David Baldacci: sparkling water

David names the two most underrated thriller writers, describes the way that planning-then-writing a novel can be similar to Tom Brady practicing-then-playing a football game, reveals the mystery books from his childhood that made him love reading, tells of a peak moment of dejection when he doubted he could ever become a writer, shares the story of a bizarre book signing event, talks about the fragile ‘ecosystem of literature’ and offers a terrific piece of advice.

Marcy Dermansky: House of Balloons (2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce Aperol, 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice, simple syrup, top with club soda)

Marcy talks about the struggles of a working writer including waiting in an unemployment line in New York while holding her newborn baby the week of publication of her novel, her isolating move to Germany and her return to New York where she was a more productive writer, how publishing short fiction can in some ways be more difficult than publishing a novel, and the fact that someone she is friends with on Facebook is the inspiration for a major character in her new novel though he does not know it

Gregory Maguire: Ginger Mojito Mocktail (grated ginger, grated cucumber, mint, lime juice, ginger ale, sparkling water)

Gregory reveals the one book that he later realized had subconsciously guided his reimagining of Oz for his novel WICKED, shares his thoughts on the departures that the adaptations (both stage and film) have taken in reimagining WICKED, names the one children’s book that made him want to be a writer, names 3 books every kid should read by age 10, talks about the blurred line between YA and adult fiction, provides some insider details about Elphaba, discusses how his Catholicism influences themes in his writing, tells the story of the very unplanned first meeting of his husband, Andy.