Books and Brews Podcast

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
This month we bring you a compilation of three authors who have been on Books and Brews Light, which is in addition to our regular podcast. You'll find many more Books and Brew Light authors at our youtube page @booksandbrews Today we feature Tara Hodgson, time travel and the high school experience; Calvin Schwartz with 10 Things I Learned from a Billionaire; and Anne-Marie Amiel with a ghostly cozy mystery featuring the ghost of Edwin Booth, brother to the infamous John Wilkes, and Anne-Marie's own Westie terrior! 00:00 START
00:54 Tara Hodgson
01:15 How school has changed for kids; social media and tech
06:43 First reading: Emma, 2022
11:45 How the high school experience has remained the same
14:20 Second reading: Sarah, 2002
19:51 Calvin Schwartz
20:21 A life's journey from pharmacies to writing
26:10 Calvin's Reading: Losing 100 pounds
30:11 Things he learned from a billionaire
37:13 Miracle Healing
40:10 Anne-Marie Amiel
43:45 About her newest book and the ghost of Edwin Booth
53:03 Anne-Marie's Reading: Haunting Justice, prologue
58:12 Historical basis for the girl who haunts the theater

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Ashley and Andrea
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT:
SB Darkmoor — psychological thrillers UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN and AMERICA
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Benjamin Schwarting is a fantasy author, high school English teacher, and co-owner of Williams & Rose Publishing. Author of The Sum of Ages series & the Daughters of the Storm prequel series, Ben's work emphasizes writing complex fantasy cultures that highlight real-world issues of systemic oppression and social injustice. After earning his MAT, Ben has taught as an adjunct professor of Education at the College of Idaho and designed creative writing and young author's courses for high schoolers. We talked about languages, cultural differences, the inspirations behind Ben's two fantasy series, and much more. 00:00 START
05:45 Drink 1: Vieux Carre
8:20 Reading 1: Out-swimming Destiny
17:50 Connection to Asian Cultures
23:26 A Cascade of Consequences and the 5 Ideas
27:26 Drink 2: Dark and Stormy
29:38 Reading 2: 5 Trapped in a Trunk
33:45 Getting in a Character's Mind
35:59 The Bechtold Test and Erasing Part of Humanity
41:45 Drink 3: Fish House Punch
44:14 Reading 3: The Bartender's Shady Business
52:50 Writing villains who aren't 1-dimensional
55:15 Biggest difficulties for new writers

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Ashley and Andrea
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
Www.benjaminschwarting.com
~ ~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Randy Lerch — memoir, former MBL player
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN and AMERICA.
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Dr. Charles P. Graham: sci-fi author author, semi-retired chiropractor, Navy nuclear submarine veteran, survivalist, squadron leader, search and rescue pilot and more! After serving aboard the USS Plunger during the Cold War, Charles built a chiropractic practice in St. Johns, Michigan, and became a leader in Civil Air Patrol and search and rescue work. He Survive! series — Marooned on Planet Tau Ceti g, First Alien Contact, and the soon to be released Galactic War — draws on his extensive experience in survival training and search and rescue. When he's not writing or treating patients, he develops puzzle games on Steam and Google Play under Simple Software Solutions. We talked about Charles' experience in search and rescue—can you really eat that?—how his books stand out in the sci-fi field, the writing craft, his scariest airplane experiences and more. Oh, and of course—are Bigfoot and Dogmen out there? What drinks would you pair to readings about a strange new alien creature, an attack by a bear-like animal, and a man alone on a damaged spaceship? 00:00 START
03:16 Drink 1: High Canopy Sour
04:44 Reading 1: Jay Meets the Pidogg
14:52 Writing ourselves into corners
17:01 Life in Search and Rescue
21:46 Drink 2: Growing Friendship Cucumber Cooler
23:12 Reading 2: Risking Wild Alien Animals for Water
30:17 A futuristic take on women and flawed heroes
34:47 Balancing the amount of science presented in fiction
40:27 Drink 3: Heroes Risk-Taker Dacquiri
41:50 Reading 3: Lezah Faces the End
51:30 Faith in sci-fi
55:03 Civil Air Patrol and airplane disasters

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with authors
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
Www.charlespgraham.com
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. * Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. * A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. * Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika * Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT:
Barry Black — former FBI master bomb technician
Randy Lerch — former MLB player UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN and AMERICA
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet! Laura Creedle is the author of The Deep Well and The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily, which Kirkus Reviews described as "entertaining, thought-provoking, and unsettling—in a good way." When she's not writing, Laura can usually be found playing pinball or watching indie horror. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and a feral cat named Hellman who was found with her head stuck in a mayonnaise jar. We talked about how indie publishing has changed the horror genre, writing novels with ADHD, Russia's Kola Superdeep Borehole, the place of AI in writing, and much more. What drinks would you pair to readings about a super deep borehole and a stalking cult member!? 00:00 START
04:49 Drink 1: Mexican Coffee
05:48 Reading 1: 5-Year-Old April at the Deep Hole
13:49 A book with lots of moving parts
14:38 Authors killing our darlings
15:33 Drink 2: B-52
17:59 Reading 2: Wikipedia on the Ojo de Cristo Mining Disaster
19:50 Many questions & stories on the Kola Superdeep
25:19 Stories? Vampires & Werewolves
32:17 Drink 3: Verdant Lady
35:07 Reading 3: Marianne Returns
40:16 Marianne vs the Cult (and more on cults)
51:04 AI and more AI Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Ashley and Andrea
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
Www.lauracredle.com ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. * Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. * A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. * Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika * Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT:
JK Divia — dark fantasy, mythological horror, paranormal
Barry Black — former FBI master bomb technician
Randy Lerch — former MLB player
Charles Graham — sci-fi drawing from military & rescue experiences
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN and AMERICA Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment.

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet! Juliet Cutler is a writer, educator, and a designer of award-winning exhibits for museums, parks, and cultural centers around the world. In 1999 and 2000, she lived in Tanzania where she taught English at the first school for Maasai girls in East Africa. In her first book Among the Maasai, Juliet recounts her experiences as a young American teacher working in a context where women and girls face unimaginable challenges. Twenty-five years later, she illustrates the positive impacts of educating women and girls in her second book Lessons in Hope, which features the stories of Maasai women working in education, health care, government, nonprofits, and business. She regularly travels to Tanzania to support causes that uplift Maasai women and girls. All proceeds from the sales of her books support these causes. We talked about Juliet's work in the earliest years of the school for Massai girls in Tanzania, African cultures, National Geographic's portrayals of those cultures, attitudes toward disabilities, how Massai culture is changing, and designing exhibits for museums and parks...in addition to many other things! 00:00 START
07:03 Drink 1: Hakuna Mata
09:42 Reading 1: Intro
14:20 Inspiration and Preparation for Africa
19:44 The Distinct & Iconic Massai Culture
26:17 Drink 2: Dowa (medicine)
30:06 Reading 2: Neema's Dreams
34:44 How has life changed since the school started?
39:22 Adapting vs Maintaining Tradition & Culture
42:53 Drink 3: Ama-lekkerlicious
45:52 Reading 3: Kafika House
52:48 Changing Attitudes toward Disabilities
52:48 What did Africa DO to you!? (or How the African Experience Changed Juliet)

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with other authors Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
www.julietcutler.com
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. * A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. * Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika * Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT:
Laura Creedle—horror
JK Divia — dark fantasy, mythological horror, paranormal
Barry Black — former FBI master bomb technician
Randy Lerch — former MLB player
Charles Graham — sci-fi drawing from military & rescue experiences UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN and AMERICA
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos, including our Books and Brews LIGHT guests, available exclusively on YouTube. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Marlene and her family have experienced a number of tragedies and frightening experiences. Any one of which could have been their undoing. If she could find one little spark of humor in that tangle of fears she could make life better. She is a southern humorist who enjoys a bit of the dark-side. After nearly 35 years of teaching and counseling adolescents and their parents, she retired, only to begin writing the Hey Y'all column for Gwinnett Citizen Newspaper and for Anything Goes for Inspirations for a better World online magazine. In 2020 she received the Georgia Independent Author of the Year Award and the Christian Women Writers Award for Life is Hard. Soften it with Laughter. A Place with a Past received the award in 2021. Ladies of All Nations, International presented her the Global Woman of Courage Award. We talked about rings, family history, the importance of humor, her father's experiences in world war II and how he acquired part of Hitler's tea set…and more! You won't want to miss her reading about Tasteful Native Costumes! 00:00 START
07:15 Drink 1: Butterbean Cocktail
9:22 Reading 1: Take Cover! We at War!
13:46 Becoming Ms. Rat
22:01 Hope, Faith & Medical Experts
27:54 Drink 2: 5 Gold Rings
31:31 Reading 2: 5 Gold Rings
38:58 Sentiment even without knowing whose the rings were
40:04 Dad and Hitler's tea set
46:15 Drink 3: Skip and Go Naked
49:33 Reading 3: Tasteful Native Costumes
54:10 Boys' and parents' reaction!
55:31 What does being southern mean to you?

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
Www.msratwrites.com
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Juliet Cutler — travels to Africa and girls' education
Laura Creedle — horror
JK Divia — dark fantasy, mythological horror & paranormal
Barry Black — former FBI master bomb technician
Randy Lerch — memoir, former MBL player
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN and AMERICA.
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
In 1977 at the age of 21, Christiane Scarpino miraculously survived a terrorist bombing when she left her desk, just 10 feet from the bomb, to go get her morning donut and coffee from a co-worker. Missing Pieces tells the story of the bombing, the aftermath of dealing with the FBI's interrogations, and the long-term PTSD impacts. We talked about Christiane's name-change that resulted from the trauma of the bombing, what PTSD is as compared to how it's casually used today, her duck tolling retrievers, EMDR therapy, long=term memory issues and impact of PTSD and advice on healing and moving forward from trauma. We covered the group behind the bombing and the question of why they were eventually given clemency for an act that killed the man visiting Christiane's office that day. 00:00 START
04:49 Drink 1: Lavender Lullaby: a mocktail
06:36 Reading 1: The Explosion
13:10 Purpose after Near Death
15:12 Clemency for Murder
17:22 Drink 2: The Laser Beam
18:47 Reading 2: The Lineup
24:59 Dogs and Duck Tollers
30:334 Relaxation Techniques
32:52 Why Can't You Just be Grateful?
34:36 Drink 3: Lady Jane
37:12 Reading 3: The Importance of Names
40:26 On Changing a Name
42:51 EMDR
43:42 Functioning without memory
50:34 Best Advice for Those Dealing with PTSD

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Ashley and Andrea
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
Www.christianescarpino.net
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Marlene Ratledge, humor and education
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN and AMERICA
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Kristie Wolf weaves tales about fearless heroes and badass heroines who fight for justice and love while burning up the pages. Kristie's passion for writing romance ignited during her teenage years when she told her mom she was going to write a novel someday. She did, and now she can't stop. As the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran, wife of a Marine, and Navy mom, she enjoys writing happily ever afters for not just military heroes, but for all the brave, loyal, and selfless men and women who serve and protect our country in every capacity. We talked about why people do or don't, can or can't, fall in love, military sci-fi vs reality, PTSD, cowboys, horses and boots…and more! 00:00 START
05:04 Drink 1: Strawberry Buttercream Martini
08:19 Reading 1: The Stolen Cake
16:30 Does the technology exist for VIPER's amputees' new limbs?
17:30 Ethics, Experimentation and Improving Quality of Life
25:59 Drink 2: Empress and Tonic
25:13 Reading 2: Kane to the Rescue
34:41 PTSD and Stalkers
37:41 Men as Protectors, Trust
40:25 Tropes in Romance
43:22 Drink 3: Grogg or Mulled Spiced Wine
46:51 Reading 3: Christmas with a Cowboy
51:00 The Naked Cowboy of Gooseberry Falls
52:51 Our Experiences with Horses

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Ashley and Andrea
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
Www.kristiewolf.com
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Kristie Wolf, thrillers
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Jake Needham is an American lawyer who became a screen and television writer through a series of coincidences too ridiculous for anyone to believe. When he realized how little he actually liked movies and television, he started writing crime novels.
Jake has lived in Asia and Australia since 1980, first in Sydney, then in Hong Kong, and from 1992, in Bangkok. He and his wife, an Oxford graduate and prematurely retired concert pianist, have been married for thirty-two years and have two adult sons. Jake has published seventeen novels that have collectively sold over a million copies. You see? The great tradition of the American expat novelist isn't entirely dead yet.
We talked about masks (psychological, not covid), childhood trauma, plastic surgery…and Aquanet wiggling into tight pants in the 80! (And more!) 00:00 START
05:30 Drink 1: Mango Cinnamon Margarita
08:11 Reading 1: Charlie and the Dogs
13:48 From law to writing for film & TV
24:27 Character-driven fiction
25:05 Drink 2: Singapore Sling
28:24 Reading 2: A Hot Day in Singapore
33:31 Misbehaving Characters: Plotting and Pantsing
41:20 Cultural differences and life in Singapore
44:40 Drink 3: The Zombie
48:18 Reading 3: Charlie Trust
56:16 Living next door to Farrah Fawcett
58:01 Law, the legal system, and justice

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Ashley and Andrea
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
Www.jakeneedhamnovels.com
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Kristie Wolf, thrillers
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Ashley Fontainne is an author and co-author of more than 30 novels, known for her intricate plots and writing in genres from dark comedy to mystery/thrillers to suspenseful paranormal. Andrea Emmes, a singer, performer and one-time magician’s assistant who has narrated many of Ashley’s books, steps into writing for the first time with their co-authored paranormal and psychological thriller, ETERNAL BEAUTY. We talked about masks (psychological, not covid), childhood trauma, plastic surgery…and Aquanet wiggling into tight pants in the 80! (And more!) 00:00 START
06:26 Drink 1: The Exorcist
09:35 Reading 1: Bridget
16:17 Technology & Truth: how much of what we see isn’t real?
23:45 Ashley’s most meaningful book
25:51 Drink 2: Witch’s Brew
30:30 Reading 2: Claire
37:29 Abused children, trauma & the brain
39:03 Claire & plastic surgery
44:25 Drink 3: The Bulge in My Pants
46:58 Reading 3: Barbara
52:35 Why the story is set in the near future
55:14 Women & other women; women & men & love & sex

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Ashley and Andrea
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
Www.ashleyfontainne.net
Www.andreaemmes.com GET THE BOOK: https://bit.ly/42AqEF3 AUDIO: https://www.audible.com/pd/Eternal-Beauty-Audiobook/B0FV4W68M5 ~ ~ ~ * If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. * A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. * Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika * Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT MONTH:
Jake Needham, counter-terrorism and action thrillers UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Róbert Geréb is a boundary-pushing author and accomplished AI developer. As co-author of Jack the Ripper’s Assassins—the cornerstone of The Dighton Chronicles, built on multigenerational oral history from a Romani-Viking lineage—he melds immersive storytelling with rigorous historical research. He also penned two nonfiction guides through Aspect Books: EASY MILLIONAIRE MATH, a practical blueprint for building scalable, passive-income businesses; and Declutter Your Life, Enrich Your Soul, an emotionally holistic program for simplifying your surroundings, finances, and relationships for deeper personal growth. 00:00 START
09:35 Drink 1: the Ripper’s Fog
13:38 Reading 1: Game Shooting with Prince Albert Victor
20:20 How a Transylvanian got involved with an English Romani family’s history
24:50 What did you know about Jack the Ripper before meeting the Dightons?
26:16 Drink 2: Mary’s Last Night
29:41 Reading 2: When Caroline First Met the Prince
36:03 Some stories are too strange to be anything but true
40:38 Why he let her live
42:44 Drink 3: Autumn Ripper
45:53 Reading 3: What Started it All
52:13 Other theories on who Jack the Ripper was
55:15 Why do some stories capture our imagination for centuries?

