On this week’s episode, we listen to a clip from the audiobook version of PAX by Sara Pennypacker.

The story of a boy and his pet Fox, separated by war, this beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the essential truths that define us and the devastating costs of war, is destined to become a beloved classic.

You can buy the audiobook of PAX on audible, where it is currently on sale!

When Mary Kubica introduced the suspense element to her writing with The Good Girl, she knew she had found her style.

Now a Master of Suspense, Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date in Every Last Lie - one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

Ms. Kubica and Ana Maria Allessi sat down at the ABA’s 2017 Winter Institute to discuss Mary’s new book, how to come up with original twists, and her background as a writer.

Megan Whalen Turner's favorite thing about being a writer is that she can give away her creative output while still keeping it on a shelf at home. Her Queen's Thief novels are rich with political machinations, battles, dangerous journeys, divine intervention, power, passion, revenge, and deception. The author sits down with Harper Audio’s Ana Maria Allessi to discuss writing, publishing and her latest stand-alone novel, “Thick As Thieves.”

Jodi Lynn Anderson’s MIDNIGHT AT THE ELECTRIC tell the story of three women – two from different eras of the early 20th century, one from the future – being linked both by their actions and a “very long-lived tortoise.” Anderson says that she likes “to write about magic that’s very realistic,” which was a “constant thread while writing this book.” Grief, love, faith, a “magical glass globe”, and how one’s life can impact others carry a thread between the novel’s three distinct protagonists.

Ms. Anderson and Ana Maria Allessi sat down to discuss this title and the author’s writing life at the ABA’s 2017 Winter Institute.

Jamie Harrison sets her novel in 1905 Livingston Montana because, contrary to popular belief, it was a place of sophistication and flux similar to our world today. THE WIDOW NASH is about a woman who reinvents herself under a new identity. It poses the question, is this cowardice or courage?

Harrison has lived in Montana for almost 30 years and writes when not plying her trade as a technical editor. She’s the daughter of author Jim Harrison.

Daniel Wallace believes his protagonist in EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES, Edsel Bronfman, is the first character he's ever created who "can exist outside the covers of the book." Wallace discusses his new "coming-of-age-late" novel and talks about finding underlying messages in his works after the fact, in today’s interview with Ana Maria Allessi.

Susan Burton tells HarperAudio Presents that lectures and appearances are familiar territory, something she had to master as founder and Executive Director of “A New Way Of Life.” But now they’re in the service of her first book, a memoir entitled “Becoming Ms. Burton.” Burton intends the audience for her addict-to-activist story to include women in prison, because she offers a new vision for their life after incarceration. However, all audiences will gain insight from this story of getting on your feet and giving back.

Lisa Ko’s debut novel THE LEAVERS takes a poignant look at the detainment of undocumented immigrants and the devastating emotional effects it has on their American-born children, who often end up being adopted by families outside of their background. Lisa discusses the novel, her background as a storyteller, and the need for more diverse writers in American literature of today’s episode, recorded at the ABA Winter Institute in January 2017.

"I’ll quit next week" became Laura McBride's motto when her life became too difficult and too busy for writing. The irresistible project was 'Round Midnight, the story of four very different women whose lives come together after sixty years. The setting for their interaction is Las Vegas, McBride's home for nearly 30 years. Speaking with Harper Audio's Ana Maria Allessi at the Winter Institute, McBride reveals some of her greatest strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

Benjamin Ludwig's debut novel GINNY MOON revolves around the title character, a fourteen-year-old girl adopted from the foster care system who is plotting an escape. Ludwig's own daughter is autistic and was adopted as a pre-teen by Benjamin and his wife, though the similarities between her and Ginny Moon begin to diverge after those facts. Today, Ludwig expands upon his parenting and writing backgrounds and dives into his mindset while writing in the voice of an autistic high school student.