Jason Rekulak, author of Hidden Pictures, was guest host, welcoming Andy Davidson to The Poisoned Pen. Davidson’s horror novel is called The Hollow Kind. Copies of books by both authors are available in the Web Store. https://store.poisonedpen.com/ There are signed copies of The Hollow Kind available here. https://bit.ly/3CObCP2
Here is the description of The Hollow Kind.
“The Hollow Kind seeps into your subconscious and waits for you in your nightmares.”—S. A. Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears Andy Davidson’s epic horror novel about the spectacular decline of the Redfern family, haunted by an ancient evil.
Nellie Gardner is looking for a way out of an abusive marriage when she learns that her long-lost grandfather, August Redfern, has willed her his turpentine estate.
It turns out that the “estate” is a decrepit farmhouse on a thousand acres of old pine forest, but Nellie is so thrilled about the chance for a fresh start for her and her son, that she doesn’t notice that there’s something wrong with Redfern Hill. Something lurks beneath the soil, ancient and hungry, with the power to corrupt hearts and destroy souls.
From the author of The Boatman’s Daughter, The Hollow Kind is a jaw-dropping novel about legacy and the horrors that hide in the dark corners of family history. Andy Davidson’s gorgeous, Gothic fable tracing the spectacular fall of the Redfern family will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
Andy Davidson is the Bram Stoker Award nominated author of In the Valley of the Sun and The Boatman’s Daughter, which was listed among NPR’s Best Books of 2020, the New York Public Library’s Best Adult Books of the Year, and Library Journal‘s Best Horror of 2020. Born and raised in Arkansas, he makes his home in Georgia with his wife and a bunch of cats.
Enjoy a conversation about Halloween, horror, and Andy Davidson’s The Hollow Kind.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, mentioned that Robert Ludlum has been dead for twenty-one years. Since Simon Gervais is the author of a new off-shoot of Ludlum’s books, Peters invited Brian Freeman to be guest host for the interview with Gervais. Freeman is the author of Ludlum’s Bourne books. And, Gervais, a French Canadian, is the author of Robert Ludlum’sThe Blackbriar Genesis. You can find books by both authors in the Web Store, https://store.poisonedpen.com/, and Gervais’ new book here. https://bit.ly/3EUXxlv
Here’s the summary of Robert Ludlum’s The Blackbriar Genesis.
The assassination of a Treadstone agent leads two Blackbriar operatives down a rabbit hole of deceit and betrayal in this explosive new series from the world of Robert Ludlum.
A car explodes along a quiet Prague side street—among the dead is an undercover Treadstone agent. It’s not unusual for such men to meet their fates on an operation, but in this case there’s one catch. None of his superiors know what he was doing there.
Two Blackbriar operatives, Helen Jouvert and Donovan Wade, are sent to investigate. Their search for answers will take them deeper into the world of conspiracy and fake news than they ever expected.
Treadstone and Blackbriar may be two sides of the same coin, intelligence and counterintelligence, but they have one thing in common, answers can be the deadliest commodity of all.
Robert Ludlum was the author of twenty-seven novels, each one a New York Times bestseller. There are more than 225 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into thirty-two languages. He is the author of the Jason Bourne series—The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum—among other novels. Mr. Ludlum passed away in March 2001.
Simon Gervais and Brian Freeman enjoy talking about the Robert Ludlum universe and their books. I hope you enjoy it as well.
Although PJ Vernon, author of Bath Haus, was guest host for Lev AC Rosen’s appearance at The Poisoned Pen, Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, talked about San Francisco in the 1950s. She mentioned that Rosen’s first historical crime novel, Lavender House, is an Agatha Christie-type country house mystery. You can find copies of books by both authors in the Web Store, https://store.poisonedpen.com/, and signed copies of Lavender House here. https://bit.ly/3MO8A1R
Here’s the description of Lavender House.
A delicious story from a new voice in suspense, Lev AC Rosen’s Lavender House is Knives Out with a queer historical twist.
Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. Irene’s recipes for her signature scents are a well guarded secret—but it’s not the only one behind these gates. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide who they are. But to keep their secret, they’ve needed to keep others out. And now they’re worried they’re keeping a murderer in.
Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept—his calendar is wide open. And his secret is the kind of secret the Lamontaines understand.
Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He’s seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn’t extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy—and Irene’s death is only the beginning.
When your existence is a crime, everything you do is criminal, and the gates of Lavender House can’t lock out the real world forever. Running a soap empire can be a dirty business.
