Pam Jenoff, author of Code Name Sapphire
We ❤ Pam Jenoff! Not only because she’s the author of several (NYT bestselling) books, but because she has so many layers; she’s a writer, a Mom, a wife, oh and did we forget to mention that she holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her JD from UPenn!?
Many of her historical fiction novels, including her upcoming book Code Name Sapphire, are inspired by her experiences working at the Pentagon and as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland.
Natalie Caña, author of A Proposal They Can’t Refuse
If you love heat, humor and heart, you’re going to love Natalie Caña! She always seems to have a pen in her hand, whether it’s writing her debut novel A PROPOSAL THEY CAN’T REFUSE, being a teacher to tiny sized humans or being a softball coach (hey, you need a pen to keep score 😉). She loves to be creative!
She loves to incorporate her you’ll-never-believe-what-just-happened-to-me personal experiences, enthusiasm for telenovela tomfoolery, and love for her Latinx culture into creating funny, heartfelt, and just a little bit over-the-top contemporary romances for characters who look and sound like her.
Mary Kubica, author of Local Woman Missing
You’ve seen her name of several bestselling books, and with good reason, Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today author of many suspense novels, including The Good Girl, Pretty Baby, Local Woman Missing and her new book, Just the Nicest Couple, which will be in stores on January 17th, 2023.
But did you know that she’s a former high school history teacher? Or what about the fact that she fosters and cares for animals at her local shelter. We strongly suggested hitting that follow button on her Instagram page to see all her adorable cat guests 😉
Phaedra Patrick, author of The Messy Lives of Book People
We love sharing features of our authors, 1) because they’re awesome and 2) they’re so much more than authors! Today we want you to meet Phaedra Patrick, author of The Messy Lives of Book People. Yes, she’s written some incredible novels (including Rise and Shine Benedict Stone that was made into a Hallmark movie), but she’s also worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organizer and communications managers.
Writers… they can really do it all ❤
Robyn Carr, author of A Family Affair
Robyn Carr was a young mother of two in the mid-1970s when she started writing fiction, an Air Force wife, educated as a nurse, whose husband’s frequent assignment changes made it difficult for her to work in her profession. Little did the aspiring novelist know then, as she wrote with babies on her lap, that she would become one of the world’s most popular authors of romance and women’s fiction, that 11 of her novels would earn the #1 berth on the New York Times bestselling books list.
Fun fact: Two academics might have discovered the answer in their 2005 study of Robyn’s Virgin River series. Jessamyn Neuhaus and John Neuhaus published their paper in the Spring 2015 issue of Studies in Popular Culture. The series “shatters the order of things prevailing . . .,” they wrote in “Envisioning Utopian Possibilities in Robyn Carr’s Virgin River Romance Novels.” Virgin River “suggests a communal mode of living that contrasts in some important ways with the rampant individualism of twenty-first century American society . . . depicting Virgin River as a believable community that prioritizes friendships, sharing of resources, and social solidarity above individual achievement and consumerism.”
How cool is that? Are you going to be watching Season 4 of Virgin River!?
You can pick up A Family Affair wherever books are sold!
Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary
Let’s talk about Sarah Penner and the success that came from writing her debut novel The Lost Apothecary. Here are the facts:
- Instant New York Times bestseller, debuting at #7 on the hardcover fiction list
- In the works as a drama series at Fox
- Book of the Year top 5 finalist
- On the USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists for 3 months
- On the IndieBound bestseller list for 5 months
- International bestseller in Canada, Belgium, Sweden and Spain
- Sold in forty territories
But did you know that Sarah Penner decided to become an author after attending a moving lecture given by Elizabeth Gilbert. She was on tour for Big Magic, a game-changing book for creatives. Soon after her talk, Sarah Penner enrolled in her first online creative writing class and hasn’t looked back since.
The London Séance Society coming April 2023!
Tashie Bhuiyan, author of A Show For Two
This is Tashie Bhuiyan and she writes the most loveable Young-Adult books! She’s the author of Counting Down with You, and her newest book A Show for Two and has hopes to change the world, one book at a time. We’re bias, but we think she’s doing just that! ❤
She loves writing stories about girls with wild hearts, boys who wear rings, and gaining agency through growth. Her most recent book was inspired by Tom Holland, that’s right… Spiderman, who went undercover as a student in Tashie’s high school during her senior year. If you love hate-to-love and POC love stories, you need to check out Tashie’s work.
She also loves Chipotle and bookstores, so she can come hang out with us any time!
Alex Kiester, author of The Truth About Ben and June
Alex Kiester, author of The Truth About Ben and June, has been described as an author of books with heart and teeth. So you know she’s an author you need to check out. Here are some other fun facts about Alex:
- Her weirdest quirk is that she cries almost every day (usually at sappy commercials)
- Her favorite place to read is in the bath
- Her TV show faves change on a daily basis, but today’ it’s Severance.
- When it comes to drinks, her faves include coffee, red wine and hot water!
Her heartfelt debut explores the complexity of a modern-day marriage when a new mother vanishes one morning and her husband must retrace events of their recent past to bring her home.
Alka Joshi, author of The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Alka Joshi on a Zoom, in person or really, anywhere on the internet, you’re missing out! With over 500+ book clubs under her belt, Alka Joshi “hit the road” from her living room to promote her book The Henna Artist when it was chosen as a Reese Book Club pick and become beloved in the reader community.
So when her second book hit shelves in 2021, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, readers were ready to read and engage with this delightful human being. She’s currently hard at work on the third book of the trilogy and a screen adaptation of The Henna Artist, which will air on Netflix and star Freida Pinto.
The Perfumist of Paris coming March 2023!
Catherine Adel West, author of The Two Lives of Sara
Catherine Adel West is the author of the upcoming book The Two Lives of Sara. She’s also a dreamer and a believer in good things. To quote Catherine, “Among the many passions I’ve cultivated, writing is the one which wholly defines me and the one challenging the way I process the world and the people within it. We all dismantle our walls in different ways. I use words.”
Her words are like magic on the page and when you pre-order her new book, you’ll instantly be swept up in a dazzling novel filled with hope, resilience and unexpected love.
And take it from us, make it a point to see Catherine on book tour – she’s one of the kindest and funniest people we know. ❤
