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Author News & Interviews

Author Talk: Michael Brandman, author of Missing Persons: A Buddy Steel Mystery

Sep 28, 2017

Michael Brandman is the author of three Jesse Stone novels, each based on characters created by Robert B. Parker. With his longtime partner, Tom Selleck, he has produced and co-wrote nine Jesse Stone movies and three westerns. MISSING PERSONS is the opening installment in his new mystery series starring Buddy Steel, an LAPD homicide detective who returns home to care for his father, a legendary sheriff who has fallen ill with Lou Gehrig's disease. In this interview, Brandman talks about what differentiates Buddy from other protagonists in today's crime fiction, why he considers the made-for-television movie Stone Cold to be his favorite collaboration with Robert B. Parker, and his working relationship with Tom Selleck as they currently write the 10th Jesse Stone film.

Interview: Kaira Rouda, author of Best Day Ever

Sep 21, 2017

Kaira Rouda is a USA TODAY bestselling, multiple-award-winning author of contemporary fiction. Her latest novel, BEST DAY EVER, is a psychological thriller about a married couple whose planned romantic weekend at their lake house is far from being the “best day ever” that Paul Strom had promised his wife, Mia. In this interview conducted by Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Rouda talks about what inspired her to write her first work of psychological suspense, why the dinner scene is one of her favorite parts of the book, how social media has contributed toward the feeling of what is “perfect,” and her personal connection to Ohio, where the novel takes place.

Interview: Jamie Ford, author of Love and Other Consolation Prizes

Sep 14, 2017

Jamie Ford, whose debut novel HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET is being adapted into a film, returns with a new work of historical fiction. Inspired by a true story, LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES is about a boy whose life is transformed at Seattle’s 1909 World’s Fair. In this interview conducted by Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Ford discusses his inspiration for the novel, the social issues that are explored here (specifically class in its many forms as an underlying theme), and his penchant for writing strong female characters. He also talks about his decision to add titles to his chapters, why his original title for the book, “The Consolation Prize,” had to be scrapped, his tendency to overdo it when it comes to his research, and what readers can look forward to seeing from him in the near future.

Interview: J.T. Ellison, author of Lie to Me

Sep 8, 2017

J.T. Ellison writes dark psychological thrillers starring Nashville Homicide Lt. Taylor Jackson and medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens, and pens the Nicholas Drummond series with  fellow bestselling author Catherine Coulter. Her latest stand-alone novel, LIE TO ME, is about the disintegration of a marriage as grief, jealousy, betrayal and murder destroy the facade of the perfect literary couple. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com’s Joe Hartlaub, Ellison discusses her inspiration for the book, which is more of a domestic thriller than the police procedural to which her fans have become accustomed; talks about how the structure of the novel changed as she was attempting to find the right rhythm for this “rhythm book”; explains what her book journal is and includes a few examples from the journal she used for LIE TO ME; and offers a sneak peek at her numerous upcoming projects.

Interview: Eva Woods, author of Something Like Happy

Sep 8, 2017

Eva Woods has written two women’s fiction novels, as well as crime fiction under her own name, Claire McGowan, all in the UK. She makes her North American debut with SOMETHING LIKE HAPPY, which finds the two main characters --- one of whom starts out the book cynical and depressed, and the other of whom is initially positive and upbeat --- embarking on a remarkable mission: One hundred days. One hundred new ways to be happy. In this interview, conducted by Bookreporter.com's Megan Elliott, Woods talks about how her own experiences at a young age influenced the writing of her book, her struggle to balance the more uplifting parts of her story with the harsh reality of her protagonist’s illness, and the message she would like readers to take away after turning the last page.