"Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Charmaine Wilkerson-Black Cake
Release Date: 12/09/2022
Beatriz Williams: Husbands and Lovers
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Beatriz Williams joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, HUSBANDS & LOVERS, which is a Bookreporter Bets On pick. Here, for the first time, she sets one of her story threads in the present day, while the other takes place in 1950s Cairo. Beatriz loves reading about history and actually began developing the older storyline before moving over to the later one. Readers of THE SUMMER WIVES will note at least one character who finds his place in HUSBANDS & LOVERS. Carol asks about Beatriz’s inspiration for Monk, the rock star in the book, as well as the iconic bracelet that finds...
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Caro Carver: Bad Tourists
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Caro Carver joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her debut thriller, BAD TOURISTS, which is a Bookreporter Bets On pick. Her inspiration for the book came from a trip to the Maldives. It seems like an idyllic setting, but one where a lot more nefarious things might happen. Caro talks about her three characters, who are bound together by a past event, and why she chose a “divorce trip” as the reason for all of them to get away. She also explains how another couple on vacation at the resort worked for her storytelling. Caro shares a lot about her writing process for the book, as well as...
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Marjan Kamali: The Lion Women of Tehran
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Marjan Kamali joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest novel, THE LION WOMEN OF TEHRAN, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. We are told the genesis of the story and how Marjan built on it from there. She delves into her personal history coming to the US as a child and what it means to be a “lion woman.” We learn about how class and culture mattered in the relationship between Ellie and Homa, as well as how motherhood would change Homa. Marjan also discusses how she parsed some of the story to add intrigue --- and what her writing/editing process was like. Persian food is...
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“Bookaccino Live” Book Group with William Kent Krueger
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We wrapped up our early 2024 “Bookaccino Live” Book Group programming with William Kent Krueger as our guest. He discussed his New York Times bestseller and Edgar Award-nominated book, THE RIVER WE REMEMBER. Readers joined to ask questions, which covered a myriad of topics. Kent also gave us a preview of his new Cork O’Connor mystery, SPIRIT CROSSING, which will be available on August 20th, and talked about his audio original novella, THE LEVEE, which came out last year. As always when Kent joins us, the conversation was warm and engaging. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To”...
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Lisa Wingate: Shelterwood
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Lisa Wingate joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest work of historical fiction, SHELTERWOOD, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. She explains the origin of the story, a piece she found about a woman named Kate Barnard that sent her down a rabbit hole of learning more about the children known as “elf children” who lived in trees. They typically were Native American children who were sought after for the land rights that they owned after the Dawes Act went into effect as they were landowners. Lisa grew up in Eastern Oklahoma where the book is set and shares her history of the...
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Ruth Reichl: The Paris Novel
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Ruth Reichl joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about THE PARIS NOVEL, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The concept for this book was born from a section in SAVE ME THE PLUMS, Ruth’s 2019 memoir, which prompted her longtime editor, Susan Kamil, to ask for a novel with that as a starting-off point. Ruth talks about why she set the book in the 1980s, as travel then was so different from what it is now. Yes, she dined at all the places mentioned in the book and remarks that she is surprised that more has not been written about Shakespeare and Company, and the...
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Bookaccino Book Club: Ann Napolitano
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Ann Napolitano joined us for May’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event. She talked about her New York Times bestseller, HELLO BEAUTIFUL (which was Oprah’s 100th Book Club selection), and her newly re-released 2004 debut novel, WITHIN ARM’S REACH. There also was a peek inside her writing process, which includes nine months of musing before putting pen to paper, and she shared a hint of what her next book will be about. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Genevieve Kingston: Terah Shelton Harris: Ann Hood: Mary Kay Andrews: Simone Gorrindo: Megan...
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Genevieve Kingston: Did I Ever Tell You?
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Genevieve “Gwen” Kingston joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her memoir, DID I EVER TELL YOU?, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. When Gwen was three years old, her mother, Kristina, was diagnosed with breast cancer; she passed away when Gwen was 11. When Kristina realized that her cancer was terminal, she created a box filled with individual presents for each year through Gwen’s 30th birthday, as well as special occasion notes for events like engagement, marriage and first baby. With just those last three to open, Gwen explored what these treasures had meant to her along the way....
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Terah Shelton Harris: Long After We are Gone
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Terah Shelton Harris joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her second novel, LONG AFTER WE ARE GONE, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Terah explains what heir property is and the research she did about it to inform her story. She talks about developing the plot from four different points of view and her inspiration for that. Terah always knows how a book will end when she begins writing, and she crafts the story towards that conclusion. She reveals who the easiest character was to write --- and who challenged her the most. Terah also shares the meaning of the dedication in the front...
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Ann Hood: The Stolen Child
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Ann Hood joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest work of historical fiction, THE STOLEN CHILD, which is a Bookreporter Bets On pick. Ann loves the World War I time period and has researched it through the years. She talks about her travels to World War I battle sites and how her son shares her passion for this history. Her thoughts about the tears she has shed inspired one thread of the storyline. Ann and Carol also touch on some musical references and discuss their shared love of knitting, mistakes and all. Book discussed in this episode: THE STOLEN CHILD by Ann Hood: Our Latest...
info_outlineCharmaine Wilkerson joined Carol Fitzgerald for a "Bookaccino Live" Book Group discussion about her debut novel, BLACK CAKE. Three readers shared questions on screen, and then there were numerous audience questions. Charmaine explained how she writes in bursts, and that her writing can sometimes appear in brief on the page, while at other times more is explored. She talked about her characters, her background that inspired the story…and, yes, black cake! There was also discussion about the cover and the additional materials in the paperback edition.
Check out our past "Bookaccino Live" Book Group events!
Joyce Maynard: https://youtu.be/atXP9_gxGU8
Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray: https://youtu.be/rYelwWiTJbE
Janet Skeslien Charles: https://youtu.be/47Sx9DtcAkA
Miranda Cowley Heller: https://youtu.be/gVlKvApDO8M
More “Bookreporter Talks To”:
Clare Mackintosh: https://youtu.be/yxU_npofftw
Jamie Fiore Higgins: https://youtu.be/bz6tTCLmxlE
Thrity Umrigar: https://youtu.be/295H-VzRJeU
Alli Frank and Asha Youmans: https://youtu.be/4kvcZ6nqoo4
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Art Credit: Greg Fitzgerald
Edited by Jordan Hickman