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Author News & Interviews

Interview: Dirk Cussler, author of Clive Cussler The Corsican Shadow: A Dirk Pitt Novel

Nov 16, 2023

National Underwater and Marine Agency Director Dirk Pitt must unravel an enduring historical mystery in Dirk Cussler’s THE CORSICAN SHADOW, the latest installment in the beloved New York Times bestselling series created by the “grand master of adventure,” Clive Cussler. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House and Clive’s primary publicist at G.P. Putnam’s Sons from 1999 to 2015, Dirk explains how he became a coauthor with his late father on this series, gives us insight into his writing process, reveals his favorite Dirt Pitt book written entirely by Clive, and offers his thoughts on the 50th anniversary of the intrepid adventurer’s debut.

Interview: Foster Hirsch, author of Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties: The Collapse of the Studio System, the Thrill of Cinerama, and the Invasion of the Ultimate Body Snatcher — Television

Oct 12, 2023

HOLLYWOOD AND THE MOVIES OF THE FIFTIES is a fascinating look at Hollywood’s most turbulent decade and the demise of the studio system --- set against the boom of the post–World War II years, the Cold War and the Atomic Age --- and the movies that reflected the seismic shifts. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Foster Hirsch explains why he thinks the 1950s is America’s best decade when it comes to films, talks about the impact that he believes streaming services will have on movie theaters, and names his three favorite films of the past 10 years (okay, technically just one).

Interview: Steve Stern, author of The Village Idiot

Sep 14, 2023

Award-winning author Steve Stern’s latest novel, THE VILLAGE IDIOT, is now available in paperback. This Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2022 is an imaginative portrait of expressionist painter Chaim Soutine's life --- from his impoverished beginnings in an East European shtetl, to his Cinderella patronage by the American collector Albert Barnes, and his perilous flight from the Nazi occupation of France. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Stern talks about how his approach to writing this book differed from that of his previous work; what drew him to write about Soutine in the form of a fictional biography; and who he would like to see involved in a potential film adaptation of THE VILLAGE IDIOT.

Interview: Jamie Day, author of The Block Party

Jul 27, 2023

In Jamie Day’s THE BLOCK PARTY, an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On pick, the residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal. On the night of the annual summer block party, there has been a murder. But who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold. In this interview conducted by Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Jamie talks about the inspiration for the book, the decision to take readers back to what happened the year prior to the block party, why the story is told from two characters’ points of view, the creation of an online message board that appears in the novel, and what readers can anticipate from Jamie next.

Interview: Reed Farrel Coleman, author of Sleepless City: A Nick Ryan Novel

Jul 13, 2023

Reed Farrel Coleman is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of 32 novels, including six in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series. SLEEPLESS CITY marks the debut of Nick Ryan, who is the most powerful cop in New York (even though he doesn’t wear a uniform). He's the mayor's fixer, who is called upon when the men and women who protect and serve are in trouble and need protection themselves. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Coleman talks about his various inspirations for his latest protagonist; the hands-on research that he did for this book, which kicks off his fifth series; and his thoughts on how the publishing industry has changed over the last 25 years.