very Bad Thing
Watch Nov. 6 | Listen Nov. 8

David Baldacci, To Die For
Watch Nov. 13 | Listen Nov. 15

F&F Pick of the Month: Michael Connelly, The Waiting
WATCH LIVE Nov. 20 | Listen Nov. 22

Craig Johnson, Tooth and Claw
Watch Nov. 27 | Listen Nov. 29

Signe Pike, The Shadowed Land
Watch Dec 4 | Listen Dec. 6

Jillian Cantor, The Greatest Lie of All
Watch Dec. 11 | Listen Dec. 13

F&F Pick of the Month: Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb, Christmas with the Queen
WATCH LIVE Dec. 18 | Listen Dec. 20

F&F Secret Santa Holiday Party
Watch Dec. 25 | Listen Dec. 27

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.

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 Wanda Morris about her novel, What You Leave Behind. Mark your calendars for October 21st for their next author guest, Sarah Pekkanen, when they’ll discuss her novel, HOUSE OF GLASS. 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 October prompt is “Team Vampire or Team Werewolf: You Decide!”

Stay in Touch!

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