LEV AC ROSEN writes books for people of all ages, including Camp, which was a best book of the year from Forbes, Elle, and The Today Show, among others, and is a Lambda finalist and ALA Rainbow List Top Ten. He lives in NYC with his husband and a very small cat. You can find him online at his website and on social media.
Rita Zoey Chin’s first novel is The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern, although she’s also the author of a memoir. You can find Chin’s novel in the Web Store, https://bit.ly/3D3GVGP
Here’s the description of The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern.
“The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern is a bittersweet and achingly tender coming of age novel. Like V. E. Schwab and Audrey Niffenegger, Rita Zoey Chin is an expert guide to that territory in which magic, loss, and possibility change not only the characters but the reader, too.” – Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble
The luminous story of a fiercely lonely young woman’s quest to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance . . .
When 6-year-old empath Leah Fern—once “The Youngest and Very Best Fortune Teller in the World”—is abandoned by her beautiful magician mother, she is consumed with longing for her mother’s return.
Until something bizarre happens: On her 21st birthday Leah receives an inheritance from someone she doesn’t even know, and finds herself launched on a journey of magical discovery. It’s a voyage that will spiral across the United States, Canada, into the Arctic Circle and beyond—and help her make her own life whole by piecing together the mystery surrounding her mother’s disappearance.
The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern is an enchanting novel about the transcendent power of the imagination, the magic at the threshold of past and present, and the will it takes to love.
Heres Chin’s short biography before the interview.
Rita Zoey Chin is the author of the widely praised memoir, Let the Tornado Come. She holds an MFA from the University of Maryland and is the recipient of a Katherine Anne Porter Prize, an Academy of American Poets Award, and a Bread Loaf scholarship. She has taught at Towson University and at Grub Street in Boston. Her work has appeared in Guernica, Tin House, and Marie Claire. This is her first novel.
Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, recently interviewed Rita Zoey Chin for Bookreporter.com. The interview is reprinted here, with Barson’s permission. You can find further information at https://bit.ly/3gcDlRR.
Interview: October 13, 2022
THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN, Rita Zoey Chin‘s debut novel, is a luminous coming-of-age story about a fiercely lonely young woman’s quest to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, Chin talks about the differences between writing this book and her memoir, LET THE TORNADO COME IN; the aspects of the story that she couldn’t grasp at first and how she finally got a handle on them; the one piece of advice she would give to aspiring novelists; and what readers can expect from her second novel.
Question: You’ve written a memoir and a number of acclaimed short stories, but THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN is your first novel. In what ways did you have to retool your skill set to approach this ambitious story?
Rita Zoey Chin: From a literary perspective, my considerations while writing my memoir and novel were actually quite similar, because both books are narrative-driven, and I tend to think cinematically when I write. I gave a lot of thought to building the narrative arc, as well as imagery (I’m always thinking about imagery), character development and voice.
But the experience of writing these books was vastly different. With my memoir, I wove a braided narrative extracted from decades of life events. That required distance from my life, an objective engagement with some of the profound things that have happened to me. Writing my novel, on the other hand, was kind of the inverse of that. While my memoir was a process of paring down, I had to build everything up from scratch in my novel. I was already starting at a distance, and so much of the writing involved getting quiet so that I could get closer and observe my characters in their natural habitats, sort of how you gingerly move toward a deer to catch its eye before it bounds off into the woods.
Q: “A work of literary excellence… Deeply philosophical yet full of magic.” That is how one reviewer evaluated this book. How closely do you follow the reviews that this novel is just beginning to receive now?
RZC: Probably too closely! After sitting with this novel in my imagination for all these years, I’m eager for it to find its readers, and I’m especially grateful when someone connects with the book and takes the time to write a review. One reader who received an advance copy recently wrote that it was one of her favorite books of all time and that she felt as if I’d written it for her. That’s the kind of feedback I hold onto as a reminder that the eight years I spent working on THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN were worth it. But it’s a balancing act for me. When I retreat back into my writing cave to work on my next novel, I’ll distance myself from reading reviews so that I can focus on the new story taking shape without all those outside voices in my head.
Q: When you were young, did you read any books that might have set you on the path to eventually writing THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN?
RZC: So many! One is THE ALMOST ANYTHING YOU MIGHT ASK ALMANAC, which actually appears in the novel. A compendium of superstitions, astrological profiles, drawings of wildflowers, descriptions of weather extremes, a thoughtful page dedicated to witches, and so much more, this book really lit up my imagination as a child and made me feel as if I were holding magic in my hands.
