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Author News & Interviews

Author Talk: Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book

Nov 1, 2018

In her latest work of nonfiction, THE LIBRARY BOOK, journalist and author Susan Orlean turns her keen powers of observation and narrative gifts to the overlooked, underreported saga of the 1986 fire that ravaged the Los Angeles Public Library. In this interview, Orlean talks about how the book evolved as she researched and wrote it, and what drew her to this story in the first place; explains how technology complements a library; expresses her surprise and amazement when she learned about some of the day-to-day situations that librarians face these days; and ponders the future of the local library and its changing role in the community.

Author Talk: Steven Axelrod, author of Nantucket Counterfeit: A Henry Kennis Mystery

Nov 1, 2018

NANTUCKET COUNTERFEIT, Steven Axelrod’s fifth Henry Kennis mystery, takes readers into the closed, gossip-riddled, backstabbing world of Nantucket's community theater. In this interview, Axelrod talks about his inspiration for making his protagonist a police chief who writes poetry on the side; details his writing process, explaining why he tends to outline his novels while at the same time being a “pantser” (writing by the seat of his pants); and discusses why there is no shortage of plot concepts to come up with as it relates to Nantucket, despite its tiny size.

Author Talk: Mary Reed, author of An Empire for Ravens: A John the Lord Chamberlain Mystery

Nov 1, 2018

ONE FOR SORROW, which kicked off Mary Reed and Eric Mayer’s John the Lord Chamberlain historical mystery series, was the very first novel published by Poisoned Pen Press back in 1999. Two decades later, the husband-wife writing duo is still going strong, with the 12th installment, AN EMPIRE FOR RAVENS, now in stores. In this interview, Mary explains how she and Eric managed to connect with the Press all those years ago, the amount of research that goes into recreating the world of Byzantium in the sixth century, and the fascinating inner workings of their collaboration process.

Author Talk: Jean Thompson, author of A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl

Oct 24, 2018

Jean Thompson’s latest novel, A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A GIRL, is a moving family saga about three generations of women who struggle to find freedom and happiness in their small Midwestern college town. In this interview, Thompson explains why she named the three sections of her book “Lilacs,” “Sacrifice” and “The Girl of My Dreams”; talks about her decision to set the novel in a university town, and the role that the university played in the characters’ development and relationships with the town; reveals which of her three female protagonists she feels she knows best; and attempts to answer what she calls “[a] question for the ages.”

Author Talk: Eileen Brady, author of Penned: A Kate Turner, DVM, Mystery

Oct 24, 2018

PENNED is the fourth book in Eileen Brady’s mystery series starring veterinarian Kate Turner, the first installment of which, MUZZLED, won the 2013 Discover Mystery Award. In this interview, Brady explains why she decided to use the infamous Robert Fisher case from 2001 as the jumping-off point for this latest story; talks about her 20-year stint as a practicing veterinarian, including some of her favorite patients; and shares the most important lesson she has learned about writing mysteries that she wishes she had known in the early stages of her career.