Author2Author: Recent Episodes
Author magazine
Bill Kenower, Editor-in-Chief of Author magazine, talks to writers of all genres about the books we write and the lives we lead, and how these two are one in the same.
Sebastian Smee is an art critic for the Washington Post and the author of "Paris in Ruins: Love, War and the Birth of Impressionism" (Norton) and “The Art of Rivalry: Four Friendships, Betrayals, and Breakthroughs in Modern Art” (Random House), which was translated into a dozen languages. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism while at the Boston Globe in 2011, after being runner up in 2008. Living in the UK between 2000 and 2004, he worked for the Daily Telegraph, The Art Newspaper, The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, The Financial Times, Prospect, and The Spectator. In Australia, he worked as the art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian. He was awarded the Rabkin Prize for art journalism in 2018 and was a MacDowell Fellow in 2021. He taught the Garis Seminar for Creative Non-fiction at Wellesley College between 2010 and 2022.
He has authored books on Mark Bradford and Lucian Freud and contributed essays to books on an array of other artists. He has been invited to speak at, among other places, Harvard University, Boston College, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences.
As a mythopoeic scholar, Nadia Salem researches mythic structures in narrative throughout literature and film. By understanding mythology’s influence in creating classics, bestsellers, and blockbusters, she studies cross-cultural, genre-bending, marginalized stories for popular and political impact. Nadia has a doctorate in Creative Writing and has taught mythic structure at Georgetown and Northwestern Universities. She is a produced playwright, and the author of The Monomyth Reboot: A Transmodern Update for Mythopoeia.
David Rocklin is the author of The Luminist and Foreward LGBTQIA award-winning The Night Language. He also wrote The Write Formula: Twelve Weeks From Concept To Completion, a craft book which accompanies his editorial and book coaching services. He hosts and curates “Roar Shack,” a long-running Los Angeles reading series, and has established a writers’ retreat based in Idyllwild, CA. The Electric Love Song of Fleischl Berger is his latest novel.
Molly Giles is an award-winning fiction writer. Her first collection of stories, ROUGH TRANSLATIONS won the Flannery O’Connor Prize for Short Fiction, the Boston Globe Award, and the Bay Area Book Reviewers award. Four subsequent collections—CREEK WALK, BOTHERED, ALL THE WRONG PLACES, and WIFE WITH KNIFE, have also won awards, including the Small Press Best Fiction Award, the California Commonwealth Silver Medal for Fiction, the Spokane Short Fiction Award, and the Leapfrog Press Global Fiction Prize. She published her first novel, IRON SHOES, in 2000, and twenty-three years later, published its sequel, THE HOME FOR UNWED HUSBANDS. Giles has taught fiction writing at San Francisco State University, University of Hawaii, San Jose State University, the National University of Ireland at Galway, the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and at numerous writing conferences, including The Community of Writers and Naropa. Her work has been included in many anthologies including the O.Henry and Pushcart Prize (three times), and she has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Arkansas Arts Council. She has won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Book Reviewing, been awarded residences at MacDowell, Yadoo, and The House of Literature in Paros, Greece. Life Spans is her first memoir.
Bill revisits his conversation with Andre Dubus last year after his release of Such Kindness.
Andre Dubus III’s nine books include the New York Times’ bestsellers House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days, and his memoir, Townie, a #4 New York Times bestseller and a New York Times "Editors Choice". His work has been included in The Best American Essays and The Best Spiritual Writing anthologies, and his novel, House of Sand and Fog was a finalist for the National Book Award, a #1 New York Times Bestseller, and was made into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. His 2013 novella collection, Dirty Love, was listed as a “Notable Book” by The Washington Post and The New York Times, and was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice” and a Kirkus “Starred Best Book of 2013”. His 2018 novel, Gone So Long, was named on many “Best Books” lists, including selection for The Boston Globe’s “Twenty Best Books of 2018” and “The Best Books of 2018, Top 100”, Amazon. His most recent novel, Such Kindness, was one of Amazon’s “The Best Books of 2023, Top 100”. His acclaimed collection of personal essays, Ghost Dog: On Killers and Kin, was published in March 2024. He is also the editor of Reaching Inside: 50 Acclaimed Authors on 100 Unforgettable Short Stories,
Miles Harvey is the author of The Registry of Forgotten Objects: Stories, which won The Journal Non/Fiction Prize and was published by Mad Creek Books, the trade imprint of The Ohio State University Press. His fiction has appeared in Ploughshares, Conjunctions, AGNI, North American Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, The Michigan Quarterly Review, Nimrod, Fiction Magazine, and others, and has received a Distinguished Story in The Best American Short Stories, 2004, a Special Mention in Pushcart Prize XXXVII: Best of the Small Presses, 2013, and the Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award from Mid-American Review, 2015. His most recent work of nonfiction, The King of Confidence (Little, Brown & Co., 2020), was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction and was named as a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice selection. He also wrote The Island of Lost Maps (a national and international bestseller for Random House, 2000) and Painter in a Savage Land (Random House, 2008). His play, How Long Will I Cry, premiered in 2013 at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.
Harvey teaches creative writing at DePaul University in Chicago, where he chairs the Department of English and is a founding editor of Big Shoulders Books, a nonprofit, social-justice publisher.
Jeffery Deaver is the award-winning #1 international and New York Times bestselling author of the Lincoln Rhyme, Colter Shaw and Kathryn Dance series, among many others. Deaver’s work includes forty-seven novels, one hundred short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages.
Isabella Maldonado is the award-winning and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Nina Guerrera, Daniela Vega and Veranda Cruz series. Her books are published in twenty-four languages.
Their co-authored book, FATAL INTRUSION, is the launch of a new series featuring Homeland Security agent Carmen Sanchez and Professor Jake Heron.
