Author News & Interviews

Interview: Robert J. Lloyd, author of The Bloodless Boy

Nov 4, 2021

THE BLOODLESS BOY, Robert J. Lloyd’s debut novel, is a powerfully atmospheric recreation of the darkest corners of Restoration London, where the Court and the underworld seem to merge, even as the light of scientific inquiry is starting to emerge. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Lloyd talks about the books he read as a child that fueled his desire to become an author and the work of fiction that inspired him to write THE BLOODLESS BOY; which historical figure from the novel became an unexpected favorite of his; why he included an 11-page bibliography at the end of the book; and how this version of the novel differs from the one he self-published several years ago.

Interview: Philip Kaplan , author of Night in Tehran

Oct 27, 2021

Ambassador Philip Kaplan had a 27-year career as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, which included being U.S. minister, deputy chief of mission and Charge d’Affaires to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, during the tumultuous overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos. His debut novel, NIGHT IN TEHRAN (which is now available in paperback), is a taut thriller about one American diplomat’s year of living dangerously in Tehran in the days leading up to the Iranian Revolution.

In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Ambassador Kaplan talks about his decision to enter the diplomatic service, instances in his career when he had to convince foreign diplomats that certain U.S. proposals served a mutual interest, and the one novel that he considers to be a classic in the espionage thriller genre.

Interview: Gregory Galloway, author of Just Thieves

Oct 21, 2021

Destined to be a neo-noir classic, Gregory Galloway’s JUST THIEVES is a twisty and twisted crime novel that evokes the worlds of George V. Higgins, Patricia Highsmith and David Mamet. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Galloway talks about what led him to pen his own modern-day version of the noir; the literary inspirations that helped shape the character of Rick, a professional thief and recovering addict; why it took him more than three years to write the book; and who he would like to see direct a film version of this story.

Author Talk: Alice Hoffman, author of The Book of Magic

Oct 14, 2021

Alice Hoffman brings us the conclusion of her Practical Magic series in a spellbinding and enchanting final Owens novel, THE BOOK OF MAGIC, which celebrates mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love. In this interview, Hoffman talks about her research process, why she incorporated a true historical figure into the book, how libraries have played a major role in her life, and what she has learned from these characters since first imagining them more than 25 years ago.

Interview: Douglas Wolk, author of All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told

Oct 14, 2021

Comics writer, critic, journalist and teacher Douglas Wolk is the author of the Eisner Award-winning READING COMICS and the host of the podcast “The Voice of Latveria.” Over the course of just five years, he read all 27,000+ comics that make up the Marvel Universe thus far, from Alpha Flight to Omega the Unknown. Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, talks to Wolk about this fascinating project, which he chronicles in his latest book, ALL OF THE MARVELS. In Wolk’s hands, the mammoth Marvel narrative becomes a fun-house-mirror history of the past 60 years, from the atomic night terrors of the Cold War to the technocracy and political division of the present day.