“Powerful,” says Sarahlyn Bruck at the Washington Independent Review of Books
With The Other Beautiful People, Caroline Bock isn’t the first author to shine a spotlight on the entertainment industry. But instead of steering our gaze toward the glamorous, Hollywood-based, and yes, beautiful people most readers are all too familiar with, she asks us instead to follow the tight-knit team of regular folks behind the fictional Cinema Channel, a classic-movie cable outlet in Midtown Manhattan….(read the entire review here…) The Other Beautiful People | Washington Independent Review of Books
June 2, 2026
The Other Beautiful People, a novel by Caroline Bock
She is the author of the acclaimed novel THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (Regal House Publishing, 2026) as well as the award-winning short story collection Carry Her Home (Washington Writers’ Publishing House, 2018), and the young adult novels Before My Eyes and LIE from St. Martin’s Press.
Is THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE a good book club pick?
The Other Beautiful People is an excellent book club pick. As the Library Journal notes in their positive review, “VERDICT: Will have wide appeal, as it explores numerous subjects, including the complexities of marriage, death, grief, love, nostalgia, and work/nuclear family dynamics.” A book club discussion guide is included in each copy of The Other Beautiful People.
What inspired THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE?
Caroline Bock’s career in the cable television industry inspired her novel The Other Beautiful People. Caroline Bock spent two decades working in the cable television industry. Notably, Caroline Bock was the senior vice president of marketing and public relations at AMC, Bravo, and IFC. She was part of the executive team that launched the Independent Film Channel (IFC) and IFC Films. She started her career at USA Network. Her cable television career spanned 1985-2003. The Other Beautiful People is a workplace love story inspired by Caroline Bock’s career in cable television.
What writers influenced Caroline Bock’s writing career?
Caroline Bock studied creative writing as an undergraduate at Syracuse University and was in writing workshops with Raymond Carver, Tess Gallagher, Tobias Wolff, and Jack Gilbert, who inspired her writing. Caroline Bock also holds an MFA from the City College of New York.
What are critics saying about THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE by Caroline Bock?
One week until my novel is officially on sale… and Norah Vawter’s review in Washington Unbound captured its essence!!!
“Caroline Bock’s first novel for adults, The Other Beautiful People (Regal House 2026), is rich, layered, intellectually complex, and, yes, beautiful. Equal parts domestic fiction and workplace drama, the novel centers on Amy Greene, a television executive, wife, mother, and film aficionado whose life is combusting…”
I will be at Politics & Prose Bookstore (Conn. Avenue store) on TUESDAY, JUNE 2nd at 7 pm for my novel’s ‘opening night’ — in conversation with the beautiful novelist Laura Scalzo!! ALL INVITED!
PRE-ORDER your copy now and be the first to read! Copies are available everywhere books are sold … and I’ve been told they are already on the shelves at Politics & Prose!!
My first 5-star Goodreads review from an Advanced Readers Copy for THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, and ohhhhh, it’s beautiful…
“…The Other Beautiful People is a love letter to family, colleagues, work crushes, first responders and the city of New York. It’s also about the perpetual search for love and the heartache that comes with saying goodbye to something, or someone, truly cherished. What does Amy want? She wants to know what love is. She wants a new start. She wants a forever home. She wants more. Read this novel by Caroline Bock. She’ll leave you wanting more, too.” — from Monica Hogan at Goodreads …5 Stars! Read the entire review on Goodreads.
Monica is a fellow writer, a former ace cable television reporter, and a friend. I am so thankful that I have friends like Monica and so many of you in my life!
I’m Caroline Bock, author of The Other Beautiful People, a workplace love story, my first novel for adults.
And I’d love to come speak with your organization about this novel, which Kirkus Reviews recently called “…a remarkable journey…”
If you are looking for someone to be on a panel or featured as a writer with a new and immersive novel, I would be happy to focus on a close-up of The Other Beautiful People for you, and I can bring something very special and fun to the table – CLASSIC MOVIE TRIVIA.
I am a huge classic movie buff. In fact, I worked for 20 years at movie-focused cable tv networks—notably at AMC, BRAVO, and IFC as the senior vice president marketing and public relations where I met many classic movie stars and worked on shows like Inside the Actor’s Studio with James Lipton at Bravo or Reflections on the Silver Screen with Richard Brown on American Movie Classics.
