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Author News & Interviews

Interview: Elizabeth Letts, author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation

Oct 27, 2011

In THE EIGHTY-DOLLAR CHAMPION, award-winning author Elizabeth Letts tells the incredible true story of rider Harry de Leyer and his horse, Snowman. In November 1958, Harry and Snowman, outsiders to the wealthy horseback-riding culture, won the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden against all odds. Letts narrates the unbreakable relationship between the two and the story behind their success. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Alexis Burling, Letts describes her original discovery of the story, which led to a phone conversation with de Leyer himself. She also shares some of her childhood experiences with her own horse, Pretty Boy Floyd, recommends a few of her favorite horse-related books, and gives advice on how anyone can become involved in the world of horses.
 

Author Talk: Tasha Alexander, author of A Crimson Warning: A Lady Emily Mystery

Oct 27, 2011

In A CRIMSON WARNING, the latest installment in Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily series, a malicious vandal is on the loose. Someone has been splashing red paint on the homes of London’s elite, a precursor to publicizing their deepest and most guarded secrets. It is up to Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, to stop the destruction of innocent lives and find out who is behind the twisted scheme. In this interview, conducted by her husband, thriller writer Andrew Grant, Tasha describes her approach to developing Lady Emily over the six-book series and her unique process of researching the city of London. The couple also explains how they evaluate each other’s writing and shares their favorite London restaurants.

Interview: Hillary Jordan, author of When She Woke

Oct 6, 2011

After the enormous success of her first novel, MUDBOUND, Hillary Jordan’s second book, WHEN SHE WOKE, takes us years into a startling future. Now a ruthless theocracy, America is governed by a repressive system in which criminals of all varieties are forced to have their skin permanently dyed according to the severity of their crime. After an adulterous affair followed by an abortion, protagonist Hannah Payne must face the lifelong shame of becoming a Chrome. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Donna Volkenannt, Jordan discusses her various sources of inspiration for the imaginative plot, as well as why she loves setting her stories in the South. She also recommends some of her favorite upcoming books and shares a charming anecdote about her first reaction to the cover design for WHEN SHE WOKE.

Interview: Alison Bechdel, author of The Best American Comics 2011

Oct 4, 2011

What do you say about a year like 2011? If you’re talking comics…plenty. Alison Bechdel, who this year joins Jessica Abel and Matt Madden to edit the annual anthology The Best American Comics,discusses her favorites, what she looks for in a best comic, and much more.

Author Talk: Alma Katsu, author of The Taker

Sep 29, 2011

THE TAKER, Alma Katsu’s debut novel, begins with Lanny, an immortal woman who arrives at a hospital in Maine in the middle of a cold night and confesses to a murder. Inspired in part by Katsu’s upbringing in “ancient houses that creaked with every passing breeze,” Lanny’s complex saga gradually unfolds, telling of a world where magic, reality and timeless love converge. In this interview, Katsu discusses her childhood fascination with “the spooky and supernatural,” and ties the atmospheric components of the story to her unique ideas about the coexistence of science, religion and human experience. She also describes the process of simultaneously writing in multiple voices, tenses and time periods, and gives several tantalizing glimpses into the two upcoming sequels.