Friends & Fiction

On this episode, the full F&F family—Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, plus Ron & Meg—gather with Patti Callahan Henry for a celebration of her new historical novel, The Story She Left Behind. These live launch episodes are always a great time, so you don’t want to miss it. We hear there may even be a reprise of Friends & Fiction Theater! Patti is the New York Times bestselling author of eighteen novels, including The Secret Book of Flora Lea, Surviving Savannah, and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She has received numerous awards including the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year. She joins us to celebrate the launch of her latest which has already been named an IndieNext pick, a LibraryReads pick, one of B&N’s Best Books of March, a Heather’s Pick for Canada’s Indigo bookstore chain, and a SIBA Read This Next pick, among other accolades. With raves from Louise Penny (“brilliant, riveting, so beautifully written, impossible to put down”) and Shelley Read (“a celebration of family, hope, forgiveness, and the tender generosity of abiding love”), we just know The Story She Left Behind is ready to soar and we are so excited to focus an episode around Patti and her captivating new novel tonight before she embarks on her massive book tour.

On this episode, Kristin Harmel & Mary Kay Andrews welcome bestselling author Colleen Oakley to discuss her new novel, Jane and Dan at the End of the World, a hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage in which date night goes off the rails when one unhappy couple find themselves at the heart of a crime in progress. Colleen Oakley is the USA Today bestselling author of six novels including The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise and The Invisible Husband of Frick Island. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages, have been optioned for film, and have won multiple awards including Georgia Author of the Year and the French Reader’s Prize. A former magazine editor for Women’s Health & Fitness and Marie Claire, Colleen’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Redbook, Parade, and Woman’s Day. She joins us from her home in Atlanta to discuss Jane and Dan at the End of the World, about which People magazine says, “this sharply original romp is entirely too much fun.”

On this episode, Ron Block and Mary Kay Andrews welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author C. J. Box to discuss the riveting 25th installment in his fan-favorite Joe Pickett series, BATTLE MOUNTAIN, in which outlaw falconer Nate Romanowski is off the grid and out for revenge. C. J. Box is the author of 25 Joe Pickett novels, 8 stand-alone novels, and a story collection. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and two Barry awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38, the Western Heritage Award for Literature, and two Spur Awards. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He has served as executive producer on television series based on his books, including ABC TV’s "Big Sky" and "Joe Pickett" on Paramount+. He joins us to discuss BATTLE MOUNTAIN, which Mystery & Suspense calls “an explosive, highly atmospheric masterpiece of tautly woven plot lines, insane pacing, and relentless suspense.”

On this episode, the Fab Four (Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodsdon Harvey & Patti Callahan Henry) gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, Pam Jenoff, to discuss our February 2025 Pick of the Month, her brand-new instant New York Times bestseller, Last Twilight in Paris, a riveting novel of love and survival about a Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace, and a woman's quest to unlock a decade-old mystery. Pam Jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the NYT bestsellers The Lost Girls of Paris and The Woman with the Blue Star. She holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in history from Cambridge, and she earned her J.D. from UPenn. She lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia, where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school. She joins us to discuss Last Twilight in Paris, “a compelling novel that illuminates a shocking and little-known piece of WWII history—a Parisian store where Jews were imprisoned and forced to sell plunder from Jewish homes” (Lisa Scottoline) — which just debuted on the NYT list at #9 in its first week out.

On this episode, Mary Kay Andrews and Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome author Christina Clancy to discuss The Snowbirds, her latest page-turning story of a couple who flee winter in the Midwest for Palm Springs, where they find their relationship at a crossroads. Christina Clancy is the author of two previous novels, The Second Home and Shoulder Season, which have been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, and Travel & Leisure. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, The Sun magazine, and in various literary journals. A former college English professor with a PhD in creative writing, she splits her time between Madison, Wisconsin, and Palm Springs. Described as The Last Thing He Told Me meets Fleishman Is in Trouble, The Snowbirds has gotten raves from Annabel Monaghan (“emotionally wise and beautifully written”) and Fiona Davis (“an absolute treat”) and has been called “a riveting exploration of midlife yearning,” by People magazine.

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Ron Block welcome New York Times bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray to discuss her gripping new historical novel, Harlem Rhapsody, about Jessie Redmon Fauset, the powerhouse civil rights activist and literary sensation who ignited the Harlem Renaissance. Victoria Christopher Murray is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian (a Good Morning America book club pick), and The First Ladies, (Target’s Book of the Year), both of which she co-authored with Marie Benedict. Victoria won the NAACP Image Award for her social commentary novel, Stand Your Ground, which was also a Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Four of her novels, Lust, Envy, Wrath and Greed have been made into TV movies for Lifetime. She joins us to discuss her new novel, Harlem Rhapsody, which Sadeqa Johnson calls “powerful” and “simply stunning,” and Tayari Jones calls, “a page turner and history lesson at once.”

