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Archives - May 2016

Interview: Tosca Lee, author of The Progeny

May 26, 2016

Tosca Lee has a long list of award-winning, bestselling books to her name. Her latest entry, THE PROGENY, is the present-day saga of a 400-year-old war between the uncanny descendants of Elizabeth Bathory, the most prolific female serial killer of all time, and a secret society dedicated to erasing every one of her descendants. In this interview, Lee talks to Bookreporter.com’s Melanie Reynolds about discovering her characters, how her own life spills over into the fiction she writes, and how much she appreciates her readers --- even if she has to pretend they don’t exist in order to write honestly.

Author Talk: Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution

May 26, 2016

Nathaniel Philbrick is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of IN THE HEART OF THE SEA, among many other works of nonfiction. His latest book, VALIANT AMBITION, offers a unique perspective on the middle years of the American Revolution, and the tragic turn in the relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. In this interview, Philbrick discusses the key things people don’t know about history’s most infamous traitor, including how his marriage influenced his politics and how Congress --- and Washington himself --- failed Arnold at a crucial moment.

Interview: Mary Kay Andrews, author of The Weekenders

May 19, 2016

Some people (everyone) refer to Mary Kay Andrews as the “Queen of the Summer Beach Read," while others (the Bookreporter staff) refer to her as “MKA.” Whatever you happen to call her, one thing's for sure: She knows how to deliver a compulsively readable summer book. In this interview, MKA talks to Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, about THE WEEKENDERS, another trademark beach read...with a dark twist. She discusses the importance of female friendship, how her ever-optimistic outlook finds its way into all her stories, and tips for decorating her summer homes --- which make it no wonder she’s so good at writing “house porn”!

Interview: Mary Kubica, author of Don't You Cry

May 19, 2016

Mary Kubica is the New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL and PRETTY BABY, and her latest book, DON'T YOU CRY, continues her tradition of riveting, character-driven thrillers. In it, one woman’s disappearance may or may not be related to the mysterious arrival of a stranger in a small town, although only one thing is certain: The past will always catch up to us in the end. In this interview conducted by Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Kubica reveals why she is drawn to characters who are experiencing inner turmoil, the themes that keep coming up unexpectedly in her work, and a surprising detail about her personal life.

Interview: Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us

May 5, 2016

Laura Barnett is a writer, journalist and theater critic, whose first novel, THE VERSIONS OF US, is now available in the US. It’s a story of how lives intersect, of possibilities and consequences that ring across the shifting decades, of how even the smallest choices can define the course of our lives. In this interview with Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Barnett discusses the challenges and delights of writing three versions of the same story and which story she likes best. She also opens up about her own feelings regarding fate and why she may not be as much of a romantic as she’d thought.

Author Talk: Chris Cleave, author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven

May 5, 2016

EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Cleave’s latest book, is a spellbinding novel about three unforgettable individuals thrown together by war, love and their search for belonging in the ever-changing landscape of WWII London. In this interview, Cleave reveals why he could not have written this book without the illuminating conversations he had with people who lived through the war, the one and only way a love letter can bridge the distance between two people, and why prestigious prizes should be awarded to all the books that remain unpublished.

Interview: Laura Lippman, author of Wilde Lake

May 5, 2016

Since her debut, Laura Lippman has won multiple awards and critical acclaim for her excellent crime novels, set in her hometown of Baltimore. Her latest book, WILDE LAKE, is as provocative and timely as ever; the New York Times bestselling author challenges our notions of memory, loyalty, responsibility and justice in this psychologically complex story about a long-ago death that still haunts a family. In this interview, Lippman talks to The Book Report Network's Sarah Rachel Egelman about why she prefers to write about strong women (“write what you know”), what she learned about rape culture while thinking about and researching this novel, and how WILDE LAKE parallels the Harper Lee classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD --- while diverging in one key way.