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Author News & Interviews

Author Talk: Laura Lane McNeal, author of Dollbaby

Aug 7, 2014

Laura Lane McNeal grew up and currently resides in New Orleans, where people laugh a lot, talk with their hands, love good music and food, and will make up any excuse for a party. So it’s no coincidence that her debut novel, DOLLBABY, is set in the heart of "The Big Easy." In this interview, McNeal talks affectionately about why New Orleans is such a dynamic setting for a book--- how the place itself “tugs at your soul” and engages all your senses. She also discusses all the research that went into DOLLBABY, why she chose to tell the story from two different points of view, and how all her characters are really searching for is their place in the world --- just like the rest of us.

Interview: Daisy Goodwin, author of The Fortune Hunter

Aug 1, 2014

In addition to publishing numerous poetry anthologies and the New York Times bestselling novel THE AMERICAN HEIRESS, Daisy Goodwin has presented award-winning television series on poetry and on the enduring appeal of romantic fiction. She currently lives in London with her husband, two daughters and three dogs. So when she says she’s been researching her latest book, THE FORTUNE HUNTER, her “whole life,” she isn’t kidding! In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Bronwyn Miller, Goodwin talks about the picture of Empress Elizabeth of Austria that inspired her to tell this story and the challenges of crafting fiction that has roots in real history. She also shares how her experience working in television production has been invaluable to her writing, why she feels so strongly about her charity, Women Taking Action, and why a 2am text message from a reader was one of the highlights of her career.

Interview: Lorenzo Carcaterra, author of The Wolf

Jul 31, 2014

Lorenzo Carcaterra is a former journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of such books as PARADISE CITY, CHASERS and MIDNIGHT ANGELS. In his latest novel, THE WOLF, organized crime goes to war with international terrorism in the name of one man’s quest for revenge. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Joe Hartlaub, the king of gritty crime fiction talks about writing a sympathetic mob boss, the extensive research that goes into each of his books --- including travel and plenty of neighborhood connections --- and why he so often sets his stories (at least in part) in Italy. He also shares how much of his characters are based on real people, why he’s so interested in the relativity of moral standards, and why organized crime is here to stay.

Interview: Mary Kubica, author of The Good Girl

Jul 30, 2014

Mary Kubica’s first novel, THE GOOD GIRL, is a taut, character-driven psychological thriller --- so it’s no surprise it’s being compared to Gillian Flynn’s GONE GIRL. The book revolves around the abduction of Mia Dennett, and is told from three very interesting points of view: Mia's mother, the detective assigned to her case, and her abductor. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Norah Piehl, Kubica talks about why she chose to tell the story from multiple perspectives, the thrills and challenges that choice brought to her writing, and how she went about craftily embedding a surprise ending readers won’t see coming. She also opens up about how supportive the writing community has been of her debut effort, and why you should never give up on your dreams.

Interview: Wayne Harrison, author of The Spark and the Drive

Jul 24, 2014

Wayne Harrison is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop whose stories have appeared in The Atlantic, McSweeney’s, Ploughshares and Narrative Magazine. His debut novel, THE SPARK AND THE DRIVE, is about lonely 17-year-old Justin Bailey, who is captivated by legendary muscle car mechanic Nick Campbell and his wife, Mary Ann. But when Nick and Mary Ann’s lives are struck by tragedy, Justin’s world is upended. In this fascinating interview conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Bronwyn Miller, Harrison talks about how nostalgia for his years working as a mechanic --- “some of the most sincere of my life” --- inspired him to write this story and the surprisingly inelegant art of choosing the perfect book title. He also discusses his experience as a literary late bloomer, how teaching writing informs his own work, and the age-old question of whether or not fiction can be taught.