Maribeth Fischer is the founder and executive director of the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild. She has received three Delaware Division of the Arts Fellowships and two Pushcart Prizes for her essays. Her two previous books, The Language of Good-bye and The Life You Longed For, have been sold in six foreign countries. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her latest novel is A Season of Perfect Happiness.
Bill welcomes poet and fiction writer Emily Jon Tobias to the show. Emily is an American author and poet. She is an award-winning writer whose work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, along with other honorable mentions, and has been featured in literary journals such as Santa Clara Review, Talking River Review, Flying South Literary Journal, Furrow Literary Journal, The Opiate Magazine, The Ocotillo Review, Jerry Jazz Musician, Typehouse Literary Magazine, Tahoma Literary Review, Big Muddy, Spoon Knife, Peauxdunque Review, and elsewhere. Midwestern-raised, she now lives and writes on the coast of Southern California and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Pacific University Oregon. MONARCH: STORIES (Black Lawrence Press, 2024)is her debut collection and winner of the 2024 American Book Fest International Book Awards in the short story collection category.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Jill Fordyce to the show. Jill received a law degree from Santa Clara University in 1989. For the majority of her law career, Jill’s practice was devoted to representing indigent criminal defendants on appeal. She has argued cases before the California courts of appeal and the California Supreme Court. While practicing law, Jill studied writing through the Stanford Continuing Education creative writing program. Belonging is her debut novel.
Bill welcomes debut memoirist Suzette Mullen to the show. Suzette Mullen is the founder of Your Story Finder nonfiction book coaching and a founding board member of the Lancaster (PA) LGBTQ+ Coalition. Her “tiny love story,” the seed which became her new book, The Only Way Through is Out, was published in the New York Times “Modern Love” column. Mullen is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Wellesley College.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Sydney Morrison to the show. Sidney lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Karan. He is a retired teacher and school principal and now a part-time educational consultant and leadership coach. Frederick Douglas is his first novel.
Bill welcomes essayist and memoirist Kelly McMasters to the show. Kelly McMasters is an essayist, professor, mother, and former bookshop owner. She is the author of the Zibby Book Club pick The Leaving Season: A Memoir-in-Essays (WW Norton) and co-editor of the ABA national bestseller Wanting: Women Writing About Desire (Catapult). Her first book, Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town, was listed as one of Oprah's top 5 summer memoirs and is the basis for the documentary film ‘The Atomic States of America,’ a 2012 Sundance selection, and the anthology she co-edited with Margot Kahn, This Is the Place: Women Writing About Home (Seal Press, 2017), was a New York Times Editor’s Choice. Her essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Paris Review Daily, The American Scholar, Literary Hub, Newsday, River Teeth: A Journal of Narrative Nonfiction, Romper, and The Rumpus, among others.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Joyce Maynard to the show. Joyce Maynard is the author of twelve previous novels and five books of nonfiction, as well as the syndicated column Domestic Affairs. Her bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, has been translated into sixteen languages. Her novels To Die For and Labor Day were both adapted for film. Her latest novel is How the Light Gets In.
Bill welcomes novelist, short story writer, and essayist Debra Spark to the show. Debra is the author of five novels, two collections of short stories, and two books of essays on fiction writing. Her most recent books are the novel Discipline and the essay collection And Then Something Happened. With Deborah Joy Corey, she co-edited Breaking Bread, a book of food essays by Maine writers to raise funds for a hunger nonprofit. Her short work has appeared in Agni, AWP Writers’ Chronicle, the Boston Globe, the Cincinnati Review, the Chicago Tribune, Epoch, Esquire, Five Points, Food and Wine, Harvard Review, Huffington Post, Maine Magazine, Narrative, New England Travel and Life, the New England Review, the New York Times, Ploughshares, salon.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, Yankee, and Yale Alumni Quarterly, among other places.
Bill welcomed award-winning novelist and short story writer Ellen Birkett Morris back to the show. Ellen’s novel Beware the Tall Grass is the winner of the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, judged by Lan Samantha Chang. She is the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, and South Carolina Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship for her fiction from the Kentucky Arts Council.
Bill welcomes poet and writing instructor Meredith Heller to the show. Meredith is the author of Writing by Heart, Write a Poem, Save Your Life, and several poetry collections. A poet, singer-songwriter, avid nature lover, and educator with degrees in writing and education, she leads writing workshops online and in-person at schools, juvenile detention centers, women’s prisons, and wellness retreats. Her latest book is Writing by Heart: A Poetry Path to Healing and Self-Discovery.
Bill welcomes novelist Anastasia Zadeik to the show. ANASTASIA is a writer, editor, and narrative nonfiction performer. She lives in San Diego, CA, where she serves as Director of Communications for the San Diego Writers Festival, as a mentor for the literary nonprofit So Say We All, and as a board member for the International Memoir Writers Association. Her first novel, Blurred Fates, won both the 2023 Sarton Award and the 2023 National Indie Excellence Award in Contemporary Fiction. Her latest novel is The Other Side of Nothing. Find her online at anastasiazadeik.com
Bill welcomes novelist Hazel Hayes to the show. Hazel is an Irish-born, London-based writer and director who for many years wrote primarily for the screen. After graduating from Dublin City University with a degree in journalism, she went on to study creative writing at the Irish Writers Centre, before honing her craft as a screenwriter through numerous short films and sketches. Her eight-part horror, PrankMe, won series of the year at Social in the City, as well as the award for excellence in storytelling at Buffer Festival in Toronto. Out of Love was her first novel, and Better By Far is her most recent!
Bill welcomes author and podcaster Jo Piazza to the show. Jo is a bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and critically acclaimed podcast creator. Her books have been published in ten languages and twelve countries. Many of her projects are currently in development for film and television. Jo's podcasts have garnered more than twenty-five million downloads and regularly top podcast charts, and her journalism has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, New York magazine, Marie Claire, Time, and numerous other outlets. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and three feral children.
