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Author News & Interviews

Interview: Amy Meyerson, author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays

Jun 28, 2018

Amy Meyerson’s debut novel, THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS, introduces readers to Miranda Brooks, who inherits a beloved bookstore from her eccentric uncle and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Bronwyn Miller, Meyerson talks about her inspiration for the book --- an article she read in the New York Times Book Review that detailed the strange and memorable objects readers have found in used books. She also explains how she chose the novels that figure prominently in the clues Miranda is given for her literary scavenger hunt (it was a long and painstaking process), discusses the ways in which her work as a professor has informed her writing (and vice versa), and gives us a sneak peek at her next work of fiction --- a family mystery involving a historic diamond that has been missing for a century.

Author Talk: Sulari Gentill, author of Gentlemen Formerly Dressed: A Rowland Sinclair Mystery

Jun 21, 2018

GENTLEMEN FORMERLY DRESSED is the fifth and latest entry in Sulari Gentill’s series of mysteries set in the 1930s featuring Rowland Sinclair, the gentleman artist-cum-amateur-detective. In this interview, Gentill discusses her inspiration for the series, how she conducts her research to give authenticity to the settings, why she is a “pantser” (a novelist who writes by the seat of her pants), the most interesting queries she has received from her readers, and why she often has two or more books going at the same time.

Author Talk: Ruth Ware, author of The Death of Mrs. Westaway

May 30, 2018

Ruth Ware follows up her New York Times bestsellers IN A DARK, DARK WOOD, THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and THE LYING GAME with her highly anticipated fourth novel, THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY. This Agatha Christie-style story revolves around the duplicitous actions taken by its main character, Hal, after receiving a mysterious inheritance letter that was clearly meant for someone else. In this interview, Ware explains how this book differs from her previous psychological thrillers; discusses the research she conducted into tarot readers, fake mediums and psychics, along with their techniques, all of which she found fascinating; and reveals the two writers who were the biggest influence on THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY.

Author Talk: Jon Talton, author of The Bomb Shelter: A David Mapstone Mystery

May 17, 2018

Jon Talton is the author of a series of mysteries featuring historian-turned-sheriff's deputy David Mapstone. The ninthand latest installment, THE BOMB SHELTER, is now available and is based on the 1976 car bombing death of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles. In this interview, Talton explains his decision to take on this horrific case, how Mapstone’s frequent ruminations on the changes Phoenix has undergone in the past 50 years mirrors his own feelings on the subject, and why he considers THE BOMB SHELTER to be the toughest book he’s ever written.

Author Talk: Zeyn Joukhadar, author of The Map of Salt and Stars

May 10, 2018

Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar’s debut novel, THE MAP OF SALT AND STARS, is the story of two girls living 800 years apart --- a modern-day Syrian refugee seeking safety and a medieval adventurer apprenticed to a legendary mapmaker. In this interview, Joukhadar explains how she thinks her book can help readers understand the Syrian refugee crisis, and why she decided to make 12-year-old Nour the narrator. She also talks about the significance of the book’s title and her interpretation of it, offers some wonderful advice to new writers, mentions the authors who have influenced her writing the most, and gives us a sneak peek at her second stand-alone novel, which is currently in the works.