Blog

Brendan Slocumb is a musician, music educator, guest conductor, and the celebrated author of the book club favorite THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY. His latest novel, SYMPHONY OF SECRETS, is another love letter to music wrapped around a compelling mystery that echoes through generations. In his blog post, Brendan recalls growing up immersed in a culture of reading, even though he didn’t realize it at the time. As he says, “Reading was never a punishment; it was just something we did. I had no clue that my mom was quietly giving us the incredible gift of how words could entertain and create new worlds.”

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman is a novelist and journalist whose fiction includes her recent thriller, BURNING DISTANCE, and the upcoming THE FAR SIDE OF THE DESERT. Her younger son is author Elliot Ackerman, whose latest novel is HALCYON. Her older son, Nate, is a mathematician. As a child, Joanne would get lost in the pages of books that her mother read to her or encouraged her to read. This allowed her to travel all over the world and experience the sights and sounds of each destination she visited, all from the comfort of her own home. Joanne followed in her mother’s footsteps by making sure that Elliot and Nate were exposed to the joys and wonders of reading books and creating stories at a young age.

Megan Abbott is the Edgar Award-winning author of such novels as THE TURNOUT, GIVE ME YOUR HAND, YOU WILL KNOW ME, THE FEVER, DARE ME and THE END OF EVERYTHING. Her latest, BEWARE THE WOMAN, releases on May 30th and dissects the ongoing conversations about ownership and womanhood. Megan’s mother, writer Patricia Abbott, introduced her to countless books as a child and was the biggest influence on her reading habits. Patti gave Megan her first “adult” novel to read, which began her love of mysteries and thrillers, helping to pave the way for her career as a bestselling crime fiction author.

We are kicking off this year’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series with Joshilyn Jackson, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous novels, including her newly released psychological thriller, WITH MY LITTLE EYE. Joshilyn and her brother were voracious readers growing up. Their mother happily took them to the library and let them borrow as many books as they were allowed. Joshilyn credits her mom with helping to shape her into the reader and writer that she is today, which started when she was just a newborn. These days, their bond is as strong as ever, thanks in part to their shared love of books.

THE CARGO REBELLION is a stunning graphic narrative that tells a true story of mutiny on the high seas in which 400 indentured Chinese men overthrew their captor, the Connecticut businessman and slave trader Leslie Bryson, taking a stand against an exploitative global enterprise. Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, talked with the creative team behind the book --- writers Jason Chang, Benjamin Barson and Alexis Dudden, and illustrator Kim Inthavong --- about how this project was conceived, the extensive research they conducted, and what they hope readers will take away from this eye-opening book.

There has never been a full-length biography of Mickey Spillane, the most popular and influential mystery writer of his era --- until now. Max Allan Collins became Spillane’s friend and collaborator, continuing the Mike Hammer series for years after Spillane’s death, building upon unfinished manuscripts he left behind. Now, with co-author James L. Traylor, Collins has produced SPILLANE, the first comprehensive and authoritative profile of the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master. Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, talks to Collins and Traylor about the book and their interactions with Spillane.

We wrap up this year’s Holiday Author Blog series with Pam Jenoff, the bestselling author of numerous works of historical fiction. Her latest, CODE NAME SAPPHIRE, releases on February 7th and revolves around a woman who must rescue her cousin's family from a train bound for Auschwitz. For Pam, the holidays have always been about giving and receiving books. Her children are avid readers, so books are a very important part of their lives, especially during this time of year. Read on to find out which titles and genres appeal to them the most --- and what’s on Pam’s holiday reading wish list.

LUCK OF THE DRAW is the compelling memoir of Frank Murphy, an American hero who flew during World War II and cheated death for months in a German POW camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress. Originally published in 2001, the book will be rereleased on February 28th with new forewords by his granddaughter, CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas, and his daughter, Elizabeth Murphy. Frank’s incredible, inspiring story also will be featured in the upcoming Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks series, “Masters of the Air,” on Apple TV+. In this holiday blog post, Chloe reminisces about the magical Christmases she spent with her grandparents and the greatest gift they gave her.

Jonathan Kellerman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series --- the latest installment of which, UNNATURAL HISTORY, releases on February 7th. Back in 1992, shortly before the holiday season, the sixth entry in the series, PRIVATE EYES, was published. The book was panned twice by the same Chicago newspaper, but an encounter with a legendary author and their subsequent correspondence made Jonathan forget all about those negative reviews --- because her review was the one that counted.

Laura Munson is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the memoir THIS IS NOT THE STORY YOU THINK IT IS: A Season of Unlikely Happiness and the USA Today bestselling novel WILLA'S GROVE. It all started last year when Laura’s two children, both in their 20s, told their mother that they wanted to experience a different kind of Christmas and go somewhere. A reluctant Laura kept an open mind but did not want to abdandon all of their usual holiday activities, the most sentimental of which was reading Truman Capote’s A CHRISTMAS MEMORY together. Read on to find out how she managed to keep this time-honored tradition alive and well in the midst of change.