Friends & Fiction with Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham
On this episode, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Mary Kay Andrews & Kristin Harmel gather to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, #1 NYT-bestselling novelist Elin Hilderbrand along with her daughter Shelby Cunningham, to discuss our September 2025 Pick of the Month, their irresistible new co-written novel, The Academy, the deliciously scandalous story of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school. Elin is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the Iowa Writers Workshop. The Academy is her 31st novel, and the first co-written with her daughter. Elin is the co-host of the podcast Books, Beach and Beyond with @TimTalksBooks creator, Tim Ehrenberg. Last year’s TV adaptation of her novel The Perfect Couple, premiered in Netflix's #1 slot with more than 20-million views in its first four days becoming the most-watched original streaming series in the US for several weeks running. Shelby Cunningham was born and raised on Nantucket Island. A 2024 graduate of Rhode Island’s St. George's School, she is presently a student at the University of Miami. This dynamic mother-daughter duo joins us to discuss their fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life which represents a thrilling new direction from one of America's most satisfying and popular storytellers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Friends & Fiction with Sarah McCoy
On this episode, Kristin Harmel & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome NYT-bestselling author Sarah McCoy to discuss her spellbinding new novel, Whatever Happened To Lori Lovely?, which is based on the true story of a beautiful young movie star of Hollywood’s Golden Age who gives up her bright career to become a nun. Sarah is the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of six novels including Mustique Island, Marilla of Green Gables, and The Baker’s Daughter, which was a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. Her work has been featured in the short story collection Grand Central as well as in Newsweek, Lit Hub, and Real Simple. Previously a writing teacher at Old Dominion University and the University of Texas at El Paso, Sarah hosted the monthly radio program “Bookmarked with Sarah McCoy” and is the founder of The McCoy Grant for southern booksellers who dream of being published authors. She joins us from her home in Winston-Salem, NC to discuss Whatever Happened To Lori Lovely? (William Morrow, Sept. 2), which Chris Bohjalian calls, “part mystery, part history, [and] always a joy.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Friends & Fiction with Christina Baker Kline & Anne Burt
On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Kristin Harmel welcome #1 New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline and award-winning author Anne Burt to discuss their stylish, twisty thriller, Please Don’t Lie in which a young woman heads to the Adirondacks with her new husband for a fresh start—but the past won't let her go. Christina is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World. She is the recipient of the New England Society prize for fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Prize. She has also written and edited five nonfiction books. Anne is a nonfiction writer and editor whose debut novel, The Dig, was an Indie Next pick and their lead "Thrills & Chills" reading group title for Summer 2024. Together they have co-written Please Don’t Lie (coming September 1st) which has been praised as “twisty-turny” and “riveting” by Lisa Scottoline, "psychologically rich and bone chilling” by Megan Abbott, and “unsettling, atmospheric, and propulsive” by Mary Kubica. We are excited to talk to both of them about their first thriller! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Friends & Fiction with Francesca Serritella
On this episode, the full F&F family — Patti Callahan Henry, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Kristin Harmel & Mary Kay Andrews — gathers to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Author, bestselling novelist Francesca Serritella to discuss our August 2025 Pick of the Month, FULL BLOOM, her stunning new novel about ambition and untapped desire in which a woman’s life is forever changed by a mysterious perfume. Francesca is the New York Times bestselling author of GHOSTS OF HARVARD, nominated for Best First Novel by International Thriller Writers, and a nine-book series of essay collections co-written with her mother, bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, which was based on their Sunday column in The Philadelphia Inquirer. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University, where she won multiple awards for her fiction, including the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize. She joins us to discuss her second novel, the USA Today bestseller FULL BLOOM (August 5th, Ballantine), which Sarah MacLean calls “an absolutely gorgeous read—the perfect combination of romance, mystery, and magical realism, with a vibrant cast of characters.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Friends & Fiction with Victoria Benton Frank
On this episode, Ron Block & Patti Callahan Henry welcome author Victoria Benton Frank to discuss THE VIOLET HOUR, her heartwarming and empowering new novel about thriving after tragedy. Victoria was born in New York City and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, but considers herself to have dual residency in the Lowcountry. A graduate of the College of Charleston and the French Culinary Institute, Victoria worked in restaurants in New York before returning to Charleston, South Carolina, which she now calls home. According to Ann Patchett, Victoria’s 2023 debut novel MY MAGNOLIA SUMMER cemented her as “the rightful heir to the crown of summertime storytellers.” Victoria joins us to discuss her second novel, out August 12th from Gallery Books, which our own Patti Callahan Henry praises as “enchanting, hilarious, and insightful.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We're four bestselling novelists and friends whose common love of reading, writing, and independent bookstores bound us together. Now we want to share and celebrate stories—of the books we’ve written, the ones we’re reading now, and the art of writing—with each other and the guest authors we invite to join us. If you love books and are curious about the writing world, you’re in the right place.
New Zealand