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Robert Gereb and other authors
Https://jacktherippersassassins.com
Www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.glenmirrilfarms.wordpress.com
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. * A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. * Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika * Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT MONTH:
Ashley Fontaine and Andrea Emmes, supernatural thriller UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed more than 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet! Hiram Johnson is retired law enforcement officer, currently teaching criminal justice as an adjunct, a father, author and creator. His book Reason to Fight: a search or truth is a surprising tale of a family mystery. We talked about the event that landed his grandmother in prison for murder, prison conditions for women in the 1920s, his search for his shrouded family history and the connection he developed with a previously unknown relative in the search for his grandfather’s identity.
Find Hiram’s books at Xulonpress.com 00:00 START
06:26 Drink 1: the Blank Slate
8:14 Reading 1: Asking Daddy for the Truth
12:41 A quest leads to murder and miscegenation,
20:56 Creative non-fiction: fact vs conjecture
26:07 Drink 2: the Pot of Gold
28:50 Reading 2: My Mother Bernice
33:30 the need to know our family history
37:20 Did Fred’s father ever know the truth?
39:31 Drink 3: The Last Word
42:55 Reading 3: What Started it All
47:50 Convicted…for self-defense?
51:30 How Bernice faced the injustice

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Hiram Johnson
Www.xulonpress.com
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.booksandbrews.net
~ ~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. * Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. * A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. * Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika * Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT MONTH:
Sam Ritchie…if walls could talk! To her, they do!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk on YouTube
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get notifications of all our new videos. We have now interviewed 115 authors! Would you like to be featured? Leave a comment. https://www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews

View Details

Dona Masi is a writer and editor whose short fiction and articles are used in reading and writing assessments throughout the United States.
Her articles on several subjects have appeared in several newspapers. She is also a playwright, and two of her plays were performed at the Provincetown Theater Company.
In her writing she loves bringing relatable characters to life and depicting them in all their heroic and flawed humanity. Her debut novel, The Taking, was inspired by her interest in UFO folklore and reports of alien encounters. She lives with her husband in Dover, New Hampshire. 00:00 START
03:54 Drink 1: The Iron Stove
07:19 Reading 1: John is Late from Work as 7-Year-Old Vera Waits
13:45 What inspired Dona’s interest in UFOs
14:20 Dona’s personal experience
23:24 Physical evidence of UFO experiences
26:47 Drink 2: The Hockey Puck
29:53 Reading 2: RJ Playing Hockey on the Lake
32:26 ALL…THAT…SNOW! Reactions from other parts of the country?
39:38 Inspiration for the novel & psychology of alien abductees
41:13 Drink 3: The Artist’s Shack
42:54 Reading 3: Peter’s Choice
47:48 Endings with no clear answer
51:27 Different types of aliens
Visit our PATREON for AFTER HOURS with many of our authors
www.donamasi.com
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.booksandbrews.net
~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT MONTH:
Hiram Johnson tells the story of is grandmother, sentenced almost 100 years ago, for murdering another woman—why she did it, life in a women’s prison in Mississippi, and the impact for generations to come.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN.
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Bill McCormick is an award-winning and critically acclaimed author of several novels, graphic novels, and comic book series, and has appeared in numerous anthologies. He began writing professionally in 1986 for the Chicago Rocker Magazine in conjunction with his radio show on Z-95 (ABC-FM) and went on to write for several other magazines and blogs. He wrote a twisted news & science blog at WorldNewsCenter.org. It provided source material for his weekly radio show on WBIG 1280 AM, FOX!, which aired for 12 years. We talked about domestic scenes in sci-fi, PTSD, creating chimeras (in fiction and in reality!) and much more. 00:00 START
05:32 Drink 1: Blighter Bob
7:41 Reading 1: Opening Up About War
15:05 Creating Chimeras
18:58 Talking about PTSD
22:31 Drink 2: The Lone Tree
25:48 Reading 2: Goptri of the Mists
31:08 Choosing Names in Sci-Fi
37:13 Living with No Regrets
42:32 Drink 3: The Bosom Caresser
45:19 Reading 3: The Writer’s Stuff: Let’s Get the Writer!
50:36 An exception to allow PG-13

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Bill McSciFi McCormick
Www.billmcscifi.com
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.booksandbrews.net
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Dona Masi, fiction on UFO abduction
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Clay Gilbert has always believed in the power of the imagination to dissolve differences and forge connections between people. Since 2013, he has published thirteen novels, from science-fiction and horror to YA dystopia and urban fantasy.
His works include the science-fiction series Children of Evohe, which began in 2013 with Annah and the Children of Evohe, as well as the horror novel Dark Road to Paradise and the dark fantasy novel Pearl: A Monster Story.
Clay lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee, where his cat, Rosalind, insists on quality-checking each new book (and helped him with one of his readings on our show!) We talked about Appalachian legend & lore, making monsters sympathetic & more! Grab your favorite drink and join us! 00:00 START
07:33 Drink 1: Pearl Essence
10:29 Reading 1: Pearl in the Woods
16:55 Addressing Deeper Issues through Sci-fi & Fantasy
23:30 All About the Holler-Bairnies
27:03 Drink 2: Rabbit’s Garden
29:53 Reading 2: Pearl Catches a Rabbit
33:44 Pearl’s Wisdom: Seeing the Good Despite the Bad
35:34 The Monster Voice
37:55 Drink 3: The Appalachian Holler
41:18 Reading 3: Matt Reflects on Mama Leotie’s Story of Holler-Bairnies
47:16 Why are we fascinated by the dark and mysterious?
51:29 Do You Believe….Sasquatch, the Flood

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Clay Gilbert

www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.booksandbrews.net Find Clay at amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00BS1N1W4/about?ccs_id=35e83ccd-6d34-40d1-a6a0-52139f34823
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Bill McCormick, author of sci-fi, graphic novels, comic books, blogger & former radio host UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Michael Modzelewski (Mojo-less-key) grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of a famous NFL football player with the Cleveland Browns, Ed “Big Mo” Modzelewski. Michael graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English Literature. He is the author of five books, including INSIDE PASSAGE, about a two year stay on a wilderness island in the Inside Passage to Alaska. After living “date-less” on the wild island, Michael was chosen a “Bachelor of the Month” by Cosmopolitan Magazine. Mr. November received 5,000 letters from women around the world, dated many, and that’s how he met an amazing wife. His resultant book: WILD LIFE: THE MISS—ADVENTURES OF A COSMO BACHELOR twice landed him as a featured guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. “Mojo’s” latest book, his first novel, A LONG WAY HOME, set in Namibia, southern Africa, is about a famous, lost Hollywood actor who learns the meaning of life from a native African girl. 00:00 START
11:55 Drink 1: Killer Whale
13:33 Reading 1: Encounter with an Orca
18:29 Senses in nature and blackberries with a black bear
25:52 We attract what we are
26:34 Drink 2: Cosmopolitan
30:00 Reading 2: Mr. November
36:40 Oprah and picking Paula out of thousands
39:26 The impact of a very successful father on kids
35:03 Philosophy and Sci-fi
46:24 Drink 3: Savannah Sunset
50:25 Reading 3: A Long Way Home
52:32 Africa and the Baobab tree
55:28 Why Alaska and Africa: using our instincts

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Michael Modzewelski
Https://www.michaelmodzelewski.com www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.booksandbrews.net
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:
Clay Gilbert, sci-fi and more UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.
BLURBS
In our full podcast, Laura and Chris had a great talk with Michael Modzeweski about the wilds of Alaska and Africa, his life in the wilderness, becoming Mr. November and more.

View Details

Bestselling author Beth Duke's Anywhen is the ultimate outsider story—a young woman yearning to belong across time itself. With universal themes of love, jealousy, sacrifice, friendship, joy, loss, and forgiveness, this genre-defying novel is a story like no other...one that will stay with you long after the final page.
Beth read from her latest book, Anywhen, that combines sci-fi, time travel, and historical fiction. We talked about Woodstock, the central event of Anywhen, about southern fiction, stereotypes, the good and bad of AI, and Utopias. Is Baezy’s world a Utopia? Did living in peace result in naivety or bring her great disillusionment? 00:00 START
04:59 Drink 1: Algorithmic Amaretto Sour
07:28 Reading 1: Letter to a Many-Greats Grandmother
11:38 Southern fiction and stereotypes
19:48 Did Baezy’s time achieve Utopia?
22:30 AI: good or bad?
25:38 Drink 2: The Peace Love and Music Cocktail
30:25 Reading 2: Baisy Meets Her Many-Greats Grandmother
34:06 There’s something about Woodstock…why was it so unique?
41:24 The power of art and music?
43:58 Drink 3: Pina Colada Pi
37:42 Reading 3: Trying to Tell the Truth
52:33 A blurb from Alabama’s lead singer!
54:31 Keys to success as an author
Visit our PATREON for AFTER HOURS with many of our authors
www.bethduke.com www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. *Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
* Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:
Michael Modzelewski, author of fiction and non-fiction, outdoorsman and Mr. November! UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN.
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

A lifelong Sherlockian, Richard T. Ryan is the author of nine Sherlock Holmes novels and currently working on his tenth. He’s also written a well-received murder mystery “Deadly Relations which has been produced twice off-Broadway. He pursued graduate studies at Notre Dame where he majored in medieval literature.
Our talk ranged from Knights Templar finding Minnesota in the 1300s to the reasons Arthur Conan Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes to the inefficient bombers of the 1880s and the Scarlet Pimpernel and Mark Wahlberg. 00:00 START
06:20 Drink 1: Watson’s Delight
07:20 Reading 1: The Traitorous Templar
11:20 From medieval literature and old English to Sherlock Holmes
16:13 Pastiches, purity, and creative license
18:54 Drink 2: The Baker Street Bramble
20:07 Reading 2: Three May Keep a Secret
21:45 Masters of disguise
25:52 What makes Sherlock Holmes so enduring
30:21 Arthur Conan Doyle’s feelings about Sherlock Holmes
35:55 Drink 3: The Moriarty Martini
37:42 Reading 3: The Devil’s Disciples
39:24 The importance of getting the details right
43:20 News and fiction

Visit our PATREON for AFTER HOURS with Richard T. Ryan Find Richard at www.mxpublishing.com
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.booksandbrews.net
HELP US KEEP BRINGING YOU GREAT AUTHORS!
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN Books and Brews products:
(more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Beth Duke, amazon bestselling author of southern fiction and time travel
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN.
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet!
Michael Colon is a novelist and freelance writer, born and raised in New York City. His author's story is about hard work, perseverance, and believing in the power of imagination. His inspiration comes from various societal abnormalities, the beauty in cultural differences, and his own life experiences. His debut novel, The Gift from Aelius, is about an artificial intelligence’s growing awareness of purpose and life. There is not a science fiction tale as poetic and thought-provoking. In the not-too distant future, A191, a Codex with artificial intelligence, feels like a misfit in Paradise, a walled city in the middle of an endless desert where humans imprisoned his race long ago. He’s not like the others of his kind; he longs to meet humans and make peace with them so man and Codexes can be reunited in the world. These thoughts and feelings are not allowed in Paradise; he risks banishment to the desert by the Overseer A. I. who rules by fear and force. The journey reveals the truth about his existence, the Overseer’s lies, and the consequences of mankind’s untethered technology. 00:00 START
05:31 Drink 1: The Singularity
08:13 Reading 1: Codex
12:53 Will AI begin to think for itself?
15:30 Did AI already try to destroy humanity?
21:21 Drink 2: Paradise
23:28 Reading 2: Starry Desert Night
29:02 Free will and choices
31:10 Numbers, names, and fear of losing our humanity
35:03 Philosophy and Sci-fi
45:12 Drink 3: Bingo
47:06 Reading 3: At the Haven
48:04 Political divide
48:59 Finding your purpose

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Michael Colon
https://www.clippings.me/users/michaelcolon
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.booksandbrews.net
~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Richard T. Ryan, Sherlockian tales! UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE
Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

John Graham shipped out on a freighter when he was 16, hitchhiked through the Algerian Revolution at 19 and was on the team that made the first ascent of Denali’s North Wall at 20, a climb so dangerous it’s never been repeated. He hitchhiked around the world at 22, working as a correspondent in every war he came across. A US Foreign Service Officer for 15 years, he was in the middle of the 1969 revolution in Libya and the war in Vietnam. As a global peace builder, post Foreign Service, he contributed to peace efforts in Israel and Palestine.
For the last 42 years he’s been a leader of the Giraffe Heroes Project, a global movement inspiring people to stick their necks out to solve public problems and giving them tools to succeed (giraffe.org). His speeches, blogs, podcasts and interviews have a global audience.
In our interview, we talked about John's adventures around the globe, being a thrill seeker, his realization of his need to change, and more. 00:00 START
03:43 Drink 1: The Shipwreck
05:13 Reading 1: Cruise Ship Down!
11:25 The Coast Guard's most important rescue ever--and John was there!
14:35 From selfish to selfless
19:15 Helping to end apartheid
22:46 Castro's man and plans on a napkin
33:20 Drink 3: Honey Lemon Spritz
36:19 Reading 3: A Healing Miracle
48:22 "Most significant risks challenge the soul."
49:52 Seeking meaning in our lives

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with John Graham
www.johngraham.org www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR BOOKS AND BREWS LIGHT: www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews ~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
We have a surprise gest for January 2025
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: CHILDREN.
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk: https://youtu.be/ZKdeLPPgdys?si=wqPHZsAxYqgzjKcV Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

J.P. Reedman lives in Wiltshire near to Stonehenge. Born in Canada, she has had a lifelong interest in ancient and medieval history, and is often found lurking around prehistoric sites, ruined castles and abbeys, and interesting churches with camera in hand. She became a full-time writer in 2018. Series include: I, Richard Plantagenet, 5 books chronicling Richard’s life from childhood to Bosworth, and Medieval Babes, a set of standalone novels about lesser-known medieval queens and noblewomen. Her most recent release is Princess in the Police Station, the tale of little Anne Mowbray, wife of the younger ‘Prince in the Tower’ whose grave was unexpectedly found in the 1960’s. The next book to be released will be The Melancholy of Winter, which is about Edmund of Rutland, Richard’s tragic elder brother.
In our interview, we talked about JP reading Beowulf as a young child, historical foods and records of the menus of great feasts, whether being a noble is over-romanticized, historical hoaxes, and more. 00:00 START
05:54 Drink 1: Medicine for Melancholy
08:51 Reading 1: The Young Nobles Want to Skate
14:01 Using obscure historical terms
15:37 From fantasy to historical fiction
19:43 Drink 2: Dilly Bean Dirty Martini
22:55 Reading 2: Finding the Bean on Twelfth Night
25:41 The hideous Henry Holland of history
31:15 England and Canada: the story of a war bride
38:39 Drink 3: The Blackberry Raven
42:59 Reading 3: Fighting with Fish
45:53 Boys and mischief!
51:55 Most interesting and important things learned from history

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with JP Reedman
www.x.com/@stonehenge2500 www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR BOOKS AND BREWS LIGHT: www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews ~ ~
If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com
COMING NEXT MONTH:
John Graham, adventurer extraordinaire!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: CHILDREN.
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk: https://youtu.be/ZKdeLPPgdys?si=wqPHZsAxYqgzjKcV Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Michael C. Keith is the author of an acclaimed memoir––The Next Better Place–a young adult novel––Life is Falling Sideways––and 20 story collections, including, Of Night and Light, Everything is Epic, Sad Boy, And Through the Trembling Air, Hoag’s Object, The Collector of Tears, If Things Were Made To Last Forever, Caricatures, The Near Enough, Bits, Specks, Crumbs, Flecks, Slow Transit, Perspective Drifts Like a Log on a River, Let Us Now Speak of Extinction, Stories in the Key of Me, Insomnia 11, Pieces of Bones and Rags, Quiet Geography, The Late Epiphany of a Low-Key Oracle, and Bodies in Recline, Euphony, The Loneliness Channel, and Pings.”

He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize several times, a PEN/O’Henry Award, a PEN/Faulkner Award, an IPPY Award and was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award for short fiction anthology and a finalist for the 2013 International Book Award in the “Fiction Visionary” category.

In our interview, we talked about how Michael came to be on the road with his father from the age of 8, the places he saw, the kindnesses he remembers, how he got from no school on the road to a Ph.D. and much more!

00:00 START

05:59 Drink 1: On the Road Again

08:45 Reading 1: On the Road

20:15 From years without school to a Ph.D.

24:05 Growing up Nomad: How much of the country did you see?

29:34 Drink 2: Tick of the Clock

34:10 Reading 2: Insomnia

36:34 All about insomnia, causes and cures

44:01 Tales of Larry King

44:48 Drink 3: Love and Fear

48:49 Reading 3: 11:11

51:28 Seeing the same number over and over again

54:33 Pings and the reasons for shorter fiction

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Michael C. Keith

https://michaelckeith.com
www.lauravosika.com
www.gabrielshornpress.com
www.booksandbrews.net

~ ~

If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.

A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.

Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products:
https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT MONTH:

JP Reedman, historical novelist

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH.
Laura will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN on October 26 and 27
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Steve Downes is a contemporary Irish poet and novelist, currently living and working in Ireland. Educated in N.U.I. Maynooth, he holds a Degree in Classical History and a Masters in Cultural Anthropology. Steve has published poetry; science fiction, including Cosmogonic Marbles, Temporal Tome, Gadzooks Armageddon and Botolf Tales (the Botolf Chronicles), Warworld: Shadows & Dominions (part 1), Murder on the Alpha Centauri Express and The Deaths of Guner Zoon; and four children’s Books: The Upstairs Cat Series (3 books) & An Apprenticeship to Doctor Vantastic. Steve continues to write and publish work in many genres. In 2017 & 2018 Steve exhibited from his collections of historical photographs, Lost Graveyards of Ireland (2017) and A Landscape For Yourself (2018).

Among other things, we talked about his painting, the IRA, angsty poetry, and...the world's oldest maternity hospital!

