Siri Hustvedt From the author of What I Loved, The Sorrows of an American is a soaring feat of storytelling about the immigrant experience and the ghosts that haunt families from one generation to another. In this INK Q&A, Siri Hustvedt shares her strangest job working for a medical historian, why fiction can lie, and more!

Eric Weiner The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World takes the reader from America to Iceland to India in search of happiness, or, in the crabby author's case, moments of "un-unhappiness." With engaging wit and surprising insights, Eric Weiner offers travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.

Pope Brock Pope Brock's Charlatan is a remarkably rich historical narrative that tells the forgotten story of America's most ingenious con man and one man's decades-long battle to bring him to justice. In this Q&A, Brock discusses his strangest job, hails Hill Street Blues, and more!

Peter Carey The latest novel from the two-time Booker Prize-winning author of Theft: A Love Story, His Illegal Self is an achingly beautiful story of the love between a young woman and a little boy. In this INK Q&A, Peter Carey discusses his literary pilgrimage to Faulkner's home, why he writes, and more.

Jennifer Finney Boylan From the bestselling author of She's Not There comes I'm Looking through You, Jennifer Finney Boylan's buoyant, unforgettable memoir about growing up in a haunted house — and making peace with the ghosts that dwell in the heart. In this INK Q&A, Boylan shares her most interest job, what she misses most about being a man, and more!

Tim Dorsey Batten the hatches, don the life jackets, and take cover — Serge A. Storms is setting sail on a cruise ship to hell in Atomic Lobster, the latest manic adventure from the acclaimed author of Hurricane Punch. In this INK Q&A, Tim Dorsey describes his Jack Kerouac pilgrimage, shares his idea of absolute happiness, and more!

Joshilyn Jackson When the ghost of a little girl appears in her bedroom one morning, everything Laurel holds dear is suddenly thrown into question in The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, the latest novel from Joshilyn Jackson. In this Q&A, Jackson describes her strangest job as a puppeteer, her difficult literary pilgrimage, and more!

Bart D. Ehrman In God's Problem, top Bible scholar and New York Times-bestselling author of Misquoting Jesus Bart D. Ehrman challenges the varied and contradictory biblical explanations for why an all-powerful God allows suffering. In this INK Q&A, Ehrman shares his love of single malt scotch, describes how he's living in absolute happiness, and more!

Kim Harrison In The Outlaw Demon Wails, the riveting new tale in Kim Harrison's bestselling Hollows series, vampire and bounty hunter extraordinaire Rachel Morgan must play a dangerous game in which the prize is her immortal soul. In this INK Q&A, Harrison shares her vision of the ideal life, describes why she writes, and more!

Kyle Mills From Kyle Mills, author of the award-winning The Second Horseman, comes an all-too-plausible eco-thriller, Darkness Falls, in which a new bacteria with a voracious appetite for oil threatens the worlds energy supply. Booklist cheers, "Mills has done it again: another up-all-night read (with nightmares to follow)." In this INK Q&A, Mills shares his passion for rock climbing, his favorite first sentence, and more!

George R. R. Martin George R. R. Martin, the New York Times-bestselling author of the Song of Ice and Fire series, returns with a rare treat for readers: Dreamsongs, two collections of the best of his short fiction. In this INK Q&A, Martin discusses the influence of music on his work, his secret desire to be a caped crusader, and more.

Ha Jin From the acclaimed, National Book Award-winning author of Waiting and War Trash comes A Free Life, a new novel that eloquently re-imagines the American immigrant saga. "Capacious, pointillistic, empathic, and tender...affirms humankind's essential mission, to honor life," raves Booklist. In this Q&A, Ha Jin wonders what Lolita would be like as an adult, explains why writers have to be great liars, and more.

Alan Lightman From the acclaimed author of the national bestseller Einstein's Dreams comes Ghost, a stunning and disturbing new novel about one man's encounter with the unfathomable that Booklist calls a "brilliantly orchestrated and gripping tale." In this Q&A, Alan Lightman reveals the strangest job he's ever had (in a drive-in theater), discusses how his favorite pair of shoes has survived for thirty-five years, and more.

Ken Foster Ken Foster knows that a dog can change a person's life, and that several dogs can change even more. Dogs I Have Met: And the People They Found, his all-new follow-up to the nationwide bestseller, The Dogs Who Found Me is a collection of stories about people whose lives were changed by dogs in need. In this INK Q&A, Foster shares his many quirky jobs (including working for Snoop Dogg), the wonders of meeting dogs at book readings, and more.

