In Stores Now!
THE NEWCOMER
The Queen of the Beach Reads is back with “this summer's hottest read” (Westport Magazine). Named both an IndieNext and a LibraryReads pick for May, The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews is a "perfect-for-poolside binge-reading pick" (Country Living).
Come along for the ride in this fish-out-of-water tale, as plucky protagonist Letty Carnahan tries to solve her sister’s murder and care for her niece, while contending with the quirky snowbirds and close-knit family who run her temporary home and hideout at the Murmuring Surf Motel. The Newcomer showcases everything Mary Kay has become known for: her signature humor, characters you can root for, a little romance, and a mystery that keeps the pages flying—all in a Florida Gulf Coast setting so authentic you will feel the sand between your toes.
The book tour for The Newcomer kicked off this week. The tour is a mix of in-person and virtual events where Mary Kay pairs with incredible authors including Harlan Coben, Karin Slaughter, Patti Callahan, Kristin Harmel, Lisa Unger, and Katherine Center.
|
|
Bookseller of the Week
FOXTALE BOOK SHOPPE
Our featured independent bookseller of the week is FoxTale Book Shoppe. A top tour destination for hundreds of bestselling authors that's twice been named the "Best Bookstore in Atlanta" by Atlanta Magazine, FoxTale is located in historic downtown Woodstock, GA and features eclectic mix of new books in all genres. Shop for THE NEWCOMER by Mary Kay Andrews (in stores now!), THE SUMMER OF LOST AND FOUND (coming next week!), THE SWEENEY SISTERS by our Sunday 5/9 bonus guest Lian Dolan, and other new and recent titles from the rest of Fab Five. Visit the specially curated F&F page on FoxTale's website to SHOP NOW!
|
|
Latest News From "The Fab Five"
MARY KAY ANDREWS is in the midst of a whirlwind launch week for THE NEWCOMER and is so grateful for all of your support. Join her and #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben at a virtual event tomorrow night at 7pm with Booktowne in Manasquan NJ. On Saturday, May 8, She’ll be back in Savannah for a fun book launch party with Patti Callahan at Seaside Sisters on Tybee Island, 11-3 pm. Patti will be signing copies of Surviving Savannah, and the rumor is there will be swag bags for the first 100 guests. Then it’s off to MKA’s hometown and, literally, the scene of the crime, with events in up and down both Florida coasts.
MARY ALICE MONROE is kicking off her book tour recording with SCTV show By The River, a show that celebrates Lowcountry Authors. She is talking about The Summer of Lost and Found, and then Angela May is joining her to discuss their middle grade book The Islanders. She’ll let you know when it airs! Yesterday Mary Alice was interviewed by Walter Edgar for NPR. Stay tuned for that air date. Mary Alice's tour for THE SUMMER OF LOST OF FOUND is a flurry of activities both live and virtual to fit your comfort level. A few dates are listed above under Events but you can find full tour details HERE.
KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY is cooling down from the whirlwind launch for Under the Southern Sky and still giddy with excitement that she made the New York Times bestseller list for the first time in her career. She’s filled with gratitude for all the amazing support from our incredible F&F universe.
KRISTIN HARMEL is thrilled that THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES is out now in the UK (Check out that cover!), and that it just crossed the 5,000-review mark at Amazon, just three weeks before it will be out in paperback in stores across the United States on May 25 (Order your paperback copy now!). She's also thrilled that the first trade review for THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS was such a nice one: Booklist says: "Harmel’s latest WWII adventure, following The Book of Lost Names (2020), was inspired by her deep research into the stories of Jews who evaded the Nazis by hiding deep in the woods. Yona and her quest to understand her origins is compelling, but the real star is Harmel’s richly detailed rendering of the sheltering and sustaining forest."
PATTI CALLAHAN is really looking forward to celebrating MKA’s book release with a few live events this week. Hilton Head Magazine came to visit Patti in Bluffton and, although Winnie the dog is the star of the show, Patti loved talking to the reporter about her love of story, the Lowcountry, and Surviving Savannah.
|
|
An Original Essay by Mary Kay Andrews
Each week, the Friends & Fiction authors take turns
writing an essay for Parade.com, the online home of Parade magazine.This week, in honor of Mother's Day,
Mary Kay shares a column on remembering all the ways
our moms got things right.
Occasionally, on Sunday nights, the phone will ring and I’ll expect to hear my Mom’s voice on the other end of the line. In my mind’s eye, she’s chain-smoking and drinking iced tea and talking a mile a minute about the latest book she’s just read. The reality is, it’s been 16 long years since her passing, 16 years since she called to tell me what she was reading.
My mother devoured books the way she devoured life, in big, indiscriminate gulps. Married at 18, a mother at 19 with five children before her 26th birthday, reading was her passion, her escape, her tonic. She was never without a book.
I can remember as a very young child she would load up the five of us, plus assorted neighbor kids, for a trip to a Bayfront Park a few blocks away. While this barefoot tribe of urchins marauded around, screaming, yelling, wading, unsupervised into the water, Mom never lifted her head from whatever book she’d disappeared into.
As an impressionable child of the ‘60s who always had her nose in a book of her own, I longed for a homemaker mom like Caroline Ingalls, from Little House on the Prairie, or Trixie Belden’s mom, or even Marmee, from Little Women.
To continue reading Mary Kay's essay on Parade.com, click HERE.
|
|
Listen to the F&F Podcast!
Out Now! S1E9—In a recent episode yet, Kristy interviewed Outlawed author, Anna North.
LISTEN NOW!
LISTEN NOW!
Coming this Friday, May 7th! S1E11—Patti & Mary Kay recently interviewed Jen Hart from Book Club Girl. Be on the lookout for that episode coming in a couple weeks!
Listen, download, subscribe, rate, review & share wherever you get your podcasts!
|
|
News from the F&F Official Book Club
Mark your calendars for these upcoming book club discussions. All events below take place at 7pm ET unless listed otherwise.
The Newcomer is in stores now! Did you miss the Happy Hour with Mary Kay Andrews and Ron Block? If so you can catch up on the fun HERE.
May 7: Happy Hour Luau with Mary Alice Monroe celebrating the release of The Summer of Lost and Found
If you missed our Surviving Savannah book club session with Patti Callahan Henry on Monday April 19th, click HERE to see the fun!
|
|
And Now a Word from our Partner!
MAMA GERALDINE'S
We are so pleased to partner with Mama Geraldine's Bodacious Foods! Not only is Mama Geraldine's the maker of the world's most delicious (and this country's bestselling!) cheese straw, they're also a woman-owned business. And we can really get behind that! Try their six flavors of cheese straws and their oh-so-delicious cookies. Get 20% off your online order at MamaGeraldines.com with the code FABFIVE. SHOP NOW!
|
|
CONNECT WITH THE FRIENDS & FICTION HOST AUTHORS! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