Bill welcomes bestselling author Steve Almond to the show. Steve Almond is the author of eleven books of fiction and nonfiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football. His essays and reviews have been published in venues ranging from the New York Times Magazine to Ploughshares to Poets & Writers, and his short fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories, The Pushcart Prize, Best American Mysteries, and Best American Erotica. Almond is the recipient of grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. He cohosted the Dear Sugars podcast with his pal Cheryl Strayed for four years, and teaches Creative Writing at the Neiman Fellowship at Harvard and Wesleyan. He lives in Arlington, Massachusetts, with his family and his anxiety.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Eileen Garvin to the show. Eileen is the author of the national bestselling novel The Music of Bees and the acclaimed memoir How to Be a Sister. Crow Talk is her latest novel. Born and raised in Washington State, she lives in Oregon. Visit her website at www.eileengarvin.com.
Bill welcomes novelist and short story writer John Michael Cummings back to the show. John is the author of three novels, two novellas, and more than one hundred short stories. His debut novel, The Night I Freed John Brown (Penguin Group, 2008), won The Paterson Prize for Books for Young People and was selected for Black History Month by USA Today. Ugly To Start With (West Virginia University Press, 2011) was a finalist in the Foreword INDIES Book of Year Award. Don't Forget Me, Bro (Stephen F. Austin University Press, 2016) was widely excerpted in the Chicago Tribune. His nonfiction has been published by New York Daily News, Orlando Sentinel, Charleston Gazette-Mail, The Providence Journal, Richmond Free Press, and The Newark Star-Ledger. His short stories have appeared in Kenyon Review, North American Review, and The Iowa Review. His latest short story collection is The Spirit in My Shoes.
Bill welcomes novelist Linda Stewart Henley to the show. Linda was born in Liverpool, UK, and grew up in Surrey. She attended school in Carshalton, just south of London, before moving to the United States, where she completed her education. She is the author of two other novels, Estelle and Waterbury Winter. She now lives in Anacortes, Washington, with her husband. Kate’s War is her most recent novel.
Bill welcomes mystery author Kristen Perrin to the show. Kristen is originally from Seattle, Washington, where she spent several years working as a bookseller before moving to the UK to do a master's and PhD. She lives with her family in Surrey, where she can be found poking around vintage bookstores, stomping in the mud with her two kids, and collecting too many plants. Her middle-grade series, Attie and the World Breakers, was published in German, Dutch, and Polish. How to Solve Your Own Murder is her adult debut.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Boo Trundle to the show. Boo Trundle is a writer, artist, and performer whose work has appeared across various platforms and publications, including The Brooklyn Rail, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and NPR’s The Moth. She has released three albums of original music with Big Deal Records. She lives in New Jersey. The Daughter Ship is her first novel.
Bill welcomes bestselling memoirist and self-help writer Martha Beck to the show. My scheduled guest couldn't make it, so I thought I'd rerun one of my favorites! Martha Beck, PhD, is a Harvard-trained sociologist, world-renowned coach and New York Times bestselling author. She has published nine non-fiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles.
Bill welcomes author Donna D Conrad back to the show. Donna Conrad is an award-winning author, journalist, activist, and teacher. Her core values revolve around individual empowerment, a sustaining ideal running through the books she writes. Her writing interests include articles for fine-art periodicals, memoir/narrative non-fiction, as well as historical, flash, and paranormal fiction. Her first published book, House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties, is a memoir that explores life in the tumultuous decade that changed the world. Her upcoming four-book historical fiction series, “The Magdalene Chronicles” has been acquired by Cold Creek Press. Book One, The Last Magdalene, will be released April 9, 2024.
Bill welcomes poet, memoirist, and novelist Joseph Di Prisco to the show. Joseph is the acclaimed author of two bestselling memoirs (Subway to California and The Pope of Brooklyn), six novels (Confessions of Brother Eli, Sun City, All for Now, The Alzhammer, Sibella & Sibella, and The Good Family Fitzgerald), and three books of poetry (Wit’s End, Poems in Which, and Sightlines from the Cheap Seats). He is also the co-author of two bestselling books on childhood and adolescence (Field Guide to the American Teenager and Right from Wrong). He is Series Editor of Simpsonistas: Tales from New Literary Project, the annual anthology. His book reviews, essays, and poems have appeared in numerous journals and periodicals, and his poetry has been awarded prizes from Poetry Northwest, Bear Star Press, and Bread Loaf. His new book, My Last Resume: New and Collected Poems showcases an exquisite body of poetry spanning more than five decades.
Bill welcomes award-winning author Bonnie Jo Campbell to the show. Bonnie is the author of The Waters, a novel, which was the Today Show’s January selection for their “Read with Jenna” Book Club. The Waters was also featured in Oprah Daily’s list of “Best Books of 2024.” Her novel also received starred reviews in Booklist and Foreword, as well as raves from Ron Charles at The Washington Post, from Jane Smiley in the Los Angeles Times, and from The Christian Science Monitor staff. Roxane Gay’s newsletter The Audacity featured The Waters as an anticipated book. Campbell’s other novels include Once Upon a River, a National Bestseller which was adapted into a full-length feature film released to international claim in 2020, and Q Road. Her critically acclaimed short fiction collections include American Salvage, which was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, Women and Other Animals, winner of the AWP Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction; and Mothers, Tell Your Daughters. She was a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow whose other honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Eudora Welty Prize, and the Mark Twain Award.
