ZORA AND ME: THE CURSED GROUND by T.R. Simon - Toronto Star Review

Toronto Star | February 8, 2019

“Here’s a wise, poetic and galvanizing combination: historical fiction, mystery, and themes so current it’s heartbreaking. It’s 1903, and Carrie and her best friend, Zora, are growing up in Eatonville, Fla. — America’s first incorporated Black township. Not until they find a neighbour stabbed and bleeding do they begin to learn of their own town’s painful past as the site of a slave plantation. As the mystery deepens, so too does the threat to Eatonville, posed by the plantation’s former owner. Simon imagines the writer Zora Neale Hurston as a sleuth of a child in this fictional mystery, highlighting Hurston’s capacious imagination and curiosity. Even more probingly, she invites her readers to think hard about the unfinished business of American slavery and today’s racism. A thoroughly gripping story and a lively portrait of friendship.”

Click the link above to read the entire article!

Jessica Spivey
PIECES OF HER by Karin Slaughter - Deadline Hollywood "Netflix Orders Novel-Based Series From Lesli Linka Glatter, Charlotte Stoudt & Bruna Papandrea"

Deadline Hollywood | February 5, 2019

“Netflix has given an eight-episode order to Pieces of Her, a series based on the 2018 book by best-selling crime author Karin Slaughter, from an all-female creative team of executive producers Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland, Madmen), Charlotte Stoudt (Homeland, House of Cards) and Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies).

Stoudt exec produces with Papandrea via her Made Up Stories and Glatter, who will direct the first two episodes.

The project was announced as being in development at Made Up Stories and at-the-time Endeavor Content in June, about six weeks before its publication by William Morrow. ‘From the moment I started reading Karin’s visceral new novel, I felt like there was nothing like it on TV – an emotional mother-daughter story living in the skin of a heart-pounding action thriller,’ Papandrea said in the announcement.

Slaughter has penned 18 novels including Cop Town, Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter and the Grant County and Will Trent series. Her books have sold more than 35 million copies and been translated in more than three dozen languages.

Casey Haver, Jeanne Snow, and Steve Hutensky will shepherd the project for Made Up Stories.”

Jessica Spivey
SKYJACK by KJ Howe - The Real Book Spy "The Top 15 Most Lethal Ladies in the Thriller Genre Right Now"

The Real Book Spy | February 4, 2019

“You can’t spell Ladies without dies. 

For five years, we’ve been ranking the genre’s top ten alpha males every December. Now, we’re introducing a new yearly list . . . built entirely around female characters. 

By far, this list is the most requested article we’ve received from readers over the years, and we’re excited to finally unveil our first ever Top 15 list of the most lethal ladies in the thriller genre, featuring some of the very best characters currently in print today. 

Compiling these 15 names wasn’t easy. For help, we reached out to a number of readers (most of them women) and several other critics, along with two female thriller authors who didn’t have new books out in 2018. Like our other list, this one is designed to only rank characters according to what they did in their latest book–and to qualify, they had to appear in a 2018 title. While that did eliminate a number of really great characters who weren’t featured in ’18, it also opens the door for us to revamp the list each January according to what went down the previous year in the publishing world. 

So, what makes a character lethal? Well, I put that exact question to our voters (along with a list of names), asking them to account for physical skill sets, as well as intellect and experience. Bottom line, I summed the question up like this: ‘Who would you most be afraid to cross?’”

Thea Paris from Skyjack by K.J. Howe ranked #3 on this list! Follow the link above to see the full article.

Jessica Spivey
WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele - Recommended Nonfiction Book List for the 2019 In the Margins Book Award

February 1, 2019

We are so pleased to share that When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele has been selected for the Recommended Nonfiction Book List for the 2019 In the Margins Books Award!

“In the Margins strives to find the best books for teens living in poverty, on the streets, in custody - or a cycle of all three. Our charge is to seek out and highlight the best fiction and non-fiction titles (Pre-K through adult) of high-interest appeal to youth ages 9-21 living in poverty, on the streets, or in custody, with a preference for marginalized books (small, independent press or self-published). Youth feedback is a critical factor in both book nomination and selection.”

We are thrilled that When They Call You a Terrorist is included on their list.

Jessica Spivey
AN ANONYMOUS GIRL by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - New York Times "Beware Strange Psychologists: The Latest in Crime Novels"

The New York Times | January 18, 2019

“Psychological suspense is a genre that needs to be handled with kid gloves. Too much reality — or too much foolishness — and the pact made with the reader to believe in the unbelievable is broken. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen seem to have mastered the formula in AN ANONYMOUS GIRL (St. Martin’s, $27.99), a creepy-crawly tale about putting your trust in a stranger; specifically, in a strange psychologist.”

Follow the link above to read the full article.