Speaking of magic, I was endlessly enchanted by THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY when I was young, and I think THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN is the result of how my mind was shaped by my love of those magical odysseys.
Q: When you were writing the novel, was there any element to the story that kept eluding you? And if so, how did you finally arrive at the solution?
RZC: Yes, Essie East’s voice! For the longest time, I couldn’t hear it. I knew she was this cranky, haunted, somewhat misanthropic but ultimately good person, but whenever it came time for her to speak, I either heard crickets or superimposed the wrong voice onto her. So I had to get really quiet — to look away — and then, slowly, she started to appear. I’d be in the shower, and suddenly I’d hear a line from her, and I’d run to my notebook, dripping water everywhere, and get the line down before it eluded me again. Interestingly, she became one of my favorite characters.
Jeannie Starr’s story (Leah’s mother) eluded me for even longer. It wasn’t until my second draft that I understood her full story, and that understanding turned out to be key to the whole novel.
Q: The book received a starred review from the ALA’s Booklist, which will likely be seen by every librarian in the country. Who do you perceive to be the book’s primary audience? And is there a secondary one as well?
RZC: I think the book’s primary audience will be people who, at some level, believe in magic. Outside of that, my hope is that this book has something for everyone — and in particular, anyone who has ever felt like a misfit, who has suffered loss, who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, and/or who appreciates a transformative journey — a spiral that moves both inward and out.
Q: If you were to address a room full of aspiring novelists who were about to embark on their first novel, what is the key lesson you’d like to impart based on your experience in writing THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN?
RZC: Be true, be true, be true! When I was writing THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN, I took well-meaning advice early on from someone I greatly admired (and still do), even though it ran counter to the most important aspects of my vision for the book. The result was a book that I wasn’t happy with, one that took me years to rewrite. I think taking edits when they ring true is such an important and helpful part of the process, but if I’ve learned anything, it’s that everything I write in a book has to ring true to me above all else. Once I finished the rewrite and my agent sent it out on submission, I was at peace. I thought, No matter what happens now, I wrote the book I wanted to write — I gave it my best. In an unpredictable, highly subjective industry, the freedom in that is priceless.
Q: Are you already laying out the plans for your second novel? If so, can you provide a clue to what its theme will be?
RZC: I am! It’s still early days, but I can say that, like THE STRANGE INHERITANCE OF LEAH FERN, it lives in the realm of magical realism, though it will be a bit darker and lustier and will probably veer into scarier territory.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed John Connolly to the bookstore. He talked about The Furies, and his writing, including what he calls a costly mistake. There are signed copies of The Furies, the latest Charlie Parker novel, available in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3g886rg
Here’s the description of The Furies.
Chaos and murder arrive in Charlie Parker’s hometown of Portland, Maine, with two connected crimes in the latest novel in #1 nationally bestselling author John Connolly’s “flawless and highly suspenseful” (PopSugar) series.
From “a master of the macabre” (RT Book Reviews), private investigator Charlie Parker is unwittingly drawn into a world of vengeance. New York Times bestselling author John Connolly pits Parker against two separate—but vitally connected—investigations, which prove to be among the most complicated of his entire career.
In The Sisters Strange, criminal Raum Buker arrives in Portland, only for a shocking act of theft to threaten not only his own existence but those of his former lovers—the enigmatic sisters Strange.
And in the title novel, The Furies, Parker must protect two women under threat as Portland shuts down in the face of a global pandemic. Unbeknownst to him, however, these clients are more capable of taking care of themselves than anyone could have imagined.
John Connolly is the author of the Charlie Parker series of thrillers, the supernatural collection Nocturnes, the Samuel Johnson Trilogy for younger readers, and (with Jennifer Ridyard) the Chronicles of the Invaders series. He lives in Dublin, Ireland. For more information, see his website at JohnConnollyBooks.com, or follow him on Twitter @JConnollyBooks.
David Rosenfelt returned to The Poisoned Pen after moving with his dogs to Maine. He appeared to talk about his latest Andy Carpenter novel, Santa’s Little Yelpers. You can order copies of that latest book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3yHW6TI
Here’s the summary of Santa’s Little Yelpers.
Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his humorous investigating team return in Santa’s Little Yelpers, the next Yuletide mystery in David Rosenfelt’s bestselling series.
‘Tis the season in Paterson, New Jersey: Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, are surrounded by holiday cheer. It’s even spread to the Tara Foundation. The dog rescue organization, not used to having puppies, has their hands full with a recent litter. Eight puppies are a lot to handle, and Andy is relieved when his co-worker Chris Myers agrees to foster them.
