Jenny Jackson joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, THE SHAMPOO EFFECT, which was announced as July's "Read with Jenna" Book Club pick on the day of this interview. Set in a seaside Massachusetts town inspired by Ipswich, where Jenny grew up, the book explores themes of friendship, romantic entanglement, generational differences, imposter syndrome, and coming of age in one's 30s.

Jenny talks about her writing process and balancing her role as Vice President and Editorial Director of Fiction at Alfred A. Knopf with her writing career. Carol notes the book's layered, unfolding mystery quality, with readers constantly wondering about character connections and motivations. Jenny knew key character traits from the start — Caroline's complicated relationship with her mother, Bailey's fierce independence, Augusta's traditional old-money conservatism, and Fran's exasperated, low-maintenance personality (partly inspired by her best friend). Rotating points of view is central to Jenny's authorial voice and thematic goals, and the characters' backstories were largely established before writing.

Jenny discusses how the book captures shifting attitudes toward sexuality and parenting across generations. And she also shares the origins of the title. Carol selected THE SHAMPOO EFFECT as a Bookreporter Bets On pick, just as she did Jenny's debut novel, PINEAPPLE STREET.

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Beatriz Williams joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her latest novel, WHEN YOU LOVED ME, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Set on fictional Winthrop Island, this multilayered story combines historical fiction, mystery, romance and family drama. The Winthrop Island series has allowed Beatriz to build a rich, interconnected world where characters evolve across multiple books. WHEN YOU LOVED ME has a piece that will have readers marveling at how the island's inhabitants survived during a harsh winter when the snow was unrelenting.

Beatriz talks about the deliberate choices behind the novel's multiple narrative perspectives, as well as the multicast recording for the audiobook. She shares personal background on her football experience at Stanford, which directly inspired the character of Ben Ressler, an NFL player at the center of the story. And towards the end of the interview, Beatriz reveals what's next for her.

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Kathryn Stockett: https://youtu.be/-mNe-Y9CctQ

Susan Patterson: https://youtu.be/jvZjwDq_dUw

Jane Harper: https://youtu.be/PTqqPXbbX8A

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Bruce Holsinger joined us for June's "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event to discuss his national bestseller, CULPABILITY, which was a Bookreporter Bets On selection when it released last July. This suspenseful family drama is about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence.

Bruce offered many interesting tidbits about the origin of the book's plot, title and cover art, and he described the moment when he found out that it was going to be an Oprah's Book Club pick. Six readers joined the conversation on camera with questions about Bruce's storytelling and comments on how AI has quickly infused our lives. They also talked about how they related to the novel's various characters. We closed out the program with Bruce sharing what's next for him.

Please note that this is our last "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event of the season as we will be taking July and August off. We will be back in September and will announce our author guest as soon as the details have been confirmed.

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Susan Patterson: https://youtu.be/jvZjwDq_dUw

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Lori Foster talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her latest novel, THE LAKE HOUSE, which our reviewer Bronwyn Miller says "would be perfect to toss into your bag as you head to the beach or the lake, or as you're relaxing in your yard when you need a sweet escape from the everyday." Set in Bramble, Kentucky, it's the second installment in her Firefly Summer series, following last year's THE GUEST COTTAGE (though it easily can be read as a stand-alone title).

Lori talks about being a linear writer, allowing the story to bring her along. The role of her new character, Brogan Rafferty, as an inexperienced caregiver provides both emotional depth and comic relief, grounding the novel in relatable human experiences. Amusingly, Lori enlisted her loved ones during a Sunday gathering to help her do the math on the ages of her characters across these two books, which became a fun family activity.

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Allison Pataki: https://youtu.be/5I4q_OFCiTg

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Sadeqa Johnson: https://youtu.be/ED0LOkAarVE

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Lisa See joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. This time, Lisa explores the idea of female friendship as told by three different Chinese women — Moon, Dove and Petal — who were inspired by real people.

The book is rooted in the 1871 Chinese Massacre in Los Angeles, which has been largely erased from public memory and not taught in history classes. Lisa first explored the massacre over 30 years ago while researching ON GOLD MOUNTAIN, where it appeared in a single paragraph. She was later invited by the mayor to serve on an advisory board for a memorial commemorating what became known as the "Night of Horrors." The novel grew from both deep personal family history and a sense of compulsion to recover a deliberately suppressed historical event.

