John Searles joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his new novel, SINGLE GIRLS, a work of dramatic fiction set in the 1960s. It focuses on Helen Gurley Brown and the team of women she assembled who transformed Cosmopolitan into one of the best-selling magazines of all time. A Bookreporter Bets On selection, the book has been compared to "Mad Men" and "Sex and the City."
John worked at Cosmopolitan and shares his encounters with Helen through the years. The novel is deeply informed by real events, Helen's memoirs, published biographies, and his personal knowledge of the editors who worked there. John had always wanted to write about Helen and had told her so during their friendship, but he had been constrained by publishing expectations to stay within his established genre: suspense/thrillers. The audiobook is narrated by his friend, Amy Ryan, who starred in the film adaptation of his earlier novel, STRANGE BUT TRUE.
Carol worked at Mademoiselle, and during their conversation, she shares her background there and how she navigated her early career before leaving Condé Nast and starting The Book Report Network almost 30 years ago.
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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald
Edited by Jordan Redd Productions
