The Friendly City Books Podcast

Devan talks with Kate Fagan about her debut fiction novel The Three Lives of Cate Kay! - Kate Fagan is an Emmy-award winning journalist and the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of WHAT MADE MADDY RUN, which was a semi-finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sportswriting. Her first book was the coming-of-age memoir THE REAPPEARING ACT, and her third book, ALL THE COLORS CAME OUT, was r...

Beth Kander joins Emily in the FCB studio to celebrate her debut novel, I Made It Out of Clay, a darkly funny Jewish holiday romance. - Beth Kander is a USA Today best-selling writer with tangled roots in the Midwest and Deep South. She is the author of the novel I MADE IT OUT OF CLAY and several books for younger readers. The granddaughter of immigrants, her work often explores how worlds old and...

Patrick Dean talks with Boyce Upholt, author of The Great River: The making and Unmaking of the Mississippi, his debut book. - Boyce Upholt is a journalist and essayist whose writing has appeared in the Atlantic, National Geographic, the Oxford American, and Virginia Quarterly Review, among other publications. He is the winner of a James Beard Award for investigative journalism, and he lives in Ne...

Emily talks with Minrose Gwin, author of Beautiful Dreamers, her fourth novel and ninth book. - A native of Tupelo, Mississippi, Minrose has been a writer all of her working life, starting out as a newspaper and wire service reporter and working in Mobile, Atlanta, Nashville, and Knoxville. She has taught as a professor at universities around the country, most recently at the University of North C...

American gothic author and artist Brom joins Rachel in the FCB Studio to discuss his newest book, Evil in Me - available now! - Over the past few decades, acclaimed dark fantasy artist Brom has lent his distinctive vision to all facets of the creative industries, from novels and games to comics and film. He is the nationally bestselling author of Slewfoot, The Child Thief, Krampus, The Lost Gods a...

Caroline talks with Dale Gray, author of South of Somewhere and creator of The Daley Plate! Don’t miss Dale Gray at the Possumtown Book Fest in Columbus, MS on August 24th! - Dale Gray was born in South Africa. After graduating from Stellenbosch University, she moved to South Korea to teach English and spent six years there. In her last year in South Korea, she met a soldier from Mississippi, and...

Thomas Easterling sits down with NYT Bestselling author, Ace Atkins to discuss his thrilling new book, Don’t Let the Devil Ride. Don’t miss Ace Atkins at the Possumtown Book Fest in Columbus, MS on August 24th! - Ace Atkins is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author who started his writing career as a crime beat reporter in Florida. Don’t Let the Devil Ride is his thirtieth novel. His...

Author and animator-extraordinaire Rob Renzetti joins Rachel again to discuss his newest middle-grade novel, The Twisted Tower of Endless Torment! This is the second time Rob Renzetti has joined us, Listen to the first episode we did with Rob Renzetti last year! Rob Renzetti is a multi-talented author and veteran of TV animation whose work on Cartoon Network’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends e...

Rachel and Lauren celebrate Hot Possum Horror's return with a crossover episode of HPH and Make It Gay! Tune in to discover their favorite Queer Horror books! - List of recommendations to come! - Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm . - Find us on social media -...

Make It Gay! is a series that celebrates queer stories and authors in different genres. This week Lauren is joined by University of Mississippi's Pip Gordon to explore Mississippi's queer literary legacy. - Philip "Pip" Gordon was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up just north of Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County. Pip is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Gender Studies at the University of Missi...

Debut author Vaishnavi Patel joins Aislinn in the FCB studio to celebrate her captivating new novel, Goddess of the River! ICYMI - Goddess of the River will be The Muses Book Club's July Pick at Friendly City Books! - Vaishnavi Patel is a lawyer focusing on constitutional law and civil rights. She likes to write at the intersection of Indian myth, feminism, and anti-colonialism. She is the author...

Debut author O.O. Sangoyomi joins Caroline in the FCB studio to discuss her captivating new novel, Masquerade! And big news - O.O. Sangoyomi will be at the 2024 Mississippi Book Festival, and Masquerade will be The Muses Book Club's August Pick at Friendly City Books! - O.O. Sangoyomi is a Nigerian American author. During a childhood of constantly moving around, she found an anchored home in the f...

Joselyn Takacs joins Emily in the FCB studio to celebrate her debut novel, Pearce Oysters, a family drama set during the 2010 BP Oil Spill. - Joselyn Takacs holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Southern California and an MFA in Fiction from Johns Hopkins University. Her fiction has appeared in Gulf Coast, Narrative, Tin House online, Harvard Review, The Rumpus, DIA...

