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Women’s Fiction

Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Writers on Writing

May 28: Martha Hall Kelly with Martha’s Vineyard Book & Beach Club

A love letter to literature. Resilient women. And a very special island.

Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club with author Martha Hall Kelly

A contemporary mystery that can only be solved by learning about the past, Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club is based on many aspects of Martha Hall Kelly‘s mother’s family history, making it the author’s most personal work to date.

The story discloses little-known facts of what took place on Martha’s Vineyard during WWII—that German U-boats cruised the surrounding waters, and Nazi spies snuck ashore. At the novel’s center, two sisters start a book club that changes history.

We discuss Martha’s writing and the power of storytelling through some of the literature discussed at the Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. Martha shares her challenges in crafting the story. And how she got into the head of a woman growing up in WWII on Martha’s Vineyard.

Meet Martha Hall Kelly

Martha Hall Kelly is the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls, Lost Roses, Sunflower Sisters, and The Golden Doves. She was born and raised in Massachusetts, received Journalism degrees from Syracuse and Northwestern Universities, and worked as an advertising copywriter for many years before becoming a novelist. With more than two million copies of her books sold and translated in 50 countries, Martha lives in Litchfield, CT, Hobe Sound, FL, and New York City. 

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

Jun 21: Welcome To Beach Town with Susan Wiggs

What Happens When You Dream One Thing & Something Different Comes Your Way?

Welcome to Beach Town with author Susan Wiggs

A longtime listener favorite returns to today with her latest summer release – Welcome to Beach Town. Bestselling author Susan Wiggs is known for exploring everyday dramas of ordinary people, facing extraordinary circumstances.

In Welcome to Beach Town, Susan dives deeply into timely, complex themes including the dark side of privilege and class, drug and alcohol abuse, grief, trauma, and women’s empowerment.

We discuss how the story behind real-life headlines inspired the concept for Welcome to Beach Town. How Susan developed her characters and the idyllic California beach town for the story’s key setting. Susan also shares some of the research she delved into. And what she attributes to the sustainability of a 30+ year career as a published author.

About Susan Wiggs

Susan Wiggs is the author of more than 50 novels, including the beloved Lakeshore Chronicles series and the recent New York Times bestsellers The Lost and Found Bookshop, The Oysterville Sewing Circle, and Family Tree. Her award-winning books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. She and her husband live on an island in Washington State’s Puget Sound area. More about Susan Wiggs.

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

OCT 21: A.F. Brady’s Once A Liar & Robyn Carr’s The View From Alameda Island

Eleven times #1 New York Times bestselling author, Robyn Carr, joins us with The View from Alameda Island.  You’ll hear why, despite Robyn’s success as a writer, her daughter most admires Robyn’s humility. And from Robyn’s perspective, we’ll hear what it’s like writing sex scenes, knowing your daughter’s going to read them.  How she sets those scenes up, why they’re important to romance and women’s fiction. And what Robyn says to readers who wish she’d skip the sex scenes.

Dozens of millions of Robyn’s books have been sold around the world, and translated into more than 19 languages.  

Also joining us, A.F. Brady, New York State licensed mental health counselor and psychotherapist turned novelist.

Brady’s long career in mental healthcare provides her with an abundance of material for creating the perfect sociopathic character, in her second novel, Once A Liar.  When a character is so cold, distant, and dastardly, what makes the reader stick with him?  We’ll find out today!

Tune in at noon PT / 3 pm ET on Seattle’s KKNW am1150 and FM 98.9HD3. Or online, from anywhere in the world, at https://1150kknw.com/ … hope you’ll join us!

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

FEB 12: Charles Todd’s The Gatekeeper, David Plante’s American Stranger, & Susan Meissner’s As Bright As Heaven

Writing a book is hard enough work, and collaborating on a novel and finding success is almost unheard of.  But the mother and son writing team operating under the pseudonym of Charles Todd have created a series with resounding success.  The Gatekeeper is the latest in their New York Times bestselling Inspector Rutledge series.

Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother-and-son writing team who share a rich storytelling heritage, both having enjoyed being regaled by years of tales from their fathers and grandfathers.

Next, National Book Award nominated writer David Plante joins us from Italy to discuss his latest novel, American Stranger, an  insightful story about the search for identity, and how our real lives are far more complex than our labels.

David is an acclaimed author of both fiction and memoirs.  He is a retired professor of creative writing at Columbia University.

Finally, award-winning author Susan Meissner set her latest novel, As Bright As Heaven, during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic.  We’ll discuss how she found inspiration from this tragic moment in our history that claimed over half a million lives in a year’s time.

Susan is an author, speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism.  She has had her works named as both a Goodreads finalist for Best Historical Fiction and Booklist’s Top Ten Women’s Fiction titles.

 

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