The main character of The Other Beautiful People, Amy Greene (who has a similar job at the fictional Cinema Channel!), sees the world as her movie set –and the people in it—characters on the silver screen. So, if you want someone who can weave a book talk around classic movie trivia – what actor had the real name of Bette Joan Perske…and hailed from the Bronx? (Lauren Bacall), or David Daniel Kaminsky from Brooklyn? (Danny Kaye)…I am here to give you a close-up look at The Other Beautiful People and the classic movie stars who inspired it via fun, interactive trivia interspersed throughout my book talk.
So, The Other Beautiful People. All infused with optimism, insights, and some special prizes for answering the trivia! Ultimately, a thoughtful and joyful presentation.
Arrange for me to talk to your organization via the Jewish Book Council:Home | Jewish Book Council. Thank you for the opportunity to share my creative work with you.
Caroline Bock, official author photo, credit: Michael Bock
Official author bio here:
Caroline Bock is the author of THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, a workplace love story, inspired by her two-decade career at AMC, Bravo, IFC, and IFC Films (on sale June 2, 2026, Regal House Publishing). She is also the author of the young adult novels LIE and Before My Eyes, as well as the award-winning short story collection Carry Her Home. She is the co-president/prose editor at the Washington Writers’ Publishing House.
Caroline Anna Bock is a novelist, short story writer, and editor based in the Washington DC area. Maryland. She is also the co-president and prose editor at the Washington Writers’ Publishing House, a nonprofit literary press based in Washington DC since 1975. Reach her directly at cbock8908 @ gmail.com.
LIE – a critically acclaimed (starredreviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, and the Library Journal) young adult novel, inspired by a true crime, about love and hate in suburban America. Published by St. Martin’s Press. LIE is for ages 14 and above.
LIE…starred reviews “Suspenseful and thought provoking.” starred review, Booklist
“Unusual and important.” starred review, Kirkus Reviews
“…reads like a confessional.” starred review, Publishers Weekly
Available in Spanish for the first time this spring of 2025. Available in paperback and in ebook formats everywhere books are sold. Everybody knows. Nobody is talking. Todos lo saben. Nadie habla. More details about LA MENTIRA here.
Before My Eyes – A long hot summer on Long Island. Three teens working at a beach snack shack. Romance. Tragedy. Before My Eyescaptures a moment when possibilities should be opening up, but instead everything teeters on the brink of destruction.
From St. Martin’s Press and highly acclaimed for its sensitive, character-driven story, Before My Eyes is a young adult novel for ages 16 and above. Optioned by Tangerine Entertainment.
CARRY HER HOME…WINNER OF THE FICTION AWARD FROM THE WASHINGTON WRITERS’ PUBLISHING HOUSE. FORTY-SEVEN STORIES FROM FLASH TO FULL-LENGTH THAT WILL BREAK YOUR HEART AND CARRY YOU HOME.
A REVIEW FROM THE FOREWORD INDIES:
Carry Her Home Caroline Bock Washington Writers’ Publishing House (Oct 15, 2018) Softcover $17.95 (216pp) 978-1-941551-16-5
In an early piece in this book of short, connected stories, Caroline Bock establishes a daughter’s reverence for her father: “let me recall the days when I picked tomatoes beside my Pop, and ate one or two directly from the vine at his direction in his garden under the sun, and I was young, and I was a child loved.”
Bock moves from a child who is loved to child who is sidelined by grief and stress when her mother suffers an aneurysm that leads to institutionalization, leaving behind her children and her floundering husband. In this autobiographical and imaginative book, Bock imbues her parents’ story with compassion, rich detail, and cumulative power.
The forty-seven stories gather around the central narrative of Bock’s parents, though the book also fast forwards to Bock’s adult life and reverses to understand her grandparents. From a misguided and slapdash escape plan to a magical dance, an awkward family dinner to a notion store owned by a grandfather, Bock sketches rich landscapes and fully realized scenes.
While each story can stand on its own, it is when they accrue that the book’s power is fully realized, giving it the depth and detail of a novel. Conscious of her own creative approach, Bock chose a medium that allows for the room to imagine her way into her parents’ lives, thoughts, and emotions. Her father, Pop’s, voice is powerful as he moves from courting to marrying to losing his wife.
The stories range from near prose poems and flash fiction to longer, more traditional short story forms. Bock uses the varying lengths to create a rhythm in the reading, with the short punch of “The Understanding” moving into the longer, cinematic “The Day After the Dance.” Experimental and genre-bending, these stories bring together the introspection of memoir with the imaginative detail and potential of fiction.
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