Caroline and Lauren are celebrating Pride Month with a countdown of their favorite lgtbq+ historical fiction novels! - Make It Gay! is a series that celebrates queer stories and authors in different genres. Don't forget to check out our previous episodes on YA, Fantasy, Romance, and Poetry! - Historical Fiction Recommendations: Hild by Nicola Griffith ( bookshop.org )( libro.fm ) Mademoiselle Revo...

Author Margaret Hagerman sits down with Emily to discuss her new book - Children of a Troubled Time Growing Up with Racism in Trump's America. - Margaret A. Hagerman is Associate Professor of Sociology and Faculty Affiliate in African American Studies and Gender Studies at Mississippi State University. She is the author of White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America which w...

Caroline sits down with NYT Bestselling romance author, Katherine Center to discuss her new book, The Rom-commers - a must-read for any romantic comedy lover! - BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” She’s the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen books, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, and What You Wish For. Katherine writes l...

Author Jess Everlee joins Lauren in the FCB Studio to celebrate her delightful new romance novel, A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence! - Jess Everlee writes decadent romance from the Northeast Ohio split-level she shares with her small family of furballs and fellow humans. She holds a B.A. from The Ohio State University, where she studied English and Gender Studies, focusing on Victorian Literatur...

Author Joanna Pearson sits down with Emily to discuss her debut novel - Bright and Tender Dark. - Joanna Pearson is the author of two short story collections and a book of poetry. Her stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Mystery and Suspense, and many other publications. She has won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson A...

Emily sits down with Mississippi author and journalist Ellen Ann Fentress to discuss her memoir Steps We Take: A Memoir of Southern Reckoning. - Ellen Ann Fentress is the author of: *The Steps We Take: A Memoir of Southern Reckoning ( bookshop.org ) Ellen Ann Fentress is a veteran writer for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic. She’s also a seasoned southern woman, specifical...

Rachel sits down with one of her favorite horror authors EVER, Clay McLeod Chapman, to discuss his books and experience as an author in the horror genre. - Clay McLeod Chapman is the author of many novels, including: *What Kind of Mother ( bookshop.org )( libro.fm ) *Ghost Eaters ( bookshop.org )( libro.fm ) *Whisper Down the Lane ( bookshop.org )( libro.fm ) *The Remaking ( bookshop.org )( libro....

Friendly City Bestsellers is a quarterly deep dive into FCB's bestsellers and customer favorites. - FCB’s Always Bestsellers How to Read - Thomas Richardson ( friendlycitybooks.com ) Stretch Like Scarlet - Emily Liner, Illustrated by John Clark IV ( friendlycitybooks.com ) - January - April 2024 Best Sellers Bride - Ali Hazelwood ( bookshop.org )( libro.fm ) That Pinson Girl - Gerry Wilson ( books...

Lauren talks with Billie Winter and Hannah Murphy Winter about their stunning new book, Queer Power Couples: On Love and Possibility. Available now! - Hannah Murphy Winter (she/they) is a journalist who writes about queerness and policies that impact LGBTQ+ lives. Her work frequently appears in Rolling Stone. She lives in Seattle with her wife, Billie Winter, three cats they found in their shed, a...

Mississippi author, Aimee Nezhukumatathil joins Randi in the FCB studio to celebrate her new book, Bite by Bite! Don't miss Aimee IN COLUMBUS, MS this Saturday, May 11th! - Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of the New York Times best-selling illustrated collection of nature essays, WORLD OF WONDERS: IN PRAISE OF FIREFLIES, WHALE SHARKS, & OTHER ASTONISHMENTS ( bookshop.org )( libro.fm ), which w...

Introducing our newest book from Friendly City Books - Savor: Poems for the Tongue! Join Emily as she talks with editors Brennan Breeland and Stan Galloway about all things Savor - from its inception to the final product! - SAVOR: Poems for the Tongue is a feast of words, a banquet laid out across the pages where each poem is a dish to be relished. This unique anthology brings together the voices...

We made it through all of ACOTAR and Crescent City, and our Maasholes journey has come to a close... for now! Randi and Caroline reunite one last time to look back on this adventure through the Maas-verse, and discuss Crescent City 3 and their predictions for the future of the SJM universe. - Thank you to everyone who has supported Caroline on her SJM journey, and to everyone who has listened to M...