00:00 START 05:26 Drink 1: Irish Coffee 12:28 Reading 1: chase & fight in Dublin 17:53 The Rotunda, world's oldest maternity hospital 23:55 Why the Irish give Dublin's statues...interesting...names 25:52 Tales of the IRA 33:01 Drink 2: The Love and Murder 38:21 Reading 2: Murder on the Alpha Centauri Express 42:07 On marketing 43:07 From high school dropout to a masters in classical history to sci-fi! 48:28 Drink 3: The Mission Impossible 51:57 Reading 3: Dr. Vantastic 55:43 Steve's many genres Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Stephen Downes * https://writerstevedownes.wordpress.com * www.lauravosika.com * www.gabrielshornpress.com * www.booksandbrews.net

~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. * Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika * Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products: * https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

COMING NEXT MONTH: * Michael C. Keith, author of poetry, memoir, short stories, and novels

UPCOMING EVENTS: * Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH. * Laura will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN on October 26 and 27 * See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk * See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Kathy Murray is a certified personal trainer with over thirty years’ experience in the fitness industry. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University where she was a member of the 1983 National Cheerleading Championship Team. After college she competed in and won the United States Aerobic Championship in 1986 and spent the year traveling the world as a Fitness Ambassador and worked as a free-lance educator to teach fitness to European Instructors. While in Munich, she coached the Munich Cowboys (American Football) Cheerleaders to six national titles in cheerleading and was head trainer/translator for the German Gladiators during a pilot TV show for the International Gladiators. Kathy has owned her personal training business Fit Bodies for 25 years and in 2022 co-authored the Audible book, The Munich Cowboy Cheerleaders based upon her true story of her time coaching the squad. She has recently released it in both paperback and ebook formats. In her spare time she is a competitive triathlete which she has been enjoying for 20 plus years now. She lives in Atlanta with her husband Lutalo, dog Mingus and cat Sassy. We talked a lot about the impact of travel, experiencing other cultures, and learning languages, in addition to cheerleading and Kathy's time as a coach. Kathy's Readings: 00:00 Start 08:40 The Competition Starts! 29:40 Speeding Ticket--AGAIN! 48:45 Conflict with Dad (or...Following Our Dreams) Chris's Cocktail Pairings: 06:35 The Cheerleader 26:35 The Speeding Ticket 46:12 Grumpy Old man Interview Highlights: 20:15 Life Lessons from Cheerleading and Band 22:00 The Importance of Fitness and Other Thoughts on Exercise 35:50 Other Countries' Attitudes Toward Foreigners and Americans 41:11 Overcoming the Language Barrier 54:20 Doing What You Love 55:54 Friendship with a Celebrity and Traveling the World Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with KATHY MURRAY COMING NEXT MONTH: * Steve Downes, Irish author, poet, and children's writer

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Like any good soldier’s son, Frank Warner moved with his family from fort to fort, accepted each change, and was ready to move again. Then, in 1960, Frank’s father was ordered to Fort Huachuca (WahCHOOka), Arizona. This was the fifth Army post of Frank’s childhood, the first place he never wanted to leave. So when his father was ordered to Vietnam in 1963, sending Frank and the rest of the family to Pennsylvania, the uprooting wasn’t easy. Frank’s book, “Tumbleeweed Forts: Adventures of an Army Brat,” describes the joys of living in Fort Huachuca, and the heartache of leaving it behind.

Tune in for a fun conversation and great cocktails, including in red, white, and blue for July!

Frank's Readings:

00:00 Start

10:02 A Bike Race on Base!

30:57 Atomic Dollars

47:01 Leaving Huachuca

Chris's Cocktail Pairings:

06:11 Red, White, and Blue

25:40 The Atomic Cocktail

44:09 Goodbye Sunshine

Interview Highlights:

19:10 This plane is on fii--ire!

23:29 Why Huachuaca? Why it was magical

35:02 Silver Dollars and Stories on Atomic Testing

38:34 Private Jones' Buried Treasure & the Scientist with Alien Technology

43:31 How Tombstone got its Name

50:15 Finding Old Friends

52:12 Dad going to Vietnam, Saving the Ashes

Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with FRANK WARNER

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Devrie Donalson, comedian and author

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH
Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer, herbs & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevard, Morristown, TN on July 5, starting at 5 pm.
Laura will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN on October 26 and 27
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Sharon Bennett Connolly is the best-selling British author of several non-fiction history books. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Sharon has studied history academically and just for fun – and has even worked as a tour guide at a castle. She also writes the popular history blog, www.historytheinteresngbits.com and co-hosts the podcast A Slice of Medieval, alongside historical novelist Derek Birks.

Sharon regularly gives talks on women's history, for historical groups, fesvals and in schools; her book Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest, is a recommended text for teaching the Norman Conquest in the Naonal Curriculum. She is a feature writer for All About History and Living Medieval magazines and her TV work includes Australian Television's Who Do You Think You Are?

Tune in for a fun conversation and great beer!

Sharon's Readings:

00:00 Start

11:16 The Young Bride's First Duties

29:12 Stephen's Coronation

46:43 Matilda at the Helm

Chris's Cocktail Pairings:

08:01 The Nikolaschka from Germany

26: The Mourning Cocktail

43:39 Belgian Brownie

Interview Highlights:

15:21 The Wreck of the White Ship: a king's tragedy

21:33 How oppressed were women in medieval times?

24:06 How a British author ended up on Australian TV

31:33 Widows and abbeys: the real reason

38:17 Why history is important (and a real-life vampire!)

51:50 Women, Leadership, and Leading Warriors

54:43 Do we ever learn from history?

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Like any good soldier’s son, Frank Warner moved with his family from fort to fort, accepted each change, and was ready to move again. Then, in 1960, Frank’s father was ordered to Fort Huachuca (WahCHOOka), Arizona. This was the fifth Army post of Frank’s childhood, the first place he never wanted to leave. So when his father was ordered to Vietnam in 1963, sending Frank and the rest of the family to Pennsylvania, the uprooting wasn’t easy. Frank’s book, “Tumbleeweed Forts: Adventures of an Army Brat,” describes the joys of living in Fort Huachuca, and the heartache of leaving it behind.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH
Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevar, Morristown, TN on July 5.
Laura will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN on October 26 and 27
See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk
See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Robert Heath grew up in different places around the world, beginning in Japan in the late ‘40s. Robert and his eight siblings followed the assignments of their father, a sergeant in the U.S. Army. He ultimately became an educator for 37 years, serving all grade levels from Pre-K through doctoral programs in South and North Carolina. He now lives in the mountains of NC, where he loves writing and hiking. You can find him at face book at BratBob3of9

We talk about Bob's adventures growing up in Taiwan, Japan, Germany and the United States, with one sister and seven brothers, life as a military brat, the fun of large families and lots of boys and the antics kids get up to behind mom's back, U.S. history, bullying...and the day Bob was captured by Chiang Kai-Shek's soldiers and brought face with the military leader himself! Tune in for a fun conversation and great beer!

Bob's Readings:

00:00 Start

08:56 How About a Date?

25:54 Swinging

43:03 Captured by Enemy Soldiers!

Chris's Beer Pairings:

07:52 Bell's Smitten

23:29 Masthead's Tire Swing

39:54 Great Leap's The Hidden General

Interview Highlights:

12:36 How Bob's mother asked out his future mother-in-law

14:47 The stories mom never knew about--and how they led to a book

18:49 US history through personal experience

33:27 Americans in Japan two years after Hiroshima

36:26 Culture shock on returning to your own country

48:40 Do military parents make a point of not talking politics with brats?

51:16 Wild and free: military life or the times?

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Sharon Bennett Connolly has been fascinated by history for over 40 years and was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, ‘in recognition of your contribution to historical scholarship.’ She’s studied history academically and just for fun and even worked as a tour guide at historical sites.

One Christmas her husband gave her…a blog – and she hasn’t looked back. The blog has given her the chance to share the history she loves – the stories themselves, and the places they happened. And in 2017 she completed her first non-fiction book, Heroines of the Medieval World.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH

· Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevar, Morristown, TN on May 10, June 7, and July 5.

· See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk

· See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

J.S. Absher is a poet, memoirist, and independent scholar. As a teetotaler—he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—he can’t add much insight into brews, but he can hold his own when it comes to books. Stan’s first full-length book of poetry, Mouth Work (St. Andrews University Press) won the 2015 Lena Shull Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society. Stan’s second full-length book of poetry, Skating Rough Ground, was published in 2022 by Kelsay Press. Poems have recently been published or accepted by The McNeese Review, Mormon Lit Blitz, Triggerfish Critical Review, Irreantum, and Tar River Review and have won awards from BYU Studies Quarterly and the journal Dialogue. His poems have been nominated four times for the Pushcart Prize and twice for Best of the Net. He has also published an annotated editions of two memoirs written in the late 19th century by Ida Crumpler Beard. Stan has two prose projects under way. His father killed himself in December 1977. Earlier that year he was a whistleblower in a government investigation of the bank where he worked. The confidential information he handed on widened the scope of the investigation and led to the arrest and conviction of the bank’s CEO and two other executives and the firing of several other employees. This turmoil, on top of his already unstable mental state, contributed to his death. Stan’s account of these events is based on his father’s memoirs and letters, more than a hundred newspaper articles, his own journal, and the memoirs of another participant. Outside those directly concerned, it is now a minor story, but it connects in interesting ways with the Watergate scandal and other major events. Stan’s memoir of these events will include poems he’s written and published over many years. Stan is also currently researching and writing about the history of North Carolina immediately before the imposition of Jim Crow, focusing on fifty African American men who were arrested in 1895 for their efforts to stop a lynching in Winston-Salem, a lynching that thankfully did not occur. Stan is trying to understand who they were—their jobs and professions, their backgrounds, their kinship and social networks (to the extent they can be determined), and what happened to them afterwards. Stan’s interest in this event was sparked by the one-sided account in Ida Beard’s memoir mentioned above. Absher lives in Raleigh, NC, with his wife Patti. His work in poetry and prose can be followed on www.jsabsherpoetry.com.

Stan's Readings:

00:00 Start

08:12 The Pear Tree and Remembering Clara

23:06 What I Knew and When

43:09 Building a Wall

Chris's Cocktail Pairings:

04:21 Brazilian Lime Aid

20:53 The Marigold

40:40 White Peach

Interview Highlights:

16:35 The business of being a poet

19:07 Travels to France, Belize, and Taiwan

30:36 Blowing the Whistle: family issues and corporate greed

35:11 Links to the Nixon scandal

40:46 How ancient Rome influenced a poem

50:01 From The Deserted Wife to a thwarted lynching and Jim Crow

COMING NEXT MONTH: Manswell T. Peterson has endured many challenges in his life. He decided to put those experiences to good use by writing novels as an adult. He is founder of OmegaMan Publishing & Manswell Peterson Studios. He has written at least fourteen books since 2012. Escape to the Locrottum Universe – a modern fantasy world where royal drama, tyranny, and misunderstandings run rampant! www.locrottumuniverse.com

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH

· Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevar, Morristown, TN on April 13, June 7, and July 5, noon to 5 pm

· See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk

· See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Theresa Halvorsen has a “don’t tell me I can’t do that,” attitude about life and is an author, publisher, editor, and YouTuber. She’s ‌overly-caffeinated and at times, wine-soaked. The author of multiple cross-genre works, including Warehouse Dreams, Lost Aboard and River City Widows, Theresa wonders what sleep is. She’s the owner of No Bad Books Press and one of the hosts of the popular YouTube channel, the Semi-Sages of the Pages.

In whatever free time is left, (ha!) Theresa enjoys board games, concerts, geeky conventions, and reading. Her life goal is to give "Oh-My-Gosh-This-Book-Is-So-Good!" happiness to her readers.

She lives in Temecula with her husband, her adult children, their partners (she has no idea who actually lives in her house and who’s just visiting) and many pets. Find her at www.theresaHauthor.com and on Tiktok and Facebook.

Theresa's Readings:

· Wonderland's Mad Queen – 8:57

· River City Widows, Chapter 1 – 23:52

· Riding the El – 42:55

Chris's Cocktail Pairings:

· Queen of Hearts (paired to Wonderlands' Mad Queen) – 7:20

· River City (paired to River City Widows, Chapter 1) – 21:41

· The El (paired to Riding the El) – 40:21

Interview Highlights:

· Building a career as an indie author – 15:08

· The Dad's Playbook to Labor and Delivery – 16:09

· The ghost at Lochranza Castle – 31:36

· PTSD: victimization, responsibility, blame and trauma – 36:07

· Stories of portals: are we seeking escape? – 48:40

· Houses as inspiration – 52:00

COMING NEXT MONTH: J.S. Absher is a poet, memoirist, and independent scholar. As a teetotaler—he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—he can’t add much insight into brews, but he can hold his own when it comes to books. Stan’s first full-length book of poetry, Mouth Work (St. Andrews University Press) won the 2015 Lena Shull Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society. Stan’s second full-length book of poetry, Skating Rough Ground, was published in 2022 by Kelsay Press. Poems have recently been published or accepted by The McNeese Review, Mormon Lit Blitz, Triggerfish Critical Review, Irreantum, and Tar River Review and have won awards from BYU Studies Quarterly and the journal Dialogue. His poems have been nominated four times for the Pushcart Prize and twice for Best of the Net. He has also published an annotated editions of two memoirs written in the late 19th century by Ida Crumpler Beard. He currently has two more projects underway.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH

· Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevar, Morristown, TN on April 13, June 7, and July 5

· See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk

· See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE

· Theresa will be at Wondercon in Anaheim: March 29-31

· LA Festival of Books: April 20-21

· Comic-Con Revolution in Ontario: May 18-19

· Comic-Con San Diego: July 25-28

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Peter is the Author of 30 books, fiction and non-fiction and published on 4 continents. He is a resident expert and regular of Top 50 USA radio and TV markets including Fox, CBS, ABC, ESPN, Coast to Coast, iHeart and over 100 major radio and TV networks.

Peter is a multi-award-winning, director, cinematographer, actor and producer on 7 continents Peter has written more than 800 articles (self-help and fiction) appearing in major news media world- wide He has been a university professor for 28 years, as well as being a psychologist, specializing in criminal psychology, sports psychology and addiction studies.

www.peterandrewsacco.com

Peter's Readings:

· Gummer, the World's Last Toothless Vampire – 8:20

· Meeting a Vampire Actor – 27:43

· A Haunted Air BnB – 42:33

Chris's Cocktail Pairings:

· Bloody Maru (paired to Gummer) – 5:57

· Love Bite (paired to Meeting a Vampire Actor) – 26:00

· The Haunted Mansion (paired to A Haunted Air BnB) – 39:45

Interview Highlights:

· Jack the Ripper/criminal profiling – 15:40

· Music or criminal psychology? – 22:09

· Adventuring in Antarctica!? – 31:53

· Why are we drawn to vampires & zombies? – 34:03

· From author to TV show host – 47:17

· Scariest things seen--and why Peter quit the TV show – 48:29

COMING NEXT MONTH: Theresa Halvorsen is the author to the Dad’s Playbook to Labor and Delivery and Warehouse Dreams and countless articles on pregnancy, birth and parenting. But her true love is speculative fiction.

Theresa enjoys interacting with other writers and helps to produce a writing Podcast called the Semi Sages of the Pages She co-runs a writer’s group in Temecula that meets once a month, and belongs to various critique groups.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

· Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & knit goods at Overhome Trading Post in ThornHill Tennessee, February 10, 2024

· See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Stephanie Sanders-Jacob is an author and artist from Sandusky, Ohio. Her alien abduction novel, Singing All the Way Up, debuted with No Bad Books Press in July 2023. Her short fiction has been featured by Books of Horror, Hearth & Coffin, Mixer, Mosaic, and Ether Arts. You can find her online at www.sandersjacob.com and her artwork at www.rabbitandrain.com

Stephanie's Readings:

Things were better before I killed my dad – 8:28
Airship, 1897 – 28:51
Running from the fighting – 44:50

Chris's Cocktail Pairings:

Freak Show (paired to Things were better before I killed my dad)– 6:18
Aviation (paired to Airship, 1897) – 25:35
International Incident (paired to Running from the fighting) – 42:32

Interview Highlights:

Was Laura really abducted? Seeking truth in our own lives – 14:19
A story about UFOs — with universal themes – 15:36
Watershed years: coincidence...or more? – 31:26
Scientific theories on UFOs: Jung vs Vallee – 33:36
Stephanie’s alien/UFO inspired jewelry – 39:25
Family, relationships, kindness, truth – 49:31

COMING NEXT MONTH: Peter Sacco, award-winning film producer, director, writer on 7 continents!

