"Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Charmaine Wilkerson-Black Cake
Release Date: 12/09/2022
Jeff Hobbs: Seeking Shelter
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Jeff Hobbs has been on Carol Fitzgerald’s radar since she first interviewed him 11 years ago at a pre-publication event for THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OF ROBERT PEACE. So, she was happy to catch up with him about his latest work, SEEKING SHELTER: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Jeff explains how he approached the book and why he wrote it through the eyes of three characters: Evelyn, Wendi, and Evelyn’s teenage son, Orlando. He discusses writing it as reconstructive journalism and why he felt that would be...
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Clare Leslie Hall: Broken Country
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Clare Leslie Hall joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, BROKEN COUNTRY, which is both a Reese’s Book Club selection and a Barnes & Noble Book Club pick, as well as a Bookreporter Bets On title. Clare explains the early inspiration for the novel and shares that she worked on it for four years, coming back to it again and again. She discusses the layers of the story while being careful not to reveal any spoilers. The setting is such a big part of the book, as well as the characters, and she notes that the farms near her...
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Charmaine Wilkerson: Good Dirt
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Charmaine Wilkerson talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her latest novel, GOOD DIRT, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. She explains how the character of Ebby Freeman came to her, and from there the idea of the clay jar that has been in the family for generations. Charmaine shares the research she conducted about the work of slaves in the South who created pottery with clay, tracing how an item like this could have made its way from the South to Connecticut with slaves who worked on sailing vessels. And she muses that what happened to Ebby would have implications on the rest of her life....
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“Bookaccino Live” Book Group: Lisa Wingate
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Lisa Wingate joined us for February’s “Bookaccino Live” Book Group to discuss SHELTERWOOD, a Bookreporter Bets On selection that is now available in paperback. She explains what sparked the idea for her novel and why she chose to set it in two time periods: 1909 and 1990. We also learn about the research she did into the “elf children,” the Dawes Act and the formidable Kate Barnard, as well as the life of forest rangers who work in national parks. Lisa believes that listening to stories from our past matter --- and she shares how her work has inspired readers to reach out to find...
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Marie Benedict: The Queens of Crime
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Marie Benedict joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest book, THE QUEENS OF CRIME, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Marie read classic women’s mysteries at a young age, as she was introduced to them by her aunt. Her love for the genre influenced this book, as well as her earlier work, THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE. Marie discusses the case that the five crime writers in the novel set out to unravel, explains why a case like this might have taken long to solve, and talks more about the legendary Detection Club. She also shares what she is working on now and notes a future...
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Joseph Finder: The Oligarch's Daughter
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Joseph Finder joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss his latest thriller, THE OLIGARCH’S DAUGHTER, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Joe talks about writing the novel’s two time frames and how the awareness of what oligarchs are has become a lot more timely in the past few years. He did some wilderness training for part of the book, and then vaulted to learn more about superyachts that are owned by the uber-wealthy. Joe explains the process of building his characters and what drives them. And yes, he shares what is next for him. Our Latest “Bookreporter Talks To” Interviews: Scott...
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“Bookaccino Live” Book Group: Ashley Elston
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Ashley Elston joins us for our first “Bookaccino Live” Book Group event of 2025 to discuss her debut novel for adults, FIRST LIE WINS. This #1 New York Times bestseller and Bookreporter Bets On selection is now available in paperback. Ashley talks about her writing process, which includes the brown butcher paper that lines her walls along with colored Post-it notes, and working with the software program Scrivener. Her past career as a wedding photographer enhanced her writing skills, and she explains how. She shares how the story’s twists and turns came to her, as well as the...
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Scott Turow: Presumed Guilty
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Scott Turow joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his latest legal thriller, PRESUMED GUILTY. This Bookreporter Bets On selection marks the return of Rusty Sabich, following his starring roles in PRESUMED INNOCENT and INNOCENT. Scott explains his decision to write the book and why this may be the last time we see Rusty as a protagonist in one of his novels. He also shares the reason that he chose to make Aaron a young Black man who was adopted by white people. Scott and Carol talk about the mantle of “accused murderer” and what that means to a person, which is something that two of his...
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Michelle Horton: Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds
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Michelle Horton joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about DEAR SISTER: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds, which has just released in paperback with bonus content and is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Michelle shares the harrowing story of how her sister, Nikki, a victim of domestic violence for years, was imprisoned after she killed her long-time partner. Two police officers knocked on Michelle’s door one night and told her that she needed to come to the station to take Nikki’s two- and four-year-old children to her home. She explains what that meant for her --- and her...
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Tracey Lange: What Happened to The McCrays?
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Tracey Lange joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her latest family-themed novel, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE McCRAYS?, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Tracey introduces readers to Kyle and Casey McCray, a divorced couple who are very much estranged. As Kyle returns home to Potsdam, New York, for a family emergency, their shared past haunts them in a way that gives them a chance to come back to one another. But life gets in the way, again and again. There’s middle-school hockey, which I never thought of as a way to bring a couple together, as well as the small town where people are close...
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