Pop Fiction Women

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we are thrilled to chat with New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory. Her novels include The Wedding Date, the Reese's Book Club selection The Proposal, and By The Book. Her intoxicating and sparkling new romance, Drunk on Love, is out now!  We chat with Jasmine about the development of her complicated protagonist, Margot, and what came to he...

Did you know that all the episodes are named after songs, just like the original story? The novel invokes Stevie Nicks' (sweet) Little Lies and Stevie even gets a shout-out in the acknowledgements. For the show: Ep 1 - Lightning Strikes by Live Ep 2 - Hot-Blooded by Foreigner Ep 3 - "We don't touch, we collide", a lyric from the Iggy Pop song, Football Ep 4 - Take off your pants and jacket, the al...

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we chat with Katelyn Monroe Howes about her debut novel, The Awoken, a cinematic, speculative debut about a woman who undergoes cryogenic preservation at the time of her death and wakes up a century later in a world where her very life is a crime. Katelyn shares the personal story that inspired The Awoken, even though she didn’t consciously know she was...

We’ve got your recap of episode one of the new Hulu series, Tell Me Lies, and it comes out of the gate HOT. Based on the novel by Carola Lovering, and adapted for television of Meaghan Oppenheimer, Tell Me Lies follows a tumultuous but intoxicating relationship as it unfolds over the course of 8 years, from college to young adulthood. Episode one has Carinn peering with one eye open at her younger...

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we are joined by Elyssa Friedland, the acclaimed author of four previous novels. Her fifth, The Most Likely Club, is about a group of friends who, at their milestone high school reunion, make a pact to finally achieve their high school superlatives one way or another. The Most Likely Club is out now and was just named a Book of The Month pick! We chat w...

The final two episodes of AppleTv+’s Surface are out now! In the end how much of our destiny is the result of fate vs one’s own free will? Do you get to choose if you’re good or bad? Those are some of the big questions this series explores and ones we love to debate on this podcast.  Speaking of questions, we’ve come to the finale and we still have a few. We’re also not sure how to feel about some...

On today’s episode we discuss a “banger” of a book: Carrie Soto Is Back, by New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid. The novel tells the story of a legendary athlete attempting a comeback when the world considers her past her prime. In the end we declare that, thanks to this book and our discussion, Carinn is back, Kate is back and Carinn & Kate are back!! Oh, and Carrie is too! Comp...

On today’s “sidebar” episode we discuss Serena Williams' recent Vogue article, “Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms—And In Her Own Words.” Serena is the epitome of a complicated woman and we had so much to say about the conflict she felt. How can she reconcile her commitment to being the world’s greatest tennis player with her desire to be a mother and expand her family? And h...

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we are joined by Dr. LaToya Watkins. Her debut novel, PERISH, is a sprawling story about a Black Texan family that explores the effects of inherited trauma and intergenerational violence as the family comes together to say goodbye to their matriarch on her deathbed. We chat with LaToya about the pivotal opening scene of the novel and how it sets the ton...

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we welcome back the hilarious, talented, and generous Karin Slaughter. Published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe, Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edger-nominated Cop Town and standalone novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of...

SURFACE Recap Ep 5-6: we get some really amazing scenes and some big answers, but we still have no idea who to trust. These two episodes are by far the best in the entire series. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Complicated Conversation we are joined by Natasha Sizlo. Her memoir, All Signs Point To Paris, is a story of Natasha’s second chance at love and life, and it's out now! The book has all the things we love: second chance love stories, astrology, seeking answers from the universe, being open to finding yourself in the process, and how grief can propel you forward to follow your heart. We...

On today’s Complicated Conversation we are thrilled to welcome back Mary Adkins to discuss her third novel, Palm Beach, which is out now in paperback. It was a reunion of old friends between Carinn, Kate and Mary, who has the distinction of being our very first author interview many years ago! We chat with Mary about how a college creative writing professor temporarily derailed Mary’s dreams of wr...