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC. See www.gabrielshornpress.com/poetry-anthology

Laura —

Overhome Trading Post, February 10, 2024.
See author page for details. www.facebook.com/laura.vosika.author Books by multiple authors for sale

Stephanie —

Punk Rock Flea Market Lorain: 4/28 at the soccer sportsplex in North Olmsted
Punk Rock Flea Market Akron: 5/4 at the summit county fairgrounds
Norwalk Public Library: date to be announced

Find us at —

www.booksandbrews.net
www.lauravosika.com
www.aperfectpint.net

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

M. B. (Michael) Zucker has been interested in storytelling for as long as he can remember. He devoted himself to historical fiction at fifteen and earned his B.A. at Occidental College and his J.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He lives in Virginia with his family. He is the author of four novels: The Eisenhower Chronicles, A Great Soldier in the Last Great War, Theodore Roosevelt and the Hunt for the Liopleurodon, and The Middle Generation: A Novel of John Quincy Adams and the Monroe Doctrine. Among his honors is the Best Fictional Biography Award at the 2023 BookFest.

www.mbzucker.com

Michael's Readings:

Meeting the Elder Adams – 8:53
The Holy Alliance – 27:53
JQA Helps an Enslaved Woman – 42:46

Chris's Cocktail Pairings:

Old Gimlet Eye (paired to Meeting the Elder Adams)– 6:03
Hot Ale Flip (paired to The Holy Alliance) – 23:56
Mint Julep – 38:29

Interview Highlights:

Parents and pressure to be president – 17:17
Can our country unite? – 21:50
Writing and publishing from age 14 – 20:05
Summing up the Monroe Doctrine – 33:03
Founding Fathers' intentions regarding slavery – 47:21
How JQA spent a night in the snow to find his brilliant idea – 52:06

COMING NEXT MONTH: Theresa Halvorsen, paranormal and pregnancy!

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

MJ Williams is the pen-name for the writing duo, Peggy Joque Williams and Mary Joy Johnson. Peggy is a freelance writer and book editor. A retired elementary school teacher, Peggy has taught creative writing classes and workshops for Madison College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Continuing Studies. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and the Wisconsin Writers Association.

She will be debuting her first solo historical novel, Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles, next May (2024), to be published by Black Rose Writing.

Mary Joy is a retired professor of writing.

Together they co-wrote and independently published two mystery novels centering on Emily and Stan Remington who travel the country in their RV -- On the Road to Death’s Door, a Wisconsin Library Association award winner, and On the Road to Where the Bells Toll.

MJ's Readings:

Surprise in the Rug – 11:29
An Explosive Fourth of July – 27:26
Calamity at Storrow Bridge – 43:10

Chris's Cocktail Pairings:

When the Kids are Away (paired to Surprise in the Rug) – 8:39
Blue Independence (paired to An Explosive Fourth of July) – 24:10
The Boston (paired to Calamity at Storrow Bridge) – 39:43

Interview Highlights:

How Non-RVers came to write about RVing – 16:45
Writing as a team – 19:50
Is Pelltier based on…? – 23:10
Using a historic event in fiction – 34:02
RV horror stories – 50:30
Daughters of the King – 53:10

COMING NEXT MONTH: MB Zucker, author of political and historical fiction

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

RALPH JARRELLS became an author after retirement from more than four decades in marketing, advertising, and publishing, much of it in senior executive positions. He writes mostly historical fiction with religious themes. His first book was published August 4, 2017 when he was 75—a great example that you’re never too old to start a new chapter in your life.

His firth book, The Essential Last Supper debuted this month.

Ralph's Readings:

· Three Kings – 11:55

· A Lady and a Pirate – 41:05

· Fighting Like a Little Girl – 46:55

Chris’s Pairings:

· Goliath (paired to Three Kings) – 9:06

· Sweet Tea and Vodka (paired to A Lady and a Pirate) – 31:35

· Rum and Grog (paired to Fighting Like a Little Girl) – 46:55

Interview Highlights:

· Did Jesus & Judas know each other in Egypt? – 18:10

· Did he really do it for the money? – 21:48

· Lady vs Pirate – 41:05

· From the Bible to piracy – 42:31

COMING NEXT MONTH: MJ Williams, the sister-in-law mystery-writing team

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology. This year’s theme is: MUSIC

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com

View Details

DAN COONAN has worn many hats through the years – Conference Commissioner, Athletic Director, CEO, Attorney, Novelist, Senior Congressional Campaign Advisor, Fundraiser, Nonprofit Chairman of the Board, College Adjunct Professor, Political Essayist, Youth Sports Coach, Bartender, Batting Practice Pitcher, Wedding Officiant, Dock Talk Facilitator, devoted husband and father. His books are Presidential Spirits: Part history lesson, part magical realism these well-researched books imagine conversations of all 45 presidents in a saloon stocked with any drink you want, located above the private quarters of the White House and accessible only to presidents - and a few colorful wait staff- through a secret portal. Dan's Readings: · First Night in the Secret Saloon – 9:58 · Teddy Roosevelt: a soft easy life is not worth living – 28:20 · FDR on Churchill – 48:13 Chris’s Pairings: · Manhattan (paired to First Night in the Secret Saloon) – 6:40 · Old Fashioned (paired to Teddy Roosevelt) – 25:29 · Bohemian (paired to FDR on Churchill) – 43:25 Interview Highlights: · Beyond the basic plots – 14:50 · Author as main character – 21:49 · What would you ask presidents? – 23:58 · Carrie Nation axing the bars – 32:03 · CAN we come together? – 34:35 · Finding the positive in others – 53:07 COMING NEXT MONTH: Ralph Jarrels, religious-based fiction, Jesus and Judas, Best Friends Forever UPCOMING EVENTS: · Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology. This year’s theme is: MUSIC Our theme music is from www.bensound.com

View Details

KAREN ESSEX is an award winning, bestselling author of six books including Leonardo’s Swans & Stealing Athena. She has recently co-written a pilot based on her two-volume novel, Kleopatra, for Netflix, which Lauren Hissrich, creator of The Witcher franchise, will executive produce. She adapted Anne Rice’s The Mummy for James Cameron and Fox Studios and collaborated on adapting her novel Dracula in Love as a series for A&E Studios & Lifetime.

She just completed a historical novel about the fabulous Gabor sisters, the first global fashion and glamour influencers, and she's determined to enjoy her summer.

Karen's Readings:

· The Great Egyptian Parade –

· Seeking the Cat Killer –

· The Gabors in Desperate Times –

Chris’s Pairings:

· Winter Wine (paired to The Great Egyptian Parade) –

· Honey Mint Whiskey Smash (paired to Seeking the Cat Killer) –

· Forget Me Not (paired to The Gabors in Desperate Times) –

Interview Highlights:

· The importance of research –

· Cleopatra (Kleopatra) vs Liz Taylor –

· From costume design to VP of production! –

· Evil in the world–or evil in us? –

· The many marriages of the Gabor sisters –

· Alexandria in the Bay –

COMING NEXT MONTH: Dan Coonan, Presidential Spirits in which our 45th president

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology. This year's theme is: MUSIC

· Check out Karen's upcoming trip with readers to the Italian sites in Leonardo's Swans

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com

View Details

Military brat, voracious reader, and now writing books in her favorite genre, Patty Perrin who writes as PTL Perrin grew up in Europe and speaks several languages. A misfit by any account, Patty shares her love for people, Native cultures, our amazing world, alien encounters, astounding mysteries, and the Creator of it all in her writing.

Author of Reflections of a Misfit, an inspirational collection of faith journey snippets, and the four-book TetraPhere series, Patty is working on another YA Scifi/Fantasy series. She enjoys living in Florida and loves her husband and her large and diverse family.

Patty’s Readings:

· The Warning – 9:30

· Terra’s Call: Jewel – 25:10

· Reflections of a Misfit – 39:56

Chris’s Pairings:

· Mind Eraser (paired to The Warning) – 6:49

· Chocolate Raspberry Martini (paired to Terra’s Call: Jewel) – 22:20

· Summer on Corfu (paired to Reflections of a Misfit) – 38:18

Interview Highlights:

· Tetrachromats – 12:00

· Atlantis – 15:13

· A Night at Frankenstein's Castle – 31:46

· Best Marketing Practices – 34:35

· Mutli-lingual and...a new island? – 44:45

· Advice to Misfits – 48:19

COMING NEXT MONTH: Karen Essex, international best-selling author of historical fiction and more

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology. This year's theme is: MUSIC

· Laura will be giving a Pub Talk at the Kitchi-Gammi Club in Duluth

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com

View Details

This month at Books & Brews, with Michael on sabbatical, Laura and Dr. Chris Powell visit Hoops Brewery in Duluth, MN. We talked with Bjorn Erickson, one of the brewers about brewing...and books. Bjorn had a great story about how he got from earning a degree in German to brewing beer. We talked about the blending of science and artistry, the hard parts of being a brewer, and the reasons Bjorn loves his job, and the numerous books and genres Bjorn reads.

If you're in Duluth, we highly recommend stopping at Hoops Brewery, a family friendly place with lots of games for families and kids. You can bring your own food or get pretzels from Hoops with lots of great sauces.
Hoops Brewery

The Beer We Drank:

Laura -- 88 Stout
Chris -- 5050 Hefeweizen
Bjorn -- 889 Cream Ale

Interview Highlights:

Lake Superior, granite, and brewing -- 4:07
The road from a degree in German to brewing -- 8:45
On becoming a brewer -- 10:00
Telling a story with beer -- 14:08
Reading in High Middle German -- 27:34
The tour begins -- 41:42

COMING NEXT MONTH:

PTL Perrin is a military brat, voracious reader, and now writes books under the name PTL Perrin in her favorite genre, YA sci-fi/ fantasy. P.T.L. Perrin, grew up in Europe and speaks several languages.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC
DTBD: Laura will be giving a Pub Talk at the Kitchi-Gami Club in Duluth, MN Kitchi Gammi Club | Duluth’s Premier Social Club

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

I grew up in Scotland, graduating from Edinburgh University with a degree in genetics. Back then, genetics was all about statistics and probability. So, I became a statistician until I took up the more chancy career of writing children’s books. Exploring the Insect World was published nearly 50 years ago. I then switched to time-slip fantasies and historical fiction. I’ve written nature-activity books, biographies, and more books about insects, which I now look on as my true calling. I married an entomologist. When you share your home, and sometimes your refrigerator, with insects you realize they need an advocate in our world! Margaret J. Anderson - Homepage (peak.org)

Margaret’s Readings:

· Dung Beetle/Scarab Beetle – 12:16

· Ollie Falls into Another Time – 26:52

· Saving the Duck or Destroying Books? – 42:12

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

· Egyptian Process Brew, British Museum and Alpha Beta Brewery ([paired to Dung Beetle] – 8:27

· Belhaven Scottish Ale, Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd. (paired to Ollie Falls into Another Time) – 24:42

· Skull Splitter, Orkney Brewery (paired to Saving the Duck) – 40:37

Interview Highlights:

· Making the study of dung beetles INTERESTING! – 15:48

· Where did those character's names come from!? – 20:20

· Thoughts on Smailholm being restored since In the Keep of Time was written. – 31:07

· Why are we drawn to switching identities? – 35:21

· What really happened to Danny Duck? – 45:35

· Taking things in stride as an adult...good or bad? – 47:17

COMING NEXT MONTH: While Michael takes a hiatus, Laura and Chris will visit a local brewery.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

· DTBD: Laura will be giving a Pub Talk at the Kitchi-Gami Club in Duluth, MN Kitchi Gammi Club | Duluth’s Premier Social Club

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Born and raised in west Michigan, Sharlene MacLaren attended Spring Arbor University. Upon graduating with an education degree, she taught second grade for two years then accepted an invitation to travel internationally for a year with a singing ensemble. In1975, she returned to teaching and married her childhood sweetheart. They’ve raised two lovely daughters, both of whom are now happily married and enjoying their own families. Retired since 2003 after 31 years of teaching, “Shar” loves to read, sing, travel, and spend time with her family, in particular her wonderful, adorable grandchildren.sharlenecaclaren.com

Sharlene's Readings:

· Dear Mr. Griffin – 9:30

· Calm Down! – 25:10

· Vandalism at the Church – 39:56

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

· Sapporo Black Beer, Sapporo Breweries Ltd. (paired to Dear Mr. Griffin) – 6:49

· Hitachino Nest White Ale, Kiuchi Brewery (paired to Calm Down!) – 22:20

· Graffiti IPA, Dry County Brewing Company (paired to Vandalism at the Church) – 38:18

Interview Highlights:

· Can secrets ever really be kept? – 15:46

· The decision never to write historical fiction--how did it go! – 17:40

· From passing stories in high school to writing professionally. – 19:27

· Differing experiences with anti-Japanese prejudice after WWII – 30:39

· International singing tour! – 36:22

· Do we step down for all our mistakes? – 44:30

COMING NEXT MONTH: Margaret J. Anderson author of children's novels, the time travel that inspired Laura's own books, and non-fiction about bugs

UPCOMING EVENTS:

· Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

· Laura will be selling her books AND chicken eggs (some so big the cartons can't shut) at Hoops Brewing for the first four Saturdays of April.

· Laura will be giving a Pub Talk at the Kitchi-Gammi Club in Duluth

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Elizabeth Tucker is a Distinguished Service Professor of English at Binghamton University who specializes in children’s and adolescents’ folklore, folklore of the supernatural, and legends. Her books include Campus Legends: A Handbook, Haunted Halls: Ghostlore of American College Campuses, Children’s Folklore: A Handbook; Haunted Southern Tier; and New York State Folklife Reader: Diverse Voices, co-edited with Ellen McHale (2013). She is co-author of Legend Trips: A Contemporary Legend Handbook (2018). She has edited Children’s Folklore Review and served as president of the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research and the Children’s Folklore Section of the American Folklore Society; she is also a Fellow of the American Folklore Society. For several years she has written a column on play for the International Journal of Play. She loves to travel and go on legend trips. https://tinyurl.com/LibbyTucker

Elizabeth's Readings:

· The Wedding Cake House – 11:14

· Minnehaha's Ghost – 25:49

· The Ghost in the Machine – 42:13

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

· Phantom Bride, Belching Beaver Brewery – 9:53

· Minnehaha, Iron Goat Brewing Company – 24:12

· Ghost in the Machine Double IPA, Parish Brewing Company – 40:39

Interview Highlights:

· Suzie the ghostly bride—benevolent or malicious? – 14:00

· Why are stories of shadow creatures increasing? – 16:45

· Do campus ghost stories serve a function?

· College increases belief in ghosts?! – 38:00

· Why call for the ghost of an angry woman? – 30:11

· Tina...the mischievous doll joins the program! – 49:03

COMING NEXT MONTH: Sharlene MacLaren

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Eva Glyn writes emotional women’s fiction inspired by beautiful places and the stories they hide. She loves to travel and her last trip before the covid lockdowns was to Croatia, where she met a man with an incredible story of growing up during the country’s Homeland War in in 1990s. It inspired The Olive Grove, set on the island of Korcula. Two more Croatian novels have followed, both taking their inspiration from the Second World War. An Island of Secrets was published in 2022 and The Collaborator’s Daughter will follow in 2023. Her books are published by Harper Collins imprint One More Chapter. Eva lives in Cornwall, although she considers herself Welsh, and has been lucky enough to have been married to the love of her life for more than twenty-five years. She also writes as Jane Cable www.janecable.com

Jane's Readings:

The Olive Grove – 14:24
An Island of Secrets – 27:51
The Collaborator's Daughter – 42:10

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Saison Dekot, Vunetovo Craft Beer – 12:52
The Abyss, Deschutes Brewery – 25:59
Dark to the Core Imperial Stout, Collaboration of Abyss Brewery and Burning Sky Brewery – 40:46

Interview Highlights:

How a tour guide led to a book – 21:32
Why use two author names? – 24:53
Tito and alliances in WWII – 33:37
Why some eras draw us more than others – 37:08
"The past isn't always what it seems." – 50:05
"Men are not one thing; they are many things." – 52:43

COMING NEXT MONTH: Elizabeth 'Libby' Tucker, folklore

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Jen Gilroy writes women’s fiction for Orion Dash and sweet western romance for Harlequin Heartwarming—uplifting stories about women finding home, family and new beginnings–and finding themselves too. She’s a Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Joan Hessayon award. A dual British-Canadian citizen, Jen lived in England for many years and earned a doctorate in geography, focusing on British cultural studies and social history, from University College London. She worked in higher education and marketing before becoming a full-time writer. She now lives in small-town Ontario, Canada with her husband, teenage daughter and floppy-eared rescue hound. When not writing, she enjoys reading, ballet and paddling her purple kayak. www.jengilroy.com

Jen's Readings:

Tearing up the Ticket – 12:53
..Surprise! – 27:11
From Canadian Schoolgirl to French spy – 42:07

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Ominous, Bad Weather Brewing Company (paired to Tearing up the Ticket) – 11:03
Fuller's London Pride, Fuller, Smith & Turner (paired to DNA…Surprise!) – 25:02
KEREL Bière de Garde, Verbeeck-Back-De Cock Brewery (paired to From Canadian Schoolgirl to French Spy) – 39:01

Interview Highlights:

How an elderly aunt's “What if?” led to a book – 19:03
RAF 'Sweetheart Jewelry' – 22:56
How often do DNA tests shock people? – 31:18
Ballet! -- Does Jen dance or watch? – 37:23
Researching the French Resistance – 47:01
Coming back to writing – 51:15

COMING NEXT MONTH: Eva Glyn, romance and relationships

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. Hidden in the Mists (timeslip/dual time romance published by Headline Review 18th August 2022) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety). Christina Courtenay

