The Back Room - Outstanding Winter Reads

Written By Natalie

An evening at The Back Room: Cocktails and Conversations with Your Favorite Authors, hosted by authors Hank Phillippi Ryan and Karen Dionne, was a delightful way to conclude the 2025 season of author events. This December session featured the talented authors: Andrew Child, Tracy Clark, Hannah Mary McKinnon, and Ryan Steck. It was a pleasure to see Tracy Clark again, having first met her during a Back Room event in November 2024. As a fan of the Jack Reacher novels, I was particularly thrilled to meet Andrew Child, who now coauthors the series with his brother, Lee Child.

As with each event, the session began with an engaging “get to know you” game. Each author was presented with three questions to share some fascinating anecdotes about themselves. Additionally, each author enthusiastically recommended a book they had recently read. Attending The Back Room is a great way to expand your reading list!

In case you’re interested, here are each author’s book recommendations:

Andrew Child: I Did Not Kill My Husband by Linda Keir

Tracy Clark: Beyond Midnight by Ian K. Smith

Hannah Mary McKinnon: Too Old for This by Samantha Downing

Ryan Steck: The Crossroads by CJ Box

Next, the breakout rooms were set up, providing each author with an opportunity to delve into their latest book. Karen facilitated Q&A sessions with the participants, enabling them to ask questions and engage in meaningful discussions.

During the first breakout room session, I had the privilege of meeting authors Tracy Clark and Hannah Mary McKinnon. Tracy delved into her fourth book, Edge, which is part of the Harriet Foster series. I had the pleasure of meeting Tracy last year when she was promoting her book, Echo. Her deep love for Chicago is evident in her words, and I admire her pride for her hometown. Tracy shared insights into the overall series, her writing process, and how she developed her writing skills. Her extensive knowledge of the craft of writing is evident, and it’s clear that she has dedicated significant effort to honing her talent.

Hannah Mary, a new author to me, is uniquely talented in writing both thrillers and romance. She has authored several books, and recently published a thriller titled A Killer Motive. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her writing process, especially since she writes in two different genres. Her responses to participant questions were very thorough and detailed.

During the second breakout room session, we quickly learned that Ryan Steck was experiencing an internet outage and couldn’t join us. As a newcomer to his work, I was disappointed that I missed the opportunity to learn about his book, The Second Son.

On the positive side, Andrew Child was able to spend the entire 30 minutes with our group. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him as I learned so many intriguing details! Andrew coauthors the Jack Reacher series with his brother, Lee Child. I’m a fan of the series and have read the first 25 books. Andrew was present to discuss their latest novel, No Exit, the thirtieth book in the series. I appreciated Andrew’s candid responses and gained a deeper understanding of his role in the Reacher books. He revealed that he has been involved in the series since the first book as an early reader. He shared that he and Lee have always enjoyed discussing each book and brainstorming ideas for Reacher’s next adventure. He described his current role in the series as “a natural progression.”

As a coauthor, Andrew explained that he and Lee intended Reacher to be the same yet different. He clarified that Lee wanted Andrew to incorporate more technology into the story, while Andrew wanted to return Reacher to his earlier, more witty personality. He described their writing process as “distributed planning,” where they don’t outline the entire story but instead brainstorm on what will happen next after they write each significant event.

Participants had questions about the movie and TV series based on the Reacher novels. Andrew mentioned that Lee is primarily involved in the current television series, while Andrew is more involved in the books.

The conversation touched upon some personal details about Andrew. He and his wife reside on a wildlife preserve in Wyoming. He shared a humorous anecdote about a moose visiting their home and peering through the windows. I was captivated by their home library; it was impeccably decorated, perfectly suited for a home in Wyoming. (The picture below showcases it.)

Andrew’s wife, Tasha Alexander, is also a writer, and they frequently travel as part of the research for her novels. She has authored twenty books in her Lady Emily series. A quick search on Goodreads suggests that I might enjoy her novels set in late 19th and early 20th-century Victorian England. Prior to writing the Reacher novels full-time, Andrew had written nine novels under his real name, Andrew Grant.

Overall, this was another delightful evening at The Back Room. I’m always thankful to the authors and everyone involved for organizing this event.

You can read my blog posts about my previous experiences with The Back Room below.

 

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Natalie
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The Back Room - Brilliant Storytellers