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Author News & Interviews

Author Talk: Patti Callahan Henry, author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea

May 4, 2023

When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed. That is the premise of Patti Callahan Henry’s latest historical novel, THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA --- which is an Indie Next pick for May, along with being this month's Barnes & Noble Book Club selection and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites pick. In this interview, Patti talks about her extensive research for the book, what inspired her to center the novel on a bookstore, why she loves writing historical fiction, and the creation of “Friends and Fiction” --- a popular weekly web show, podcast and Facebook group that she founded with Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel and Kristy Woodson Harvey.

Interview: John Sayles, author of Jamie MacGillivray: The Renegade's Journey

Mar 2, 2023

Spanning 13 years, two continents, several wars, and many smoke-filled and bloody battlefields, JAMIE MacGILLIVRAY is a thrilling historical and cinematic epic from independent film director, screenwriter, actor and novelist John Sayles. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Sayles talks about his extensive research for the novel, his writing process, the projects he’d love to work on if given the proper resources, the one book that made a huge impression on him as a young reader, and which format would work best for an adaptation of JAMIE MacGILLIVRAY.

Author Talk: Marie Benedict, author of The Mitford Affair

Jan 20, 2023

Probing the torrid political climate in the lead-up to World War II and the ways that seemingly sensible people can be sucked into radical action, THE MITFORD AFFAIR follows novelist Nancy Mitford's valiant efforts to stop the Nazis from taking over Great Britain, and the complicated choices she must make between the personal and the political. In this interview, Marie Benedict talks about why she decided to take a certain degree of liberty with this true story and add more action to it; the kinds of sources she consulted in order to learn more about the Mitford sisters and their world; which sister she found the most challenging to write about and understand; and why she believes that loyalty must have its limits.

Interview: Matt Coyle, author of Doomed Legacy: A Rick Cahill Novel

Nov 17, 2022

It’s May 2023 in San Diego. Private investigator Rick Cahill has reached a pinnacle. He married Leah, and their daughter, 14-month-old Krista, is the center of his universe. He still hasn’t told Leah about his CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and its debilitating effects. He has developed skills performing corporate background verifications by computer --- a desk jockey. His main corporate contact runs afoul of sinister characters. Her homicide draws Rick back into traditional investigative mode, with the help of PI pal Moira MacFarlane. In this interview, Matt Coyle chats with Bookreporter.com’s Dean Murphy about what inspired the plot of DOOMED LEGACY, his next novel, and Rick’s complicated friendship with Moira.

Interview: Andrea Carter, author of The Body Falls: An Inishowen Mystery

Nov 3, 2022

At the close of 2021’s MURDER AT GREYSBRIDGE, Glendara’s top cop Tom Malloy had popped the question to solicitor (attorney) Benedicta “Ben” O’Keeffe, to the surprise of them both. Befuddled, Ben doesn’t answer yea or nay, needing time to ponder the proposal. Being a brilliant attorney, she serves a six-month stint at a Sarasota law firm, from October to April, Florida’s balmy dry season. In the newly released THE BODY FALLS, she returns to Ireland and hurricane-like rains the day before a charity fundraiser bike race is to begin. A body falls on friend Maeve’s jeep, which is not quite the return-home welcome that Ben had hoped to receive. In this interview, Andrea Carter chats with Bookreporter.com’s Dean Murphy (Ó Murchadha) about her career, future books, the Inishowen Peninsula, and the television adaptation of her novels.