Meg Wolitzer – The Ten Year Nap
9781594483547 (paperback)
Penguin Group, $16.00
Writerscast host David Wilk interviews author Meg Wolitzer, whose novel The Ten Year Nap has recently been released in a paperback edition. This brilliantly written novel, set in contemporary New York City, portrays the lives of a group of women who have set aside their careers to raise children. Wolitzer paints her characters with the complexity and sympathy they deserve, but she never lets them off the hook for their foibles and failings. Women and men will recognize – sometimes painfully – much that is familiar to those who have lived through and come after the post-first wave of feminism in modern urban culture. Her humor is subtle but can make the reader laugh out loud as well.
In a wide ranging discussion Wilk and Wolitzer discuss the story line, characters and issues raised in The Ten Year Nap, as well as Ms. Wolitzer’s approach to writing and books and how she works. For any fan of Meg Wolitzer’s novels, and there are many, listening to this interview will be fun and illuminating. The Ten Year Nap is a wonderful book and highly recommended to anyone interested in contemporary American fiction.
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Josh Lambert – American Jewish Fiction
978-0-8276-0883-2
The Jewish Publication Society, $18.00
paperback original
Writerscast host David Wilk interviews Josh Lambert, the editor of AMERICAN JEWISH FICTION: A guide to great novels and short story collections published in January 2009 by the Jewish Publication Society. In the book, Lambert collects and discusses 125 classic American Jewish novels and short story collections beginning with Nathan Meyer’s DIFFERENCES from 1867 through Michael Chabon’s THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN’S UNION of 2007. In this fascinating interview, Lambert talks about his method for assembling his anthology, as well as some of the books and stories that it features. Wilk and Lambert talk extensively about the nature of Jewish fiction in America, themes that have remained constant over time, as well as what has changed in the American Jewish experiences since the earliest novels of the 19th century. Lambert talks about some of the issues he faced in making selections for the book and his enthusiasm for the many books he read in order to put this book together. AMERICAN JEWISH FICTION offers readers many surprises and should be of interest to any reader of contemporary fiction.
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Tony Abbott-The Postcard-a Mystery within a Mystery-Pt 2
March 21, 2009 by David
Filed under Children's Authors, Fiction
978-0316011723 (Hardcover)
Little Brown Young Readers, $15.99
(paperback is due out in May 2009)
Writerscast host David Wilk interviews Tony Abbott, the author of over 60 books for young readers, including the extremely popular Droon series, which has sold over 4.5 million books, and the Golden Kite winner Firegirl.
This is part two of Wilk and Abbott’s in depth and wide ranging conversation about books and writing. Wilk and Abbott talk extensively about Tony’s latest book, The Postcard , an exciting and well written mystery set in Florida in the sixties that is based to a great extent on Tony’s experiences visiting there as a child. They also talk about some of Abbott’s many other books and how his newest projects are developing. Abbott’s many fans will find this a great opportunity to get to know him as a writer and person. Part One of their conversation was posted earlier in March 2009.
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Tony Abbott – The Postcard – a Mystery within a Mystery
March 11, 2009 by David
Filed under Children's Authors, Fiction
978-0316011723 (Hardcover)
Little Brown Young Readers, $15.99
(paperback is due out in May 2009)
Writerscast host David Wilk interviews Tony Abbott, the author of over 60 books for young readers, including the extremely popular Droon series, which has sold over 4.5 million books, and the Golden Kite winner Firegirl.
This is part one of Wilk and Abbott’s in depth and wide ranging conversation about books and writing. Abbott talks about what he did before he became a full time writer and discusses in detail his writing methods and how he develops ideas that turn into books. Wilk and Abbott talk extensively about Tony’s latest book, The Postcard , an exciting and well written mystery set in Florida in the sixties that is based to a great extent on Tony’s experiences visiting there as a child. Abbott’s many fans will find this a great opportunity to get to know him as a writer and person. Part Two of their conversation will be posted soon.
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The People of the Book – Geraldine Brooks
978-0143115007 (paperback)
Penguin Books, $15.00
Writerscast host David Wilk interviews Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brooks, on tour for the release of the paperback edition of her newest novel, People of the Book. This brilliant and engaging historical novel has a story that spans centuries, using the Sarajevo Haggadah as the focus. As one reviewer has said: “There’s a romance between Brooks and the world, and her writing is as full of heart and curiosity as it is intelligence and judgement.” Carrie Brown, The Boston Globe.
In a wide ranging discussion with host Wilk, Ms. Brooks talks about her work and her working methods as a historical novelist. Wilk and Brooks talk in depth about The People of the Book. The author also offers fascinating details about the novel she is working on now, based on the Wampanoag Indians of Martha’s Vineyard, where she lives with her family. Her own website www.geraldinebrooks.com is a rich source of information about this wonderful writer and her consistently rich and rewarding fiction.
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A World I Never Made by James LePore
A World I Never Made
ISBN# 978-0981608723
The Story Plant, Hardcover $24.95
The inaugural WritersCast podcast has host David Wilk interviewing author James LePore, whose first novel, a thriller entitled A WORLD I NEVER MADE will be published by The Story Plant in April, 2009. Wilk and LePore talk about the characters in the book, and LePore’s writing methods and other topics in a wide ranging interview. LePore is a former trial attorney who turned to writing fiction full time after selling his law practice.
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