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Author News & Interviews

Author Talk: Jeanne Kalogridis, author of The Inquisitor's Wife: A Novel of Renaissance Spain

May 9, 2013

THE INQUISITOR’S WIFE, Jeanne Kalogridis’s most recent work of historical fiction, follows Marisol Garcia, a young converso, as she navigates the Inquisition in renaissance Spain. When her father is arrested and tortured, Marisol must choose between her love for him and her duty to her people, and make dangerous alliances, including one with the ruthless queen herself. In this interview, Kalogridis addresses some common misconceptions about Queen Isabella, who wasn’t as meek or mousey as you might believe. She also talks about the ever-prevalent politics of identity, describes some of the snares of writing historical fiction --- including “research rapture” --- and shares a few enticing details about her next novel.

Interview: Susan Wiggs, author of The Apple Orchard

May 3, 2013

In a departure from her popular Lakeshore Chronicles series, Susan Wiggs has written THE APPLE ORCHARD, a novel of sisters, friendship, and how memories are woven like a spell around us. Bookreporter.com’s Alexis Burling spoke with Wiggs about the format of her book and her ability to seamlessly weave together details of two disparate settings in order to draw a complete picture of the characters’ family history. She also explains how writing the novel was similar to a treasure hunt (a nod to protagonist Tess’s job), talks about the inclusion of taste-tempting recipes that are sprinkled throughout the story, and reveals a unique test-taking “tip” that she told her students about when she was a math teacher.

Interview: Deanna Raybourn, author of A Spear of Summer Grass

May 3, 2013

Deanna Raybourn takes a break from her Lady Julia Grey mysteries to pen her latest stand-alone novel, A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS. In this interview with Bookreporter.com's Alexis Burling, Raybourn talks about the most significant challenge she faced in describing her setting --- an East Africa fraught with political, economic and racial tensions --- and the extensive research she conducted (which included reading close to 100 books!). She also explains why she wrote FAR IN THE WILDS, a prequel novella available in eBook format that tells Ryder’s story before he is introduced to Delilah, and previews her upcoming writing schedule.

Interview: William Kent Krueger, author of Ordinary Grace

Apr 26, 2013

William Kent Krueger so enjoyed the questions that were posed by our Sneak Peek readers for ORDINARY GRACE that he answered them in the interview that we have here.

Interview: Kristin Hannah, author of Fly Away

Apr 25, 2013

FLY AWAY, the highly anticipated follow-up to Kristin Hannah’s FIREFLY LANE, finally has been released. In this emotionally complex and often heart-wrenching novel, Hannah focuses on the characters of Tully, Johnny, Dorothy and Marah, and the stories and relationships that have made them who they are. Told with vibrant flashbacks, the book paints a portrait of growth, redemption, and what it means to be a woman. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Norah Piehl, Hannah discusses grief, motherhood, and our misunderstandings of the people closest to us. She also talks about the craft and struggle of writing with flashbacks, and what led her to return to the world of FIREFLY LANE five years after its publication.