Christina's Readings:

Battle at Orkneyjar, 883 AD – 15:04
Skye Sees a Ghost, present day – 28:40
Ottarr Catches Asta Burying Treasures, 880 AD – 45:10

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Camelot Mead, Oliver Winery & Vineyards (paired to Battle at Orkneyjar) – 11:52
First Call, Modist Brewing Company (paired to Skye Sees a Ghost) – 25:29
Empty Rowboat, Lake Monster Brewing Company (paired to Ottarr Catches Asta Burying Treasures) – 41:47

Interview Highlights:

Genealogy and wonky family lines! – 9:55
The appeal of time travel and dual time stories – 21:17
Vikings and Old Norse – 24:30
Life on a farm – 32:32
Sheep and trombones?! – 33:47
Our judgments on others – 49:17

COMING NEXT MONTH: Jen Gilroy, author of romance and women's fiction

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Connie Kinsey is a former military brat who has put down deep roots in a converted barn on a dirt road at the top of a hill in West Virginia. She lives with two dogs and a cat, and is pursuing happiness, one cup of coffee at a time. Primarily a memoirist, the events of her life permeate her work. Her fiction is sometimes described as autofiction because it incorporates autobiography in a fictionalized form with endings far from the truth of what really happened. In January of 2021, Connie was thrilled to be selected as one of two Writers-in-Residence for the Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center. She works full-time with a children’s nonprofit.
wvfurandroot.com
Facebook
wvfurandroot.com

Connie's Readings:

Redemption – 13:05
Being a Brat – 28:30
Chapter 5 from Black Fishnets and Combat Boots – 43:36

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Grapefruit Supreme, Surly Brewing Company (paired to Redemption) – 10:38
Crunkle Sam Barleywine, Clown Shoes (paired to Being a Brat) – 25:32
Budweiser, ABInBev (paired to Chapter 5 from Black Fishnets and Combat Boots) – 40:55

Interview Highlights:

Faulkner chicks and Tennessee Williams chicks! – 16:52
And what about Appalachian chicks? – 19:11
Why West Virginia? – 23:17
The effects of growing up military – 36:08
The Museum of the American Military Family – 36:48
The story behind Black Fishnets – 48:24
Writing dark comedy—humor with a serious message – 53:55

COMING NEXT MONTH: Christina Courtenay, author of historical fiction, time slip, and time travel

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Robert Bidinotto is author of the bestselling Dylan Hunter vigilante thriller series. Robert’s debut novel, HUNTER, soared to the top of the Kindle bestseller list and was a Wall Street Journal “Top 10 Fiction Ebook.” Its sequel, BAD DEEDS, became a #1 Audible thriller. The third installment in the series is the gripping political suspense novel WINNER TAKES ALL. Before turning to fiction, Robert produced decades of award-winning nonfiction journalism. He earned a national reputation as an authority on crime while writing investigative articles for Reader’s Digest. One of those was named a finalist for a National Magazine Award, by the American Society of Magazine Editors. Robert also wrote two acclaimed nonfiction books about criminal justice. As editor of The New Individualist magazine, he won the prestigious Folio gold “Eddie” Award, for editorial excellence. Robert lives on the Chesapeake Bay, where he is writing the further adventures of Dylan Hunter.
www.bidinotto.com

Robert's Readings:

The Funeral – 12:02
from Bad Deeds – 29:05
from Winner Takes All – 46:08

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Dead Guy Ale, Rogue Ales (paired to The Funeral) – 9:47
A Little Crazy, Revolution Brewing (paired to Bad Deeds) – 26:14
Bomb!, Prairie Artisan Ales (paired to Winner Takes All) – 42:48

Interview Highlights:

Why Robert didn't narrate! – 16:33
Good people, bad deeds, and enablers – 18:48
The vigilante character in history – 35:02
Dylan Hunter--a different sort of vigilante – 37:30
The genesis of Dylan Hunter – 50:09
On justice – 54:13

COMING NEXT MONTH: Connie Kinsey, memoirist and Writers-in-Residence for the Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Nancie Laird Young grew up as an Army BRAT and traveled with her family across the United States, Europe and the Far East. Eventually she grew up, married (twice), had three great daughters, and various careers in human services, academic administration, advocacy for people with disabilities. These led to contributions to books and magazine articles about the Internet, which eventually led to positions in Community/Social Media Management, Content Development, and Strategy at WashingtonPost.com, Edmunds.com, LifetimeTV.com, and AOL/Time Warner among others. After leaving the corporate world she moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, presumably to care for her aging father. The story of how she reconnected with her father and rediscovered herself is the topic of her memoir Tea with Dad, Finding Myself in My Father’s Life (Green Writers Press/Green Place Books, June 2021). Young is principle among others in the formation of a new small, independent press expected to open for submissions in late 2023.
www.nancielairdyoung.com

Nancie’s Readings:

Moving Home from the Prologue – 11:54
No More Baseball – 27:37
About the Heart – 42:01

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Free the Bib, Lift Bridge Brewery (paired to Moving Home) – 9:22
Twins Pils, Summit Brewing Company (paired to No More Baseball) – 25:16
Shock Top, ABInBev, (Paired to About the Heat) – 40:47

Interview Highlights:

Compromising—again – 18:35
Thinking about death – 33:05
A good life--being satisfied – 47:05
Getting to know our parents – 51:08

COMING NEXT MONTH: Robert Bidinotto, Vigilante Author

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology
Release of Saint in the Cellar by Laura Vosika and Chris R. Powell, available in print, ebook, and hard cover.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Meet award-winning author Janet Raye Stevens – mom, reader, tea-drinker (okay, tea guzzler), and weaver of smart, stealthily romantic tales. A Derringer Award finalist, Janet’s work has been recognized multiple times, including winning the Daphne du Maurier award for the WWII-set paranormal A Moment After Dark and RWA’s Golden Heart® award for the fun and flirty holiday romance Cole for Christmas. Janet writes mystery, time travel, paranormal, and the occasional Christmas romance with humor, heart, and a dash of suspense. She lives in New England with her husband, who’s practically perfect in every way, and their various family members, all geniuses and good-looking to boot.
janetrayestevens.com

Readings:

To the Rooming House from Beryl Blue, Time Cop – 14:04
At the Nightclub with the Soldiers from Beryl Blue, Time Cop – 27:18
A Moment After Dark – 44:18

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Northern Standard, Fulton Beer (paired to To the Rooming House) – 11:41
Coors Banquet, Coors Brewing Company (paired to At the Nightclub with the Soldiers) – 24:40
Saporro Premium Beer, Sapporo (paired to A Moment After Dark) – 41:30

Interview Highlights:

A childhood immersed in WWII – 18:52
What was good about the 1940s? – 19:39
The Day My Teacher Wore a Miniskirt to School – 32:18
Why do some wars get more fictional attention than others? – 38:22
Why a mortician with paranormal gifts? – 49:43
Getting into the minds of others – 53:35

COMING NEXT MONTH: Nancie Laird Young, Author of Tea with Dad: Finding Myself in My Father's Life

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology
Release of Saint in the Cellar by Laura Vosika and Chris R. Powell, available in print, ebook, and hard cover.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Janelle Molony, M.S.L. is a family historian, an award-winning non-fiction author, and news journalist. Jodi Nasch Decker, Ed.D. is a college professor and freelance writer. Together, they provide interpretation and context for the poet Martha Nasch’s alleged seven year fast and 1920’s insane asylum stay.
SevenYearsInsane

Readings:

News Reports on Martha Nasch's Seven Year Fast – 13:59
Force Feeding in the Asylum – 24:56
The Asylum, a poem by Martha Nasch – 40:09

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Celebrator Doppelbock, Privatbrauerei Ayinger (paired to News Reports) – 11:02
CPB, Lupulin Brewing Company (paird to Force Feeding in the Asylum) – 23:32
The Abyss, Deschutes Brewing Company (paired to The Asylum) – 39:23

Interview Highlights:

How Jodi and Janelle came to write about poems from an asylum – 15:37
How Martha ended up in the Asylum – 18:23
Going viral, 1934-style – 21:33
Martha not eating – 28:23
The husband who committed her: villain or victim? – 33:10
Life after an asylum – 41:47
Happy times in an asylum – 48:20
Crossing war-torn country in a wheelchair with Wyatt Earp's father – 53:20

COMING NEXT MONTH: Janet Raye Stevens, time travel

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology
Release of Saint in the Cellar by Laura Vosika and Chris R. Powell, available in print, ebook, and hard cover.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Linda C. Wisniewski is a former librarian who shares an empty nest with her retired scientist husband in Doylestown, PA. Linda teaches memoir workshops and produces webinars for the Pearl S. Buck Writing Center. She was born in Amsterdam, New York and is a graduate of SUNY at Buffalo and the library school at Villanova University. Her work includes fiction, memoir and personal essays and has been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies both print and online. Her credits include publications as diverse as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Massage, The Quilter, the Christian Science Monitor, gravel and Foliate Oak. Linda worked as a reporter and columnist for the Bucks County Women’s Journal and the Bucks County Herald. She has won fiction and essay contests from the Wild River Review, the Pearl S. Buck Writing Center, Mom Writers Literary Magazine, and the Story Circle Network and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Linda’s memoir, Off Kilter: A Woman’s Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother and Her Polish Heritage was published in 2008 by Pearlsong Press. Her novel, Where the Stork Flies, was published in 2021 by Sand Hill Review Press.
www.lindawis.com.

Linda's Readings:

Meeting Regina – 16:11
Seeking a Way Back Through Time – 29:27
Kat in Regina's Time – 42:59

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

My. Grodz., Fair State Brewing Cooperative (paired to Meeting Regina) – 10:53
Mysterious Black Madonna, Ambrose Cellars (paired to Seeking a Way Back Through Time) – 24:57
Saison d’Epeautre, La Brasserie de Blaugies (paired to Kat in Regina’s Time) – 40:35

Interview Highlights:

How Polish ancestry and the family tree led to a book different from expected – 22:15
The stork in Polish folklore – 27:21
The significance of the Mermaid – 34:04
Women then and now: Whose life was harder? – 35:39
Putting our lives into fiction--deliberate or not? – 47:48
Seeing our lives through an image as metaphor – 53:22

COMING NEXT MONTH: Loretta Livingstone, time travel author

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology
Release of Saint in the Cellar by Laura Vosika and Chris R. Powell

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Ilona Parunakova is an author, diversity and inclusion speaker, and founder and CEO of IP Resilience Global and Identity Guru. She penned the best-selling books Opium of the Almond Tree, Am I Godfident, Unfiltered, Unleashed, Unapologetic, Royal Grand Berries, Success without Apology, and In the Front Line with Royal Warriors. Additionally, she has published the International Project book Godfident Voices and the children’s book Bella’s Butterfly. Parunakova is a TEDx international speaker who brings encouragement to audiences whenever she walks on stage.
Parunakova is a direct descendant of survivors of the Armenian Genocide during World War I. She herself survived wartime in the Republic of Georgia after the collapse of the USSR. Parunakova also endured ethnic discrimination, experiencing mocking and rejection by family members, and denied admission to universities. Through it all, she has succeeded in transforming the obstacles of war, loss, and the struggle to fit in into her superpowers.
Parunakova’s Christian faith has been instrumental to her survival. It allowed her to see things from a positive perspective—that no matter what happens, God will always be in control of her destiny. She introduces herself unapologetically as God’s Masterpiece and puts God as a CEO of her life.
IP Resilience

Ilona's Readings:

Not Naturally Ambitious – 10:50
Beauty of the Woman – 29:02
Identity and Society – 45:29

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

90 Shilling, Odell Brewing Company (paired to Not Naturally Ambitious) – 7:34
Pilsner Urquell, Plzeňský Prazdroj (paired to Beauty of the Woman) – 25:55
Chimay Grande Réserve, Abbaye de Scourmont (paired to Identity and Society) – 41:10

Interview Highlights:

Optimism after war, earthquake, cold, hunger, and discrimination – 20:22
Beauty pageant won and yet there are obstacles! – 30:41
What is inner beauty? – 35:35
A mother's influence – 38:56
Identity and Legacy – 47:20
Keys to Success/Building a strong identity – 51:04

COMING NEXT MONTH: Marian McCarthy, novelist, memoirist, short story writer.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Award-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique… Her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found in belly dance class, or strumming her ukulele, perhaps exploring the West with her charming husband, or cooking up a storm, and always gobbling all the romance books. Sadira’s promise to readers: a guaranteed HEA and no cliffhangers!
www.sadirastone.com

Sadira's Readings:

Christmas Re-Kindled, Bangers Tavern Romance #1 – 16:03
Opposites Ignite, Bangers Tavern Romance #2 – 32:42
Delicious Heat, Bangers Tavern Romance #3 – 41:22

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Bell’s Amber, Bell’s Brewery (paired to Christmas Re-Kindled) – 12:55
Grainbelt Nordeast, August Schell Brewing Company (paired to Opposites Ignite) – 30:35
Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar Blues Brewery (paired to Delicous Heat) – 39:26

Interview Highlights:

From Cozy Mystery to Romance – 27:45
Most romantic date ever? – 29:09
On using pseudonyms – 37:44
How writers get started – 38:40
Do you believe in love at first sight? – 46:16
Influences and inspirations – 47:19
Best thing about writing/hitting the zone – 50:03
Advice to aspiring writers – 51:00

COMING NEXT MONTH: Motivational speaker Ilona Parunakova.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Sloane Steele is the pen name for Shannyn Schroeder. As Sloane, her Counterfeit Capers series of heist romances are her love letter to the TV show Leverage. As Shannyn, she writes contemporary romances about big families, both those created by blood and by choice. Her books are set in the city of Chicago because having grown up there and lived near the city her whole life, she writes what she knows. Shannyn is a part-time English teacher, part-time curriculum editor, and full-time mom, even though her kids are pretty self-sufficient teens. In her down time, she bakes cookies, reads romance, and watches far too much TV.
shannynschroeder.com

Shannyn's Readings:

It Takes a Thief – 13:53
Catch Your Breath, O' Leary Family #4 – 25:37
My Forever Plus-One, Daring Divorcees – 42:08

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Grain Belt Premium, August Schell Brewing Company (paired to It Takes a Thief) – 9:12
Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale, Lagunitas Brewing Company (paired to Catch Your Breath) – 23:26
Family Drama, Flying Dog Brewery (paired to My Forever Plus-One) – 40:15

Interview Highlights:

The good thieves – 18:44
The name behind the beer (or What goes on in breweries?) – 23:52
Finding time to write with kids – 38:00
What is the attraction of reading about big families? – 32:14
Conflict in romance--when you're with your best friend? – 48:24
Using two author names – 51:37

COMING NEXT MONTH: Sadira Stone, Romance Author.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Christine Madline Ellsworth, has just released her first book of poetry, published by Potter’s Wheel Publishing. Here is a collection of poems tracing the arc of transition in a contemporary woman’s life. From childhood fascinations to adult issues such as domestic violence, marriage and divorce, Ellsworth shares many relatable experiences. Ellsworth holds BA and MA degrees in English literature from Moorhead State University Moorhead and Marquette University, respectively. She is a member of the Jackpine Writer’s Bloc and her poetry has appeared in issues of The Talking Stick. Her work has also appeared in Moorhead State University’s Red Weather, and the South Dakota State Poetry Society’s Pasque Petals. She is currently working toward certification as a certified applied poetry therapy facilitator through the International Federation of Biblio-Poetry Therapy (ifbt.org). Ellsworth was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and currently lives in Wyndmere, North Dakota with her Blue Heeler and two cats. This book is available in print and Kindle versions on Amazon. The author is available for book signings and poetry events both electronic and in person.
christinemadlineellsworth.com

Christine's Readings:

What to Wear While Saving France – 13:01
Kitchen Table – 30:21
Rembrandt's Light – 43:40

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Bubble Daze IPA, Urban Growler Brewing Company (paired to What to Wear While Saving France) – 9:58
Saison Dupont, Brasserie Dupont (paired to Kitchen Table) – 25:21
Weihenstephaner Korbinian, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan (paired to Rembrandt’s Light) – 40:02

Interview Highlights:

How reading poetry can save the world – 16:34
Importance of poetry for mental development – 17:42
Transformation as the residual effect of poetry – 23:32
What makes a good poem? – 32:26
How to draw in a reader through poetry – 36:26
The fascinating life of Rembrandt – 47:58
Transformation of a person or the transformative power of art? – 50:54

COMING NEXT MONTH: Shannyn Schroeder

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Sandy Hanna is an award-winning author for her memoir “The Ignorance of Bliss: An American Kid in Saigon,” a true coming-of-age story about growing up in Vietnam in the early 60s. She current resides in Lambertville, New Jersey. As a military BRAT (British Regiment Attached Transfer) her story reveals a turbulent time where politics and intrigue resided between plot and counterplot and where, as children, she and her siblings lived in the continuous present - perhaps the only way children can live.

