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Author News & Interviews

Author Talk: Jennifer Chiaverini, author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

Jan 24, 2013

Jennifer Chiaverini takes a break from her bestselling Elm Creek Quilts series to pen MRS. LINCOLN’S DRESSMAKER, which chronicles the friendship between Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley, a slave who earned her freedom through her skill with a needle and thread. In this interview, Chiaverini talks about her inspiration for the book, which is her first stand-alone historical novel. She also explains why the First Lady remains an enigma, despite the volumes of historical and psychological research devoted to her; describes the bond --- and eventual falling out --- between Mary and Elizabeth; and pinpoints what it is about the antebellum and Civil War eras that especially intrigue her as a writer.

Interview: Melanie Benjamin, author of The Aviator's Wife

Jan 17, 2013

In her latest novel, Melanie Benjamin shines an intimate light on one of the most celebrated and fascinating marriages of the 20th century: that of Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow. THE AVIATOR’S WIFE is brilliantly told, full of adventure, love, sorrow and redemption. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Bronwyn Miller, Melanie talks about the neglected women of history, the artistic battle between truth and fiction, and the difficult task of searching out the secret heart of Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

Author Talk: Julie Klassen, author of The Tutor's Daughter

Jan 16, 2013

With her successful historical novels, Julie Klassen has helped to open up the Regency era to readers of inspirational fiction. In her latest effort, THE TUTOR'S DAUGHTER, Emma Smallwood and her father have come to the Cornish coast to tutor the youngest sons of a baronet --- but all is not as it seems. In this interview, Klassen talks about the influence of Jane Austen on her work, why readers respond so readily to her books, and the strange presence of palm trees in England.

Author Talk: Elizabeth Wilhide, author of Ashenden

Jan 10, 2013

A centuries-spanning portrait of the life of an English country manor, ASHENDEN marks the arrival of a wonderful new talent. This elegantly crafted historical debut has much to say about class, nationhood and family. In this interview, Elizabeth Wilhide discusses “Downton Abbey,” 19th-century design, and a woman named Emily Snowball.

Author Talk: Wendy Lawless, author of Chanel Bonfire: A Memoir

Jan 10, 2013

With grace and wit, CHANEL BONFIRE tells the story of a young girl’s coming of age in the home of a mentally unstable mother. This remarkably powerful memoir traces the author’s journey “without a road map” from confusion and hurt to eventual forgiveness. In this interview, Wendy Lawless talks about other memoirs that have influenced her, her favorite acting roles, and of course, that difficult mother of hers.