On this episode, Kristy Woodson Harvey & Mary Kay Andrews welcome neuroscientist turned New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova to discuss her breathless, riveting new novel, More or Less Maddy, about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy. Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O'Briens, and Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard. Her TED talks on Alzheimer's and memory have been viewed over 11-million times. She joins us to discuss More or Less Maddy, which Booklist calls, “a visceral, harrowing, and undeniably powerful read,” and Publishers Weekly dubs “a remarkable achievement.”

On this episode, Mary Kay Andrews & Ron Block welcome #1 New York Times bestselling master of the legal thriller, Scott Turow, to discuss his riveting new courtroom drama, Presumed Guilty, which sees the return of Rusty Sabich from Presumed Innocent, the phenomenon that redefined the genre. A writer and former practicing lawyer, Scott Turow is the author of 13 bestselling works of fiction, including Presumed Innocent and Suspect. Scott has also published two nonfiction books, including the perennial bestseller, One L, about his experience as a Harvard Law student. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 30-million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. Recently, Presumed Innocent was the basis for Apple TV+’s most-watched drama series ever, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Scott joins us to discuss his new novel, Presumed Guilty, in which Rusty returns to court one last time to defend his fiancé’s son and to find out whether the system to which he has devoted his life can ever provide true justice for those who are presumed guilty.

On this episode, the Fab Four — Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry — gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, debut novelist Tara Dorabji, to discuss our January 2025 Pick of the Month, Call Her Freedom, a sweeping family saga following one woman’s struggle to protect her culture and her family amidst the backdrop of a military occupation. Tara Dorabji is the daughter of Parsi-Indian and German-Italian migrants. Her documentary film series on human rights defenders in Kashmir won awards at over a dozen film festivals throughout Asia and the US. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Al Jazeera, The Chicago Quarterly, Huizache, and in the acclaimed anthologies: Good Girls Marry Doctors and All the Women in My Family Sing. She joins us from her home in Northern California to discuss her debut novel, Call Her Freedom, which was chosen as the winner of Simon & Schuster’s Books Like Us First Novel Contest for underrepresented writers.

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome Emmy-winning journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kate Fagan to discuss her electric, voice-driven debut novel, The Three Lives Of Cate Kay, about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past. Kate Fagan has published four previous books including What Made Maddy Run, a semi-finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sportswriting; All The Colors Came Out, a memoir of basketball and the enduring father/daughter bond; and Hoop Muses, an insider’s guide to pop culture and the women’s game on which she collaborated with WNBA legend Seimone Augustus and artist Sophia Chang. Kate spent seven years as a columnist and feature writer for espnW, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, was a regular panelist on ESPN's “Around the Horn,” and a host of “Outside the Lines.” Kate covered the Philadelphia 76ers for three seasons and played college basketball at the University of Colorado. She joins us from her home in Charleston to discuss her fiction debut, The Three Lives Of Cate Kay, which has been described as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins.

On this episode, Kristin Harmel & Patti Callahan Henry welcome NYT-bestselling author Fiona Davis to discuss her latest utterly addictive historical novel, The Stolen Queen, which transports us from New York City’s glamorous Met Gala in the 1970s to the labyrinth streets of 1930s Cairo and back. Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of seven historical fiction novels, each set in a different iconic New York City building, including The Spectacular, The Magnolia Palace, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and the Oprah magazine. Fiona first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She joins us to discuss The Stolen Queen in which New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the pharaohs' tombs of Egypt take center stage.

On this episode, the full F&F family all gather together — Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry, Meg Walker & Ron Block — for out F&F Holiday Office Party. The gang brings the holiday cheer with a rousing round of Name That Holiday Tune, a fun game of Bookish Holiday Trivia, and a laugh-filled Lightning Round where we share favorites and least favorites when it comes to all things Christmas. You’ll want to tune in for the ugly sweaters alone. From the adorable to the shocking to the truly perplexing, they are each a whole vibe. Come celebrate the holidays with us!

On this episode, the Fab Four (Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry, Kristin Harmel & Mary Kay Andrews) gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, the writing duo of Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb, to discuss our December 2024 Pick of the Month, their co-written heartwarming historical novel, Christmas with the Queen. Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and freelance writer in Ireland and the UK who is known for her deeply moving historical novels including The Last Lifeboat and The Girl from Savoy. Heather Webb is the award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of ten historical novels including The Next Ship Home and Queens of London. Together Hazel and Heather have penned four previous works of historical fiction including Last Christmas in Paris and Three Words for Goodbye. The pair joins us to discuss their newly released Christmas with the Queen, which has been described as “The Crown” meets “When Harry Met Sally,” and which Gill Paul calls, “as delicious as a Christmas pudding topped with flaming brandy and lashings of cream.” We are excited to celebrate this festive season with Hazel & Heather and hear all about their latest captivating page-turner.

