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Author News & Interviews

Interview: Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us

May 5, 2016

Laura Barnett is a writer, journalist and theater critic, whose first novel, THE VERSIONS OF US, is now available in the US. It’s a story of how lives intersect, of possibilities and consequences that ring across the shifting decades, of how even the smallest choices can define the course of our lives. In this interview with Carol Fitzgerald, the president and co-founder of The Book Report Network, Barnett discusses the challenges and delights of writing three versions of the same story and which story she likes best. She also opens up about her own feelings regarding fate and why she may not be as much of a romantic as she’d thought.

Author Talk: Chris Cleave, author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven

May 5, 2016

EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Cleave’s latest book, is a spellbinding novel about three unforgettable individuals thrown together by war, love and their search for belonging in the ever-changing landscape of WWII London. In this interview, Cleave reveals why he could not have written this book without the illuminating conversations he had with people who lived through the war, the one and only way a love letter can bridge the distance between two people, and why prestigious prizes should be awarded to all the books that remain unpublished.

Interview: Laura Lippman, author of Wilde Lake

May 5, 2016

Since her debut, Laura Lippman has won multiple awards and critical acclaim for her excellent crime novels, set in her hometown of Baltimore. Her latest book, WILDE LAKE, is as provocative and timely as ever; the New York Times bestselling author challenges our notions of memory, loyalty, responsibility and justice in this psychologically complex story about a long-ago death that still haunts a family. In this interview, Lippman talks to The Book Report Network's Sarah Rachel Egelman about why she prefers to write about strong women (“write what you know”), what she learned about rape culture while thinking about and researching this novel, and how WILDE LAKE parallels the Harper Lee classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD --- while diverging in one key way.

Author Talk: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of Before We Visit the Goddess

Apr 20, 2016

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the award-winning author of numerous books, including THE PALACE OF ILLUSIONS, ONE AMAZING THING and OLEANDER GIRL. Her latest novel, BEFORE WE VISIT THE GODDESS, sweeps across the 20th century from the countryside of Bengal to the streets of Houston, exploring the complex relationships between mothers and daughters, and the different kinds of love that bind us across generations. In this interview, Divakaruni discusses the various elements that inspired GODDESS --- including books by other authors, cultural mythology and personal experiences --- as well as the themes she seems to return to, intentionally or not, again and again in her work.

Author Talk: Kathleen Grissom, author of Glory Over Everything

Apr 7, 2016

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Kathleen Grissom is now happily rooted in south-side Virginia, where she and her husband live in the plantation tavern they renovated. Those renovations inspired THE KITCHEN HOUSE, her debut novel and a smash hit with readers, especially book groups. Now she follows up that success with GLORY OVER EVERYTHING, where she continues the story of Jamie Pyke, son of both a slave and master of Tall Oakes, whose deadly secret compels him to take a treacherous journey through the Underground Railroad. In this interview, Grissom opens up about the tremendous and emotional research that goes into writing a historical novel about slavery, as well as the reason she felt compelled to tell Jamie’s story (he was not her first choice). She also talks about why THE KITCHEN HOUSE inspires such great discussions and what she plans to work on next.