interview with Kerstin Hall at CHIRB!

You probably know me as a historical fiction writer, but have you heard I have an epic fantasy novel coming out in 2022? It’s the beginning of a series, even. BIG change. We’ll have a cover reveal soon, and I’ll tell you more about the book then (including its title, premise, all the good stuff!)

To go with that shift, I’m making some other changes, including expanding my beat at Chicago Review of Books to include more fantasy and sci-fi along with the historical fiction and thrillers I’ve been reading and review the past couple of years.

So I was thrilled to read Kerstin Hall’s STAR EATER and interview her about all the rich complexity of her novel, including the joys of world-building, the “minefield” of genre categorization, and why some readers insist on labeling books with no teenage characters as YA.

I also got to ask her one of my favorite questions about SFF:

Fantasy novels set in matriarchal worlds seem to be surprisingly few and far between, considering how open the genre is to invention and imagination. Why do you think that is?

Read Kerstin’s answer, and the complete interview, here.

catch the replay of Ask an Author with Julia Kelly

After a few weeks off, I’m barnstorming the virtual event circuit again! Check out my Events page for details.

I kicked off a week of five (five!) events with a very fun hour talking to Julia Kelly, hosting me on Facebook Live for her Ask An Author series. Couldn’t make it live? No worries! Catch the replay here.

listen to the DMPL podcast about THE ARCTIC FURY!

This is my second visit to the Des Moines Public Library’s podcast, and Aaron always asks such great questions! You can listen to just the first part if you haven’t read the book yet, but there’s a section full of spoilers (with a clear warning beforehand!) if you’ve read THE ARCTIC FURY and want to know all my secrets.

Listen to our super-fun conversation (including news about what I’m up to next!) here.

THE LOST APOTHECARY interview for CHIRB!

Just a quick note that Sarah Penner’s marvelous debut, THE LOST APOTHECARY, is out today! You’ll love this dual-timeframe novel that follows three fascinating women: an apothecary who only allows her poisons to be used to kill misbehaving men, a clever girl whose curiosity about the apothecary leads her to quickly get in over her head, and the modern-day woman whose discovery of an 18th-century apothecary vial spurs her to investigate the unknown as a distraction from her crumbling marriage. I can’t even list how many Most Anticipated lists this book is already on… expect to see it on more lists (like the bestseller lists) soon.

Read our interview here.

podcast time! THE ARCTIC FURY on Wine, Women & Words

Yes, I have been spending an awful lot of time lately spiffing up with lipstick and eyeliner to appear on your computer screens via Zoom (and Crowdcast, and Streamyard, and Facebook Live, etc. etc.) And loving every minute, by the way. But! Sometimes I get to kick back, literally in my pajamas, and do a voice-only podcast, which is a bit more relaxing on my end and hopefully just as fun on yours.

And when we’re all really lucky, these podcasts involve talking to brilliant, book-loving people like Diana and Michele of Wine, Women and Words. So! Make sure you’ve read THE ARCTIC FURY before diving into this spoiler-filled discussion of my real-life inspirations, poor decision-making on the part of certain characters, and just how early on in the book the nature of the Very Bad Thing is revealed if you happen to catch the hint…

Listen to our wide-ranging, spoiler-filled conversation here.

catch the replay of Murder at the Library!

I had an utterly fabulous time being interviewed by LibraryReads director Rebecca Vnuk for the Murder at the Library series — and it ended up being the biggest book event I’ve ever done, online or off. Amazing!

If you weren’t there to catch it live, good news! You can watch the replay here.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from my fourth-grade college prep program to what five genres I’m currently reading to why everybody cares so much about cannibalism. I had a hoot and I think you’ll be able to tell when you watch. Plus there are a couple of super-quick rounds of “Fast and Furious” Arctic trivia.

Enjoy!

catch the Virtual Happy Hour replay!

It’s a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning and I’m still smiling from the fun of Virtual Happy Hour with Garden District Book Shop last night!

If you missed the fun, you can catch the hour-long replay on either Facebook or YouTube! Both links here.

Discussion topics include:

• how I ended up writing historical fiction in the first place

• pandemic hair experiments

• the weather (why not?)

• just how bad I am at stage magic

• the TV adaptation of Woman 99

• much, much more

Check it out!

hear me talk about THE ARCTIC FURY at Top Shelf!

Hope your holidays are going great! If you need something to listen to while running errands, shopping (online or off), wrapping presents, or just relaxing in the evening with a glass of wine or hot cocoa (boy could we all use some relaxing,) I love how this podcast interview turned out for Top Shelf with Merrick Library.

Carol Ann and I talked about everything from epigraphs, to what I call the “flattening” of history, to women mountaineers, to my next project, The Five Queendoms — and much, much more. It’s a jam-packed half-hour!

Listen here.

today's the day: THE ARCTIC FURY is out!

*deep breath* YAAAAAAAAY!

Yes, today’s the day, THE ARCTIC FURY is now available at a bookstore near you! Or a bookstore not at all near you that you choose to order from online! (I have some recommendations.)

And, while I suspect I’m going to be doing a whole heck of a lot of posting this week, today I’m just going to post this one link.

Jen Cox asked me so many great questions for the Chicago Review of Books! If you want to know what I think is most meaningful and important about THE ARCTIC FURY, this is the interview you need to read.

More soon! Thank you, readers! Let’s all have a fabulous day.

CHIRB interview with Christina Baker Kline!

Not only did I get to read an early copy of Christina Baker Kline’s new book THE EXILES (it’s soooo good!), I also got to interview Christina for the Chicago Review of Books.

I talked with Christina about inspiration decades in the making, the responsibility she felt toward those who lived the history she fictionalizes, and the upsides of swapping a virtual book tour for the traditional traveling version. “I will miss meeting people on the road and hearing their reactions to a novel I’ve spent years writing in solitude. Those interactions are the best part of being on tour. (Snarfing cold breakfast sandwiches in airports, not so much!)”

Read the interview here.