Ms. Hanna graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois with a BA in Interdisciplinary Programs in Science and Literature and University of Massachusetts with a MED in the Biology of Cognition. Her background is one of working with children and designing learning environment for museums, theme parks, and communities. However, she sees herself as a life-time storyteller and artist.

Sandyhanna.net

Sandy Readings:

Witnessing the Coup – 9:35
Baby Powder & Hershey Bars – 28:27
Brink's Bomb – 43:44

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Maximus Colossal IPA, Lagunitas Brewing Company (paired to Witnessing the Coup) – 7:34
Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Eagle Brewery (paired to Baby Powder & Hershey Bars) – 25:46
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan (paired to Brink’s Bomb) – 40:24

Harvey Weissbanger Recipe

1 oz. Galliano
2 oz. Orange Juice
6 oz. Weissbier

Fill a collins glass with ice. Add the Galliano and orange juice. Top with Weissbier. Garnish with orange peel.

Interview Highlights:

Did you take it for granted you survived a shooting spree? – 15:34
The Dragon Lady and Colonel Sam's Expose – 19:12
Did your brother's basketball start the Vietnam War? – 23:26
Everything in life lies in acceptance – 35:26
Military kids taking control in an out-of-control world – 36:58
Military transport to Saigon – 51:05

COMING NEXT MONTH: Christine Madline Ellsworth, poet and 1st time novelist

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology
Laura will be signing books Sunday, November 7, 2 to 5 pm at Maple Grove Lutheran Church, 9251 Elm Creek Blvd N, Maple Grove, MN. Several other authors from Night Writers will also be signing books.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Christine Husom is a national best-selling author from Minnesota. She pens the suspenseful Winnebago County Mysteries and the cozy, but not too cozy, Snow Globe Shop Mysteries where bad guys demonstrate not everyone is “Minnesota Nice.” She also has stories in many anthologies. Husom served with the Wright County Sheriff, is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and is active with the Twin Cities chapter. She loves meeting readers at a variety of venues and events.
www.christinehusom.com

Christine's Readings:

Death in Lionel's Woods – 33:47
Secret in Whitetail Lake – 26:11
Frosty the Dead Man – 41:36

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Oktoberfest, Indeed Brewing Company (paired to Death in Lionel’s Woods) – 5:37
Helles Schlenkerla Lagerbier, HellerBräu Trum KG (paired to Secret in Whitetail Lake) – 24:20
Bourbon Barrel Quad, Boulevard Brewing Company (paired to Frosty the Dead Man) – 39:16

Interview Highlights:

From Sheriff's Office to Author – 16:21
Writing from things seen at the sheriff’s office – 18:23
Researching for a crime novel – 19:35
Character-driven vs plot driven – 34:29
Readers' views of Minnesota – 36:12
Writing mysteries vs writing other fiction – 50:18

COMING NEXT MONTH: Sandy Hanna, Memoirs of military life

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Nicole Burnham is the RITA Award-winning author of over twenty romance novels, including the popular Royal Scandals series. As an army brat, Nicole was raised moving around the world. She still travels abroad whenever she can score cheap airfare and loves that it feeds her writing. If Nicole isn't at her keyboard, she is happiest spending time at Fenway Park or trail running.
www.nicoleburnham.com

Nicole's Readings (read by Hollis McCarthy):

Scandal with a Prince (Megan Hears a Voice) – 12:32
Slow Tango with a Prince (Emily Finds Vittorio) – 26:02
To Kiss a King (Expert Advice) – 45:31

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Sofie, Goose Island Beer Company (paired to Scandal with a Prince) – 10:33
Tango, Wyerbacher Brewing Company (paired to Emily Finds Vittorio) – 23:28
Ola Dub Special Reserve 40, Harviestoun Brewery Ltd. (paired to Expert Advice) – 42:45

Interview Highlights:

Struck by a voice – 14:10
What drew you to royalty? – 18:48
A man's point of view vs. a woman's point of view in romance – 30:04
Identical twins – 33:28
Law degree and writing romance – 35:35
Emotional focus of romance novels – 50:25
Fictional kingdom vs. a real kingdom – 53:02
Growing up military and writing – 54:58

COMING NEXT MONTH: Christine Husom, mystery author

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Jeff LaFerney was a full-time language arts teacher in Davison, Michigan, for 30 years. After coaching basketball for most of his career, he decided to write books instead and took on his new hobby. Now he spends his free time reading, writing, and editing books. He and his beautiful wife have two adult children. His Clay and Tanner Thomas series focuses on a father and son team who use parapsychological abilities to solve mysteries. Jumper is a time-travel science fiction adventure. Lost and Found, is a unique mystery/treasure hunt with ties to World War II history. His latest, Planer, is the sequel to Jumper, his best-selling novel. He has a blog called The Red Pen where he usually infuses humor to share about himself or to give inspiration or writing tips.
jefflaferney.blogspot.com

Jeff's Readings:

Loving the Rain – 13:28
Lost and Found – 30:22
Jumper – 43:35

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Union Jack IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Company (paired to Loving the Rain) – 10:50
Foggy Geezer, War Pigs Brewing & 3 Floyds Brewing (paired to Lost and Found) – 27:22
Wonderstuff, Bauhaus Brew Labs (paired to Jumper) – 40:55

Interview Highlights:

What led to the very strong disclaimer that your work is fiction! – 22:15
Mixing secular and faith – 23:52
What's historical, what's not – 38:19
Research on time travel – 49:11
Dropping crumbs that readers want to follow – 51:54
How to hook the reader – 54:30

COMING NEXT MONTH: Nicole Burnham, romance author

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Ernie Brill writes fiction and poetry about everyday people. His I Looked Over Jordan and Other Stories explores race and class among hospital workers. The actress Ruby Dee purchased, adapted, and performed the story Crazy Hattie Enters Ice Age for her and her husband’s PBS TV series “With Ruby and Ossie.” Brill won a New York State Council for The Arts Fiction Grant. He received his BA and MA in English from San Francisco State College. Brill has published widely fiction, poetry and essays in the US and Canada (River Styx, Other Voices, Z, U. of Minnesota, Prentice Hall Ontario Canada. Favorite writers include Virginia Woolf, Richard Wright, Mahmoud Darwish, Hyseoon Kim, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sterling A. Brown, Pedro Pietri, Pablo Neruda.
Active Muse

Ernie's Readings:

Intake – 9:55
End of Faculty Meeting – 27:13
Longshore – 42:31

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Commander 2018, Lift Bridge Brewery (paired to Intake) – 6:33
Caked and Layered, Pipeworks Brewing (paired to End of Faculty Meeting) – 24:22
Arbeiter Bier, Arbeiter Brewing Company (paired to Longshore) – 38:51

Interview Highlights:

How a chapbook about hospitals came to be – 12:30
A short story on PBS "With Ossie and Ruby" – 17:50
Buzz words at Meetings – 29:38
Early advocacy for multicultural literature – 30:37
The value of art to society – 46:56
How our life's work may hurt us – 49:20

COMING NEXT MONTH: Jeff LaFerney, YA author of time travel and sci-fi

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Eugenia Fain is an author of poetry and prose. She is also a songwriter and available on Amazon and Spotify. Eugenia has forty years of experience in writing. She is a preschool teacher and tutor.

She is published here and abroad; she is considered an international author. Eugenia is featured in several anthologies. She is published online, in print, ebook, and audiobook form. She has no children of her own; but she resides in Columbia, SC with her husband, Ivan, and tabby cat, Buddy.
Allpoetry.com

Eugenia's Readings:

Immortality, a glose poem – 13:12
A Song of Despair, a viator poem – 29:29
Dancing, a masnavi poem – 43:22

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Course Correct, Pryes Brewing Company (paired to Immortality) – 11:45
Dark Truth Imperial Stout, Boulevard Brewing Company (paired to A Song of Despair) – 26:51
Black Ale, Bent Paddle Brewing Company (paired to Dancing) – 39:41

Interview Highlights:

Glose poems: which comes first, the poem or the idea? – 17:35
Published in Norton's Anthology at 11 – 24:17
Being positive vs admitting difficulty – 33:09
The complexity of forms – 36:56
Why love? – 45:05
Where do you hope your work is 100 years from now? – 50:29

COMING NEXT MONTH: Ernie Brill, poet

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

USA Today bestselling author Melonie Johnson―aka #thewritinglush―enjoys cheap wine, expensive beer, and sipping cocktails that start with the letter m. Declared a “writer to watch” by Kirkus and a “fizzy, engrossing new voice” by Entertainment Weekly, her smart funny contemporary romances include Too Good to Be Real and her award-winning Sometimes in Love debut series: Getting Hot with the Scot, Smitten by the Brit, and Once Upon a Bad Boy. A former high school English and Theatre teacher, she spends her days in her Star Wars office, dreaming up meet-cutes. She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, their two redhead daughters, and one very large dog.
Meloniejohnson.com

Melonie's Readings:

Too Good to be Real – 13:52
Getting Hot with the Scot – 27:05
Smitten by the Brit – 44:44

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Sea Quench Ale, Dogfish Head Brewery (paired to Too Good to be Real) – 11:05
Old Chub, Oskar Blues Brewery (paired to Getting Hot with the Scot) – 24:53
Lager, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Beer Americano Cocktail (paired to Smitten by the Brit) – 39:23

Beer Americano Recipe

5 oz. Campari
5 oz. Sweet Vermouth
3 oz. Lager Beer

Fill a collins glass with ice. Add the Campari and vermouth. Froth the beer using an Aerolatteor immersion blender and pour into the glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Interview Highlights:

Easter Eggs vs Tropes – 21:20
Boozy Book Broads – 22:42
Winks & Nods – 36:34
The author in the characters – 52:54

COMING NEXT MONTH: Eugenia Fain, poet

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Philip Watling lives in Milton Keynes, England with his American wife and their amazing cats, Spirit and Shadow. Unable to work, he still manages to do some… a zero-hour contract job that he can dip in and out of when he feels up to it! When not doing that, much of his week is spent at the gym, swimming and talking to everyone – socializing with people in the city center, seeing friends at various church-sponsored lunch clubs and chatting to lots of people - on line and off - trying to help as many as he can. His remaining time is spent playing with the cats, caring for his wife and volunteering at a local community fridge.
philipwatling
Amazon
Mardibooks
Facebook

Philip's Readings (Read by Chris Powel):

Intro – 11:55
Hit by a Bus – 24:52
Falling out of bed – 43:25

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Fuller’s London Porter, Fuller’s Brewery (paired to Intro) – 8:09
Fuller’s London Pride, Fuller’s Brewery (paired to Hit by a Bus) – 21:45
Provider, Steel Toe Brewing (paired to Falling out of Bed) – 36:46

Interview Highlights:

The coincidence that saved a life – 13:29
The dream job with horses – 16:05
How long can a person be dead? – 18:37
Reassessing values – 30:11
Goal in writing this book – 54:37

COMING NEXT MONTH: Freida Kilmari, fantasy author

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Cynthia Kraack is an author of fiction, short stories and nonfiction. 40 Thieves on Saipan was released by Regnery History in 2020 and received Best Book in Military History from the American Book Festival. The High Cost of Flowers won two 2014 Midwest Book Awards taking first in Literary Fiction and Contemporary Fiction. Her debut work, Minnesota Cold, won the 2009 Northeastern Minnesota Book Award for Fiction. She also wrote the Ashwood trilogy, a speculative fiction family saga. The Saturday Evening Post, Glimmer Train, Big Muddy Literary Journal and the Hal Prize competition have published or recognized her short stories. She has an MFA from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Program in Creative Writing. She is a founding board member of Write On, Door County.
Cynthiakraack.com
Facebook

Joseph Tachovsky is the son of Lieutenant Frank Tachovsky, commanding officer of the 40 Thieves. Tachovsky knew nothing of his father’s heroic past beyond that he was a Marine in the Pacific until his father’s funeral in 2011. A eulogy was given in which a man recounted a story a wherein Lieutenant Tachovsky “saved every man in our unit” from a Japanese tank. This set him on a journey to discover everything he could about his father and the 40 Thieves. Tachovsky is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and currently resides in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
40thievessaipan.com
Facebook

Cynthia and Joseph's Readings:

Four Woodpeckers – 13:48
Arello and Duley – 29:48
Pacts & Premonitions – 41:59

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Coastal Sunshine Fruited Sour, Humble Forager Brewery (paired to Four Woodpeckers) – 10:00
Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch InBev (paired to Arello and Duley) – 25:56
Old Rasputin, North Coast Brewing Company (paired to Pacts & Premonitions) – 40:31

Interview Highlights:

The hardest part of writing such a book – 23:09
Why does it matter to tell the story of the 40 Thieves? – 24:52
Origins of the name “40 Thieves” – 35:18
Rivalry and stereotypes among the branches – 36:30
The Thieves as old men – 38:00
Do you believe in premonitions? – 47:42
What gives a 21-year-old the courage to face death? – 50:27
Lingering impacts of war – 52:58

COMING NEXT MONTH: Philip Watling: The car hit me....I died....

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Dr. Chris Powell is an author, poet, musician, engineering and management consultant and aspiring polymath with his fingers on everything from fretboards and ivories to the pulse of post-modernism, surrealism, and nihilism's impact on the destruction of morality and sanity. His work takes him from the Internet of Things to Cyberspace, and from Supercomputers to AI. More down to earth, he putters in his labs with birdhouses and cameras, servomotors and drones. At the range he's comfortable with AR's and lasers, in a kilt with trombones and guitars, on a kneeler with his Rosary, and in the kitchen making omelets and Long Island Iced Teas for his love.

Dr. Powell's book has been described by Kirkus Reviews as having certain similarities to Joan Didion’s 2005 book The Year of Magical Thinking, which investigated the nature of grief, but Dr. Powell’s book investigates the nature of illness itself. He meticulously details his late wife Bonnie’s every procedure and symptom, and every failure of modern medicine to provide her with relief. He also applies the same method to his own emotions and spirituality, presenting engaging, admirably honest deductions regarding sacrifice and dedication in this powerful, heartbreaking memoir.
chrisandlaurapowell.com

Chris's Readings:

Caring for Bonnie – 12:09
From Love to Shame – 25:07
Psalm of Winged Transcendence – 41:51

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Manhattan Social Club, Boulevard Brewing Company (paired to Caring for Bonnie) – 9:13
Belgian Iambic (paired to From Love to Shame) – 22:55
Chardonnale, Brewery Ommegong (paired to Psalm of Winged Transcendence) – 38:13

Interview Highlights:

Sacrifice and service--the hard parts of love – 17:10
Writing for healing – 20:30
Love that destroys – 30:02
Narcissism – 32:39
A poem as psalm – 45:24
Powell as musician – 46:56
The Hurdy-Gurdy – 54:48

COMING NEXT MONTH: Cynthia Kraak and Joseph Tochovsky, Forty Thieves on Saipan

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Lauretta Kehoe is an avid reader of all types of books, but mostly science fiction and fantasy, seeking in these stories reflections of my Christian faith. Not finding many, she decided to write what she wanted to read. Michael Kehoe is a professional comedian, actor and screenwriter, who has appeared in several movies, including the latest Jason Bourne film, the upcoming Godzilla sequel, two television shows and two commercials. Michael has also appeared as his Geriatric Elvis persona at five casinos in the Las Vegas area.

