Dedicated with Doug Brunt

Anna Quindlen: mocktail to-be-named (seltzer, simple syrup, lime juice, fresh basil)

Anna discusses her novel One True Thing and how she felt about her friend Meryl Streep in the lead role of the film adaptation; her unsparing thoughts on social media; her morning routine and process for writing books; the lasting effects of her mother’s remark to her; the New Jersey Hall of Fame; a beautiful piece of advice. [Also a comparison of Anna to Rocky Balboa which I should have described as unusual rather than low-brow]

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David Duchovny: Paloma, or Tequila Greyhound (2 ounces tequila blanco, 2 ounces grapefruit juice, splash of club soda)

David discusses bunking up with JFK Junior while in high school, shares important lessons learned from Don Rickles and Gary Shandling, reviews his thesis for his PhD at Yale, reveals why he won't write a memoir, describes how he kept faith in himself as an artist during the early years of his career, tells about an entertaining encounter playing tennis next to John McEnroe, gives some thoughts on musical bands like The Who and The Kinks, examines the power of a quiet mind.

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Penn Jillette - The Air We Breathe (no alcohol, no caffeine)

Penn describes what performing magic and writing a novel have in common, talks about Bill Maher and the difference between a cynic and a skeptic, identifies his favorite illustration of America's First Amendment, warns of the peril of technology's capacity to take geography out of tribalism, and discusses the concept behind his new novel, Random. 

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Joseph Kanon: Louis Latour - white Burgundy wine

Joe has seen it all - he was CEO of the most prestigious publishing house in the world prior to becoming a bestselling author of spy novels including The Good German which was made into a movie starring George Clooney and Kate Blanchett. Joe talks about the history and future of the novel and the publishing business, writing for TV and film, and how to write novels of moral intrigue (what do you do when forced to chose between two wrongs?).

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Dan Abrams: bourbon on the rocks

Bestselling author, journalist and media entrepreneur Dan Abrams discusses an elevator encounter with Wayne Newton, what Keith Olbermann deserves credit for, Kanye West's play for the social media platform Parler, how writing needs to be crafted differently for network news v. cable news v. print journalism, and the secrets to success in working with a co-author. 

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Paulina Porizkova: very dirty martini (2 1/2 ounces Hendrick’s gin, dry vermouth, extra olives) 

Paulina credits Johnny Depp with being a positive example of kindness on the set and teaching her to be less judgmental; pays a compliment to both Naomi Watts and Bill Nye (not Nighy) the Science Guy; discusses narcissism, Instagram, the Kardashians and Olivia Dunn. 

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William Finnegan: Bulleit bourbon & club soda

Pulitzer Prize winning author Bill Finnegan talks about a day-in-the-life of a writer on staff at The New Yorker and how a piece gets started with editor David Remnick. Bill also discusses his memoir Barbarian Days and names his picks for top male and top female surfers of all time, as well as names some of his favorite surf breaks around the world. 

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Jess Walter: The Robert Burns cocktail (1 ounce Dewar's scotch, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, 1/2 ounce Benedictine, served up and with a lemon twist)

It's possible I poured this one a little heavy, but it's my favorite drink so far. Jess talks about the surprise success of his novel Beautiful Ruins, how his agent had nearly negotiated a bonus if it made the bestseller list, though everyone believed making the list was a long shot (it stayed on the bestseller list for a year and a half!). Learn the alternate titles considered for Beautiful Ruins, his writing process, how he evaluates news ideas for novels and short stories, as well as his early work in journalism including working with Christopher Darden to write a book about the OJ Simpson case.

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Nelson DeMille: Dewar's on the rocks

Nelson talks about John Travolta on the set of General's Daughter, the importance of getting characters right even if not PC, the value of a mentor, how he has managed the loss of his wife Sandy with the help of friends and family.

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Lee Child: “good champagne”

Lee talks about meeting King Charles III, what it was like to work with Tom Cruise, who he always pictured in the role of Jack Reacher, and which celebrity would make a good love-match for Reacher (hint: you know her well).

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