Bill welcomes author Carla Panciera back to the show. Carla's collection of short stories, Bewildered, received the 2013 Grace Paley Short Fiction Award from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and was published by the University of Massachusetts Press. Her short stories have appeared in the New England Review, the Clackamas Review, Slice, and other magazines. Her short story, “The Kind of People Who Look at Art” was chosen by Junot Diaz as a distinguished story in Best American Short Stories 2017. She was the James E. Kilgore scholar in Nonfiction at Bread Loaf Writers Conference and is the recipient of an Individual Artist Grant in Creative Nonfiction from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Her newest book, Barnflower: A Rhode Island Farm Memoir, was released in 2023 by Loom Press. She has also published two collections of poetry: Cider Press Award Winner, One of the Cimalores and Bordighera Press Poetry Award Winning, No Day, No Dusk, No Love. Her poetry has appeared in numerous magazines including Poetry, Painted Bride Quarterly, and the Los Angeles Review.
Bill welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Harding to the show. Paul is the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Tinkers, and Enon. He is director of the MFA in Creative Writing & Literature at Stony Brook University, and lives on Long Island, New York. His latest novel is The Other Eden.
Bill welcomes bestselling historical novelist Kristin Hannah back to the show. Kristin is the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her last book, The Four Winds was the biggest selling hardcover fiction title of 2021. Her previous novels, The Four Winds, The Great Alone, The Nightingale and Firefly Lane were all named Goodreads Best Historical Fiction and her international blockbuster, The Nightingale, won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction and was a selection of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club in 2023 and named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week. In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller as did The Four Winds when it was published in February of 2021 as well as becoming #1 on the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstores’ bestseller lists. It was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and the Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out.
Bill welcomes author and translator Gary Gach back to the show. Gary Gach has ten books to his name. He’s author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buddhism, Pause Breathe Smile, and Writers.net; editor of What Book!? – Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop (American Book Award, Before Columbus Foundation); and translator with Brother Anthony of Taizé of three books of poetry by Ko Un. His work has appeared in over 150 journals and a dozen anthologies, including The Atlantic, Coyote’s Journal, Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Hambone, In These Times, Konch, The Nation, The New Yorker, Technicians of the Sacred, Yoga Journal, and Zyzzyva. A student of Vietnamese Zenmaster Thich Nhat Hanh, he’s been hosting Zen Mindfulness Fellowship weekly in San Francisco for 15 years. His most recent co-authored book is Hafiz’s Little Book of Life. You can find him at: GaryGach.com
Bill welcomes novelist and memoirist Caroline Miller to the show. Caroline is a former elected member of the county commission of Multnomah County, Oregon, and a published author. Since leaving the political arena, she has been a prolific writer. She has published three novels: Trompe l'Oeil in, Gothic Spring, and Heart Land. Her short stories have been published in Children's Digest,Grit and Tales of the Talisman, and her short stories, Under the Bridge and Beneath the Moon, were dramatized for radio in Oregon and Washington. Her two-act play, "Woman on the Scarlet Beast," was performed by the Post5 Theatre company in Portland, Oregon. Getting Lost to Find Home is her first memoir.
Bill welcomes literary romance writer Elizabeth Conte back to the show! Elizabeth is a women’s fiction writer bringing what she loves about 19th century literature to the 21st century reader. She writes poetry, short stories, and novels, with her award-winning debut novel, Finding Jane, released in Spring 2022, and Chosen Mistress Fall 2023. Other published work includes anthologies, The Truths That Can’t be Told, The Truth That Can’t Be Told 2, Love Is In The Air, Let’s Begin Again, Summer Fireflies, and I Have A Dream. Her writing is featured in The Pangolin Review, Sad Girls, Platos Cave, Lost Coast Review, Lake Forest Writers Roundtable, and PennWriters.
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense novelist Nick Petrie to the show. Nick Petrie is the author of eight novels in the Peter Ash series, most recently The Runaway. His debut, The Drifter, won both the ITW Thriller award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel, and was a finalist for the Edgar and the Hammett Awards. A husband and father, he lives in the Milwaukee area. His ninth novel,The Price You Pay, will be published in February, 2024!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Mojgan Ghazirad to the show. A native of Iran, Mojgan Ghazirad is a medical doctor and currently works as an assistant professor of pediatrics at The George Washington University. She holds an MFA in creative writing and has published three collections of short stories in Farsi. Her essays have appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Idaho Review, Longreads, The Common, Bombay Review, and Assignment. The House on Sun Street is her first novel.
Bill welcomes novelist, poet, writing coach and entrepreneur Lynne Golodner to the show. Lynne writes emotional novels with compelling Jewish characters who are determined to fill their lives with passion, purpose, and love. Her first novel, Woman of Valor, joins a body of work that includes two poetry collections and six nonfiction books, including Hide and Seek: Jewish Women and Hair Covering and The Flavors of Faith: Holy Breads. Lynne is a writing coach, marketing entrepreneur and host of the Make Meaning Podcast, and her creative nonfiction has been published around the world.
Bill welcomes novelist Susan Zurenda back to the show. Susan Beckham Zurenda taught English for 33 years on the college level and at the high school level to AP students. Her debut novel, Bells for Eli (Mercer University Press, March 2020; paperback edition March 2021), was a Gold Medal (first place) winner for Best First Book—Fiction in the 2021 IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Awards), a Foreword Indie Book Award finalist, a Winter 2020 Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, a 2020 Notable Indie on Shelf Unbound, a 2020 finalist for American Book Fest Best Book Awards, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for 2021. Susan has won numerous awards for her short fiction, including winning the South Carolina Fiction Prize twice. Her second novel, The Girl From the Red Rose Motel, was published in September 2023, by Mercer University Press.
