Bookreporter Podcasty

Karen White joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about The Attic on Queen Street, a New York Times bestseller and the final book in her Tradd Street series. She talks about how she needed to give her characters a good wrap up, and how she wove little clues into this book that will tie to the next series, which will be set in New Orleans. That first book,…

Jim DeFede, author of The Day the World Came to Town, the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical, Come From Away, was our November "Bookaccino Live" Book Group guest. The Day the World Came to Town tells a true story of untold events from September 11th. When United States airspace closed, 38 jetliners were forced to land in Gander, a small town …

Alison Gaylin joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest thriller, The Collective, which looks at a collision of grief, obsession, and rage amongst a group of women who have lost their children at the hands of murderers. Camille, who tragically lost her daughter, is approached by a woman who says, “I know who you are. I know how you feel.” Fro…

Nicole Baart joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest thriller, Everything We Didn't Say, which is the #1 Book of the Month Club selection for October and a Bookreporter Bets On pick. Everything We Didn't Say is set in small town in Iowa and is told in dual time periods. The earlier time period follows siblings Juniper and Jonathan, who grow…

Wade Rouse joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about The Secret of Snow, his latest novel written under his pen name, Viola Shipman. Set in Northern Michigan, it’s the story of a Palm Springs meteorologist who heads back to her frigid hometown after she is replaced by a virtual meteorologist that will never age, gain weight, or renegotiate its contract.…

Sarah Ruhl is a playwright, essayist, and poet, as well as a two time Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominee. Sarah joins Carol Fitzgerald and Austin Ruh to discuss her memoir, Smile: The Story of a Face. Smile is the story of Sarah Ruhl's decade long journey with Bell's palsy, as well as her experiences as a mother and artist. After surviv…

Stephanie Land is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, which is now a successful Netflix series. Carol Fitzgerald had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie in two pre-publication interviews in 2019, when Maid was selected as a Bookreporter Bets On Selection. Netflix recently release…

Lisa Unger joins Carol to talk about her new novel, Last Girl Ghosted, which is her 19th book. Last Girl Ghosted begins with a story many young people in the dating scene may be familiar with. A young woman meets the “perfect guy” on a dating app. They go on a date, then another, and she falls head over heels for him. But then he disappears, and sh…

Lisa Jewell, the New York Times bestselling author, talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her newest thriller, The Night She Disappeared, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. As The Night She Disappeared opens, a young, suburban couple has been missing for a year. A mystery writer moves in near the estate where the disappearance took place and, on …

Dianna Rostad talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her debut novel, You Belong Here Now, which received this praise from William Kent Krueger: “I love this book, and I guarantee you won’t find a better debut novel anywhere.” You Belong Here Now is about three orphans who journey west from New York City on one of the infamous orphan trains. On the train,…

Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her debut novel, In Every Mirror She's Black. Lolá was born in Nigeria and lived in the States for a long time before moving to Sweden. She is an award winning author, speaker, and photographer who has traveled the globe for her work. In Every Mirror She's Black is told through the perspe…

Naomi Hirahara, the Edgar Award-winning author of the Mas Arai series, talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her latest historical mystery novel, Clark and Division, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Clark and Division tells the story of the Ito family who was detained first at Manzanar in California and then to Chicago in 1944 as Japanese Ameri…

Ash Davidson talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her very accomplished debut novel, Damnation Spring, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. It’s a book where the characters and their story will stay with you. Damnation Spring is set in a northern California town in the late ‘70s. Damnation Spring tells the very human story of a family torn apart b…

William Kent Krueger joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss his newest novel, Lightning Strike, which is a prequel to his Cork O'Connor series. He is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Ordinary Grace, This Tender Land, 18 Cork O'Connor novels, and more. Lightning Strike tells the story of 12-year-old Cork O'Connor in his home town o…

Miranda Cowley Heller talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her debut novel, The Paper Palace, which was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Set on the Outer Cape of Cape Cod over the course of 24 hours, Elle must make a decision about whether to stay with her husband, Peter, or to leave her marriage for her childhood friend, Jonas. The book looks b…

Jonathan Santlofer joins Carol Fitzgerald for a lively discussion of his new novel, The Last Mona Lisa, his first novel with a historical setting. The Last Mona Lisa explores the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, giving readers a backstage look at what happened with the painting and the thief behind it all. With forgeries propping up in …

Taylor Jenkins Reid joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about Malibu Rising, her latest New York Times bestseller. Malibu Rising follows four famous siblings over one day in August 1983, the day of their annual party, which is legendary. All the “right” people are there. By the end of the night their lives will be changed, secrets will be revealed -- an…

Chandler Baker, the New York Times bestselling author of the Whisper Network, talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her newest novel, The Husbands. The Husbands follows Nora Spangler, an attorney with more than her career on her plate. She’s up for partnership at her law firm, but at home she’s juggling everything for the house and kids. Her husband work…

Megan Abbott joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest thriller, The Turnout, which is the 10th book in her award-winning career. Set against the world of ballet, The Turnout follows Dara and Marie Durant, two sisters who trained in ballet since they were children. Their parents ran the prestigious Durant School of Dance. After their sudden d…

Megan Miranda joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest thriller, Such a Quiet Place, which is a locked-in thriller. The setting is the idyllic neighborhood of Hollow's Edge, where the residents are also employed by the local college. It’s a convivial place where everyone looks out for one another. The community is reeling from the murder of …

Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray talked to Carol Fitzgerald about their first collaboration, The Personal Librarian, which is a New York Times bestseller, a Good Morning America Book Club Selection, and a Bookreporter Bets On pick. Marie, who has been interviewed for “Bookreporter Talks To” previously, is the New York Times bestsellin…

Scott Shepherd joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his thriller, The Last Commandment, which is the first in a series. They cover a lot of turf here; Scott has had the idea for this book for a while now and talks about how he played around with the it decades before writing it. They spoke in depth about the characters, why he chose London and New …

T.J. Newman joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her debut thriller, Falling, which is a #1 Indie Pick for July and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. TJ, a former flight attendant, got the idea for this book when she was on a flight and asked the flight’s captain, “Hey, what would you do if your family was taken, and you were told that if you didn’…

Kate White joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest novel, The Fiancée, a stand-alone thriller in a locked-in scenario. The Fiancée is set on a sixty-acre estate, where Summer, her husband Gabe, her nine-year-old stepson Henry, and other members of the family have gathered for an annual summer reunion. Enter Hannah, Summer's brother-in-law's…

Julie Clark, the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight, was our June "Bookaccino Live" Book Club guest. In The Last Flight, two women switch places to get a chance at a new life. Claire, who married into a political dynasty that she wants out of, meets Eva in an airport bar. On a whim, the two decide to trade tickets and board the ot…

Lauren Weisberger, the New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears Prada, talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her newest novel, Where the Grass is Green and the Girls Are Pretty. In Where the Grass is Green and the Girls Are Pretty, Peyton thinks she has it all as an anchor of a beloved morning show, with celebrity status and enough money for …

Joshua Henkin joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss his new novel, Morningside Heights. As the author of four novels, Joshua also directs the MFA Fiction Writing program at Brooklyn College. In Morningside Heights, Pru Steiner falls in love with her Shakespeare professor, Spence. Marrying him means ending her ambition to make a name for herself in New …

Zakiya Dalila Harris joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her debut novel, THE OTHER BLACK GIRL. Zakiya spent a few years working in the editorial department at Knopf/Doubleday. She left to write THE OTHER BLACK GIRL when the kernel of a story idea came to her, and it was too good to ignore. In THE OTHER BLACK GIRL, editorial assistant Nella Rogers, w…

Linwood Barclay, the New York Times bestselling thriller author of over 20 novels, joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss his latest thriller, Find You First. In Find You First, Miles Cookson is a tech millionaire who has all the money he could ask for but is running out of time. He's been diagnosed with a terminal illness and hopes to spend the last bi…

Wendy Wax joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest novel, The Break-Up Book Club, a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Wendy is known for writing character-driven novels; she jokes during the interview that there are times she wishes she could skip plot and conflict and just write characters. The Break-Up Book Club is a briskly-paced story abou…

Jean Hanff Korelitz joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her New York Times bestselling novel, The Plot, which also is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. In The Plot, Jacob Finch Bonner is a novelist whose first book saw some success. Since then, his career has been floundering. He teaches at a third-rate writing workshop when he comes across a terrifi…

Laura Dave joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her first domestic suspense novel, The Last Thing He Told Me, which was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, and is a Reese Witherspoon Book Pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The idea for this book is one that Laura had for a while; she started writing notes for it back in 2012, even as s…

Robert Kolker, the New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road, was our May “Bookaccino Live” Book Club guest. Hidden Valley Road, which is now available in paperback, follows the true story of the Galvin family, which was upended by acute schizophrenia in the 1960's and 1970's. At that time, the family hid any suspicion of their abnorm…

Pam Jenoff joins us to talk about her latest New York Times bestseller, THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR. Inspired by true events, THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR tells the story of Sadie Gault, a young woman who takes refuge with her family in the sewers beneath the Krakow Ghetto as Nazis begin to ship Jews to the camps in the middle of WWII. While walki…