Greil Marcus In The Shape of Things to Come, the past and the present merge in the most extraordinary and surprising ways. From Greil Marcus, the author of Mystery Train and Lipstick Traces, comes an exhilarating and provocative investigation of the tangle of American identity. In this INK Q&A, Marcus reflects upon the strangest job he's ever had, his literary pilgrimages, and more.

Ann Packer Ann Packer's newest novel, Songs without Words, is the stunning follow-up to her bestselling The Dive from Clausen's Pier that takes readers on a journey into a life-long friendship tested by a harrowing crisis. In this INK Q&A, Ann Packer explains what makes a good liar, gets lost in a Charles Baxter book, and more.

Wesley Stace By George unveils the fascinating Fisher family — its weak men, its dominant women, its disgruntled boys, and its shocking and dramatic secrets. At once bitingly funny and exquisitely tender, Wesley Stace's novel is the unforgettable journey of two boys separated by years but driven by the desire to find a voice. In this INK Q&A, Stace shares his favorite pair of shoes (picture included!), why book lovers should get to know Patrick Hamilton, and more!

Laura Moriarty From Laura Moriarty, the critically acclaimed author of The Center of Everything, comes The Rest of Her Life, a luminous, provocative, and ultimately redemptive look at how even mothers and daughters with the best intentions can be blind to the harm they do to each other. In this INK Q&A, Moriarty describes the best breakfast of her life (on the morning of her friend's funeral), why she loves connecting with her readers, and more!

Kate Blackwell The twelve stories in Kate Blackwell's debut collection, You Won't Remember This, illuminate the lives of men and women who appear as unremarkable as your next-door-neighbor until their lives explode quietly on the page. In this INK Q&A, Blackwell describes her literary pilgrimage, shares her vision of the ideal life, and more!

Jerry Stahl From the bestselling author of the memoir Permanent Midnight and the novel I, Fatty comes Love Without, a long-awaited collection of short stories. Jerry Stahl's perverse yet often touching tales plumb the depths of eccentric romance, sex-starved adolescence, mid-life crisis, and family dysfunction. In this exclusive INK Q&A, Stahl plumbs the depths of his own life, sharing which fictional character he'd like to date, his literary pilgrimage, and more!

Paulina Porizkova From perennial '80s cover girl to your bookshelf — supermodel Paulina Porizkova culls a lifetime of experience for her first novel, A Model Summer, which exposes the glamorous and gritty world of modeling. In this INK Q&A, Porizkova reveals which fictional character she'd like to date, shares her favorite wicked indulgence, and more!

Pete Jordan From underground cult hero "Dishwasher Pete" comes Dishwasher, the story of one man's twelve-year, cross-country quest to wash dishes in all 50 states and how he abandoned his mission for love. In this exclusive Q&A, Pete Jordan tells us about life as a turtle, his favorite pair of shoes (which aren't long for this world), and more!

Richard Flanagan From the internationally acclaimed author of Gould's Book of Fish comes The Unknown Terrorist, an astonishing new novel that offers a riveting portrayal of a society driven by fear. ("The most searing and powerful book I have ever read about how our fears of terrorism are twisting and diminishing us in chilling fashion," raves the Oregonian.) In this INK Q&A, Richard Flanagan shares his all-time favorite novels, the strangest job he's ever had, and more!

Daniel H. Wilson In Where's My Jetpack?, roboticist Daniel Wilson takes a hilarious look at the future imagined through movies, television, and comic books. He reveals which technologies are already available and those that do not yet exist — explaining what stands in the way of making them real. In this INK Q&A, Wilson reveals why he writes, what makes his favorite pair of shoes better than any other, and more!

Neil McMahon In Lone Creek, an edgy thriller set on his home turf of Montana, Neil McMahon interweaves the story of family dynasties and an unsolved mystery, all against the backdrop of the beautiful, hard Western landscape. In this INK Q&A, McMahon weighs in on his favorite characters in history, whether authors on tour are wilder than rock bands, and more!

Ken Ross In A Mathematician at the Ballpark, professor Ken Ross reveals the math behind the stats. This lively and accessible book shows baseball fans how to harness the power of made predictions and better understand the game. And in this INK Q&A, Ross shares his favorite book as a kid, his best and worst subjects in school, and more!

Monica Drake Resisting easy classification, Monica Drake's acclaimed debut novel, Clown Girl, blends the bizarre, the humorous, and the gritty with stunning skill. In this INK Q&A, Drake reveals her favorite characters in history, the strangest job she's had, why psychic dogs have her number, and more!

Miranda Beverly-Whittemore From Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, the acclaimed author of The Effects of Light, comes Set Me Free, a compelling new novel of love, betrayal, and brotherhood that Publishers Weekly hails as an "intriguing read." Read Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's INK Q&A and pick up a copy of Set Me Free today.

