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Friends & Fiction: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry, Ron Block, Bleav
We're four bestselling novelists and friends whose common love of reading, writing, and independent bookstores bound us together. Now we want to share and celebrate stories—of the books we’ve written, the ones we’re reading now, and the art of writing—with each other and the guest authors we invite to join us. If you love books and are curious about the writing world, you’re in the right place.
Latest Episodes
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- 6 days ago39 min
Friends and Fiction with Ron Charles
On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Mary Kay Andrews welcome prominent American literary critic and journalist Ron Charles, best known for his long tenure as the editor of Washington Post Book World. After more than a decade teaching American literature, Ron served for seven years as the book review editor and staff critic for The Christian Science Monitor. He was hired by The Washington Post in 2005, where he spent 21 years working as a book reviewer and the editor for Book World, becoming a leading voice in contemporary literary culture. After The Washington Post eliminated its book section in early 2026, Ron transitioned to independent journalism on Substack where he has quickly amassed nearly 40,000 subscribers. We are eager to talk to Ron about the rapidly shifting environment of books coverage and the future of how readers will discover new books in this changing landscape. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 1 weeks ago51 min
Friends and Fiction with Audrey Niffenegger
On this episode, Kristin Harmel, Patti Callahan Henry & Mary Kay Andrews welcome the multi-million copy bestselling author of The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger to discuss our October 2026 Pick of the Month, Life Out of Order, her exhilarating new speculative story set in a dystopian future where virtual reality and real life converge. Audrey Niffenegger is a visual artist and writer whose book art, prints, and paintings are included in the collections of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Newberry Library, and the Library of Congress. A former Professor at Columbia College, she helped found their Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, and also founded Artists Book House, a non-profit center for the literary and book arts. She has published eight books, including the novels The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry, as well as the graphic novels Raven Girl and The Night Bookmobile. A modern classic that has captivated readers worldwide, The Time Traveler's Wife has been adapted into a film, an HBO series, and a West End stage musical. We are eager to talk to her about Life Out of Order, an epic genre-bending tale told through a kaleidoscope of perspectives, that moves through a boundless, unfolding universe of virtual reality, and skims the wildest reaches of technology and the natural world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 2 weeks ago38 min
Friends and Fiction with Bonnie Garmus
On this episode, Ron Block & Kristin Harmel welcome Bonnie Garmus, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the global sensation Lessons in Chemistry, to discuss Peck & Peck, her irresistible, delightful, and tender new literary novel set in the publishing world of 1980s New York City about a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive, and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world. Bonnie is a coffee-dependent American novelist whose debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, was a Good Morning America Book Club Pick, a Goodreads Choice Best Book of the Year, spent nearly two years on the NYT bestseller list and was named by Times readers as one of the top 100 books of the 21st century. Translated into over forty languages, Lessons in Chemistry was honored with sixteen international literary awards and made into an Apple TV limited series. We are so excited to talk to Bonnie about her second novel, Peck & Peck, which Kristin Hannah praises as “charming, uplifting, soulful, and original,” and LitHub says will “fill a void in all our hearts with a needed dash of wit and poignancy.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 3 weeks ago54 min
Friends and Fiction with Annie Hartnett
On this episode, Mary Kay Andrews & Kristin Harmel welcome bestselling, award-winning author Annie Hartnett to discuss her darkly comic and warm-hearted national bestseller, The Road to Tender Hearts, about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush—bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death. Annie is the award-winning author of two previous novels Rabbit Cake and Unlikely Animals. Released in its trade paperback edition in April, The Road to Tender Hearts, won the 2025 New England Book Award for fiction, was longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award, was named a best book of 2025 by NPR, LitHub, and Southern Living, and has been translated into nineteen languages. We are so excited to have Annie join us from her home in Massachusetts to talk about this word-of-mouth sensation that is beloved by book clubs and which John Irving calls, “a miraculous novel—an actual and spiritual road trip you won’t forget.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Oct 2, 202631 min
Friends & Fiction with Lucy Foley
On this episode, Mary Kay Andrews & Ron Block welcome #1 bestselling author Lucy Foley to discuss her brand-new novel, Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, the first fully authorized Miss Marple mystery in fifty years featuring Agatha Christie’s iconic detective. Lucy is a #1 Sunday Times, Irish Times, and New York Times bestselling author with more than 10-million copies of her books in print worldwide and several currently being adapted for the screen. She is a Waterstones Thriller of the Month author, a three-time nominee at the British Book Awards, and The Guest List was a Reese’s Book Club selection and winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller. As a life-long Agatha Christie fan, Lucy has drawn immeasurable inspiration from the Queen of Crime. In Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, she was inspired to transport Miss Marple – her favorite Christie creation – to the glamorous post-war setting of the Swiss Alps, in a mystery that feels gloriously escapist yet utterly relevant to our times. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Sep 25, 202647 min
Friends & Fiction with Ariel Lawhon
On this episode, Patti Callahan Henry & Kristin Harmel welcome New York Times bestselling author Ariel Lawhon to discuss her brand-new instant NYT-bestselling novel, The Pirate Queen, a sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Ariel is an award-winning, critically acclaimed, bestselling author of seven works of historical fiction including Code Name Hélène, The Wife the Maid and the Mistress, and I Was Anastasia. Her 2023 novel, The Frozen River was a Good Morning America Book Club pick and an NPR Book of the Year that has sold more than a million copies and spent more than 40 total cumulative weeks on the NYT bestseller list, with film rights optioned by Trudie Styler’s Maven Screen Media. Ariel’s books have been translated into more than 40 languages. We can’t wait to venture onto the high seas with Ariel to chat about this keenly observed, action-packed novel that channels the untamed beauty and harsh realities of sixteenth-century Ireland as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Sep 18, 202644 min
Friends & Fiction with Chloe Benjamin
On this episode, Ron Block & Kristy Woodson Harvey welcome award-winning, NYT-bestselling author Chloe Benjamin to discuss her new novel and this month’s Good Morning America Book Club pick, Under Story, an intimate yet epic love story that’s also a sweeping odyssey of scientific discovery. Chloe is the author of The Anatomy of Dreams and The Immortalists which was a New York Times bestseller, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, a LibraryReads favorite, a #1 Indie Next pick, and a best book of 2018 according to NPR and The Washington Post among others. Chloe joins us from her home in the San Francisco Bay Area to discuss her eagerly anticipated new novel that invites us to consider the promise of this life, what might lie beyond it, and how far we would go for more time with the people we love. Already met with wall-to-wall incredible reviews, this novel cements Chloe’s place among our best and most lasting storytellers and we cannot wait to chat with her. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Sep 11, 202654 min
Friends & Fiction celebrates the launch of Falling for Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey
On this episode, the full F&F family gathers to celebrate this month’s F&F Featured Author, our very own Kristy Woodson Harvey, to discuss our August 2026 Pick of the Month, Falling for Peachtree Bluff, the fifth installment in Kristy’s fan-favorite series that reunites the Murphy crew just in time for pumpkin spice season. Kristy is the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of fourteen novels, including Summer State of Mind, Beach House Rules, A Happier Life, and The Wedding Veil. Many of her novels are in various stages of option or development for film and television. Around here she is most adored for her role as one of F&F’s co-founders and co-hosts. Readers have flocked to Kristy’s beloved Peachtree Bluff series for a reason: it’s a cozy coastal town where family secrets refuse to be washed away by the tide and close-knit community is everything. We agree with Susan Mallery who says, "Peachtree Bluff is my happy place!” Go there with us on this LIVE show as we welcome Fall the best way we know how—with a brand-new book perfect for the season and all the fun, laughs, and warm-hearted insights you’ve come to expect from our live launch episodes! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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About Friends & Fiction
We're four bestselling novelists and friends whose common love of reading, writing, and independent bookstores bound us together. Now we want to share and celebrate stories—of the books we’ve written, the ones we’re reading now, and the art of writing—with each other and the guest authors we invite to join us. If you love books and are curious about the writing world, you’re in the right place.
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