Bill welcomes essayist, coach, and teacher Estelle Erasmus to the show. Estelle is a professor of writing at New York University, the host of the Freelance Writing Direct podcast, and former “All About the Pitch” columnist for Writer’s Digest. She has written about a variety of subjects (health, beauty, fitness, publishing, business, travel) for numerous publications. Her articles for the New York Times and Washington Post have gone globally viral (with more than 500 comments on her NYT piece, “How to Bullyproof Your Child”). She has appeared on Good Morning America and has had her articles discussed on The View. She has also taught, coached, and mentored many writers who have gone on to be widely published. She is an American Society of Journalists and Authors award winner and was a cast member in the inaugural New York City production of the Listen to Your Mother storytelling show. Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published, is her first book.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Teresa H. Janssen to the show. Teresa's essays, poetry, and short fiction have appeared in a variety of journals, including Zyzzyva, Catamaran, Chautauqua, and in the anthologies Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis (She Writes Press, 2022) and Offerings: A Spiritual Poetry Anthology (Tiferet, 2022). Her novel The Ways of Water (2023) was inspired by her grandmother’s early life. A career educator, she holds a degree in history from Gonzaga University and an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Washington. She lives with her husband on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula where she tends a small orchard and writes about family, the power of place, and social and spiritual topics. Find her online at www.teresahjanssen.com
Bill welcomes debut novelist Elaine Roth to the show. Elaine is a New Jersey based author who writes about young widowhood, grief, and dating as a solo parent. Her work has appeared on HuffPost, Refinery29, Modern Loss, and Scary Mommy. Her story was also featured on People.com and in the New York Times. She has two kids and an adorably neurotic rescue dog who keep her busy when she's not writing or teaching Pilates. The Midnight Garden is her debut novel.
Bill welcomes celebrated novelist Jonathan Evison back to the show. Jonathan is the author of the novels Small World; All About Lulu; West of Here; The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving; This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!; Lawn Boy; Legends of the North Cascades, and most recently, Again and Again. He lives with his wife and family in Washington State.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Tess Gerritsen back to the show. Tess has written thirty books that have been published in forty countries and sold more than 40 million copies. Many of her novels have been top 3 bestsellers in the U.S. and #1 bestsellers abroad. Critics around the world have praised her thrillers as “pulse-pounding fun” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “scary and brilliant” (Toronto Globe and Mail), and “polished, riveting prose” (Chicago Tribune), with Publisher Weekly naming her the “medical suspense queen.” Gerritsen made her New York Times bestseller debut with her first medical thriller, Harvest, in 1996 and went on to write many more bestselling books. Her series of police procedurals featuring Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the TNT hit television series Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. In 2021, she co-authored (with Gary Braver) Choose Me, an Amazon Charts bestselling stand-alone thriller. Her new espionage series featuring a mature group of retired spies who call themselves the Martini Club, launches with THE SPY COAST October 31st, 2023!
Bill welcomes memoirist Jessica Hendry Nelson to the show. Jessica is the author of Joy Rides Through the Tunnel of Grief, which was selected as the winner of the AWP Sue William Silverman Prize for Creative Nonfiction. Her memoir If Only You People Could Follow Directions(2014), which was selected as a best debut book by the Indies Introduce New Voices program, the Indies Next List by the American Booksellers' Association, named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Review, received starred reviews in Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly, and reviewed nationally in print and on NPR—including twice in (O) Oprah Magazine. It was also a finalist for the Vermont Book Award. She is also co-author of the textbook and anthology Advanced Creative Nonfiction: A Writers’ Guide and Anthology (Bloomsbury, 2021) along with the writer Sean Prentiss. Her work has been published in numerous literary magazines, including The Threepenny Review, Prairie Schooner, North American Review, Tin House, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Rumpus.
Bill welcomes historical novelist Christine Wells to the show. Christine writes historical fiction featuring strong, fascinating women. From early childhood, she drank in her father’s tales about the true stories behind popular nursery rhymes and she has been a keen student of history ever since. She began her first novel while working as a corporate lawyer, and has gone on to write about periods ranging from Georgian England to post World War II France. Christine is passionate about helping other writers learn the craft and business of writing fiction and enjoys mentoring and teaching workshops whenever her schedule permits. She loves dogs, holidays at the beach and hunting for antiques, and lives with her family in Brisbane, Australia. Her most recent novel is The Royal Windsor Secret.
Bill welcomes co-authors Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel to the show. Chris Bachelder is the author of four novels, including The Throwback Special, a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Terry Southern Prize for Humor. Jennifer Habel is the author of the poetry collections Good Reason and The Book of Jane, which won the Iowa Poetry Prize. Dayswork is the first novel they have co-authored.
Bill welcomes author Robert McKean to the show. Populating ROBERT MCKEAN’S novels and stories are some five hundred characters, steelworkers and bankers, doctors and jewelers, teachers and librarians, lawyers and yardage clerks, salesmen and ballet instructors—all residents of Ganaego, a small mill town in Western Pennsylvania. McKean’s short story collection I'll Be Here for You: Diary of a Town was awarded first-prize in the Tartts First Fiction competition (Livingston Press). His novel The Catalog of Crooked Thoughts was awarded first-prize in the Methodist University Longleaf Press Novel Contest. The novel was also named a Finalist for the 2018 Eric Hoffer Award. Mending What is Broken, his latest novel, is just out from Livingston Press. Recipient of a Massachusetts Artist’s Grant for his fiction, McKean has had six stories nominated for Pushcart Prizes and one story for Best of the Net. He has published extensively in journals such as The Kenyon Review, The Chicago Review, and Armchair/Shotgun.
Bill welcomes novelist Jane L. Rosen to the show. Jane is an author, screenwriter, and former Huffington Post contributor. She often takes inspiration from real-life stories and interviews to craft her novels. Her first novel, Nine Women, One Dress was translated into ten languages. Her second novel, Eliza Starts a Rumor, has been optioned by NBC. A Shoe Story and On Fire Island are out now! She lives in New York City and Fire Island with her husband and three daughters.
