Ep. 97: Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (Authors of We Are Not Like Them)

<p><strong>In Episode 97, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza share how their co-authored novel (<a href="https://amzn.to/3Gn7C9p">We Are Not Like Them)</a> explores how hard it is to have conversations about difficult topics even between dear friends.  We discuss why they decided to write a book with a lifelong, interracial friendship at its core, and how they handled collaborating on a book with a plot revolving around a fraught topic.  </strong></p> <p><em>This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).</em></p> <h2>Highlights</h2> <ul> <li>How they met and began their professional relationship.</li> <li>Who had the initial idea for <a href= "https://amzn.to/3Gn7C9p">We</a> <a href= "https://amzn.to/3Gn7C9p">Are</a> <a href= "https://amzn.to/3Gn7C9p">Not Like Them.</a></li> <li>How they decided to go from an editor/writer relationship to co-writing and what that looked like for them.</li> <li>Why it was important to work collaboratively on both main characters, rather than each taking one.</li> <li>Christine’s and Jo’s own challenges while working on this novel.</li> <li>How they handled any “creative friction” that came up.</li> <li>How the discussions around character development really opened up how they had to consider race on the page.</li> <li>How their own personal experiences and perspectives really informed both characters</li> <li>They share some key thoughts to having these important conversations.</li> <li>The surprising but similar reaction from both Black and white readers.</li> <li>They also share a little teaser about the next book they are writing together.</li> </ul> <h2>Christine’s and Jo’s Book Recommendations <a class= "spp-timestamp">[32:55]</a></h2> <p><strong>Two OLD Books They Love</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Christine</strong>: <a href= "https://amzn.to/3C9CxmR">The Secret Lives of Church Ladies</a> by Deesha Philyaw | <a href="https://amzn.to/3C9CxmR">Buy from Amazon</a> | <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/24569/97