Blog

Lisa Ko is the author of THE LEAVERS, which is the winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Fiction, awarded by Barbara Kingsolver for a novel that addresses issues of social justice. In this, her debut novel, an undocumented Chinese immigrant goes to her job at a nail salon --- and never comes home. No one can find any trace of her. Growing up, the stories Lisa’s mother told were legendary and provided Lisa with her “earliest lessons in narrative and point of view.” Read on to see how Lisa’s mother influenced Lisa’s storytelling with her own brand of telling tales.

Dinitia Smith’s most recent novel is THE HONEYMOON, which is based on the life of George Eliot, the famed author of MIDDLEMARCH. It shares Eliot’s passions and explores the meaning of love. In her own life, Dinitia has spent decades wanting to know more about her mother, who passed away when she was just four years old. She has missed her ardently and wished she knew more about her --- so much so that she wrote fiction about her in an effort to get to know her better.

We kick off this year’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the author of more than a dozen books, including one of Carol Fitzgerald’s favorites, ONE AMAZING THING (a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick). Here, Chitra talks about her mother’s influence on her writing. And after reading this beautiful piece, readers will appreciate all the more that the grandmother in BEFORE WE VISIT THE GODDESS (which is now available in paperback) is modeled, in part, on her mother. This was the first book that Chitra wrote after her mother passed away.

On Saturday, March 11th, New York City readers and booklovers were treated to a wonderful afternoon of celebrated authors discussing their books and writing. Hosted by publisher Simon & Schuster in the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, the Book Club Matinee was the first event from the publisher and, hopefully, not the last. It was just perfect in so many ways.

Washington DC's Shakespeare Theatre (STC) is a jewel in the city, with an extraordinary community service reach…..here is another facet to that jewel. 

Christina Baker Kline, the bestselling author of ORPHAN TRAIN, gives readers the fascinating story behind her latest novel, A PIECE OF THE WORLD, which was inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World.

This weekend, long-time Bookreporter.com reader Nancy Bader attended the Savannah Book Festival, now in its 10th year. Here is her report.... The Savannah Book Festival always runs over President's Day weekend. There's a single, opening speaker Thursday night (James Patterson -- CROSS THE LINE, this year); the keynote Friday night (Colson Whitehead -- THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD) and the closing speaker Sunday afternoon (Christina Baker Kline-- A PIECE OF THE WORLD). Tickets to hear each of those were $20.

Martha Hall Kelly’s LILAC GIRLS --- the remarkable story of unsung women and their quest for love, freedom and second chances during World War II --- debuted last spring to rave reviews (and was a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick). As a woman who likes to write about women, it’s no surprise that one of Martha’s earliest literary obsessions was JANE EYRE --- more specifically, her mother’s precious woodcut version of the Charlotte Brontë classic. In our final Holiday Author Blog, Martha tells her own story of second chances, a book lost and found, and how her late mother’s legacy lives on through the books she loved.  

Marie Benedict’s debut novel, THE OTHER EINSTEIN (a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick), is the fascinating, untold story of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a brilliant scientist in her own right. Marie’s interest in telling the stories of the women overlooked by history was no accident. It was ignited by a fateful Christmas gift from a favorite aunt, THE MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley, a book that gives the women of the Arthurian legend voices and, incidentally, gave Marie her own. Here, she describes the power of a good book to change the course of a life.  

Wendy Walker is a former commercial litigator who began writing while she was home raising her three sons. Multitasking seems to come naturally to the busy mom and bestselling author, which comes in especially handy this time of year. In her Holiday Author Blog, Wendy considers what, exactly, makes Christmas so magical: a combination of innocence, nostalgia, and a mom working hard behind the scenes. Her debut psychological thriller, ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN, was a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick when it released in July.