Bill welcomes novelist Jennifer Banash to the show. Jennifer Banash is a former professor of English and creative writing, and author of the novels Silent Alarm, a finalist for the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults; White Lines; Simply Irresistible; In Too Deep and The Elite. Jennifer is also the former cofounder and editor of Impetus Press, a small, independent publishing house that championed works of literary fiction with a pop edge. A native New Yorker, her first apartment was an illegal sublet located next door to the Hells Angels' former headquarters on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Jennifer's latest novel, The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana, was an Amazon First Read garnering over 2K reviews.
Bill welcomes novelist Holly James back to the show. Holly James holds a PhD in psychology and has worked in both academia and the tech industry. She loves telling stories with big hearts and a touch of magic. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and dog. Her latest novel is Deja Glitch.
Bill welcomes debut memoirist Donna Marie Hayes to the show. New York City resident and performer Donna Marie Hayes can be found on a stage or in front of a camera, and is a SAG-AFTRA actress and cabaret singer. Her corporate life includes serving as a senior human resources professional in the financial services industry. As an ICF-certified coach, she owns a coaching practice dedicated to helping women shed victimhood for empowerment. These Broken Roads: Scammed and Vindicated: One Woman’s Story is Donna’s first book.
Bill welcomes renowned American novelist and short story writer T. C. Boyle to the show. T. C. Boyle is a novelist and regular contributor to The New Yorker. He has published eighteen novels, including World’s End and The Tortilla Curtain, and twelve collections of short stories. A Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at the University of Southern California. His latest novel is Blue Skies.
Bill welcomes debut author, MD, and activist Tanmeet Sethi to the show. Tanmeet Sethi, MD is a board-certified Integrative Family Physician, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington, author of Joy Is My Justice: Reclaim Yours Now (Hachette, 5/2/23), activist and TEDx speaker who has dedicated her career to care for the most marginalized patients in Seattle’s refugee, uninsured and homeless populations as well as global communities traumatized by manmade and natural disasters as Senior Faculty for the Center for Mind Body Medicine. She has been Core Faculty in residency medical education for the last two decades focusing on inpatient and outpatient family medicine, integrative medicine, and anti-racism in medicine. She is a primary clinical researcher at the University of Washington on psilocybin. She is certified in Functional Medicine through the Institute of Functional Medicine and fellowship trained in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona. She currently sees patients for Integrative and Psychedelic Medicine consultations.
Bill welcomes debut novelist and memoirist Jarret Keene to the show. Jarret earned his PhD in creative writing at Florida State University. A beloved and highly sought after professor, Dr. Keene is an assistant professor in the Department of English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he teaches American literature and the graphic novel. He has written a travel guide, a rock-band biography, poetry collections and edited short-fiction anthologies including Las Vegas Noir and Dead Neon: Tales of Near-Future Las Vegas. Hammer of the Dogs published by University of Nevada Press (September 12, 2023) is his first novel.
Bill welcomes novelist Lauryn Chamberlain back to the show. Lauryn was born and raised in Michigan. She studied journalism and French at Northwestern University and then moved to New York City, where she worked for several years as a journalist, freelance writer, and content strategist (sometimes simultaneously). She currently lives in Toronto. She is the author of Friends From Home, and, most recently, Who We Are Now.
Between seven books and decades in newspapers, Stephen Kiernan has had nearly five million words in print. A graduate of Middlebury College, the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars and the Iowa Writers Workshop, his work has won dozens of awards, has been translated into many languages, and has been optioned for TV and film production. A performing guitarist since he was ten years old, he has recorded 3 CD's of original music, and has composed for theater, dance and film scores. He lives in Vermont.
Bill welcomes memoirist Beth Ann Mathews to the show. Beth Ann Mathews grew up in the Midwest. She earned her undergraduate degree at Purdue University and her master’s degree in marine biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. As a professor at the University of Alaska Southeast, she taught courses in biology, behavioral ecology, and marine mammalogy and led research on harbor seals, Steller sea lions, and harbor porpoises. A chapter from Deep Waters placed second in the 2018 Redwood Writers Memoir Contest. Deep Waters is Mathews’s first book. She now lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Find her online at elizabethannmathews.com
Bill welcomes author Janice Deal to the show. Janice Deal is the author of a novel, The Sound of Rabbits (Regal House Publishing, 2023), and two short story collections: The Decline of Pigeons (Queen's Ferry Press, 2013), and a linked collection, Strange Attractors (New Door Books, 2023). The Decline of Pigeons was a Flannery O'Connor Award finalist. The Sound of Rabbits was a finalist for both the Many Voices Project annual competition and the Black Lawrence Press Big Moose Prize, and received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Landmark Prize for Fiction. Stories from Strange Attractors won The Moth Short Story Prize and the Cagibi Macaron Prize. Janice has also received an Illinois Arts Council Artists Fellowship Award for prose.
Bill welcomes debut novelist and retired neurosurgeon Gary Simonds to the show. Gary Simonds, MD is a retired neurosurgeon who’s treated tens of thousands of patients. He's the Founding Chief of Neurosurgery at the Carilion Clinic, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (retired) and the author of three non-fiction books. Death’s Pale Flag, BQB Publishing, is his first novel.
Bill welcomes co-authors Alli Frank and Asha Youmans to the show. Alli Frank and Asha Youmans have co-written three novels together: Tiny Imperfections, Never Meant to Meet You, and THE BETTER HALF, which Mindy’s Book Studio will publish on July 1, 2023. Alli (who is white and Jewish) and Asha (who is Black and Baptist) found literary soulmates in each other after working together as teacher and school administrator in Seattle, WA. They discovered a shared mission as educators and as authors— to use humor, joy and compassion to write stories that encourage candid conversations about issues such as race, religion, culture, class, privilege, parenting, and education.
Bill welcomes bestselling mystery author Dana Stabenow to the show. Dana was born in Anchorage, Alaska and raised on a 75-foot fishing tender. She knew there was a warmer, drier job out there somewhere and found it in writing. Her first book in the bestselling Kate Shugak series, A Cold Day for Murder, received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Her most recent in the Shugak series - her 23rd! - is Not The Ones Dead.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Joe Milan Jr. to the show. Joe is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Waldorf University, was the David T.K. Wong Creative Writing Fellow at the University of East Anglia, UK, and a Black Mountain Institute and Barrick Ph.D. Fellow of Creative Writing at University of Nevada Las Vegas, USA. He has served as fiction editor at Witness and is an MFA graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He’s American with Korean ancestry and taught in Korea for nine years. His work has appeared in Broad Street, The Rumpus, F(r)iction, The Flexible Persona, LA Review of Books, The Kyoto Journal, and more. The All-American is his first novel.
Bill welcomes celebrated novelist Andre Dubus III to the show. Andre's books include the New York Times’ bestsellers House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days, and his memoir, Townie. His novel, Gone So Long, received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal and has been named on many “Best Books” lists, including selection for The Boston Globe’s “Twenty Best Books of 2018” and “The Best Books of 2018”, “Top 100”, Amazon. He has three new books out or forthcoming, his novel Such Kindness, June 2023, a collection of personal essays, Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin, due winter 2024, and, as editor, Reaching Inside: 50 Acclaimed Authors on 100 Unforgettable Short Stories, (Godine).
Mr. Dubus has been a finalist for the National Book Award, and has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, The National Magazine Award for Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, and is a recipient of an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. His books are published in over twenty-five languages, and he teaches full-time at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Bill welcomes author and thought-leader Marc Lesser to the show. Marc is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach. He is known for his engaging, experiential presentations that integrate mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices and training. He is the author of 5 books, includingFinding Clarity: How Compassionate Accountability Builds Vibrant Relationships, Thriving Workplaces, and Meaningful Lives, and CEO of ZBA Associates, an executive development and leadership consulting company. His podcast Zen Bones: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times features cutting-edge interviews, supportive tools for creating more meaningful work, and potent mindfulness practices to develop yourself, influence your organization, and change the world.
Bill welcomes author Philip Kenney to the show. Philip Kenney writes and practices psychotherapy in Portland, Oregon. In the Spring of 2019, Mr. Kenney began writing haiku to help lubricate his mind from the stress of the Pandemic. By June he had written over a hundred and fifty and began putting together the chapbook, Only This Step, which was published by Finishing Line Press in February of 2023. Mr. Kenney is also the author of The Writer’s Crucible: Meditations on Emotion, Being and Creativity. That book was a finalist for The Red City Review 2018 Non-Fiction Book of the Year. It was written with the intent of supporting writers in their struggles with the emotional vulnerabilities they face living a creative life. In 2018, his essay, The Rebirth of Masculinity: What We Can Learn from Harvey Weinstein and Co. was published in issue #7 of The Timberline Review.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Becky Chalsen to the show. Becky is a film/TV development executive at the production company Sunday Night. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and now lives in New York City. Becky is a quadruplet and married to her high school sweetheart -- an identical twin -- whose family has spent summers on Fire Island for more than three decades. Kismet is her first novel.
Bill welcomes fantasy and science fiction author Cassandra Khaw to the show. Cassandra is an award-winning game writer and former scriptwriter at Ubisoft Montreal. Khaw's work can be found in places like The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and Tor.com. Khaw’s first original novella, Hammers on Bone, was a British Fantasy Award and Locus Award finalist, and their novella, Nothing But Blackened Teeth, was a USA Today bestseller, Bram Stoker Award nominee, and Indie Next Pick. The Salt Grows Heavy is their latest novel.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Katie Lumsden to the show. Katie Lumsden read Jane Eyre at the age of thirteen and never looked back. She spent her teenage years devouring nineteenth-century literature, reading every Dickens, Brontë, Gaskell, Austen, and Hardy novel she could find. She has a degree in English literature and history from Durham University and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the London Short Story Prize and the Bridport Prize, and have been published in various literary magazines. Katie’s YouTube channel, "Books and Things," has more than twenty-five thousand subscribers. She lives in London and works as an editor, and her debut novel is The Secrets of Hartwood Hall.
Bill welcomes writing team John and Leanne Yarrow to the show. John, a lifelong Texan, dreams as big as he writes. Leanne is her husband's collaborative partner. Their fascination with what could be imbues the couple's storytelling with fast-paced, futuristic worlds in which witty compelling characters struggle for an enduring humanity. John's background includes degrees in English, Education, and an MS in Cognitive Systems. He honed his skills in The Creation Factory Writer's Workshop, adapted a novella for National Public Radio, and published articles in educational and technology journals. Leanne draws from her careers in education and program development to help bring fresh insights, incredible imagery, and clarifying details to their work. Future’s Dark Past is their debut novel!