Joanna Scott Joanna Scott describes her latest book, Everybody Loves Somebody, as "a set of stories spanning the 20th century, spun around experiences of love, loss, and gain -- a history (in miniature) of ordinary emotions." Read Joanna Scott's INK Q&A and pick up a copy of Everybody Loves Somebody today.

Kevin Brockmeier Kevin Brockmeier describes his novel, The Brief History of the Dead, thusly: "In some ways it's a survival narrative, in other ways a post-apocalyptic character study, and in still other ways a sort of jigsaw story about the connections we forge with each other." Read our Q&A with Brockmeier for more on his latest and a list of his favorite authors.

Stephen Goodwin According to the author, Dream Golf is "the story of Bandon Dunes, a place that has already become a legend in American golf." Goodwin may have mastered his golf swing, but is he ready to survive our sand trap of questions?

Jane Hamilton Jane Hamilton's latest novel, When Madeline Was Young, combines the bestselling author's "wish to write about a happy marriage, plus write a book that deals with war." Find out more about Jane Hamilton and her new book in our INK Q&A.

Michael Cox In Michael Cox's words, The Meaning of Night, is "a historical novel, set mainly in the mid-1850s, that attempts to re-create the literary ambience of mid-Victorian Sensation fiction." In Cox's Q&A find out more about Sensation fiction, his favorite authors, and more.

Wendy Spero Award-winning comedian Wendy Spero's "Microthrills" is a clever and profoundly funny collection of true stories about the mini highs in life. Here she shares her secrets in finding "adventure in small things, like Twizzlers and finger puppets."

Ayun Halliday Ayun Halliday, author of previous books about travel, parenting, and job hopping, including No Touch Monkey, which Bitch magazine called "shamefully entertaining," returns with Dirty Sugar Cookies. In this Q&A, she shares her thoughts on shoes, blogs, and a smorgasbord of other delights.

Gordon Dahlquist Gordon Dahlquist describes his blockbuster debut novel, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters as "an epic adventure, with elements of romance, mystery, and even a stripe of Victorian science-fiction." Find out more in this exclusive Q&A, including his thoughts on Jane Austen, Robert Coover, and fencing.

Jason Roberts In his debut book, A Sense of the World: How A Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler, Jason Roberts brilliantly illuminates the life of a virtually unknown nineteenth-century explorer. Here Roberts shares his thoughts on Pippi Longstocking, Kurt Vonnegut, The Flaming Lips, and many others.

Julia Glass Julia Glass's Three Junes was the winner of the 2002 National Book Award for Fiction, as well as a New York Times Notable Book. The Oregonian calls her new novel, The Whole World Over, "a wise book, with breadth as well as depth." In our INK Q&A, Glass describes her idea of absolute happiness, her favorite literary first line, and her favorite indulgence.

Carolyn Parkhurst Carolyn Parkhurst's novel Lost and Found "deserves to be as big a hit as the reality shows it genially pokes fun at," according to Booklist. In our INK Q&A, Parkhurst shares some of her literary inspirations and answers our call for the best Simpsons episode of all time, admitting: "This is something I've thought about quite a bit."

Rachel Sherman Rachel Sherman describes her first collection of stories, The First Hurt, as being "about people who are going through adolescence, pursuing and avoiding sexual experiences, and having conflict in families or relationships." Here, Sherman discusses the only way she can relax, her ideal form of happiness, and much more.

Ivan Doig A paean to a vanished way of life and the eccentric individuals and idiosyncratic institutions that made it fertile, The Whistling Season is Ivan Doig at his evocative best. In our INK Q&A, Doig discusses his Doig's favorite opening line, why he writes, and more.

Mark Siegel Mark Siegel is the Editorial Director of First Second Publishing, a company that aims for high quality, literate graphic novels for a wide age-range, with such books as Grady Klein's The Lost Colony" and Eddie Campbell's The Fate of the Artist. In this INK Q&A, Siegel weighs in with his opinions on the best "Simpsons" episode ever, some of his favorite contemporary illustrators, and more.

A. M. Homes Will A. M. Homes's new novel, This Book Will Save Your Life, really save your life? We make no promises, but we're pretty sure this A. M. Homes Q&A will make your newly saved life a little more interesting.

Robert St. John Robert St. John, author of Deep South Staples: How to Survive in a Southern Kitchen without a Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, shares his favorite literary first line, describes a breakfast that's so good "it might have been worth the drive from South Mississippi just to eat the sausage," and offers his final thought.

Heather McGowan In Heather McG