by Michael Sandler Call it fierce appetite for gadgets, strawberry huller, a lobster pick good for fishing out olives. Lives imbue my favorite, cracking walnuts in a pinch, juicing lemons— but mostly for exuding garlic. Mom’s joke: a real chef would cook his goose with one. She used to clear…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Since the last time The Penmen Review caught up with Joe Giordano in 2015, the author has been hard at work on his latest novel, “Appointment with ISIL: An Anthony Provati Thriller,” which was released in June. Shifting away from the historical fiction genre, Provati tried his…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Author and photographer Rachel Hulin started using social media to garner interest in her novel, “Hey Harry, Hey Matilda,” long before it published this year. She created a blog that introduced the characters and an Instagram account that allowed them come alive in a different medium, creating…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Rowan Hisayo Buchanan’s debut novel, “Harmless Like You,” was shortlisted for several awards this year, including the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Betty Trask Prize and the Authors’ Club First Novel Award. The novel follows a young Japanese artist, struggling to make it in the industry, and the…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Julie Buntin debuted her first book, “Marlena: A Novel,” in April. Buntin explores weighty topics including love, addiction and loss in the lives of two teenage girls. “‘Marlena’ slayed me,” bestseller Anton DiSclafani said in response to the book. “Gorgeously written, with a sense of place so…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf “The Animators,” Kayla Rae Whitaker’s debut novel, has garnered praise from newspapers and magazines around the world – from The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post and Glamour to The Sydney Morning Herald and Elle. Published by Random House in January, “The Animators,” follows two…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Amy Poeppel’s “Small Admissions” began as a play in 2011 and was later expanded into a novel, incorporating material from Poeppel’s experience as an assistant director of admissions in a New York City private school. Her debut novel has been praised by Booklist, Library Journal and InStyle…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Alexander McCall Smith’s impressive repertoire of more than 100 books span many genres, including academic non-fiction, fiction and children’s books. His work is published in 47 languages and he has publishers all around the world. Since the publication of his first book in 1980, the international bestseller…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Fiction writer Liza Palmer hit the international bestsellers list with her debut novel, “Conversations with the Fat Girl” (2005). Since then, she has written six other highly-praised books, earned two Emmy nominations for her writing in the first season of “VH1’s Pop Up Video” and now works…
By Rebecca LeBoeuf Between classes and homework, extracurricular actives, a part-time job and a social life, college is a busy time for many students. Imagine writing and publishing a novel on top of all that. In the middle of her college career, Nicole Mello published her first novel, “Venus,” with…
by Rebecca LeBoeuf Julie Pennell published her debut novel, “The Young Wives Club,” in February. Pennell’s book follows four young women, still in relationships from high school, as they discover how complicated love is. With praise from Kirkus, Booklist, Bestselling Author Karen White and others, “The Young Wives Club” shifts…