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we welcome Veronica West, showrunner, writer, creator and executive producer of the Apple TV+ series SURFACE, a twisty psychological thriller that asks the question: what if you woke up one day and didn’t know your own secrets? We chatted with Veronica about the creation of Sophie Ellis, the “interesting and skeptical and complicated” lead of this serie...

In today’s Complicated Conversation we are joined by Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script, this summer’s endearing, heart-warming rom com novel! * We talk to a lot of lawyers turned authors, but Annabel was an investment banker who took the long road to realizing her childhood dream of becoming a writer. Carinn and Annabel really relate about following their joy! (01:31) * Listen to he...

This love triangle has us feeling bounced around like a pinball, how about you? We’re peeling back the layers of SURFACE and all the characters of Hello Sunshine's psychological thriller on AppleTV+! No one is what they seem and everyone is complicated. Situations that seem sinister could be explained away, but should they be? Pieces of Sophie’s past are being revealed, but at this point we still...

Can you stop a murder after it's already happened? That is the question we explore on this episode of Complicated Conversations. We are joined by Gillian McAllister to discuss the premise of her seventh novel, Wrong Place Wrong Time. * After we gush about how much we loved this book, we discuss Jen, the lawyer, wife, mother, who must save her son from the unthinkable. (03:15) * This book is undoub...

Produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and written and run by television veteran, Veronica West, Surface is an eight-episode psychological thriller. After the pilot episode, Carinn has nightmares about the slippery nature of reality when recounted by other perspectives, and Kate has an existential crisis of identity. All these BIG questions, as well as a twisty plot that has us guessing ev...

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we chat with Megan Miranda about her new novel, The Last To Vanish. * After Megan shares a little bit about The Last To Vanish, we discuss her intriguing protagonist Abby and her relationship with Cutter’s Pass, how she fits in, and how she holds the keys to unravel its secrets. (04:14) * We discuss Cory and Celeste, and discuss Megan’s love for creatin...

In this episode of complicated conversations we are joined by KJ Dell’Antonia. KJ is author of the instant New York Times bestseller, The Chicken Sisters, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick. She is the former editor of The New York Times Motherlode as well as the author of the nonfiction book How To Be A Happier Parent. Her second novel, In Her Boots, is out now. Listen to our spoiler-free episode...

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we chat with New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pearse. Her debut novel, The Sanatorium, was a Reese book club pick and an instant bestseller according to both the NYT and the Sunday Times where it hit number 1. Her second novel, The Retreat, is out now. It can be read before or after The Sanatorium, so dive into The Retreat today! * After Sarah te...

* After we discuss the staggering success of this book, we discuss Kya — her heartbreaking abandonment and utter resilience. Kate finds a unique way into Kya through astrology! (06:43). * We discuss our favorites scenes involving Kya and Tate that highlight her coming of age, falling in love, heartbreak, and forgiveness. (15:58) * We then turn to scenes involving Chase and the ways Kya’s relations...

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we are joined by Charlotte Stoudt. Charlotte is the showrunner, executive producer, and creator of Netflix’s Pieces of Her. An Emmy-nominated television industry veteran, she has been involved in such hits as Fosse/Verdon, Homeland, and House of Cards. She will soon assume the role of showrunner on Season Three of The Morning Show starring Reese Withers...

We need therapy after this interrogation. * We start by discussing our relationship with goal setting generally. Kate declares Carinn to be the captain of the varsity goal setting team. (02:24) * Kate is a totally terrified newbie at goal setting and she is starting to realize why. It’s time to get on the couch, folks. (07:43) * After our self-examination, we actually get into discussing our goals...

In today’s episode we’re discussing Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, now streaming on Hulu. Directed by Sophie Hyde and written by Katy Brand, the story follows an older woman, Nancy (Emma Thompson), who hires a young male sex worker, Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack), with the hope of finally exploring all the desires she was never allowed to act on with her late husband -- her one and only sexual partne...