Dubbed a “modern-day Jane Austen,” Emily Giffin has touched the hearts of millions of readers. Populated by emotionally charged and endearingly flawed characters that readers can’t help but root for, her six novels have been translated into 29 languages, with five million copies in print worldwide, and three have been optioned for the big screen. The film of her first novel, Something Borrowed, premiered in May 2011 by the production companies of Hilary Swank and Edward Burns, starring Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin and John Krasinski.
At the podium, Giffin brings to life the emotion, humor and relatable issues of her novels in her own insightful and intimate voice. Sharing her personal journey to publishing success, Giffin provides a behind-the-scenes look at turning a dream into a reality. A firm believer in taking risks and following your heart, Giffin speaks to the fears and hopes of anyone pursuing a seemingly unattainable goal — and provides living proof that the future you imagine can actually come true.
In a separate program, Giffin candidly and colorfully discusses the struggles that her memorable characters face in her novels – poignant conflicts and choices in friendships, marriage, work and motherhood that define every woman’s existence. With a fresh and relatable take on the dilemmas facing the modern woman, Giffin brings to life with clarity and empathy just how complicated our lives can be . . . and how essential family, true friends and forgiveness are in helping us navigate life’s difficult choices.
Giffin began her fiction writing career at the ripe age of eight, when her first published poem appeared in Cricket Magazine. As an adult, Giffin ended up enrolling in law school, and upon graduation found herself practicing litigation at a New York City law firm. Never losing sight of her childhood dreams of becoming an author, however, Giffin continued writing in her spare time, eventually quitting her job as a lawyer to pursue her dreams full-time.
Despite several rejections of her first manuscript, Giffin persisted, eventually completing Something Borrowed. Hailed as a “heartbreakingly honest debut” with “dead-on dialogue, real-life complexity and genuine warmth,” Something Borrowed became a New York Times bestseller that has sold more than a million copies to date. Since then, she has penned four more New York Times bestsellers: Something Blue (2005), Baby Proof (2006), Love the One You’re With (2008) and Heart of the Matter (2010).
In Heart of the Matter, Giffin delves into the intricacies of female friendships, marriage and motherhood to deliver a moving portrait of two deeply sympathetic women caught in an untenable situation. The compelling story of two mothers with seemingly little in common, the novel deftly weaves the fates and lives of these characters together in a heart-wrenching tale that forces readers to ask what truly matters most. As Family Circle observed, “Giffin’s calling card has always been her ability to delve into the workings of relationships. But in her latest book the bestselling novelist probes deeper than ever… With intelligence, humor and piercing insight, Giffin shows that in matters of love, it is possible to be right and yet so wrong.”
Giffin’s newest novel, Where We Belong, explores the journey that two women embark upon in search for what is missing in their lives. Through re-evaluating memories, love and family they begin to recognize that where they belong may be the place they least expect.
A Chicago native, Giffin graduated summa cum laude from Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. She now resides with her husband and three young children in Atlanta. After the success of Something Borrowed, Giffin received the Georgia Debut Author of the Year Award, and is currently at work on a screenplay adaptation of Baby Proof.
