It used to hold that one of the reasons you became a writer was that you were the sort who ducked out of photographs and preferred to communicate through quill-written correspondence. These days, though, these Salingeresque avoidance techniques won’t win you much love from your publisher–and probably won’t push many books, either.
So Penguin’s the Screening [...]

Craig Johnson, riding high on the acclaim for the latest book in the Walt Longmire series, The Dark Horse, was in Chicago last Saturday for an appearance at the Printers Row Lit Fest. After his panel, he could be seen enjoying a beer at the Dark Horse Tap and Grille, appropriately enough. While we talked, he sold his [...]

In my interview with fantasy scribe T. A. Barron, he tells how, when he quit his venture capital job to write books, a partner tried to refer him to a therapist. Many striving writers face similar reactions when they make the plunge, and no wonder: it can be a quixotic quest, and all too often [...]

In a former life, I interviewed movie stars. I can tell you what Russell Crowe smells like, what Neve Campbell drinks, and what Ben Kingsley would really rather be talking about. But here’s the main revelation: hanging out with movie stars, as it turns out, is kind of a drag.
Which is why, these days, I [...]

I had a ball chatting with Ingrid Law, and Gillian Engberg seemed thrilled to be talking to Ann Brashares, but for sheer frequency of giggling frivolity, it looks like Ilene Cooper has us beat. She had a pow-wow recently with author Kate DiCamillo and before it’s over they both sound like they’re about to hyperventilate [...]

Booklist’s Gillian Engberg had a sit-down with Ann Brashares of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fame, and I’m sure glad she did. For anyone who doubts the amount of serious work that goes into creating such blockbusters, dig Brashares as she discusses the influences of Trollope, Hardy, and Faulkner. Maybe it’s all the practice [...]

On the off chance that you missed it, here’s the interview I did last night:

I was lucky enough to sit down with author Ingrid Law the day before she won a Newbery Honor for her debut novel Savvy–one day later and she would’ve been too busy picking out a starter mansion and adding solid-gold dice to her new Rolls. I kid, of course. Ingrid was as humble and delightful [...]

The radio show of Booklist’s own Donna Seaman, Open Books, is now airing on Chicago’s NPR affiliate, WBEZ, on select Sunday nights. Be sure to tune in this Sunday, February 17, at 9 p.m. (Central) as she talks with author Nancy Goldstein about her book Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist–just reviewed in [...]

Since 2001, when his Joe Pickett mystery series debuted with Open Season, C. J. Box has earned accolades and fans in ever-growing numbers. Not only was Booklist one of the earliest publications to take note of his exciting talent (Bill Ott wrote a double-length, rave review), Box went on to have a track record here [...]