In this interview, I chat with Eliza Knight and Denny S. Bryce about Can't We Be Friends, how they learned about the friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, writing a book together and how they approached it, using song titles for chapter headings, how the title and cover came about, and much more.
Eliza's recommended read is The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang.
Denny's recommended reads are:
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Can't We Be Friends
Eliza Knight is an award-winning and USA Today and international bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her love of history began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles. As an avid history buff, she’s written dozens of novels including The Mayfair Bookshop, Starring Adele Astaire, Ribbons of Scarlet, A Day of Fire, and Can’t We Be Friends, which have been translated into multiple languages. She is the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, and host of the History, Books and Wine podcast. Knight lives in Maryland and Florida with her husband, three daughters, two dogs, and a turtle.
Author
Denny S. Bryce is the bestselling, award-winning author of novels THE OTHER PRINCESS, A FACE IN THE SUN, and WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES. Her new book (out March 5) is CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS: A Novel of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monore, co-authored with Eliza Knight. Additionally, she is an NPR book critic, an adjunct professor at Drexel University, and a freelance writer who has written for Harper’s Bazaar and USA Today. She is also a member of the Historical Novel Society, Tall Poppy Writers, a women’s author collective founded by Ann Garvin, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, where she serves as the 2024 WFWA Guiding Scribe. Denny is represented by Wendy Sherman at Wendy Sherman Associates Literary Management.
Here are some great episodes to start with.