Indies Introduce Interview

Victoria Aveyard is the author of Red Queen, the first book in a new trilogy and a Winter/Spring 2015 Indies Introduce New Voices selection. Jill Hendrix of Fiction Addiction noted, “Red Queen is an unbelievable debut YA novel that will leave you waiting desperately for the next entry in the series.”

Colin Barrett is the author of the short story collection Young Skins, a Winter/Spring 2015 Indies Introduce Debut Authors selection. Seth Marko, formerly of UC San Diego Bookstore, called Young Skins “a blazing, outstanding debut by a very talented young writer who I can’t wait to see more from.”

Rafia Zakaria is the author of The Upstairs Wife: An Intimate History of Pakistan, a Winter/Spring 2015 Indies Introduce Debut Authors selection that Amanda Bullock of Housing Works Bookstore Café said “reveals the strength of Pakistani women” by weaving together national and family histories.

Cecilia Ekbäck is the author of Wolf Winter, a Winter/Spring 2015 Indies Introduce Debut Authors selection. “Ekbäck’s intriguing tale of Sweden’s Lapland in 1717 gives insight into the land and people of the far north and is also hard to let go,” said Barbara Theroux of Fact & Fiction.

Dan Gemeinhart is the author of The Honest Truth, a Winter/Spring 2015 Indies Introduce New Voices selection for children. Jill Hendrix of Fiction Addiction called The Honest Truth “a touching read” about a young boy in need of a miracle.

Emma Hooper is the author of Etta and Otto and Russell and James, a Winter/Spring 2015 Indies Introduce selection for adults that Cathy Langer of Tattered Cover Book Store called, “Wry and quirky, a little bit magical and perfectly pitched... A truly marvelous debut.”

“S.M. Hulse has written a wonderful novel that weaves together classic Western themes of family, obligation, love, anger, forgiveness, and music,” said Luisa Smith of Book Passage. Here, Hulse talks about the inspiration for her debut novel, her research, learning to fiddle, and more.

Robin Talley, the author of Lies We Tell Ourselves, talks about the inspiration for her story about the integration of a Virginia school in 1959, the challenges of researching LGBT experiences of the ’50s and ’60s, and more.

Kendall Kulper is the author of Salt & Storm, a Summer/Fall 2014 Indies Introduce New Voices pick for young adults. “With achingly beautiful prose, Kulper has crafted an intricately knotted story of love and revenge, legacy and sacrifice, destiny and freedom,” said Summer Laurie of Books Inc.

Caitlin Doughty is the author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, a 2014 Summer/Fall Indies Introduce nonfiction title and a September Indie Next List pick. “Doughty’s book is a clear-eyed look at death and a call for us all to think about a difficult topic in healthier ways,” said David Enyeart of Common Good Books.

Amy Zhang is the author of Falling Into Place, a 2014 Summer/Fall Indies Introduce New Voices title for middle-grade readers and a top 10 pick on the Autumn Kids’ Indie Next List.

Jennifer Longo is the author of Six Feet Over It, a Summer/Fall 2014 Indies Introduce New Voices pick for young adults.

Fives and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre, a former Marine Corps officer who deployed twice to Iraq, is “a mesmerizing debut set in the Iraq war and its aftermath,” said Bill Cusumano of Nicola’s Books. Here, Pitre talks about the inspiration for his debut novel, how literature can help us understand the experiences of America’s military men and women, and more.

Dana Alison Levy is the author of The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, a New Voices pick for middle-graders that Sara Hines of Eight Cousins calls “a laugh-out-loud story of a patchwork family that balances zany antics with heartfelt moments.”

Tom Bouman is the author of Dry Bones in the Valley (W.W. Norton), which was chosen by booksellers for both the Summer/Fall 2014 Indies Introduce promotion and the July 2014 Indies Next List.