Day Drinking With Authors

The Phoenix Pencil Company is a Reese's Bookclub Pick!!!  When Allison and I chatted this had not been announced so I didn't get to ask her about that experience.  :( 

But we had a fantastic conversation about the idea behind his fascinating book and it's magical premise. She talks about "hand wave" magic and the very real research she did on the historical timeline of this book - the years in Shanghai betwe...

Sake!? Mary Alice's secrets come out early in this interview!  And what an amazing interview with one of my all-time favorite authors about a book that feels very much in the Mary Alice Monroe wheelhouse but is SO different. It's historical, it's in first person and it's a CLIFFHANGER!    We talk about the challenges and joys of taking on all those variations in her process. The historical ramifications and stre...

Not only is an Aperol Spritz one of my favorite drinks of all time - I have not stopped talking about this book. I told my mom. My friends. I told my teenage son about this book.  There is something about the world Elisabeth makes up and the world she reveals - that has completely captured my attention. Part of it, is that the books feels a little bit like a Stephanie Plum mystery but with a more heart-breaking mystery at it's...

This happened. This really happened. I got to talk to Jennifer Weiner about her latest release The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits. We talked about everything - everything. How we celebrate -or don't celebrate!  Her musical inspirations for this new release, she gave me some insider knowledge on how she writes men and we talked a lot about the toxic '90's in pop culture. I managed to keep my cool...sort of.  She ...

I had the privilege of reading this book months before it was released and it has felt like I've been keeping an amazing secret, but now that it's out and I really want tot talk about it with someone! Anyone! MOM! read this book!!!  This book has a HUGE heart, an unbelievable protagonist and absolutely show-stealing secondary characters.  Holly and I talk about how Denny just arrived in her head one day and has been with ...

You know how books are often advertised as "swoony" and it's a word that gets tossed around so much that it's perhaps lost it's meaning? I couldn't tell you before reading No Ordinary Love what it meant for a book to be "swoony."  

Enter - No Ordinary Love and in particular Miles. And... I get it now. Swoony, for me, has everything to do with the hero. And Miles is a hell of a hero.  So, grab ...

Oh! OH! This book! This weird drink! And Lauren! What is not to love about this episode?  I love everything Lauren writes - her touch with historical fiction is so deft. It's enlightening and page turning and as a reader I am never once bogged down by research - so much so her books feel like peeks into the homes and hearts of real people living in fascinating times. And this book is part court room drama, part true crime stor...

The premise of this book made me gasp. Made me read far into the night. Nora is dating Garrett. Garrett works for death. Clever, right? But there's more... Garrett is middle-management for death. There's a company structure and he's working his way up the ladder. This, of course, is totally a secret.  He says his job is logistics and that makes sense. 

Nora is grieving the loss of her family while taking on the family...

I sat down with a glass of white wine to talk to one of my favorites - Rochelle Weinstein about her latest novel We Are Made of Stars. If you are a fan of the TV show White Lotus or the book/TV show Nine Perfect Strangers - this book is for you.  Strangers gather at an inn for a week and drama unfolds.   There's good food, excellent wine and everyone is keeping secrets. We talk about the pleasure and PAIN of writing a book wit...

Oh, we all need an escape right now. The news is crushing. The weather is awful. Even my dog is bummed. Well, Jillian and Meredith have the right book at the right time - Sweet Escape. It's book two in a series but can be read alone, though, why not read the first one too? What else are you going to do? Shovel snow and doom scroll? 

Come for the romance which is crackly, tension-filled and HOT, but stay for the relationships wi...

I barely managed to stop this from turning into a fan girl moment for Elizabeth Lowell. It is so rare that I find someone who shares my outrageous fandom for that author - and here is Adriana ready to talk about her for days. 

BUT we had more important things to talk about - A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke currently a USA Today Bestseller!  Adriana gets very real about ending a series and how writing this series in particular was bot...

I know, I know, I said no more witches but who can resist a sentient garden? Who can resist ivy that senses emotions or a plum tree that's fruit is an opiate? Who can resist a heroine who feels trapped by the garden but the garden is the only thing that's ever taken care of her? 

NOT ME! I CAN NOT RESIST! 

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt is a delicious novel about a woman coming into her power, with touches of magical r...

Oh! OH! This one is BONKERS! You're going to need a Bloody Mary at some point while reading this absolute page turner.   Alison combines conspiracy theories, cults and grief. It's a huge story and also a very small story. I honestly feel like there were some magic tricks in the writing of We Are Watching - all of which we talk about in our fantastic conversation.

“Alison Gaylin proves once again that she is a ma...

This is one for the authors. Any author. All The authors.  Forget every bit of pacing advice you've ever been given and pick up Ines' book - Page Turner Pacing How To Write a Bingeworthy Novel in 21 Days Using the Addictive Principals of Episodic TV. 
This book is broken, for me, into two parts. The beats tv writers use to keep viewers coming back for more and how to use them to write a rough draft in - that's r...

There are a few things that make an author a favorite. And what makes Naima Simone a favorite of mine - is she always understands the assignment. This is a writer who gets romance. She knows how to pay off the tropes, how to create fully alive characters and most importantly, keep the pages turning.  I've read a lot of Naima's books but nothing prepared me for Church Girl.  It's hot. Like...real hot. It has an import...

I had no idea Queen Elizabeth II had a favorite cocktail. Did you? A Dubbonet and Gin and let me tell you, that first sip is a doozy, but after that it's delicious drinking. Much in the same way Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor's latest release: Christmas With The Queen is just delightful reading. Rich with historical details and cozy Christmas details and a lovely star-crossed love story.  This is a perfect read for the hol...

Monica stops by to talk about her fascinating and fast-paced Historical Fiction - The Jewel of the Blues while sipping the most sophisticated cocktail there is - The French 75. Deliciousness all the way around. The Jewel of the Blues rich with impeccable and fascinating research about the 1920's Vaudeville Circuit.  We discuss her fantastic touch with dialogue and the interesting choices she made on where and how she started t...

Oh!!! Such a treat this week. Mimi Matthews bestselling author of The Siren of Sussex sits down to talk about the last book in her Belles of London series - The Muse of Maiden Lane.  We talk about the joys and challenges of finishing a beloved series and we have a very forthright conversation about the inspiration for Teddy, her artist hero who uses a wheelchair.  And while neither of us drink a Grey Ghost (she was on deadline and ...

This is the last witch, I promise!  Charlotte Stein is top-tier romance. Years ago I asked her how she kept the romantic and sexual tension in her books at such an excruciating point.  She gives her insightful answer in the podcast...  if you love romance and haven't read Charlotte - do yourself a favor and pick up How To Help A Hungry Werewolf. It has her delightfully absurd world-building and delicious, delicious tension.