Friends Come Together to Make More Friends
What started as group of five to strategize about their cancelled book tours turned into so much more, and I'm proud to say that I've been there since the beginning
Hi readers,
Welcome new friends! I’m so happy you’ve found your way here. I love to read books and bookish newsletters and articles, and throughout the year, I share glimpses and links of many of those with readers. I don’t write many book reviews—I don’t necessarily think I’m good at that, but I like putting articles and other bookish newsletters on your radar. I enjoy introducing readers to books and authors they might not know about yet. Over the last several months, I’ve been subscribing to and collecting information about book authors who publish bookish newsletters on Substack. Starting this week, I’ll share some of those author newsletters and communities with you.
Born in the early days of Covid is one of the most vibrant bookish communities that became a life-saver to many readers, myself included. A group of five friends and writers came together to create Friends & Fiction when their book tours were canceled because of the shutdown in March 2020. Within a month, they launched their weekly web show on Facebook Live, gathering readers from all over the country to escape into books and authors they loved to read for an hour.
What started as a way for these authors to “reach readers and support independent bookstores while stuck at home” turned into a community of upwards of a quarter-million readers and followers across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and a weekly Podcast—the audio version of the live show so you can listen on the go. More recently, two of the authors have moved their newsletters to Substack, joining the main
newsletter that moved to Substack in early 2024.The original four authors that make up the Fab Four are Mary Kay Andrews,
, Kristy Woodson Harvey and . Mary Alice Monroe, the fifth member/friend of the original group, left in 2021 to concentrate on her writing. Some of the early authors visiting the live show include Cassandra King, Brit Bennett, Jasmine Guillory, Elin Hilderbrand, Sadeqa Johnson, and so many more—all can be found on their YT page linked above. Some of the more recent authors making an appearance are Emily Henry, Tommy Orange, Kristin Hannah, and Angie Kim; this list goes on and on. With abundant riches in authors and their books, what more could a reader ask for?Well, how about a book club to go with the Friends & Fiction live show? Readers asked, and a couple of the Friends and Fiction members stepped up and created a Friends and Fiction official book club, now thirty thousand members strong. The book club reads a monthly book, has a monthly live event to discuss it, has meet-up events at book festivals, occasionally has one or more of the Fab Four on the live show, and has interviews with some of the authors from the main group. Both communities have active FB groups where members have become friends, and so many book recommendations will keep you reading forever.
The four authors have book tour events across the country with readers to celebrate their new books when they hit the shelves and have built a loyal following of readers who can’t wait to see them in person. I’ll be at my local independent bookstore on May 15th when Mary Kay Andrews makes a stop in Dallas to talk about her latest book, Summers at the Saint.
Let me introduce you to the two authors and the group that writes newsletters on Substack.
A
newsletter subscription offers free and paid editions of their newsletter. Every Wednesday, there is a free weekly newsletter about that evening’s live show guest, the latest book information and news about each of the authors, a listing of upcoming live and in-person events, and information about the FB book club and its latest happenings. Occasional roundtables with the Fab Four are also included in the free subscription. For their paid subscribers, readers receive an additional written interview with that week’s live show guest, as well as occasional personal essays and other exclusive content. is a New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels translated into over thirty languages and sold worldwide. She just started her newsletter on Substack and so far, has written about her upcoming book tour for the paperback novel The Paris Daughter, and Mary Kay Andrews new book that publishes today. Hopefully, once she returns from her book tour, she’ll write more newsletters so readers can get to know her better. is also a New York Times best-selling author who has written nineteen novels and has a lovely Substack newsletter that she started at the beginning of 2024. Stories Are My Thing is a free newsletter that provides periodic peeks into her writing life, advice for writers, book recommendations, and an occasional personal essay to get to know her better.
Sadly, the other two authors of the Fab Four, Mary Kay Andrews and Kristy Woodson Harvey, do not have newsletters on Substack yet 😢. Until they do, you can find them at their websites linked above, and both have newsletters you can subscribe to so you can stay up to date on their books and all the happenings.
Have you read any of the books by the Friends and Fiction authors? Did you know about Friends and Fiction before today? Be sure to check out all their links, and also, check out the YT page for past events with probably some of your favorite authors. You never know who you might find there!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at some Substack authors and their newsletters. These are some of my favorite authors, and their weekly show “saved my life” during the early days of Covid and has been a joy to be a part of since then. Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that bring joy. Happy reading!
Some of the links in this newsletter may be affiliate links. That means that if you click through and purchase anything, I may earn a small commission. This costs you nothing and helps me feed my voracious reading habit, and for that, I thank you.
Gayla, I learn something in every article you post, and this was no different. Thank you for keeping up current (and that's a VERY BIG job).
Thank you, Gayla. ❤️ I will check it out. I think it's wonderful when authors support each other.