posted 04-14-2014 07:34 PM               

Author of "Astronaut Wives Club" to visit Toms River Library

New York Times bestselling author Lily Koppel will visit the township branch of the Ocean County Library at 7 p.m. on April 21.

Koppel is best known for her books, "The Astronaut Wives Club" and "The Red Leather Diary.''

"The Red Leather Diary" introduced readers to Koppel's journalistic adventures— recovering a young woman's diary from a trunk found in a dumpster outside of her Manhattan apartment and her search to locate its owner decades later.

In her latest book, "The Astronaut Wives Club", Koppel examines the lives of a group of women that helped to define an era and usher in a new age of women. As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives.

Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.

"The Astronaut Wives Club" tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history. The book is being made into a television series on ABC, with head writer Stephanie Savage, creator of "Gossip Girl."

Koppel was born and raised in Chicago. She worked at the New York Times reporting on celebrities and lives in New York City with her husband and their two rescue dogs, Ozzy and Lucky. Her books will be available for sale at the event.

This program is free and includes a book signing. Registration is required. Contact the branch at 732-349-6200 or visit the library's website theoceancountylibrary.org.

posted 05-04-2014 05:39 PM            

The author seems to have gathered every story that puts the astronauts in a bad light and interwoven them amongst a list of designer names of shoes, dresses, hats etc.

A few inaccuracies, which can be forgiven, and a slur on Edward Givens that really can't be.

To me it was just one long list of astronaut bashing. A dire read that revealed very little that was new to me, little humour and a dark undercurrent of depression, death and misery!

posted 06-11-2014 04:19 PM               

'Astronaut Wives' author marks book's first year with new softcover, TV series

It's been a year since the launch of "The Astronaut Wives Club" and Lily Koppel is back in orbit.

The 33-year-old author, whose latest bestseller traces the spouses of America's spacemen through the 1960s space race, has again embarked on a tour promoting "Astronaut Wives Club," this time for its paperback release by Grand Central Publishing.

The softcover however, is only the latest development for Koppel and the "Astronaut Wives." As if inspiring themed parties with "retro-recipes" wasn't enough, the book is now the basis for a limited event television series to premiere on ABC next spring.

collectSPACE caught up with Koppel as she embarked on her five-state book tour to discuss the new edition of "The Astronaut Wives Club" and the TV series it has sparked.