A Dream of Dragons is their debut urban fantasy novel published by Tate Enterprises in 2016. They have also published stories in several anthologies, including Creative Writing Institute’s 2017 anthology Lost, Enchanted Anthologies: Once Upon a Cursed Time, Christmas Nightmares and Fractured Fairytales Volume II, and Black, Blue and Purple Pain. In addition to writing their own books, they work with other authors to publish theirs, such as turning movie scripts into novellas for Producer, Director and Actor, Ron Becks. They are members of the Jerry Jenkins Writer’s Guild.
laurettakehoe.com
mikekentertainment.com

Laurie's Readings:

I am flying! – 13:02
Shopping with Anne – 26:10
Henry with the Bad Guys – 43:15

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Dragon's milk, New Holland Brewing – 10:37
Gray Duck Spirited Seltzer, Gray Duck Spirits – 23:01
Chaos Monger, Warpigs Brewing USA – 38:18

Interview Highlights:

Dreams in story-telling – 16:10
Mixing light and dark story elements – 19:22
Elvis impressions – 20:33
Pollyanna vs likable characters – 32:14
Saving Anne vs Saving Henry – 35:45
Fiction: Faith, Secular or 3-dimensional? – 53:48

COMING NEXT MONTH: Dr. Chris R. Powell, readings on love for February

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Shawn D. Brink is currently building a following with four novels to his name, the latest being MY GYPSY WAR DIARY (Gabriel’s Horn Publishing). He has also had numerous shorter works in various publications and anthologies. Shawn is represented by Liverman Literary Agency.
shawnbrinkauthor.wordpress.com
Facebook
Twitter

Shawn’s Readings:

Ghosts – 9:05
Post-Game Events – 27:45
Haunted Memories – 44:55

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Winter Welcome, Samuel Smith Old Brewery – 6:49
Windvane, Bad Weather Brewing Company – 25:02
Dead Guy Ale, Rogue Ales – 41:32

Interview Highlights:

Norfolk, Norfolk, and Norfork – 13:21
Memories of growing up in Norfolk, Nebraska – 15:32
Wearing bolo ties in Clovis, New Mexico – 18:29
From end times thriller to a boy in the Midwest in the 70s – 20:03
Tornado! The craft of vivid writing – 34:37
Why the D. in Shawn D. Brink? – 38:33
Using flashbacks – 47:46
Jumping back to the 1800s – 51:49

COMING NEXT MONTH: Lauretta and Michael Kehoe, A Dream of Dragons

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Born and raised in Alaska, Sandra graduated from University of Alaska and became a travel agent. After marriage, she helped run her husband’s real estate appraisal business until their children were grown, while doing freelance writing. She and her family left Alaska in 1988 and has lived in Western Washington since 1991.
A lifelong fascination with the Middle Ages stoked her interest in historical fiction, and she traveled to Italy to research a novel set in the thirteenth century Kingdom of Naples. Her passion for family history keeps the drama of the past alive for her and sometimes inspires story ideas for novels or non-fiction.
sandralynnereed.com

Sandy's Readings:

Earthquake! – 10:44
Fireflies in New York – 26:19
The Northwoods Axe Murderer – 41:38

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Earthquake High Gravity Lager, City Brewing Company (paired to Earthquake) – 8:58
Éphémère (Apple), Unibroue (paired to Fireflies in New York) – 24:05
Bomb!, Prairie Artisan Ales (paired to The Northwoods Axe Murderer) – 39:46

Interview Highlights:

Deciding to write the book. The origins of the story – 17:01
What inspired 3 women to go on a 22,000-mile road trip with five kids in 1965?! – 20:30
Overcoming doubt and scoffing – 21:40
Showing the route around the country – 31:30
People's perceptions of each other – 35:30
Travel and writing – 48:53
Why is it important to tell our stories? – 52:15

COMING NEXT MONTH: Shawn D. Brink, apocalyptic trilogy, YA adventure

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Lisa Gurine has written newsletters and business communications professionally for more than twenty years. She comes from a long line of storytellers and for most of her life has channeled her creative energy into re-telling and embellishing her family’s history. Without Words grew from the seeds of her own ancestors’ lives as South Dakota immigrants.
Lisa Gurine resides in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, with her husband of more than thirty years. Her passion for cross-cultural understanding led her to volunteer with an international high school exchange program. She and her husband have hosted six foreign exchange students at their home and have engaged with many more. Her other favorite pastimes include international travel, volunteering with her church and honing her writing skills with her Night Writers critique partners.
Lisagurinebooks.com
Facebook

Lisa's Readings:

Letter to Emma – 8:56
The Boy from the In Between – 27:11
Hulda and the White Cake – 44:43

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Guinness Draft Stout, Guinness Ltd. (paired to Letter to Emma) – 5:22
Mango Mango Mango, Dugges Bryggeri & Stillwater Artisanal Ales (Paired to The Boy from the In Between) – 23:32
Cake’d Up Celebration Cake, Mankato Brewery (Paired to Hulda and the White Cake) – 41:08

Interview Highlights:

The story behind Letter to Emma – 13:35
Turning fact into fiction – 15:42
Developing as a writer; exercises and writers groups – 21:40
Hosting exchange students – 34:20
Perceptions of the Land of Snow – 35:35
What's the deal with cake! – 50:01
The importance of telling our family stories – 52:26

COMING NEXT MONTH: Sandy Frykholm, author of The Drive in '65

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology
Lisa Gurine will be one of three authors at a book signing, Maple Grove Lutheran Church, 9251 Elm Creek Blvd N, Maple Grove, MN, Sunday, November 8, 2020, 1 - 5 pm

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Ozgur K. Sahin is an award-winning historical novelist and life coach. True Colors, the second book in his Brethren of the Spanish Main series, was released in late 2019 as a sequel to The Wrath of Brotherhood. He is currently working as a life coach while hunkered down during the Covid-19 pandemic and working on a non-fiction book on narcissism. He grew up in Minneapolis and his studies range from astrophysics and history to meditation and development studies.
ozgurksahin.com

Ozgur's Readings:

Pieter at the Prison – 14:21
Coya with the Golden Staff – 31:06
Captain Roy Toppings at the Hucia – 46:51

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Sidra Asturiana Mayador Natural Cider, Sidra Mayador (paired to Pieter at the Prison) – 9:56
Cowbell Cream Ale, Urban Growler Brewing Company (paired to Coya with the Golden Staff) – 26:30
Stout/Rum Cocktail with Obsidian Stout, Deschutes Brewery (paired to Captain Roy Toppings at the Hucia) – 44:29

Cocktail Recipe (from CB2):

1.5 oz Rum
1.5 oz Ginger-Jalapeño Syrup
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
5 oz Stout-Style Beer
Preparation:
Pour the rum, syrup, and lime juice into a shaker and fill it with ice. Shake and strain the liquid into a glass half-filled with fresh ice. Top with the beer and garnish with a lime wedge.

Interview Highlights:

Humor in a serious story – 21:38
Why 1660? Why pirates? – 22:56
Flawed and scarred heroines – 38:28
Research--history, fiction, and Ginger Plantation – 52:40
Writing vivid descriptions – 53:59
Writing on narcissism – 55:59

COMING NEXT MONTH: Lisa Gurine, Author of Without Words, the stories of South Dakota settlers

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

The Dirty Lowdown called Mike Faricy America's hottest new mystery writer. Robert Carraher referred to him as Minnesota's Master of the Bizarre. Crime Scene referred to him as the next Carl Hiaasen. Mike Faricy writes four crime fiction series; Dev Haskell mystery series, the Corridor Man series, Jack Dillon Dublin Tales series, and the Hotshot series. Faricy's novels are filled with the sort of oddballs we're all curious about, but wisely prefer to keep at a distance. His characters serve not so much as an example as they do a warning to us all. None of them will be saving the world from terrorism, international banking conspiracies, or coups to take over the government. Rather, Faricy's characters inhabit a world just below the surface of polite society. The circumstances they find themselves in are usually due to their own bad decisions, but then bad decisions make for interesting stories. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Faricy still spends part of his time in the saintly city as well as in Dublin, Ireland.
mikefaricybooks.com

Mike's Readings:

Bite Me – 11:30
Last Shot – 26:39
Mr. Swirlee – 43:19

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Mas Agave, Founders Brewing Company (paired to Bite Me) – 8:35
Steel Reserve, Steel Brewing Company (paired to Last Shot) – 22:40
Dirty Bastard, Founders Brewing Company (paired to Mr. Swirlee) – 41:16

Interview Highlights:

Where does a womanizing private investigator like Dev Haskell come from? – 17:36
Mike's history with St Paul, where most of his novels are set. – 20:57
Where does Mike find his characters? – 35:15
Why Ireland? What happened to Mike in a pub there! – 36:07
Why the decision to write under pen names--and why change that now? – 49:48
Mike's amazing marketing--and why he can now write full time – 50:29

COMING NEXT MONTH: Ozgur K. Sahin, author of Brethren of the Spanish Main series.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Mark Connor is from St. Paul, MN. In summer 2019, he was featured in the first Gabriel’s Horn Press anthology, Surprised by Joy. A boxer since age 10, he currently trains competitive and recreational boxers, runs a training business called Fighting Chance/Boxing for Life and writes fiction, poetry, and journalism. He has written and published many articles about Boxing and Irish culture and history, as well as other features.
boxersandwritersmagazine.com

Mark's Readings:

The Perfect Metaphor – 9:26
Halfway Around – 29:53
Two Pilgrim Souls: Anam Cara – 46:14

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Veltins Pilsener, Brauerei C & A Veltins (paired to The Perfect Metaphor) – 6:03
Ommegang Saison Rosé, Brewery Ommegang (paired to Halfway Around) – 27:24
Dirt Wolf Double IPA, Victory Brewing Company (paired to Two Pilgrim Souls: Anam Cara) – 42:43

Interview Highlights:

Boxing and jazz improvisation – 11:41
Boxing and poetry – 14:48
Mark’s start in boxing – 17:30
Mark’s mentors – 21:06
Similarities of boxing to poetry – 24:24
Other boxer poets – 25:16
Native American medicine wheel – 37:04
Spontaneous writing vs re-working a poem – 39:07
The epic Irish poet and his muse – 48:06
Becoming a monstrance – 53:03

COMING NEXT MONTH: Mike Faricy, mystery author

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

View Details

John Gaspard is author of the Eli Marks mystery series as well as two other stand-alone novels, "The Greyhound of the Baskervilles" and "The Ripperologists." He also writes the Como Lake Players mystery series, under the pen name Bobbie Raymond. In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, they've made more than the films.
Those books ("Fast, Cheap and Under Control" and "Fast, Cheap and Written That Way") are available in eBook, Paperback and audiobook formats. John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several dogs, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.
elimarksmysteries.com
Free Eli Marks Short Story - The Invisible Assistant
Ebook version: https://BookHip.com/RLJQGX
Audiobook version: https://BookHip.com/GGHJVS
Free Eli Marks Short Story - The Last Customer
Ebook version: https://BookHip.com/TXSQS
Audiobook version: https://BookHip.com/NCPKGD

Jim Cunningham is an actor, writer, producer, and director. He spent three years in Dudley Riggs Brave New Workshop’s Resident Improv Company and has done numerous television commercials—including the Carsoup Guy—and voiceovers for TV and animated series. He hosted Mall of America, the Show, Explore Minnesota, Golf Nut for WCCO TV, “Minnesota Fun” for the Twins and Minnesota Wild, and has been the host of the Renaissance Festival’s Feast of Fantasy for almost 30 years. Last but not least, Jim spent three years hosting his own radio show on sports and entertainment.

John's Readings:

The Ambitious Card (Eli Marks Mysteries) – 10:11
Acting Can Be Murder (Como Lake Players) – 21:57
Greyhound of the Baskervilles – 38:10

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Schell's Hefeweizen, August Schell Brewing Company (paired to The Ambitious Card) – 7:15
Triumphant Session IPA, Summit Brewing Company (paired to Acting Can Be Murder) – 19:51
Ellie's Brown Ale, Avery Brewing Company, Boulder Colorado (paired to Greyhound of the Baskervilles) – 7:04

Interview Highlights:

Writing novels vs. writing screenplays – 15:38
Writing novels inspired by magic tricks – 18:08
On planting clues and red herrings – 26:06
Murder mystery theater – 28:54
Making audio books – 29:56
Sunday Night Magic! – 32:10
Jim's years doing voice-overs and narration – 47:39

COMING NEXT MONTH: Poet and boxer Mark Connor.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

View Details

Fiction Author, Judith Granahan of Minnesota writes books about strong, intelligent, inventive women who get in trouble. The question is who will survive, who won't?
Women have always been described as super human to sniveling child, intelligent to incompetent, collaborator to cut throat; it goes on and on. With such varied attributes in mind, Granahan creates novels full of compelling characters dealing with mystery, danger, thrills, romance, horror, and difficult choices. Someday she may even write science fiction, fantasy or historical novels.
www.judithgranahanbooks.com

Judy's Readings:

Rose Teaches her Sons to Hate (See That House) – 10:48
Hailey Goes Off the Mountain (See That House) – 23:47
Anna Mae Shoots Her Husband's Grave (Dancers of the Third Age) – 41:25

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Obsidian Stout, Deschutes Brewery (paired to Rose Teaches her Sons to Hate) – 6:54
Zombie Dust, 3 Floyd's Brewing Company (paired to Hailey Goes Off the Mountain) – 21:10
BOMB!, Prairie Artisan Ales (paired to Anna Mae Shoots Her Husband’s Grave) – 36:58

Interview Highlights:

Starting the Night Writers group – 12:23
What kind of research goes into writing about corporate financial shenanigans? – 19:16
How do you get inside the head of characters completely unlike yourself? – 25:26
Writing people who are despicable in many ways--but not two dimensional bad guys. – 31:37
Revenge is not the answer to evil--what is? – 34:02
Your characters do a lot of shooting! What's your background with guns? – 45:46
What drew you to writing about an abused woman? – 47:40
Why do some people get the strength to leave abusive situations? – 50:54

COMING NEXT MONTH: Film maker and novelist John Gaspard.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Tony Plocido is the author of three collections of poetry. The first, Sucker Punch Wisdom, was published with two other K.C. poets (Jeremy O'Neal & William Peck). His other books are Aging and Other Side Projects (2016) and Felt This So Many Times (2018). Is writing can also be found in 2019 Martin Lake Journal, Starled by Joy (2019), and 2019 Talking Stick by Jackpine Press. March 2019, he became the host/curator of the long running showcases, Poets & Pints and Writers Read. He also is a board member for Cracked Walnut the local chapter of The League of MN Poets. You can find his work on his personal website, Mental Valley.
Poets & Pints
Poets & Pints Facebook

Writers Read
Writers Read Facebook
Mental Valley
Mental Valley Facebook
Tony on YouTube:
Argument
Word Hinged Desire

Events:

Tony will be leading a virtual Poets & Pints via Zoom on April 15th. Check the Facebook page for additional information.

Tony’s Readings:

The Loose Loop in My Sweater – 13:04
Expense – 28:33
Awakened – 43:11

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Samuel Adams Utopias, Boston Beer Company (paired to The Loose Loop in My Sweater) – 9:16
Salted Nut Roll Cream Ale, Tin Whiskers Brewing Company (paired to Expense) – 24:13
Aspall Dry English Cider, Aspall Cider (paired to Awakened) – 40:41

Interview Highlights:

Poetry as reflection on life lived and yet to be lived – 17:15
Writing on the fly, borrowing from others, writing from life – 30:22
Being a Generation X poet – 32:53
Performance poetry – 36:26
Self-affirmation – 55:55
Becoming active in the poetry scene – 48:38
Tony’s performance poetry workshop – 51:18

COMING NEXT MONTH: Judith Granahan

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Timothy Young has published four books and three chapbooks of poetry. He has recorded four CDs of poetry with various musicians; produced poetry and cultural videos; organized readings, cultural events, festivals and concerts; and for five years he co-hosted The Northland Literary Review on KFAI radio. His work has been chosen for The Writers Almanac, The Best American Poetry of 1999, college textbooks, many magazines and has been the inspiration for award-winning musical compositions performed in Jazz at Lincoln Center, the University of Texas-Arlington, St. Olaf College and many other venues. He has been a cattle inspector, a police and fire dispatcher in Alaska, a handy-man at an Indigenous People's clinic in Mexico, an inner-city newspaper editor, an organizer for Robert Bly's Men's Conferences, and has taught storytelling, anger management and moral judgment to at-risk youth at the Red Wing Correctional Facility.
Facebook: Timothy Young
Facebook: To the Palace of Kings

You Tube: Timtwoboots

Upcoming Events:

Tim will be performing at the 10th Annual Blues Night as part of his House Concert Series on March 6 & 7. More information can be found on the To the Palace of Kings Facebook page.

Tim's Readings:

Gramps and the Skunk – 10:00
1998 Calendar of Pierre-August Renoir's Paintings – 26:32
Joy Soup – 42:59

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Heineken, Heineken International (paired to Gramps and the Skunk) – 7:10
Biere de Garde, Finnegans (paired to 1998 Calendar…) – 24:00
Lonely Blond, Fulton Beer (paired to Joy Soup) – 41:05

Interview Highlights:

What is the draw we have to the stories of our ancestors? – 12:14
Tim’s start in poetry – 15:29
Who is Robert Bly? – 21:00
Artists inspiring other artists and other art forms – 29:46
About poetry and Andrew Wyeth's paintings – 31:38
Meeting Robert Bly – 35:58
Robert Bly’s place in poetry and his influence on Tim – 37:11
Having poems read at Jazz at Lincoln Center – 49:50

COMING NEXT MONTH: Poet Tony Plocido

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Douglas was born Nov 28th, 1971. He got the chance to live in many different places while growing up, courtesy of the assignments the US Army offered his father. Quiet and shy, he dreamed of other worlds and places…and desired to write about them. He got into fantasy role-playing games in his mid-teens. To this day he regularly meets friends in tabletop role-playing games and online adventures. Many of his characters evolved in games, and developed their own personality.
Having to rely on self-publishing for his novels, Douglas was surprised at the amount of good reviews and publicity they received. The Earthrin Stones trilogy sold more copies than expected. The Widow Brigade started its reception earning eleven straight 5-star reviews, including a recent widow who said it helped with her healing process.
Douglas lives with his wife and two sons in Minnesota. He works in health care, serving people’s needs in medical imaging. Most people see him wearing scrubs.
dhealoral.com
Facebook: @Dhea-Loral
Twitter: @ThaminDheaLoral

Upcoming events:

Douglas will be at Con of the North, Feb 14-16, Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West, 3131 Campus Dr, Plymouth, Mn - A popular gaming convention featuring just about every type of gaming you can imagine.
He will be at Marscon, Feb 28-Mar 2, Hilton Minneapolis/St Paul Airport/Mall of America, 3800 American Blvd E, Bloomington, Mn - A Sci-fi based convention near Mall of America, which also includes some fantasy and steampunk.