On this episode, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry welcome the USA Today and internationally bestselling author Jillian Cantor to discuss her new novel, THE GREATEST LIE OF ALL, in which a glamorous romance novelist and an aspiring starlet share an unexpected secret.Jillian Cantor is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of twelve novels for teens and adults, including, most recently THE FICTION WRITER. Her books have been chosen for LibraryReads, Indie Next and Amazon Best of the Month, and have been translated into fifteen languages. Jillian joins us from her home in Arizona to chat about her thirteenth novel, THE GREATEST LIE OF ALL, an addictive story about love, ambition, and how far we're willing to go to protect our hearts. The book has been called “Jillian Cantor at her absolute best,” by Allison Winn Scotch, “propulsively paced,” by Shelf Awareness, and “irresistibly juicy, twisty, and layered,” by Annabel Monaghan—and we are excited to talk to Jillian all about it.

On this episode, Kristin Harmel and Patti Callahan Henry welcome historical fiction author Signe Pike to discuss her new epic novel, THE SHADOWED LAND, the third installment in her Lost Queen series in which King Arthur and his contemporaries are boldly reimagined. Raised in Ithaca, NY, with a degree from Cornell University, Signe Pike worked as an editor at Random House and Penguin before leaving to write her first book, a travel memoir entitled Faery Tale: One Woman's Search for Enchantment in a Modern World. Pike has researched and written about Celtic history for over a decade. Her non-fiction has been published by Salon, Charleston City Paper, Book Riot and NPR.org. Her 2018 debut novel, THE LOST QUEEN, which became a series, is currently in development for television by the Emmy award-winning production company Made Up Stories. She joins us to discuss THE SHADOWED LAND, a “rich, immersive” (Kirkus Reviews) saga that transports the reader to a vivid world of mysticism, beauty, and meticulously researched early medieval history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Kristy Woodson Harvey & Mary Kay Andrews welcome New York Times bestselling author Craig Johnson to discuss TOOTH AND CLAW, the new short novel in his wildly popular Longmire series, in which a young Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear face off in the Alaskan tundra with powerful enemies who will do anything to get what they want. Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is a two-time recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction, was the first One Book Wyoming selection, and has received the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Reading the West Book Award for fiction. Craig joins us from his home in Ucross, Wyoming (population 26), to discuss his new pulse-pounding, bone-chilling novel of extreme adventure, TOOTH AND CLAW, which adds another indelible chapter to the great story of Walt Longmire. Kirkus Reviews has called it "a chilling novel with all the ingredients needed to keep readers turning pages,” and we are excited to talk to Craig all about it.

On this episode the Fab Four (Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey & Patti Callahan Henry) gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, the #1 NYT-bestselling, Edgar, Grand Master and Diamond Dagger award-winning Michael Connelly, to discuss our November 2024 Pick of the Month, THE WAITING, in which LAPD Detective Renée Ballard tracks a terrifying serial rapist whose trail has gone cold, with the help of the newest volunteer to the Open-Unsolved Unit: Patrol Officer Maddie Bosch, Harry’s daughter. Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of 39 novels and one work of non-fiction. With more than 85-million copies sold worldwide and books translated into 45 languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. His books, which include the Harry Bosch, the Lincoln Lawyer, and the Renée Ballard series, have been adapted for film and television including the movie Blood Work, starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, and The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. Michael is the executive producer of three current television series based on his books: Bosch and Bosch: Legacy (both streaming on Amazon Prime), and The Lincoln Lawyer (streaming on Netflix). A former reporter, Connelly worked the crime beat at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale (where he earned a Pulitzer nomination) before finishing his journalism career as the Los Angeles Times crime reporter. He joins us from his home in Florida to discuss his new Ballard/Bosch crossover novel, THE WAITING,which Publishers Weekly calls “unputdownable…white-hot suspense guaranteed to please his fans.”

On this episode, Kristin Harmel & Mary Kay Andrews welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author, David Baldacci to discuss To Die For, the third installment in his 6:20 Man series which finds Travis Devine in the Pacific Northwest to aid in a complicated FBI case where he’s about to come face-to-face with his nemesis, the girl on the train. David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favorite storytellers with books published in 45+ languages in 80+ countries, with 150-million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David and his wife co-founded the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. He joins us from his home in Virginia to discuss his brand-new twisty whodunit, To Die For, which has been praised for its “fast-moving excitement” and “satisfying finish” in a starred review from Kirkus.

On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome New York Times bestselling author, J.T. Ellison, to discuss her new novel, A Very Bad Thing, about one author at the pinnacle of her career, whose past threatens to destroy everything she has and everyone she knows. J.T. Ellison is the NYT & USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels and the Emmy Award-winning co-host of the literary TV show A Word on Words. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker and runs the popular blog, The Creative Edge. With millions of books in print — which have been optioned for TV and published in 28 countries — her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. J.T. joins us from her home in Nashville to discuss her taut new thriller, A Very Bad Thing, which Library Journal calls, “a fun, fast-paced thriller that keeps secrets until the very last page.”

On this episode, 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.