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Allison Pataki: https://youtu.be/5I4q_OFCiTg

Patricia Finn: https://youtu.be/QhZagqICgU4

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Ruta Sepetys talks about her ninth book and first adult novel, A FORTUNE OF SAND, with Carol Fitzgerald. Set in 1920s Detroit during the Prohibition era, the story is centered on the wealthy Lennox automotive dynasty behaving badly and accumulating power. The youngest daughter, Marjorie, uncovers a web of family secrets. The book is rooted in deep historical research, and explores themes of power, impermanence, control, and the fragility of constructed legacies in Detroit during this time period.

Ruta discusses the control exerted over women during the era, often framed as "safeguarding" but functioning as suppression of creative and personal autonomy. She and Carol have a longstanding professional relationship dating back to her debut YA novel, BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. Ruta notes that the cover design — Honolulu Blue and silver — is a nod to Detroit. She also shares that the "Dear Coco" interstitial letters throughout were part of the original manuscript and come together meaningfully at the end.

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Wally Lamb joined us for May's "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event to discuss his instant New York Times bestseller, THE RIVER IS WAITING, which is now available in paperback. It also is an Oprah's Book Club pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Wally explained how he came to write this story and how his time working with incarcerated women in the prison system influenced his work.

A number of readers joined us to share their thoughts on the book and how it affected them in powerful ways. (Please note: Spoilers are included.)

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Allison Pataki: https://youtu.be/5I4q_OFCiTg

Patricia Finn: https://youtu.be/QhZagqICgU4

Sadeqa Johnson: https://youtu.be/ED0LOkAarVE

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Ashley Elston: https://youtu.be/Yb_ig0leaQA

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Lily King: https://youtu.be/_yo2x2ZA0B0

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Kathryn Stockett joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her new novel, THE CALAMITY CLUB, her first book since THE HELP (which was published in 2009) and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The story is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression and follows a group of scrappy, strong-willed women who work together to conquer challenges they face, knowing that there are no men to save them. The novel also addresses the societal expectations and hypocrisies of the 1920s and '30s.

Kathryn balances the book's serious historical themes with humor. Initially she tried to write a cautious, bland tale that was different from THE HELP to avoid similar criticism, but she realized after a number of years that it lacked heart. Kathryn also discusses the novel's length, which she justifies by the character development and story complexity. She drew a lot of inspiration from her own mother, to whom THE CALAMITY CLUB is dedicated.

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Allison Pataki: https://youtu.be/5I4q_OFCiTg

Patricia Finn: https://youtu.be/QhZagqICgU4

Sadeqa Johnson: https://youtu.be/ED0LOkAarVE

Wendy Walker: https://youtu.be/y-2G5AC9heU

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Paula McLain: https://youtu.be/vKwg0G18sCA

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Lily King: https://youtu.be/_yo2x2ZA0B0

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Laura Dave joined us for a "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event to discuss her instant New York Times bestseller, THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM, a Reese's Book Club pick and a Bookreporter Bets On selection. Laura shared how she came to write the sequel to THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME and what matters to her when it comes to writing and her writing process. She also talked about the screen adaptations of her books, giving readers a great deal of insight into how those are created.

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Jane Harper: https://youtu.be/PTqqPXbbX8A

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Allison Pataki: https://youtu.be/5I4q_OFCiTg

Patricia Finn: https://youtu.be/QhZagqICgU4

Sadeqa Johnson: https://youtu.be/ED0LOkAarVE

Wendy Walker: https://youtu.be/y-2G5AC9heU

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Patrick Ryan: https://youtu.be/keazeWK1lto

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Allen Levi: https://youtu.be/tELDtaqsD7g

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions

Susan Patterson joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her latest novel, THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB, which she wrote with her husband, James Patterson. Set in Lake Como, Italy, the story revolves around four mothers and their five daughters, exploring mother-daughter relationships through a book club. Three of the mothers met at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is Susan's alma mater. The book evolved naturally from the success and themes of their previous collaboration, THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER. Susan and James decided to structure chapters by character point of view to make it easier for readers to follow multiple characters. Lake Como was selected because it represents one of the most beautiful places, with a perfect landscape, mountains, water and food.

Please note that some of the questions for this interview came from readers who won an advance copy of the book in a previous Bookreporter contest.

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Patricia Finn: https://youtu.be/QhZagqICgU4

Sadeqa Johnson: https://youtu.be/ED0LOkAarVE

Wendy Walker: https://youtu.be/y-2G5AC9heU

Ashley Elston: https://youtu.be/Yb_ig0leaQA

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Belle Burden: https://youtu.be/kmlJvv037Yg

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Allen Levi: https://youtu.be/tELDtaqsD7g

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions