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Author News & Interviews

Interview: Steve Stern, author of The Village Idiot

Sep 14, 2023

Award-winning author Steve Stern’s latest novel, THE VILLAGE IDIOT, is now available in paperback. This Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2022 is an imaginative portrait of expressionist painter Chaim Soutine's life --- from his impoverished beginnings in an East European shtetl, to his Cinderella patronage by the American collector Albert Barnes, and his perilous flight from the Nazi occupation of France. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Stern talks about how his approach to writing this book differed from that of his previous work; what drew him to write about Soutine in the form of a fictional biography; and who he would like to see involved in a potential film adaptation of THE VILLAGE IDIOT.

Interview: Jamie Day, author of The Block Party

Jul 27, 2023

In Jamie Day’s THE BLOCK PARTY, an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On pick, the residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal. On the night of the annual summer block party, there has been a murder. But who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold. In this interview conducted by Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Jamie talks about the inspiration for the book, the decision to take readers back to what happened the year prior to the block party, why the story is told from two characters’ points of view, the creation of an online message board that appears in the novel, and what readers can anticipate from Jamie next.

Interview: Reed Farrel Coleman, author of Sleepless City: A Nick Ryan Novel

Jul 13, 2023

Reed Farrel Coleman is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of 32 novels, including six in Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series. SLEEPLESS CITY marks the debut of Nick Ryan, who is the most powerful cop in New York (even though he doesn’t wear a uniform). He's the mayor's fixer, who is called upon when the men and women who protect and serve are in trouble and need protection themselves. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Coleman talks about his various inspirations for his latest protagonist; the hands-on research that he did for this book, which kicks off his fifth series; and his thoughts on how the publishing industry has changed over the last 25 years.

Interview: Robert J. Lloyd, author of The Poison Machine: A Hunt & Hooke Novel

Jul 13, 2023

Newly released in paperback, THE POISON MACHINE is the thrilling sequel to Robert J. Lloyd’s THE BLOODLESS BOY, which was a New York Times Best New Historical Novel of 2021. This time, early scientists Harry Hunt and Robert Hooke of the Royal Society stumble on a plot to kill the Queen of England. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Lloyd explains how his approach to historical research changed between books one and two, gives us his thoughts on reading reviews of his work, and previews the next two entries in the Hunt & Hooke series --- the third installment of which will release in the spring of 2024.

Author Talk: Aaron Jacobs, author of Time Will Break the World

Jul 6, 2023

Inspired by the largest kidnapping-for-ransom scheme in American history, TIME WILL BREAK THE WORLD weaves a rich backdrop of place and circumstance --- long-term trauma, dysfunctional family legacies, sibling rivalry, a granite quarry, and the Summer Olympics. In this interview, Aaron Jacobs talks about his decision to write a fictionalized account of the Chowchilla, California school bus kidnapping of 1976 and set the novel on the East Coast in the 1980s. He also explains the book’s title, the significance of revisiting these characters 30 years after their ordeal, and his emotional experiences as he was putting together this fascinating, multi-layered story.