The New School | March 6, 2020

“Edwidge Danticat’s Everything Inside is a finalist for the NBCC Award for Fiction. This short story collection takes us into the intimate depths of characters grappling to communicate with those they love, to rewrite the stories of their lives and sometimes their deaths. The stories are set in Port-au-Prince, Miami and, in one case, an unnamed Caribbean island. More than anything, there is a spare and resounding musicality that unites these eight resplendent stories.

Ms. Danticat’s light and ever ready laughter set the tone of our conversation, the sense of wonder with which she speaks about the power of stories. Just hours after we talked, she was awarded The Story Prize, making her the first ever two-time winner of the prize.”

During this interview, Ms. Danticat shared that she is currently reading My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir! She described this title as “a very powerful book” and one “we’ll be hearing a lot about.” Follow the link above to read more!

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New York Times | March 5, 2020

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter appears at #9 on this week’s Mass Market bestseller list in the New York Times! Follow the link above to see the full list.

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Publishers Weekly | March 4, 2020

“Momplaisir’s provocative debut unearths the secrets and dark desires of a Haitian immigrant family man living in an anthropomorphic house in Queens, N.Y. […] Momplaisir’s arresting take on the abuse of male power will long haunt the reader.”

My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir was reviewed in Publishers Weekly! Follow the link above to read the full review.

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The Rhode Show | March 2, 2020

Vanessa Lillie shares her writing inspiration and tips on The Rhode Show! Follow the link above to watch the full interview.

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Deadline Hollywood | February 26, 2020

“EXCLUSIVE: Bella Heathcote (Strange Angel, The Man in the High Castle) is set to headline Pieces of Her, Netflix’s dramatic thriller series based on the 2018 book by bestselling crime author Karin Slaughter. Heathcote will star opposite Toni Collette in the eight-episode series, which comes from an all-female creative team led by Charlotte Stoudt, Bruna Papandrea, Lesli Linka Glatter and Minkie Spiro.”

We are so thrilled to announce this new development! Follow the link above to read the full article and learn more at the Netflix adaptation of Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter.

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Los Angeles Times | February 24, 2020

“For 30 years, these deviled crab cakes were a fixture at Alexander Smalls’ five restaurants, starting with Café Beulah. The recipe comes from his newest cookbook, Meals, Music and Muses: Recipes From My African American Kitchen, written with Veronica Chambers. (I was lucky enough to work with Smalls writing the book’s recipes.) They’re an ideal appetizer for Mardi Gras or any other party and make a great meal too.”

Genevieve Ko shares Alexander Smalls’ recipe for crab cakes in this Los Angeles Times article! Follow the link above to get all of the details.

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She Reads | February 21, 2020

“Oh, hey there. It’s me again and it’s 2020, so you know what that means… another year for some great books! Now, I’m not ‘new year, new me’ kind of guy (no shade if you are). But one thing that always sparks some excitement for me on January 1 is the prospect of another great year of fantastic books and from the looks of it, 2020 is going to be amazing. Look no further because here are my can’t-miss thrillers of the first half of 2020 that is definitely going to keep you occupied until summer.”

She Reads included The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine in this fabulous round-up! Follow the link above to read more.

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BookPage | February 18, 2020

“‘Cooking without a song—in your heart, if nothing else—is like cooking without salt and pepper,’ writes chef Alexander Smalls in Meals, Music, and Muses. Here, recipes grounded in the culinary traditions of the African American South are grouped according to the ‘seven styles of African American music that set the bass line for this medley of meals.’ Fried sweet white corn and a salad of field greens and black-eyed peas are among the ‘green things’ that Smalls associates with gospel music; rice, pasta and grits are the stuff of spirituals. Roast quail, pan-fried rabbit, pork loin roasts? Divas, all. There are biscuits and beans and pie to the tune of jazz, opera, jukebox music and serenades (sweet endings), with the pleasure of Smalls’ storytelling along the way to deepen the flavor.”

Meals, Music, and Muses by Alexander Smalls received a starred review from BookPage! Follow the link above to read more!

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Kirkus Reviews | February 10, 2020

“A shockingly original exploration of class, race, and systemic violence . . . This house, tainted by the human evil it contains, is reminiscent of the opening line of Toni Morrison's Beloved. And, like Morrison, Momplaisir uses the tropes of fantasy to try to assert truths that ordinary language and realistic imagery cannot communicate . . . Momplaisir's debut introduces her as an author to watch.”

Follow the link above to read the entire review!

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Publishers Weekly | February 7, 2020

“Watts (Hattie McDaniel: Black Ambition, White Hollywood), a professor of history at California State University, San Marcos, delivers a unique and enlightening portrait of ‘the informal group of black federal employees’ who sought to advance African-American interests during the New Deal… Watts finds drama in committee meetings and unemployment surveys, and expertly tracks her subjects across the maze of federal bureaucracy. The result is a groundbreaking reappraisal of an unheralded chapter in the battle for civil rights.”

