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Author News & Interviews

Author Talk: Jane Thynne, author of The Words I Never Wrote

Jan 22, 2020

Jane Thynne’s latest novel, THE WORDS I NEVER WROTE, revolves around a chance discovery inside a vintage typewriter case, which reveals the gripping story of two sisters on opposite sides of World War II. In this interview, Thynne talks about her inspiration for the plot line and the research she conducted, her interest in family conflict as a major theme in the book, her fascination with prewar Europe and Nazi Germany, and why she incorporates real people into her fiction.

Author Talk: J.P. Smith, author of If She Were Dead

Jan 15, 2020

“Amelie and Janet are in love with the same man: Janet's husband. One knows it; the other doesn't. Or does she?” That’s the intriguing setup for J.P. Smith’s eighth novel, IF SHE WERE DEAD, a psychological thriller that, according to Booklist, “compels attention to the final line.” In this interview, Smith talks about unreliable narrators, the art of slowly building suspense that grows until it’s almost unbearable, writing from the perspective of a female protagonist, and why he doesn’t read many thrillers.

Interview: Matt Coyle, author of Lost Tomorrows: A Rick Cahill Novel

Dec 3, 2019

Matt Coyle revived the Raymond Chandler hard-boiled PI model, set in today’s fancy (and seedy) side of San Diego. LOST TOMORROWS finds protagonist Rick Cahill returning to Santa Barbara --- the city of lost tomorrows --- where, 14 years ago, he was charged with but not convicted of his wife Colleen’s murder. He attends the funeral of Police Sergeant Krista Landingham, his only alibi, who remained silent. Rick’s investigation into the deaths of Krista and Colleen is as intertwined as Napa Valley grapevines. In this interview, Coyle chats with Bookreporter.com’s Dean Murphy about his appointment as the 2020 Left Coast Crime Convention Toastmaster, the deaths of Rick’s friend and wife, and the next Cahill adventure.

Author Talk: Tim Maleeny, author of Boxing the Octopus: A Cape Weathers Mystery

Oct 25, 2019

Tim Maleeny is the author of the award-winning Cape Weathers series of mysteries and the bestselling comedic thriller JUMP. His short fiction appears in several major anthologies and has won the prestigious Macavity Award for best story of the year. In this interview, Maleeny explains why he took such a long break (11 years, to be exact) between his last Cape Weathers novel, GREASING THE PINATA, and the latest installment, BOXING THE OCTOPUS. He also talks about his decision to give Cape a sidekick like Sally, a trained assassin who brings a whole other dimension to the detective game; why he thinks the first book in the series, STEALING THE DRAGON, got such a positive response from the mystery community; and the three classic crime writers whose work he would want in his possession if he was ever stranded on a desert island.

Author Talk: Alice Hoffman, author of The World That We Knew

Sep 25, 2019

In 1941, during humanity’s darkest hour, three young women must act with courage and love to survive. This is the premise of Alice Hoffman’s spellbinding new novel, THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW, which is set mainly in France during the Nazi occupation. In this interview, Hoffman discusses her inspiration for the book; how she used magic to reach the emotional heart of such a cruel time in history; the research she conducted, which included traveling to France and visiting the chateaus where Jewish children were sent when they were separated from their parents; the character in the novel who moved her the most; and her next project, which is sure to excite readers of her Practical Magic series.