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Author News & Interviews

Interview: Svetlana Satchkova, author of The Undead: A Novel of Modern Russia

Jan 15, 2026

In THE UNDEAD, a gripping tale of contemporary Russia, a young filmmaker and her friends run afoul of a government that ruthlessly oppresses artists who dare to satirize the regime. In this interview conducted by former publicity executive Michael Barson, Svetlana Satchkova talks about her decision to write the novel in English and the impact it has had on her approach to fiction; explains the differences between life in Moscow and New York; and names the three authors who she believes have done the most effective job of writing stories that accurately depict the state of life in Russia.

Interview: David Margolick, author of When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy

Dec 4, 2025

WHEN CAESAR WAS KING is the first definitive biography of Sid Caesar, the founding father of television comedy and an icon to generations of Americans. In this interview conducted by former publicity executive Michael Barson, longtime New York Times and Vanity Fair writer David Margolick talks about his research for the book and the surprises he unearthed about Caesar’s rise to television stardom and subsequent fall; the frustrating unavailability of full episodes of Caesar’s iconic variety program, “Your Show of Shows”; and Caesar’s volatile relationship with Mel Brooks and what might have been had he pivoted to a film career as Brooks did.

Interview: Mike Maden, author of Clive Cussler Quantum Tempest: A Novel of the Oregon Files

Nov 20, 2025

Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon face a ghost ship, deadly assassins and a threat from Cabrillo’s own past in their race to stop the launch of the world’s deadliest machine in CLIVE CUSSLER QUANTUM TEMPEST. This is the 19th Oregon Files novel and the fourth written by Mike Maden. In this interview conducted by former publicity executive Michael Barson, who was Clive Cussler’s primary publicist at G.P. Putnam’s Sons from 1999 to 2015, Maden talks about his favorite Oregon Files characters, the challenges he has faced since taking over the series, and why he thinks that a film or TV series adaptation of these books has the potential to be a huge success.

Interview: Jack Du Brul, author of Clive Cussler The Iron Storm: An Isaac Bell Adventure

Sep 11, 2025

Detective Isaac Bell faces the horrors of the Great War while battling a mysterious anarchist group intent on bringing brutality to the shores of America in THE IRON STORM, Jack Du Brul’s latest thrilling adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series created by Clive Cussler. In this interview conducted by former publicity executive Michael Barson, who was Cussler’s primary publicist at G.P. Putnam’s Sons from 1999 to 2015, Du Brul talks about incorporating iconic figures into his stories, the importance of research to ensure that every detail is accurate, and why he loves writing historical fiction so much.

Interview: Mike Phillips, author of The Dancing Face

Aug 14, 2025

A Black university professor plans a burglary to “liberate” an African sculpture from a London museum in THE DANCING FACE, a blistering, original thriller that examines the powerful link between identity, sacrifice and possession. In this interview conducted by former publicity executive Michael Barson, Mike Phillips discusses how he felt when he learned that his book, which was originally published in England in 1997, was being released in the US for the first time. He also explains what inspired him to begin writing crime fiction and talks about a possible series adaptation of THE DANCING FACE.