Today, I’m talking to Jessica Francis Kane, author of the recently released novel, FONSECA, based on a trip that acclaimed English writer Penelope Fitzgerald took in the Winter of 1952 in an attempt to inherit a personal and creative lifeline from two elderly relatives. We’ll be talking about how Jessica wove personal letters into the narrative as well as how she managed the point of view of a literary personality that many readers know and love.

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JESSICA FRANCIS KANE is the author of two short story collections, Bending Heaven and This Close, which was named a best book of the year by NPR. Her first novel, The Report, was a finalist for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, the Indie Booksellers’ Choice Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Her second novel, Rules for Visiting, was a national and LA Times bestseller. It was selected for the Indie Next List of the American Booksellers Association and was named a best book of the summer and/or year by Oprah Magazine, Good Housekeeping, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, Vulture and The Chicago Tribune. Her latest novel, Fonseca, has been named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and a best book of the year by Kirkus, Esquire, and BookPage.

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