Always Authors

”Take the Big Swing” with Esmé Weijun Wang and Brandon Taylor

We're excited to bring you Esmé Weijun Wang, New York Times bestselling author of The Collected Schizophrenias and the novel The Border of Paradise, which was called a Best Book of 2016, by NPR. Esme is in conversation with Brandon Taylor, author of the national bestseller Filthy Animals, which won the 2022 Story Prize and was a finalist for the Dylan Thomas Prize, and his first novel, Real Life, which was a finalist for the 2020 Booker Prize and was named a New York Times Notable Book.
Don't miss out, Esmé's new nonfiction writing school, The Unexpected Shape Writing Academy, is open for registration through May 8. You can learn more about it at www.unexpectedshapeacademy.com.
In a heart-warming reunion, these two friends detail how their shared passion for film photography helps their writing, why they miss the early days of Twitter and what surprises are in store for their editor as they work on their latest novels. Prepare to be surprised, as well.

”But She Also Sees Dead People” with Karen White and Susan Meissner

Karen White is one of the foremost creators of southern women’s fiction. She is the NY Times best-selling author or the Tradd St. series set in Charleston, SC and her latest novel, The Shop on Royal Street, is set in New Orleans. 
Susan Meissner is a USA best-selling author of beloved historical fiction such as The Nature of Fragile Things and The Last Year of the War.  
In addition to discussing the inspirations for their popular books, these two friends compare notes on inspirational cemeteries, the power of a good ghost story, and how they got their creative mojo back after the pandemic.

”And...Vampires!” with Shelby Mahurin and Adrienne Young

Shelby Mahurin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Serpent & Dove series. Her rampant childhood imagination has continued into adulthood where her stories are awarded accolades and win over audiences around the world. Her newest work, The Scarlet Veil, hits shelves November 2022.
 
Adrienne Young is the New York Times, USA Today, and Indie list bestselling author of the Sky in the Deep duology, the Fable series, and the forthcoming Spells for Forgetting and Saint. Her books have been published in over twenty-five countries around the world and have even had the honor of being selected as a Reese’s Bookclub YA Pick. 
 
With great humor, Shelby and Adrienne bring you into the world of successful YA authors who manage family, deadlines, and even home improvement projects while creating inspired spin-offs for their loyal readership.

”All of Us In Our Hoop Skirts” with Kerri Maher and Fiona Davis

Kerri Maher has written three historical fiction novels: The Kennedy Debutante, The Girl In White Gloves: A Novel of Grace Kelly and just released in 2022,  the national best-selling The Paris Bookseller, about trailblazing entrepreneur Sylvia Beach and the original Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris. 
Fiona Davis, is the New York Times best-selling author of six historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Dollhouse, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her latest novel, The Magnolia Palace, was released in February of 2022.  
Kerri and Fiona have a wide-ranging discussion that includes their work, lives, passions and creative process. They cover it all, from fictionalizing real people, to researching real places, to their mutual love of hoop skirts.

”Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?” with Jeffery Deaver and John Gilstrap

Jeffery Deaver is an international number-one bestselling mystery author who has written more than 40 novels, including The Bone Collector, part of the acclaimed Lincoln Rhyme series, which was adapted in to a hit film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. His book A Maiden’s Grave was made into an HBO movie starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, and NBC television recently aired the nine-episode prime-time series, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. He was recently named a Grand Master of The Mystery Writers of America, whose ranks include Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Mary Higgins Clark and Walter Mosely. His latest Lincoln Rhyme novel, The Midnight Lock, was released in 2021.
John Gilstrap is a New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty thrillers, two of which, Nathan’s Run and At All Costs, were optioned for movies. In 2009, John wrote No Mercy, which started the massively popular Jonathan Grave series and in 2021, Crimson Phoenix initiated the Victoria Emerson series, the latest installment of which is The Blue Fire, released in 2022.
These good friends share their perspectives on genre writing: the difference between mysteries and thrillers, the elements of the perfect thriller, and who outlines stories before writing (plotters) and who writes by the seat of their pants (pantsers). They also get personal, getting into their mutual love of music and skiing, with an emphasis on their apres ski rituals.

”I’m Writing A Book, I Swear!” with Mia P. Manansala and Lyn Liao Butler

Mia P. Manansala is a 2021 debut author of the acclaimed Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series, Arsenic and Adobo and most recently, Homicide and Halo-Halo.  She is the winner of the 2018 Hugh Holton Award, the 2018 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, and the 2016 Mystery Writers of America/Helen McCloy Scholarship. 
Lyn Liao Butler has lived several lives as a concert pianist, ballerina and now, as a yoga instructor, mother, wife and acclaimed 2021 debut author of The Tiger Mom's Tale and most recently, Red Thread of Fate.  
Mia and Lyn’s discussion offers a frank look into the world of debut writers, where they learn to ward off impostor syndrome, practice self-care to improve their craft, plot new ways to embed their passion for traditional Asian food into their books…and mostly avoid writing steamy sex scenes in their novels.

”A Pedestal is a Different Kind of Box” with Kelly Sue DeConnick and Adrienne Mayor

Kelly Sue DeConnick is a trailblazing comic book writer. She is credited with creating the new and improved version of the Captain Marvel heroine Carol Danvers that influenced the story foundation for the 2019 Captain Marvel movie. In response to criticism about her feminism, she created the series Bitch Planet, which has inspired a whole generation of female comic book readers. She moved from Marvel to DC comics where she reimagined the Aquaman series and, most recently, she completed DC’s Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons.
Adrienne Mayor, is a pre-eminent folklorist and research scholar in the history of science and classics at Stanford University. She has written more than a half-dozen award winning books, including the seminal works The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World and Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology. Her latest title, Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws, and Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities, was released in early 2022.
Though a generation apart, these two accomplished women begin their discussion with a mutual-admiration love-fest, and then dive into a spirited dialogue that includes super heroes, the myth of a female utopia, grieving like the Greeks and the consequences of having sex at Aphrodite's shrine.

”The Simple Act of Going Back” with Andre Aciman and Edmund de Waal

André Aciman is the NY Times best-selling author of nine titles including Call Me By Your Name, which was made into an Oscar winning film, Out of Egypt, Eight White Nights, and his latest collection of essays, Homo Irrealis.
Edmund de Waal, CBE,  is a contemporary English artist, master potter and NY times best-selling author. His most notable titles are The Hare with Amber Eyes (awarded the Costa Book Award for Biography, Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, and Windham–Campbell Literature Prize for Non-Fiction); The White Road, and most recently, Letters to Camondo.
André and Edmund engage in a passionate discussion about their lives, creative process and the challenges of capturing their family histories for readers. They cover it all, from Penthouse to Proust.