Tune in at 7pm ET for TONIGHT’s episode! Join us Wednesday, July 16th at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as Mary Kay Andrews & Ron Block welcome beloved New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani to discuss The View from Lake Como, her new novel about one woman’s quest to build her own life before it’s too late. In addition to writing 21 books published in 38 languages around the world, Adriana is also an award-winning playwright, television writer/producer, and filmmaker. She wrote and directed the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, adapted her novel, Very Valentine, for TV, and directed the documentary, Queens of the Big Time. For her significant contributions to literature, culture, and community, Adriana has been awarded Italy’s Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia, the Library of Virginia’s Patron of Letters degree, and Ellis Island’s Medal of Honor. Trigiani grew up in Appalachia where she co-founded The Origin Project, and she’s also a proud member of the New York State Council on the Arts. She joins us from her home in Greenwich Village to discuss The View from Lake Como, which has been named to most-anticipated lists by People, Elle, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly and which Booklist calls “an immersive, big-hearted ode to family, history, and the importance of independence.” Watch the video broadcast of this interview as it airs Wed 7/16 at 7pm ET on the F&F Facebook group page & YouTube channel. Catch the audio version on our podcast Fri 7/18. Order Adriana’s book on Bookshop.org! Latest News from the Fab Four!MARY KAY ANDREWS loved celebrating two of her grandchildren’s birthdays last week–skillet chocolate cookie cake for Griffin, Publix cheesecake with fresh berries for Molly. She’s reliving her research trip to Ireland last fall while working away on next summer’s book. In the meantime, she’s basking in porch reads that take her to Italy–from this week’s F&F guest Adriana Trigiani’s The View from Lake Como, and next week’s live guest, Lisa Scottoline’s The Unraveling of Julia. MKA will be live and in conversation at Eagle Eye Books in Decatur tonight with author Sarah MacLean for her brand-new These Summer Storms. Buy tickets here. KRISTIN HARMEL loved The View from Lake Como and is excited that Adriana Trigiani is tonight’s show guest. She’s also looking very much forward to the LIVE show next week, featuring dear friend Lisa Scottoline, whose The Unraveling of Julia she is currently devouring. (We’ll be talking all about it next week!) Kristin has a busy few weeks of travel–some work, some family fun–kicking off this Saturday with a birthday celebration for her dad in Tampa Bay, followed by a part-work/part-vacation trip to New York (with a beach day in Palm Beach wedged in beforehand), then a business trip to LA, then a family reunion trip to St. Louis. Phew! She’s exhausted (but also excited!) just thinking about it! Finally… THE HAPPIEST OF HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TO OUR KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY! KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY is busy prepping for turning 40 this week and is excited to celebrate with her parents and closest friends. Kristy will forever be celebrating her 40th birthday at this time every year! She was so excited to see Beach House Rules in her first ever People Magazine print feature! They had the perfect description and Kristy shared it over on Instagram if you want to check it out! There is still plenty of time for summer reading and if you are looking for a book for the beach or pool, check out Beach House Rules! PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY is so excited for KRISTY’S BIRTHDAY WEEK as she enters another decade. Patti had so much fun in NYC for Good Morning America, talking about THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND and her other beach read suggestions, and she is still a little buzzy from the whole thing. Her family (daughter, son-in-law, two grands, and two sons) have been in town for a couple weeks and now her house is empty, trashed, and lonely. But that means she is back to work on her newest! 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 EventsSee Kristin’s upcoming events HERE. Want to know what our F&F Live events are all about? Watch this video compilation! In Case You Missed ItOn last week’s episode of The Friends & Fiction Show, Kristin Harmel & Patti Callahan Henry welcomed NYT-bestselling author Meg Waite Clayton to discuss her new dual-timeline historical novel, Typewriter Beach, the unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a young actress hoping to be Alfred Hitchcock's new star. You can WATCH that episode on Facebook or YouTube, or LISTEN to it on our podcast. Coming Up on The Friends & Fiction ShowAll 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 June Pick of the Month—Kristin Harmel, The Stolen Life of Collette Marceau Already aired: Julie Clark, The Ghostwriter Already aired: Jess Walter, So Far Gone Already aired: Fourth of July “Best-of” Kristin Hannah, The Women Already aired: Meg Waite Clayton, Typewriter Beach Adriana Trigiani, The View from Lake Como LIVE! July Pick of the Month: Lisa Scottoline, The Unraveling of Julia Susan Wiggs, Wayward Girls Celebrating Debuts! Morgan Pager, The Art of Vanishing & Laura Dickerman, Hot Desk Victoria Benton Frank, The Violet Hour LIVE! August Pick of the Month: Francesca Serritella, Full Bloom Christina Baker Kline & Anne Burt, Please Don't Lie Sarah McCoy, Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? LIVE! September Pick of the Month: Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham, The Academy Hank Phillippi Ryan, All This Could Be Yours Jane Hamilton, The Phoebe Variations F&F 2025 Subscription Box with Oxford ExchangeThe 2025 FRIENDS AND FICTION Subscription Box is available for purchase now, exclusively from our friends at Oxford Exchange. This subscription includes three separate shipments: *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 StoreWe 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 attending Kristy & Kristin’s upcoming events. How fun to dress to match the books?! F&F Official Book Club & 2025 Reading ChallengeJoin 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 38,000 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 Kristy Woodson Harvey about her novel, Beach House Rules. Mark your calendars for July 21st for their next author guest, Kristin Harmel, when they’ll discuss her new novel, The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau. 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 July prompt is to read a book set in France and for August it’s to read an author’s sophomore book. Stay in Touch!Subscribe to our PODCAST. Upgrade to our PAID Subscription for bonus content from our hosts and guests. |