The Black Cabinet by Jill Watts received an amazing starred review from Publishers Weekly! Follow the link above to read the full review.

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Deadline Hollywood | February 3, 2020

“EXCLUSIVE: Coming off her acclaimed starring role in Unbelievable, Toni Collette is set to headline another Netflix series, Pieces of Her, a dramatic thriller based on the 2018 book by bestselling crime author Karin Slaughter. Minkie Spiro (The Plot Against America) is set to direct the eight-episode series from the all-female creative team of executive producers Lesli Linka Glatter, Charlotte Stoudt and Bruna Papandrea.”

We are so thrilled to share this news! Follow the link above to learn more.

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American Library Association | January 29, 2020

“PHILADELPHIA -- Two of the 2020 Stonewall Book Awards were announced Sunday, Jan. 26 by the Rainbow Round Table (RRT) of the American Library Association (ALA), during the ALA Midwinter Meeting and Exhibits, held January 24-28 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Stonewall Book Awards are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience and include the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award (announced at the Youth Media Awards press conference on Monday, January 27th), the Stonewall Book Awards – Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award, and the Stonewall Book Awards – Barbara Gittings Literature Award. The awards will be presented to the winning authors at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago in June.

[…]

Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House, was named the winner of the Stonewall Book Awards - Barbara Gittings Literature Award for 2020. Cantoras is a masterful look at queer love and community, particularly under a dictatorship, a time when even a whisper of nonconformity could mean your disappearance.”

Follow the link above to read the full press release!

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Twitter | January 26, 2020

We are thrilled to share that Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis was awarded this year’s Stonewall Book Award - Barbara Gittings Literature Award!

Follow the link above to see the announcement on Twitter!

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Kirkus | January 26, 2020

“A history of how Franklin Roosevelt’s policies were decisively influenced by a group of African American advisers.

Drawing on government documents, newspapers, and an extensive number of archives, historian Watts vividly recounts an important chapter in black American history: the place of black advisers in Roosevelt’s administration. […] A thoroughly researched history of important black activists.”

Follow the link above to read the full review!

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Publishers Weekly | January 22, 2020

“Timed to the 211th birthday of namesake Edgar Allan Poe, the Mystery Writers of America has announced its nominees for the 2020 Edgar Awards. The awards honor the best writing in mystery (fiction and nonfiction) as well as in television published and produced throughout the year. The winners will be announced at an event in New York City on April 30.”

Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland is a Best Novel nominee for the 2020 Edgar Awards! Follow the link above to see the full list.

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Parade | January 14, 2020

“Stories that get under your skin. That’s what you can expect from Karin Slaughter’s domestic crime thrillers. As she returns this summer to her popular Will Trent series with The Silent Wife (William Morrow), it’s not lost on the best-selling author that her 20th book, despite the dark nature of her writing, means that good fortune has followed her.

’I feel really fortunate because there are a lot of writers out there struggling, and my take home from that is I need to earn it every day,’ she says. ‘I’m proud that I’ve held to the choice to write about recovery and the kind of expectations that women tie themselves in knots over when they become victims of violence.’

Slaughter’s The Silent Wife re-introduces Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Will Trent as he investigates a young woman’s brutal murder. The trail goes cold, but when a chance assignment takes Trent to the state penitentiary, it’s a prisoner who recognizes the attack, which looks identical to the one he was accused of eight years earlier. As Trent digs into both crimes, it’s clear that the original case must first be solved, but a decade has passed, and so have memories, witnesses and evidence. Everyone’s favorite medical examiner, Sara Linton, must help Trent hunt down a ruthless murderer.

As excitement builds for the summer release, Parade.com is presenting the highly-anticipated cover of The Silent Wife for the first time here!”

Follow the link above to get a first glimpse of the cover for The Silent Wife and to read an interview with the legendary crime writer, Karin Slaughter!

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Bustle | January 10, 2020

“Was ‘reading more’ one of your 2020 goals? Sometimes the options of where to start and what to read can be overwhelming — there is no shortage of content out there — but if horror and thrillers are your genre, Goodreads users have your back. Below is a list of the top 10 most anticipated thrillers of 2020, plus everything you need to know about the year's hottest picks.”

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was included in this fabulous round-up! Follow the link above to read more.

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The Millions | January 8, 2020

“The year has gotten off to a rocky start worldwide, but we hope this semi-annual Millions tradition will be a bright spot. We seem to say this every year, but at 140-something books, this is truly our most gratuitously enormous Preview to date. And yet there are even more books to be read in the first half of this year! As usual, we will continue with our monthly previews, beginning in February. Hop into the comments to let us know what we missed, and look out for the second-half Preview in July!”

My Mother’s House by Francesca Momplaisir and Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma were included on this list! Follow the link above to read more.

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