Friends & Fiction Episodes

Shelby Van Pelt

The Fab Four sit down with Shelby Van Pelt, the author of the smash hit and much buzzed about debut novel REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES which was an instant New York Times bestseller, named one of Amazon’s #1 Best Books of the Year, chosen as a Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick, and named a Best Book of Summer by the Chicago Tribune, The View, Southern Living, and USA Today. The gang have a fun and insightful conversation about Shelby’s writing process, her path to publication, her inspiration for the caharacter of Marcellus the octopus, and what it’s been like to have her very first book—the quirky story of a widow who befriends an aquarium-dwelling octopus—burst onto the literary scene in such grand fashion.

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Sarah Addison Allen + Lauren K. Denton

On this episode, we talk to TWO amazing authors! Meet the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels (Garden Spells, First Frost), Sarah Addison Allen, a self-described master of “southern fried magical realism.” She joins us to discuss her long-awaited seventh novel, OTHER BIRDS, which St.Martin’s Press just released on August 30th, and which debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list. The crew discuss character develpment, the craft of magical realism, the role that food and the theme of motherhood play in her books, and they go deep as they talk to Sarah about the tragic loss of her mother and how it effected her writing. On the second half of the show, the crew welcomes the USA TODAY bestselling author of six novels (The Hideaway, Hurricane Season), Lauren K. Denton who joins us to discuss her forthcoming sixth novel, A PLACE TO LAND (Harper Muse, October 4th). We hear all about the southern setting in her new novel, her strong female characters, sacrifice and sisterhood.

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Kristina McMorris

We are joined by show regular Kristina McMorris for a night of bookish talk, lots of laughs, and even a magic trick! Kristina joins us to discuss her brand-new book, just released this week, THE WAYS WE HIDE. The crew chat about the pressures of following up Kristina’s hugely successful million-copy bestseller, SOLD ON A MONDAY, her extensive research process into the mechanics of the magic, illusion, and spycraft of her main character, and are even treated to custom-made dossiers for each of the Fab Four and a magic trick! Kristina also briefly touches on her forthcoming collaboration with Ariel Lawhon & Susan Meissner, WHEN WE HAD WINGS. We round out the night with a writing tip, book recommendation, and a tip for how to raise your kids to be readers. On the after show, Patti joins us live from the streets of the New Orleans French Quarter where she was visiting for an indepdenent booksellers conference.

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Beatriz Williams, Karen White and Lauren Willig

On this episode, the Fab Four are joined by FOUR fabulous authors! On the first half of the show, we meet Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White (affectionately known as “Team W”) about the most recent novel they team-wrote together, THE LOST SUMMERS OF NEWPORT. We hear all about their team-writing process, how their partnership came to be, the setting and inspiration for their latest bestseller, and are treated to some writing tips. On the second half of the show, we meet publishing veteran turned novelist, Miriam Parker. With an MFA in Creative Writing, two decades in the book biz, some short stories and a debut novel under her belt, Miriam is currently the VP, Associate Publisher of Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins. She joins us to discuss her new novel, ROOM AND BOARD. The crew talks about her path to publication, her unique perspective as both an author and a publishing insider, and how she juggles it all.

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Tamron Hall

On this episode, the Fab Four host broadcast journalist and Emmy Award-winning talk show host turned novelist, Tamron Hall to discuss her debut novel, the first in a thrilling new series, AS THE WICKED WATCH, recently released in paperback. The crew discusses why Tamron chose to venture into fiction, the challenges of tackling a difficult and timely subject like crime against communities of color, how her journalism work and own tragic life experiences inspired her fiction, and how she juggles it all. This episode is filled with intimate and revealing talk and, as always, a few laughs. It will leave you feeling both inspired and excited to meet Tamron’s heroine Jordan Manning.

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Karin Slaughter

The Fall 2022 season premiere episode with Karin Slaughter and Chris Swann is a rip roaring good time filled with lots of laughs and insightful book talk. Hear from Karin all about her latest GIRL, FORGOTTEN. We talk to her about her research process into cults and the federal marshal service, what drew her to the 1980’s time period, her work to raise money for libraries, and what’s coming next. Then 2022 Georgia Author of the Year Chris Swann joins the Fab Four to chat about his latest novel NEVER GO HOME. We hear from Chris about balancing his career as English dept chair at a private Atlanta high school with his career as a thriller writer, and he tells us how he devised his badass female character Suzie Faulkner and the joys and challenges of setting his fiction in and around his home city of Atlanta. All this plus book recommendations and writing tips!

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Jason Mott + Jamie Ford

For the Spring/Summer 2022 season finale, the Fab Four are joined by bestselling authors Jamie Ford and Jason Mott. Jamie Ford discusses his research into epigenetics for his new novel THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY, his own muti-cultural background, his inspiration for writing about a real historical figure, and the challenges of telling a tale that spans 250 years. Jason Mott discusses the phenomenal success of and the winding road to publication for his National Book Award winning novel HELL OF A BOOK. We hear about Jason’s inspiration, his bravery in branching out into a different direction with his writing, the challenges of incorporating current events while still weaving in humor, and what he hopes “all the other mad kids, the outsiders, the weirdos, and the bullied” take away from the novel.

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Jennifer Weiner

The Fab Four are joined by blockbuster bestselling author and “the queen of fun, feisty summer reads” Jennifer Weiner. We hear about the origin story behind Jen’s latest NYT bestselling novel THE SUMMER PLACE, the themes of motherhood and secrets in the book, and the Cape Cod setting. We also hear about how Jen found her own voice as a writer, her writing process, her activism on behald of body positivity and recognition for women authors, and her decision to travel her book tour by bicycle. On the after show we meet Mateo Askaripour who tells us all about his debut novel BLACK BUCK, his inspirations, the blend of fact and fiction in his work, how he devised the novel’s structure, and what he’s working on next.

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Katherine Center

Get ready for a good time on this episode as we welcome two masters of heartwarming, feel-good fiction — Katherine Center and Linda Holmes! And we are treated to a visit from Leslie Hooton on the after show! The Fab Four discuss writing funny, crafting dialogue, and the meaning of home in Katherine’s and Linda’s novels. The group talks about their favorite masters and undiscovered gems in the rom-com genre—get ready to take notes with lots of reading recommendations. We get an inside look at Katherine’s new novel THE BODYGUARD and Linda’s new novel FLYING SOLO in a show that’s laced with loads of super fun pop culture references and lots of laughs. On the after show we are joined by Leslie Hooton who tells the incredible story of learning she’d been born with a stroke and how she has overcome that in her life and writing career. And we hear all about her brand new book AFTER EVERYONE ELSE, a sequel to her 2020 debut novel.

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