Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode!
Join us Wednesday, April 10th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Patti Callahan Henry & Ron Block welcome bestselling author, podcast creator, and award-winning journalist, Jo Piazza, to discuss THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE, her transporting novel rooted in the author's own family history about a long-awaited trip to Sicily, a disputed inheritance, and a family secret that some will kill to protect.
Jo Piazza is the national and international bestselling author of We Are Not Like Them, You Were Always Mine, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, The Knockoff, and How to Be Married. Her work has been published in 10 languages in 12 countries, and 4 of her books have been optioned for film and television. Jo’s podcasts have garnered more than 25-million downloads and regularly top podcast charts. An editor, columnist, and travel writer, her work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, New York magazine, Marie Claire, Glamour, and many other publications. She joins us to discuss her brand-new historical novel, THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE (out now from Dutton Books), which has been called “a page-turning family chronicle,” by The Washington Post, “a joy to read,” by the New York Times, and “packed with wit and wicked twists,” by Town & Country.
Watch the video broadcast of this interview Wed 4/10 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 4/12.
Order Jo’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 Jo which includes a writing tip, book recommendation, and information about her work-in-progress, plus other great material not covered on the show!
MARY KAY ANDREWS succumbed to an extremely rare virus called “Spring Cleaning” in which she (briefly) decluttered, cleaned and purged select rooms of her home. Yes, reader, she polished silver. Then she returned to her senses and important pre-publication tasks such as online shopping for clothes to wear on the big-azz book tour for Summers at The Saint. Good news—stops at Thomasville, Ga. and St. Simons Island have been added.
What MKA is reading and why she’s loving it: Pay Dirt by Sara Paretsky. Legendary Chicago private detective V.I. Warshawski is back on the beat—but this time around there are dirty doings in Lawrence, Kansas. The twisty plot pays off in spectacular fashion, as Paretsky’s books always do. Stay tuned for a quick “Behind the Book” segment Meg and I are taping with Sara that will be released next week.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY had a great spring break with her family in Florida, and is so excited to be heading to New York to be celebrating 100 years of Simon and Schuster. She then will head to Asheville for the Zibby Retreat and cannot wait to see so many readers there! She will be sharing about the paperback of THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS on Saturday and recording a podcast with Zibby about A HAPPIER LIFE later in the weekend.
What Kristy is reading and why she’s loving it: Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth, it is such a page turner and the character development is spot on!
PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY has had the most amazing ten days on the road for the paperback tour of The Secret Book of Flora Lea. What day is it? What time is it? What city is she in? She’s not exactly sure, but readers have made it all worth it (even the midnight hotel fire alarm, even though she leaves things behind in most hotel rooms). Everywhere she goes, Friends & Fiction members are there to spread the love. With sold out crowds and an eclipse and meals with surprise friends, she is happy that tonight she ends the tour with a special event with our very own Kristin in Orlando. Her own bed will feel mighty good. Also—she wants to tell you—DO NOT MISS tonight’s show with Jo Piazza. It’s such an amazing interview and Patti loved the book!
What Patti is reading and why she’s loving it: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Because there is nothing like a riveting audio book when I am on the road, and this one is a can’t-stop-listening treat for sure. There is a reason it won the Pulitzer.
KRISTIN HARMEL is so excited, because tonight she gets to hang out with Patti at Quantum Leap Winery in Orlando, for a party (thrown by Writer’s Block Bookstore) celebrating the launch of Patti’s The Secret Book of Flora Lea in paperback! If you’re in Central Florida, come join them! She had a wonderful weekend and was honored to be invited by her friends Naila and Samea to attend an interfaith dinner at a local mosque on Saturday; she and her husband and son had the opportunity to learn a bit about Ramadan and Islam, to hear from speakers from several faiths (including Christian and Jewish leaders), and to break the fast together at an Iftar dinner (which was delicious). It was really a lovely experience! This weekend, she’s off to Ft. Lauderdale for the Broward Literary Feast, and on Tuesday, she’ll be in conversation with David Baldacci at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando.
What Kristin is reading and why she’s loving it: A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh; I get to interview Clare on April 25 at the Winter Park Public Library, and I’m reading her excellent book in advance of that conversation; I’m absolutely riveted! It’s a twisty thriller about a murder that takes place on the set of a reality show in the Welsh Mountains. It’s book two in a series, so I’m even listening to the first book on audio right now (not least of all because I need to know how to pronounce a bunch of Welsh words)!
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Click HERE to see Patti Callahan Henry’s full book tour for the April 2nd release of the trade paperback edition of The Secret Book of Flora Lea.
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.
Wednesday, April 10, 12:30pm ET — Patti in conversation with Kristin Hannah via Instagram Live on the Barnes & Noble Instagram feed.
Friday/Saturday, April 12-13 — Join Kristin at the Broward Literary Feast in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, including LitLive on Friday at 5:30pm, which is FREE and also features F&F fave Lisa Unger! More information here.
Tuesday, April 16, 6pm — Join Kristin at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando as she talks with David Baldacci about his latest novel. Tickets available here.
Sunday, May 5, 3pm ET — See all four founders and hosts of Friends & Fiction—along with Managing Director Meg Walker, podcast host extraordinaire Ron Block & producer Shaun Hettinger—together in-person for a launch celebration for MKA’s Summers at the Saint hosted by The BookMark in Neptune Beach, FL. Get tickets HERE.
Friday, June 28, — Join all four founders and hosts of Friends & Fiction—along with Meg Walker & Ron Block—together in-person for a launch celebration and garden party for Kristy’s A Happier Life hosted by The Novel Neighbor at the St. Louis Library in St. Louis, MO. Get tickets HERE.
Last week on The Friends & Fiction Show, MKA & Kristin interviewed #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline to discuss THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS, her latest pulse-pounding domestic thriller about family and justice, the ties that bind us, and the lies that tear us apart. Order Lisa’s book—an instant NYT bestseller, out now!—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.
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!
Jo Piazza, The Sicilian Inheritance
Watch: April 10 | Listen: April: 12
F&F April Pick of the Month: Emily Henry, Funny Story
Watch LIVE: April 17 | Listen: April 19
Sally Hepworth, Darling Girls
Watch: April 24 | Listen: 26
Janet Skeslien Charles, Miss Morgan's Book Brigade
Watch: May 1 | Listen: May 3
Ruth Ware, One Perfect Couple
Watch: May 8 | Listen: May 10
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
The Fab Four 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 our host authors have run on the F&F YouTube channel!
WATCH MKA & Ron’s interview with Lian Dolan, about her new novel, The Marriage Sabbatical.
WATCH Patti & Kristin’s interview with Alisyn Camerota about her memoir, Combat Love.
WATCH Patti & MKA’s interview with Tamron Hall about her newest Jordan Manning novel, Watch Where They Hide!
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!
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 Tia Williams about her book, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. Mark your calendars for their April 15th discussion with Zibby Owens about her novel, Blank. 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.
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