Myers, a newer employee at the Tara Foundation, did time for a crime he swears he didn’t commit. When Myers discovers a key witness against him lied on the stand, he goes to Andy to ask for representation in getting the conviction overturned. Myers thinks they can have this wrapped up by Christmas, no problem.
But when the witness is murdered, and Myers is arrested for the crime, things go from bad to worse. Suddenly, it’s all elves on deck to make a list and check it twice, so they can prove Myers is innocent.
DAVID ROSENFELT is the Edgar-nominated and Shamus Award-winning author of more than twenty Andy Carpenter novels, including One Dog Night, Collared, and Deck the Hounds; its spinoff series, The K-Team; the Doug Brock thriller series, which starts with Fade to Black; and stand-alone thrillers including Heart of a Killer and On Borrowed Time. Rosenfelt and his wife live in Maine with an ever-changing pack of rescue dogs. Their epic cross-country move with 25 of these dogs, culminating in the creation of the Tara Foundation, is chronicled in Dogtripping.
Enjoy the conversation with David Rosenfelt and a great deal of laughter.
Nelson DeMille recently appeared at The Poisoned Pen to discuss his latest book, The Maze. Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, also took the opportunity to introduce a new author, Taylor Moore, author of Firestorm, who is a Nelson DeMille fan. If you’re a fan as well, there are signed copies of The Maze available in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3yHrC4l There are also signed copies of Moore’s second book, Firestorm, in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3QG7BBO
Here’s the summary of The Maze.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille returns with a blistering thriller featuring his most popular series character, former NYPD homicide detective John Corey, called out of retirement to investigate a string of grisly murders much too close to home.
In his dazzling #1 bestseller, Plum Island, Nelson DeMille introduced readers to NYPD Homicide Detective John Corey, who we first meet sitting on the back porch of his uncle’s waterfront estate on Long Island, convalescing from wounds incurred in the line of duty. A visit from the local Chief of Police results in the legendary Detective Corey becoming involved in the investigation of the murders of a married couple who were scientists at the top-secret biological research facility on Plum Island.
Fast forward through six more bestselling John Corey novels and The Maze opens with Corey on the same porch, but now in forced retirement from his last job as a Federal Agent with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group. Corey is restless and looking for action, so when his former lover, Detective Beth Penrose, appears with a job offer, Corey has to once again make some decisions about his career—and about reuniting with Beth Penrose.
Inspired by, and based on the actual and still unsolved Gilgo Beach murders, The Maze takes the reader on a dangerous hunt for an apparent serial killer who has murdered nine—and maybe more—prostitutes and hidden their bodies in the thick undergrowth on a lonely stretch of beach.
As Corey digs deeper into this case, which has made national news, he comes to suspect that the failure of the local police to solve this sensational case may not be a result of their inexperience and incompetence—it may be something else. Something more sinister.
The Maze features John Corey’s politically incorrect humor, matched by his brilliant and unorthodox investigative skills along with the surprising and shocking plot twists that are the trademark of the #1 New York Times bestselling author, Nelson DeMille.
Nelson DeMille is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one novels, six of which were #1 New York Times bestsellers. His novels include The Deserter (written with Alex DeMille), The Cuban Affair, Word of Honor, Plum Island, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, and The General’s Daughter, which was made into a major motion picture, starring John Travolta and Madeleine Stowe. He has written short stories, book reviews, and articles for magazines and newspapers. Nelson DeMille is a combat-decorated US Army veteran, a member of Mensa, Poets & Writers, and the Authors Guild, and past president of the Mystery Writers of America. He is also a member of the International Thriller Writers, who honored him as 2015 Thriller Master of the Year. He lives on Long Island with his family.
Taylor Moore jumped at the opportunity to ask questions of Nelson DeMille. Enjoy the conversation.
David Baldacci recently “visited” The Poisoned Pen virtually to discuss his latest Memory Man novel, Long Shadows. Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, admits she didn’t see the ending coming, so you might want to pick up a copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3T6Dsx6
Here’s the description of Long Shadows.
From the author of The 6:20 Man, “Memory Man” Amos Decker—an FBI consultant with perfect recall—delves into a bewildering double homicide in this new thriller in David Baldacci’s #1 New York Times bestselling series.