Douglas's Readings:

The Widow Brigade – 12:56
Sword and Path – 30:16
Boxer Earns his Wings – 44:13

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Stjørdal, Hammerheart Brewing (paired to The Widow Brigade) – 9:28
Saison Dupont, Brasserie Dupont sprl (paired to Sword and Path) – 27:02
Budweiser Copper Lager, ABInBev (paired to Boxer Earns his Wings) – 41:46

Interview Highlights:

Expanding the emotional world of dwarves – 19:57
Douglas’s background as a writer – 22:34
What sparked Dhea Loral and the dwarf widow Duli? – 23:18
Male writer creating female characters – 25:54
World-building – 39:40
The steampunk world of 'Boxer' – 50:47
How does growing up in the military affect us as writers? – 53:53

COMING NEXT MONTH: Poet Tim Young

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Martin Case, freelance researcher and writer, researches political and economic networks that shaped US relationships with indigenous nations, and drove the expansion of the US across the continent. He was on the design team for Why Treaties Matter, a collaboration of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, the Minnesota Humanities Center, and the Smithsonian Institute. His book -- The Relentless Business of Treaties: How Indigenous Land Became US Property – was published in 2018 by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

Treatysigners.org

Treatiesmatter.org

We would like to extend special thanks to the Yoerg Brewing Company of St. Paul for hosting us on our first on-site recording. The Yoerg Saloon is located at 378 Maria Ave, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55106

Marty's Readings:

Relationships to Land, Kinship vs. Property, Marshall’s Doctrine of Discovery – 11:30
Making the American Myth: Whose story is it? – 31:55
From the Gospel of the Child Rabbit – 47:16

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Samuel Smith India Ale, Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery (paired to From the Intro) – 9:55
Yoerg’s Bock, Yoerg Brewing Company (paired to On Marshall’s Doctrine of Discovery) – 29:07
Alpha State, August Schell Brewing Company (paired to From the Gospel of the Child Rabbit) – 43:47

Interview Highlights:

The fascinating history of Yoerg's Brewery--our host for episode 9 – 4:42
How Marty got involved in the Treaty Signers Project – 17:32
Treaty signer relationships vs. the American myth – 18:51
org online database – 23:16
Marshall's Doctrine of Discovery – 26:10
Implications of viewing land as kin vs. property – 37:28
Treaties as international agreements – 41:05
On writing your personal 'gospel' – 50:35
Under a speeding semi! – 52:16

COMING NEXT MONTH: Fantasy fiction writer Douglas van Dyke

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Sarah’s first novel, These Granite Islands was awarded a Loft McKnight Award; a Friends of American Writers Award, and was a Barnes & Noble Great New Writers pick, among other awards. That novel was translated into eleven languages. Her second, The Ice Chorus, was also widely translated. Her memoir Shelter: Off The Grid in the Mostly Magnetic North won a Northeast Minnesota Book Award. Her feminist trilogy Fishing With RayAnne (originally written under the pen name Ava Finch) will be re-issued by The University of MN Press, beginning in 2020. She is currently adapting that series for television, as well as writing original screenplays. Laurentian Divide, the second book in her Northern Trilogy, was the winner of the 2019 Minnesota Book Award and the NEMBA award, as well as being a 2019 National Reading Group Month selection by National Women’s Book Association. In March 2020, WPRI, Wisconsin Public Radio International’s longest running program, Chapter A Day, will feature Laurentian Divide, to be read on air by Jim Flemming. She’s currently researching and is at work on the final volume of the Northern trilogy, Watershed. Sarah has been awarded fellowships at several international residency programs, including the Tyrone Guthrie Center in Ireland; Gibraltor Center, Toronto; Hawthornden, Scotland; Art Omi, New York, and Chicago’s Ragdale Foundation, Sarah lives in Minneapolis on the Mississippi River in a renovated flour mill with her husband, musician Jon Ware.

sarahstonich.com

Sarahstonichbookshelf

Sarah's Readings:

Alpo Ponders Life – 16:30
Pete Meets Meg – 29:05
Sissy and the Sled Dogs – 44:41

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Grain Belt Premium, August Schell Brewing Company (paired to Alpo Ponders Life) – 14:50
Summit Great Northern Porter – Summit Brewing Company (paired to Pete Meets Meg) – 27:20
Tip Up Winter Ale – Beaver Island Brewing (paired to Sissy and the Sled Dogs) – 42:12

Interview Highlights:

Overview of the Northern Trilogy – 13:00
Why do people read? – 24:20
What makes a great book? – 25:20
How and when did you get started writing? – 39:51
40 raw acres with a city boy – 54:16

COMING NEXT MONTH: Novelist Lyn Miller Lacoursiere, author of the Lindy Lewis Adventures

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Poet Donna Isaac is a teaching artist who organizes community readings in the Twin Cities. Published work includes a poetry book, Footfalls (Pocahontas Press), a paean to American folk music and her formative years in the Appalachians; two chapbooks, Tommy (Red Dragonfly Press); Holy Comforter (Red Bird Chapbooks); and work in journals such as the Saint Paul Almanac, the Penn Review, and AvantAppal(achia). Persistence of Vision, a chapbook focused on Donna's love for movies, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press, November 2019.

donnaisaacpoet.com

Events

Poets Dore Kesselbach, Sharon Chmielarz, Donna Isaac, and Ethna McKiernan will read work at Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN, November 5, 2019, 7:00 p.m. All poets have new books for sale.

Clapping Waters' Reading Series will feature Donna Isaac, Nov. 13, 6:00-6:30 (open mic: until 8:00) at River Falls Public Library (lower level) in River Falls, WI.

Donna Isaac will read at Tillie's Farmhouse, 232 Cleveland Ave., St. Paul, MN, November 20, 2019, 7:00 p.m. with poet Margaret Hasse. Books for sale. Come early for dinner and music by John Wenstrom and co.

Donna’s Readings

Unravelling – 10:12
Bloodlines – 27:45
For the Love of Dance – 45:20

Michael’s Beers

Oberon, Bell’s Brewery (paired to Unravelling) – 7:56
Rubaeus, Founders Brewing Co. (paired to Bloodlines) – 24:30
Let’s Dance, Urban Growler Brewing Co. (paired to For the Love of Dance) – 42:23

Interview Highlights

Childhood then & now – 12:11
Tommy Chapbook: Poems for Donna’s Brother – 17:47
Donna’s Background – 19:32
Donna’s Influences – 22:21
Influences of Growing Up in Appalachia – 31.26
Imagery of Ireland – 38:16
Interest in Family Research – 40:53
Writing About Joy and Beauty – 48:30
Themes of Donna’s Chapbooks Holy Comforter and Persistence of Vision – 55:09
The Value of Poetry – 56:37

NEXT MONTH: Author Sarah Stonich.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Anya Johanna DeNiro lives in St. Paul. Her fiction has appeared in Catapult, One Story, Minnesota Monthly, and elsewhere. She’s currently at work on a Young Adult novel entitled My Heart Is an Unslain Dragon. Her novella City of a Thousand Feelings is forthcoming from Aqueduct Press in the winter of 2019.

LINKS

@adeniro on Twitter

AqueductPress.com

Upcoming Events:

Laura will be reading at the Startled By JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on October 6th, 2019. The event takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Troubadour Wine Bar, 2827 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

Michael is teaching a class on barrel-aged beer on November 19th at Zymurgy Brewing on Main Street in Menomonie, Wisconsin

Anya’s Readings:

Take Pills and Wait for Hips – 10:40
City of a Thousand Feelings – 36:56
Faint Voices Increasingly Desperate – 47:14

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

W. Lee’s Harvest Ale 2002 Vintage, J.W. Lee’s & Company, UK (paired to Take Pills and Wait for Hips) – 15:26
Wittekerke, De Brabandere, Belgium (paired to City of a Thousand Feelings) – 34:07
Firebrick, August Schell Brewing Company, MN (paired to Faint Voices Increasingly Desperate) – 45:07

Interview Highlights:

What is an Interactive Fiction game? – 25:44
Imagery, Allegory, Writer’s Intention – 27:51
How does the Glass-Bottom Boat Image in Take Pills and Wait for Hips relate to theme of transition as a transgender woman? – 31:09
What goes into getting an MFA? – 41:15
Writing in second person – 43:11
Writing in third person present tense – 51:32
Writing transgender protagonists – 54:45

COMING NEXT MONTH: Poet Donna Isaac.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Tekkan is the Dharma name for Barry MacDonald. He has lived in England, Japan, and Minnesota, all of which have influenced him. The themes of his life revolve around his Buddhist practice and his recovery from addiction. His books, “Everyday Mind,” look for the extraordinary hidden within everyday events. He uses the sonnet form without the rhyme scheme followed by a Japanese tanka.

LINKS

https://www.facebook.com/barry.macdonald.1293

Upcoming Events:

Barry and Laura will be reading at the Startled By JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on October 6th, 2019. The event takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Troubadour Wine Bar, 2827 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

Barry’s Readings:

Reading Circles of Sober Alcoholics – 12:20
The Wood Flooring of the Zen Temple – 27:44
Like a Basset Hound – 42:39

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

All Out Non-alcoholic Extra Dark, Athletic Brewing Company (paired to Reading Circles of Sober Alcoholics) – 9:16
Pilsner Urquell, Plzeňský Prazdroj (paired to The Wood Flooring of the Zen Temple) – 25:31
Heavenly Body Golden Wheat, Wellbeing Brewing Company (paired to Like a Basset Hound) – 41:30

Interview Highlights:

Sonnets and the sonnet form – 13:32
Meeting Shakespeare in Amsterdam – 15:40
The influence of a well-read father – 16:42
Writing routine and meditation – 20:25
What brought you to Japan? – 31:18
The impact of travel on an artist's work – 33:49
Zen and dharma, Barry's dharma name – 35:09
Does image lead to idea or does an idea seek an image? – 45:11
The Everyday Mind series – 47:36

COMING NEXT MONTH: Novelist, short story writer and interactive fiction creator Anya Johanna DeNiro

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Kathryn Kysar is the author of two books of poetry, Dark Lake and Pretend the World, and she edited Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers. She has received fellowships from Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. Kysar recently served on the board of directors for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and teaches at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and the Loft Literary Center and lives with her family in St. Paul

LINKS

http://www.kathrynkysar.com/

https://twitter.com/darklake

https://sonoglyphcollective.com/

Upcoming Events:

Kathryn is reading at the St. Paul Irish Fair of Minnesota on August 10th. Time: 12:00 pm. Address: Eóin McKiernan Speaker’s Tent, Harriet Island.
Kathryn is performing as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival at 5:30 pm on August 10th at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She will be joined by Marie Cooney and musician Kevin Kern among others.
Laura is appearing at the Startled by JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on August 11th. The event goes from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Eggroll Queen Café, 1579 Hamline Avenue North, Falcon Heights, Minnesota
Laura is appearing at the Startled by JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on October 6th. The event goes from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Troubadour Wine Bar, 2827 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Kathryn’s Readings:

Escape from Paradise, Iowa – 10:09
Things I Learned from my Grandmother – 20:05
German – 22:16
Returning to Lake Superior – 42:11

Michael’s Beer Pairings

Hamm’s, Hamm’s Brewing Company (paired to Escape from Paradise, Iowa) – 8:48
Fort Road Helles, August Schell Brewing Company (paired to Things I Learned from my Grandmother and German) – 18:13
Ring of Fire, Bad Weather Brewing (paired to Returning to Lake Superior) – 39:00

Interview Highlights:

Kathryn’s Background – 13:11
Kathryn’s Craft; Finding Inspiration and Writing Process – 14:42
Why Poetry? – 16:21
Title and Cover of book, Pretend the World – 25:09
Organizing a Book of Poetry; Finding the Themes – 30:29
Kathryn speaks on her grandmother and the advice of yesterday and today – 33:20
Mixing music and poetry – 45:31
The future of poetry in the era of self-publishing – 51:02

COMING NEXT MONTH: Tekkan, local poet of the Everyday Mind series

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

Bob Miller has been a professional magician for twenty years, performing on stage and table-side magic. He has also created several of his own tricks which he sells on his website.

In addition to magic, Bob works as a programmer. He has created software for magicians to track customers and shows, and software for writers based on K.M. Weiland’s workbook, Outlining Your Novel.

As if that’s not enough, Bob is now writing a five book thriller series, Chrysalis Chronology. The series is about genetically-altered humans with special powers. The first two books – The Smart Kid and The Time Leaper – are currently available, with others to follow.

LINKS

http://bobmillermagic.com/blog/

http://bobmillerauthor.com

http://chrysalischronology.com

https://www.facebook.com/BobMillerAuthor/

Upcoming Events:

Bob performs table side magic and balloon animals every Friday night at EL TORO, 10901 Douglas Drive, Champlin, MN, 6 to 8 pm. Free to all customers!
Launch of Startled by JOY 2019, new poetry in classical forms, edited by Laura Vosika.
Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 South Snelling Drive, 2 to 3:30 pm. Music, free wine and hors d'oeuvres.

Bob’s Readings:

The Trap at Lincoln from The Smart Kid, Book One – 13:08
The Falls from The Time Leaper, Book Two – 33:00
Date Night from The Proxy Agent, Book Three- 45:55

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Black Ops, Brooklyn Brewing (paired to The Trap at Lincoln) – 11:02
Sea Quench, Dogfish Head (paired to The Falls) – 30:33
Siracusa Nera, Dogfish Head (paired to Date Night) – 43:35

Interview Highlights:

Bob’s life as a magician – 20:25
The Pre-Date Calendar trick – 22:40
The Chrysalis Chronology novel series – 26:38
Why does it matter for characters to change throughout a story? – 40:33
The plots in magic, the plots in writing – 52:25

COMING NEXT MONTH: Kathryn Kysar, Twin Cities poet

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

This month Michael and Laura welcome Toussaint Morrison – writer, poet, musician, lyricist, actor...and more – about his multiple artistic endeavors. Toussaint writes and produces scripts for YouTube, has toured with multiple bands, has written lyrics and music for nearly 200 songs, and participates in slam poetry—among other things. Stop by and hear Toussaint reading and performing some of his work!

Toussaint Morrison is an avid mentor for youth, working as a paraprofessional in special ed. classrooms and leading spoken word workshops primarily in middle schools. He is also an Emmy award winning host of PBS's civic engagement web series, America From Scratch. Graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Theater, Morrison now spends his time writing & producing film for majority casts of color.

http://www.toussaintmorrison.blogspot.comwww.urbanhomecompanion.com

Youtube.com/toussaintmorrison

Youtube.com/urbanhomecinema

Patreon.com/toussaintmorrison

Toussaint is performing a live spoken word show at the Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis on Saturday, June 22nd.

Toussaint’s Readings:

The Fight that Never Was – 12:35
Escaping Nina’s – 28:15
Baby Gots Venom – 44:40

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Miller High Life, Miller Brewing Company – 9:50
Ninja vs. Unicorn, Pipeworks Brewing Co. – 26:40
The Abyss, Deschutes Brewery – 41:38

Interview Highlights:

The impact of New Orleans on Toussaint’s writing. – 19:25
Managing time—how does one person do so much? – 22:25
Urban Home Companion and Toussaint’s beef with Garrison Keillor! – 32:10
Influence of Charles Bukowski and elevating the mundane moments – 36:35
How different styles of writing lend themselves to different stories or messages – 50:45

COMING NEXT MONTH: Kathryn Kysar, Twin Cities poet

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

View Details

This month Michael and Laura spoke with Loren Niemi. Loren is a storyteller with 40 years of creating, performing and teaching stories that matter. His work has been called “post-modern,” pushing the boundaries of narrative form “with a dark beauty of language that is not ashamed of poetry.”

Loren is also an author. His books include the award winning The New Book of Plots, an examination of oral and written narratives, and the critically acclaimed Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories, which he co-authored with Elizabeth Ellis. In 2016 he received the National Storytelling Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award. His collection of original and collected ghost stories What Haunts Us came out in February 2019.

www.lorenniemistories.com

Loren’s stories:

Remodeling the Kitchen – 10:59
Barbecue Bus – 26:53
The Hungry Carpet– 47:23

Michael’s beer pairings:

Oh Fudge!, Prairie Artisan Ales – 9:02
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen, Brauerei Heller-Trum – 24:14
Kriek Boon, Brouwerij Boon – 44:45

Interview highlights:

The impact of growing up moving on storytellers – 15:54
Becoming a storyteller – 17:33
..on the Great Wall of China – 21:05
Why we tell stories – 22:55
Why we’re drawn to ghost stories and other dark tales – 36:53
Telling stories vs. writing stories – 51:00

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Don't forget to subscribe!

Books and Brews Podcast: Recent Episodes

Michael Agnew and Laura Vosika