Jessica Spivey
R.L. Maizes - The New York Times "Wedding Venues That Are Cheap for a Reason"

The New York Times | January 11, 2019

“Hooray! You got engaged over the holidays! But now the reality of what your wedding will cost is beginning to sink in. You’ll have to take out a second mortgage for fondant, but hey, the cement-like coating is très French. At the bridal store, you’ll max out your credit card for a gossamer veil that looks remarkably like the doily on your grandmother’s end table. When your planner mentions favors, run, or you could end up pawning your new ring to buy each of your guests a personalized platinum bottle opener.

Not everyone breaks the bank for a wedding, though. Frugal couples go to great lengths to cut costs, marrying in tree houses or in caves. But if neither of those venues appeal to you, consider these alternatives. Word of warning: They’re cheap for a reason.”

Follow the link above to read the entire article!

Jessica Spivey
Sara Blaedel - CrimeReads "Why Small Towns Are So Perfect For Crime Fiction"

CrimeReads | January 2, 2019

“Though I’ve made my home in big cities for most of my adult life, I spent much of my childhood in a small town. The contrasts between the two have dramatically intensified for me over the last decades. The differences can be vast and pervasive, and while it is true that people are people and that we have more in common than not, regardless of where and how we live, there is a sensibility and sets of customs in these insular communities that set them apart.  

Whether set in the countryside of Denmark, in rural USA, or the backroads of Japan, small towns would seem, on the surface anyway, to possess less mystery. Everyone knows everyone else, families often go back for generations within the same town, and their histories, triumphs, scandals, and both clean and dirty laundry are open books. Unlike in metropolitan centers, where it is easy and even commonplace to get lost amongst the masses, with the huge populations and people coming and going with frequency, in small towns it is more challenging to hide. Or is it?”

Follow the link above to read the full article!

Jessica Spivey
AN ANONYMOUS GIRL by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen - Good Morning America "Best books of 2018 make great gifts for the holidays"

Good Morning America | December 18, 2018

“A perfectly selected book as a gift for the holidays can make you the most thoughtful of gift-givers.

Whether you're looking for something new to pick up for yourself or stumped by what to get that very special bookworm in your life, check out our list of best reads of 2018. It's curated by our ‘GMA’ Booker Editor, including what we just can't wait to get our hands on in the New Year.”

Good Morning America selected An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen as a great gift for the holidays! Follow the link above to see the full list.

Jessica Spivey
WHEN THEY CALL YOU A TERRORIST by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele - The Root "These 28 Brilliant Books by Black Authors Are the Standouts in What Was a Stellar Year in Black Literature"

The Root | December 17, 2018

“Let’s talk about books because, as usual, the past year has been an amazing one for books by black writers. The only problem is narrowing a list to under 30 books standouts when all the books are so good. From Michelle Obama’s autobiography to the latest collection from the poet laureate of the United States, black literature is stunning, necessary and timely.

In Iceland, during the evening of Dec. 24, books are exchanged as presents and then read all night in a holiday called Jólabókaflóð. This year, I’m going to do that with loved ones during each night of Kwanzaa. We may not get further than a chapter, but we will have books to read the rest of the months, and it will be a joy in the moment. Here are 28 of the best books published by black authors this year to get you started.”

When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele was included in this amazing round-up! Follow the link above to see the full article.

Jessica Spivey
AN ANONYMOUS GIRL by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - January 2019 LibraryReads Pick

LibraryReads | December 13, 2018

The January 2019 LibraryReads picks are live and An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was included!

“Struggling to stay afloat with a job as a makeup artist, Jessica signs up for a study, thinking she will earn some easy money. After the first two parts of the study, she gets invited to the professor’s house for more questions and more compensation. Fans of psychological thrillers won’t want to miss this one as Jessica is a compelling character and the novel will keep you reading long into the night.”

Follow the link above to see the full list.

Jessica Spivey
T. Greenwood - Bookreporter "A Very Young Dancer"

Bookreporter | December 12, 2018

“Award-winning author T. Greenwood’s most recent book, RUST & STARDUST, is the gripping, heartwrenching novel of Sally Horner, the 11-year-old kidnapping victim whose abduction in 1948 inspired Vladimir Nabokov's LOLITA. In her holiday blog post, Greenwood fondly remembers the “single most magical book” she received on Christmas when she was seven years old: A VERY YOUNG DANCER by photographer Jill Krementz. Although her passion for dancing was eventually eclipsed by her love of reading and writing, she credits the book for quietly teaching her the power of narrative and photography. It also inspired her oldest daughter, Mikaela, to pursue a career in ballet, a journey that Greenwood has documented for the last 15 years with black and white photos she has taken capturing every step in Mikaela’s development as a ballerina.”

Follow the link above to read the beautiful holiday blog post from T. Greenwood.

Jessica Spivey