Mark Sullivan joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his new historical thriller, THE LAST GREEN VALLEY. Many readers know Mark from his last historical novel, BENEATH A SCARLET SKY, which was a mega-bestseller. THE LAST GREEN VALLEY book is eagerly anticipated. THE LAST GREEN VALLEY here opens in the Ukraine, where the Martel family is offered two o…

Kim Michele Richardson , the New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, was our April “Bookaccino Live” Book Club guest. Kim Michele is a Kentuckian, who is proud to share her Kentucky heritage and that of those before her. Inspired by both the true stories of the "blue people" of Kentucky, and the WPA’s Pack Horse Li…

Sally Hepworth, the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister, joins Carol Fitzgerald from Australia to talk about her latest domestic thriller, which also is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. In The Good Sister, there are twin sisters --- Fern and Rose. Fern, who has behavior issues which allude to being on the autism spectrum, always h…

Lisa Scottoline, the #1 bestselling author of 33 novels, joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her first work of historical fiction, ETERNAL, a sweeping historical epic inspired by true events. Lisa shares the inspiration for ETERNAL, which was four decades in the making. The seeds of it were sown during a class she took at the University of Pennsyl…

Gabriela Garcia, whose short fiction and poetry has appeared in Best American Poetry and other collections, joins Carol to discuss her first novel, OF WOMEN AND SALT, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. OF WOMEN AND SALT looks at the lives of two families of women, from the days of the cigar factories in the nineteenth century Cuba to modern…

As part of the Morristown Festival of Books @Home series, Carol Fitzgerald interviewed Kristin Hannah, author of THE FOUR WINDS, which debuted at #1 simultaneously on the New York Times Print, Combined Print and eBook and Audio Bestseller lists. During their conversation they discuss Kristin’s inspiration and writing process for THE FOUR WINDS, as …

Nadia Hashimi joins “Bookreporter Talks To” to discuss her newest novel, Sparks Like Stars. The book opens in Afghanistan in 1978, where a ten-year-old girl named Sitara witnesses and survives a government coup that has her entire family slain. She is shepherded to an American Foreign Service officer to flee the country. In her writing, Nadia captu…

Alexandra Andrews joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her debut novel, Who is Maud Dixon?, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. In the book, Florence Darrow is early in her career at a book publisher, hoping to eventually make it as a successful author. In the publishing world, Mississippi Foxtrot by Maud Dixon is one of the hottest books on th…

As part of the Morristown Festival of Books @Home series, Carol Fitzgerald interviewed Nadia Owusu, the author of AFTERSHOCKS, which is a memoir. Nadia was born in Tanzania, and raised in Italy, Ethiopia, England, Ghana, and Uganda, before moving to New York when she was 18. She talks about her background traveling the world, as well as why she see…

To kick off Women's History Month in March, Carol Fitzgerald moderated a panel featuring Lauren Willig (BAND OF SISTERS), Marie Benedict (THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE), Kristin Harmel (THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES) and Vanessa Riley (ISLAND QUEEN) as they celebrated the Lauren's new historical novel, BAND OF SISTERS, which is based on her extensive resea…

Chris Whitaker talks to Carol Fitzgerald about We Begin at the End, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The discussion opens with Chris sharing the circuitous --- and somewhat crazy --- route he took to becoming an author, and what drew him to write his lead character, 13-year-old, Duchess. That story alone could be a book. We Begin at the E…

Alex Berenson, joins us to discuss his standalone thriller, The Power Couple, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Both Rebecca and Brian are government agents -- one in the FBI, the other in the CIA. As the book opens, Rebecca and Brian Unsworth are on a vacation in Europe with their teenage children as they celebrate their 20th anniversary.…

Jane Harper joins Carol Fitzgerald from her office in Australia to talk about The Survivors, her latest thriller. Setting has a strong influence on Jane's thriller work, and she talked about exploring Tasmania as part of her research process. Humorously, the setting had Carol looking at maps and confessing that she had no idea where Tasmania was in…

Janet Skeslien Charles joins us to talk about her historical novel, The Paris Library. While working as the programs manager at The American Library in Paris, she learned the history of the library, which celebrated its centennial last year. Included in its storied history are the heroic librarians who stood up to the Nazis during World War II and …

Sharon Virts joins us to discuss her debut novel, Masque of Honor: A Historical Novel of the American South. Inspiration for this book came as Sharon was restoring the historic home where she now lives, called Selma. During her restoration research, she learned about the home’s original owners, and that set her on a path to learn more about the peo…

Sadeqa Johnson joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss Yellow Wife, her first novel of historical fiction. Yellow Wife tells the story of Pheby Delores Brown, a mixed-race woman who grew up in Virginia. When the book opens, she is living on a plantation with her mother, who is a medicine woman. Pheby’s father is the Master of the plantation, which gives …