Season 8, Episode 13 - Alina Adams and Kyra Davis Lurie
This episode is sponsored by Anne Dean, author of Far Side of Revenge – Filled with captivating, complex characters, Far Side of Revenge is a remarkable feat of storytelling. The world of medieval Ireland springs to life before your eyes.
In the final episode of Season 8, Alina Adams and Kyra Davis Lurie engage in a compelling conversation. They discuss the inspiration behind The Great Mann, focusing on the two Black characters from The Great Gatsby. Alina shares the "What if?" question that led to Go On Pretending. The authors address cultural appropriation, differentiating genuine representation from inauthenticity, and talk about facing pushback. They also explore the literary thirst for trauma and the interplay of history and fiction in their novels. Don't miss this insightful discussion on storytelling and authenticity.
About the Authors
About the Authors
Alina Adams is the NYT-bestselling author of soap-opera tie-ins, figure-skating mysteries, and romance novels. Born in Odessa, USSR, Adams immigrated to the United States at age seven and learned to speak English by watching American Soap Operas. After receiving her B.A. and M.A. in broadcast communications at San Francisco State University, Adams worked in television as a writer and researcher. Years later she penned the As The World Turns book tie-in, Oakdale Confidential, which became a New York Times bestseller. Adams continued writing and is now a prolific and innovative writer who has authored more than a dozen books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her book, The Nesting Dolls, is a Soviet-Jewish historical novel published by HarperCollins in July 2020. Her newest novel, My Mother’s Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region, was published by History Through Fiction in November 2022. Adams lives in New York City with her husband and their three children.
Kyra Davis Lurie is a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter. She is the author of The Great Mann, So Much For My Happy Ending, the Sophie Katz mystery series, the Just One Night series and the Pure Sin series. Her books have been published in nine languages across 6 continents. Her first historical fiction novel, The Great Mann, will be available June 10, 2025. Kyra lives in Los Angeles with her husband where they both serve as advisors to their dog, Potus.
Go On Pretending
Three generations of women battle against the tides of history, from segregated 1950s America to the fall of the USSR and the rise of revolutionary Rojava.
The Great Mann
In this poignant retelling of The Great Gatsby, set amongst L.A.’s Black elite, a young veteran finds his way post-war, pulled into a new world of tantalizing possibilities—and explosive tensions.