When Amos Decker is called to South Florida to investigate a double homicide, the case appears straightforward: A federal judge and her bodyguard have been found dead, the judge’s face sporting a blindfold with two eye holes crudely cut out, a clear sign that she’d made one too many enemies over her years on the bench.
What at first seems cut and dry is anything but: Not only did the judge have more enemies than Decker can count—from violent gang members, drug dealers, and smugglers to a resentful ex-husband—but the bodyguard presents additional conundrums that muddy the waters even further. Who was the real target in this vicious attack?
Meanwhile, Decker must contend with a series of unsettling changes, including a new partner—Special Agent Frederica “Freddie” White—and a devastating event that brings Decker’s own tragic past back to the present . . . and forces him to reckon with his future. As potential witnesses start disappearing, Decker and White are inexorably pulled down a twisted tunnel of secrets, crimes, and scandal—at the end of which lies Decker’s deadliest threat yet.
DAVID BALDACCI is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.
Enjoy the conversation between David Baldacci and Barbara Peters.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Marcie R. Rendon, author of the Cash Blackbear mysteries. Signed copies of Rendon’s latest novel, Sinister Graves, are available through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3TgPd3C
Here’s the description of Sinister Graves.
“Marcie Rendon is writing an addictive and authentically Native crime series propelled by the irresistible Cash Blackbear—a warm, sad, sharp, funny and intuitive young Ojibwe woman. I want a shelf of Cash Blackbear novels! To my delight I have a feeling that Rendon is only getting started.” —Louise Erdrich, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Night Watchman
Set in 1970s Minnesota on the White Earth Reservation, Pinckley Prize”“winner Marcie R. Rendon’s gripping new mystery follows Cash Blackbear, a young Ojibwe woman, as she attempts to discover the truth about the disappearances of Native girls and their newborns.
A snowmelt has sent floodwaters down to the fields of the Red River Valley, dragging the body of an unidentified Native woman into the town of Ada. The only evidence the medical examiner recovers is a torn piece of paper inside her bra: a hymnal written in English and Ojibwe.
Cash Blackbear, a 19-year-old Ojibwe woman, sometimes helps Sheriff Wheaton, her guardian, on his investigations. Now she knows her search for justice for this anonymous victim will take her to the White Earth Reservation, a place she once called home.
When Cash happens upon two small graves in the yard of a rural, “speak-in-tongues kinda church,” Cash is pulled into the lives of the malevolent pastor and his troubled wife while yet another Native woman dies in a mysterious manner.
Marcie Rendon is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation, a Pinckley Prize-winning author, playwright, poet, freelance writer, and a community arts activist. Rendon was awarded the McKnight Distinguished Artist Award for 2020. She is a speaker on Native issues, leadership, and writing. Her second novel in her Cash Blackbear mystery series, Girl Gone Missing, was nominated for the Sue Grafton Memorial Award. Rendon was recognized as a 50 over 50 Change-maker by Minneapolis AARP and Pollen in 2018. She lives in Minneapolis.
Enjoy the conversation with Marcie Rendon about the Red River, her Cash Blackbear series, and Sinister Graves.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed popular author Jenn McKinlay to the bookstore to talk about her suitably spooky mystery, The Plot and the Pendulum. It’s just perfect for Halloween with a spooky mansion, the connection to Edgar Allan Poe, a skeleton, a library, and a hidden room. There are signed copies of The Plot and the Pendulum in the Web Store. https://tinyurl.com/2p9ee2cy
Here’s the summary of the latest Library Lover’s Mystery, The Plot and the Pendulum.
Halloween is approaching in Briar Creek, and things get spooky when a skeleton is found and connected to a decades-old cold case, in the newest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Killer Research.
Library director Lindsey Norris is happy to learn the Briar Creek Public Library is the beneficiary of the Dorchester family’s vast book collection. However, when Lindsey and the library staff arrive at the old Victorian estate to gather the books, things take a sinister turn. One of the bookcases reveals a secret passage, leading to a room where a skeleton is found, clutching an old copy of The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Lindsey does a quick check of missing persons, using the distinctive 80s era clothing worn by the deceased to determine a time frame, and discovers that Briar Creek has an unsolved missing person’s case from 1989. A runaway bride went missing just weeks after her wedding. No suspects were ever arrested and the cold case remains unsolved. Lindsey and the crafternoon crew decide that justice is overdue and set about solving the old murder mystery, using some novel ideas to crack the case.
Jenn McKinlay is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. Her work has been translated into multiple languages in countries all over the world. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband’s guitars.
Conversations with Jenn McKinlay are always fun. Enjoy this one!
