Author News & Interviews

Interview: Heather Gudenkauf, author of Little Mercies

Jun 26, 2014

Heather Gudenkauf is the author of the bestselling novels THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE, THESE THINGS HIDDEN and ONE BREATH AWAY. Her latest book, LITTLE MERCIES, revolves around social worker Ellen Moore and the mistake she makes that carries with it tragic consequences. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Alexis Burling, Gudenkauf talks about the what-if scenario that inspired her to write this story, as well as finding harmony between her “mother mind” and her “educator mind.” She also discusses reversing the roles of certain characters in her novels to challenge readers’ preconceived expectations, and shares a lesson she learned from her mother: that “little mercies” are what truly carry us through difficult times.

Interview: Susan Wiggs, author of The Beekeeper's Ball

Jun 26, 2014

Susan Wiggs is following up the success of THE APPLE ORCHARD, the first book in her Bella Vista Chronicles series, with THE BEEKEEPER’S BALL. This second installment picks up where the first left off, but this time the story is Isabel’s. As Tess prepares to get married, Isabel is forging forward in her own life, trying to forget her painful past…which becomes complicated when swaggering, war-torn journalist Cormac O’Neill arrives to dig up old history. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Amie Taylor, Wiggs talks about associating food with love and comfort; her own, let’s just say, tender relationship with bees; and why readers will root for the unlikely couple at the heart of the story. She also shares how she stays motivated to write every day, and the theme she finds herself constantly drawn to (like a bee to honey?): the resilience of the human spirit.

Interview: Mary Kay Andrews, author of Save the Date

Jun 5, 2014

Mary Kay Andrews’s latest novel, SAVE THE DATE, is about Cara Kryzik, a cynical Savannah florist who is about to score the wedding of a lifetime. But when the bride goes missing, Cara must find the wife-to-be and figure out whether or not she believes in love after all. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Jamie Layton, Andrews shares how she nailed all the details of wedding planning (hint: Pinterest is a great place to start!), as well as why she thinks modern brides are throwing over-the-top weddings. She also talks about her love of rehabbing old homes, her favorite flowers, and who the real gardener in her family is.

Interview: Lauren Willig, author of That Summer

Jun 5, 2014

The award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Pink Carnation series, Lauren Willig is no stranger to historical fiction. Her latest novel, THAT SUMMER, is set in both present-day England and the 1800s --- the early days of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, as well as a century she never planned on visiting. Lucky for us that she did, because it’s a story that takes readers on a fascinating journey through a mysterious old house, a hidden love affair, and one woman’s search for the truth about her past --- and herself.

In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Bronwyn Miller, Willig talks about what drew her to the radical Pre-Raphaelites and their movement (which she feels isn’t taken as seriously as it should be), finally yielding to her longtime obsession with “house books,” and which novels influenced THAT SUMMER. On a more personal note, she opens up about how her then-impending motherhood seeped into the story and how she manages to keep track of her many simultaneous projects and her own name (or not!).

Interview: Camilla Läckberg, author of The Hidden Child

May 15, 2014

Camilla Läckberg is a #1 bestselling author in Sweden, as well as the #1 bestselling female author in Europe last year. Her latest novel is THE HIDDEN CHILD, the fifth installment in her Fjällbacka series, featuring the husband and wife team of Detective Patrik Hedström and crime writer Erica Falck. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Joe Hartlaub, Läckberg discusses the powerful image that inspired THE HIDDEN CHILD: a gravestone marked "Tyskungen" (“The German Child”). She also talks about writing the endings of her books first, her method for keeping track of all the complicated storylines in her novels, and how she finds time to continue writing international bestsellers while balancing countless personal and professional obligations.