Bill welcomes author, artist, director and producer Leopoldo Gout to the show! Leopoldo is a Mexican immigrant, award-winning producer and filmmaker, visual artist and author, who has written, packaged, published and developed books for more than a decade, both under his own name with several major publishers, and with other writers under his own imprint at Simon & Schuster: Leopoldo & Co. He was co-president of the James Patterson Entertainment company for many years; and he is currently producing award-winning author Marlon James’ original debut for television: GET MILLIE BLACK (Channel 4 & HBO). He and his brother, award-winning writer-director Everado Gout (Netflix's Kaleidoscope) are show-runners of AMERICAN JESUS, a Netflix / Mark Millar series. Leopoldo along with Radical Media won the Critics Choice Award for FILTHY RICH (Netflix), a documentary series on Netflix. He is the creator and writer of NO MAN’S LAND (Starz), and SPYMASTERS (Madison Welles Media). Gout is also developing a Pulitzer Prize finalist book IN THE DISTANCE into a film with the Larrain Brothers and he was the originating producer on the Oscar-nominated, MOLLY’S GAME, a project that he worked from book to screen. Other producer credits include INSTINCT (CBS), ZOO (CBS), MIDDLE SCHOOL: The Worst Years of My (Participant Media and LIONSGATE) and Everardo Gout’s directorial debut DAYS OF GRACE which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and won over 20 awards internationally. He has a thriving art studio in NYC and lives there with his wife and two kids: a cat called Lola and a dog called Lupe.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Bethany C. Morrow to the show. Bethany is a national bestselling author writing for adult and young adult audiences. She is the author of the novels Mem, A Song Below Water, A Chorus Rises, and So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix, and most recently, Cherish Farah. She is the editor/contributor to the young adult anthology TAKE THE MIC, which won the 2020 ILA Social Justice in Literature award. Her work has been featured in The LA Times, Forbes, Bustle, Buzzfeed, and more. She is included on USA TODAY's list of 100 Black novelists and fiction writers you should read.
Bill welcomes debut novelist and legal analyst Brian Buckmire to the show. Brian is a senior staff NYC public defender in the Criminal Defense Practice and Homicide Defense Task Force at the Legal Aid Society, representing indigent clients in Brooklyn, NY. He is the anchor for Law and Crime Daily, a nationally syndicated show covering the hottest cases and controversies from courtrooms nationwide. He is also a legal contributor for ABC and has covered events like the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, the trials against Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly, and many more. In addition, he serves on the board of trustees for Coney Island Prep, a charter school in South Brooklyn. Born in Toronto, of Caribbean heritage, Brian, his wife Victoria, and their son Reid live in New York. Come Home Safe is his debut novel.
Bill welcomes bestselling historical author Julia Kelly to the show. Julia is the award-winning author of books about ordinary women and their extraordinary stories. In addition to The Lost English Girl, her novels include The Last Dance of the Debutante, The Last Garden in England, The Whispers of War, and The Light Over London. In addition to writing, she’s been an Emmy-nominated producer, journalist, marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home before settling in London.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Brittany Butler to the show. Brittany is a former CIA targeting officer with first-hand knowledge in the recruitment and handling of spies, and the dismantling of terrorist networks abroad. A staunch advocate for Middle Eastern women’s rights, Brittany has worked to promote the rights of disenfranchised Afghan women and girls, and now works within her local community to resettle Afghan refugees. The first in a series, THE SYNDICATE SPY combines fascinating facts with heart-stopping fiction, telling the story, as only Brittany can tell it, of how female intelligence officers utilize both their intellect and skills to see beyond religious and cultural barriers in order to bring peace to this war-torn region.
Bill welcomes science fiction and fantasy author Kay Kenyon back to the show. Kay Kenyon is a science fiction and fantasy novelist and writing teacher. Her work has been shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick award and twice for the American Library Reading List award. She teaches fiction at conferences around the Pacific Northwest, and has just published her sixteenth novel.Kay is a founding member of Write on the River, an organization that for the last fifteen years has been encouraging aspiring writers in Eastern Washington.Her most recent novel is The Girl Who Fell Into Myth, the first book in a four-book fantasy series. A previous series, The Dark Talents, has been optioned for film and received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly.Currently, she is teaching an online bi-monthly class called “Boost Your Writing Chops,” through Write on the River.After fifteen books from traditional publishers, she is trying her hand at self-publishing, a decision she’s happy with, but which she claim is like “learning to fly a 747 one-handed while writing a novel with the other.” She has made it to a soft landing with her first book, but there are still three more to go!
Bill welcomes debut memoirist Charlotte Maya to the show. Charlotte was born and raised in California. She received her B.A. from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and her law degree from UCLA. She practiced Trust and Estate Planning law until deciding to raise a family. Widowed at 39 when her children were six and eight as a result of her husband’s suicide, Maya writes about suicide loss, resilience and hope on her blog, charlotte-maya.com. Charlotte’s writing explores the intersections of grief, parenting and self-care, particularly within the context of suicide. Her work has been highlighted in Hippocampus Magazine and on The Mighty, and she has been featured on the A2A Alliance and the Your Next Chapter podcast with Angela Raspass. Charlotte Maya’s debut novel “Sushi Tuesdays: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Resilience” will be published on February 28, and is available for pre-order now.
Bill welcomes bestselling author Claire Heywood to the show. Claire Heywood is a scholar of the ancient world, with a bachelor's degree in Classical Civilization and a master's degree in Ancient Visual and Material Culture from the University of Warwick. Her first novel, Daughters of Sparta, was a national bestseller. Her latest novel is, The Shadow of Perseus.
Bill welcomes poet, essayist and fiction writer Gunhild Øyehaug to the show. Gunnhild is an award-winning Norwegian poet, essayist, and fiction writer. Her story collection Knots was published by FSG in 2017, followed in 2018 by Wait, Blink, which was adapted into the acclaimed film Women in Oversized Men’s Shirts, and in 2022 by Present Tense Machine. Øyehaug lives in Bergen, where she teaches creative writing.
Bill welcomes author Amy Tector back to the show. Amy Tector has spent more than 20 years plumbing the secrets squirreled away in archives — whether it's uncovering a whale's ear (true story) in a box of old photographs, or working in The Hague for the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal for War Crimes in the former Yugoslavia, she has been privy to hidden records and extraordinary secrets. Amy’s debut novel, THE HONEYBEE EMERALDS was published in spring 2022. Her Dominion Archives Mystery Series chronicles murder and mayhem in the archives. THE FOULEST THINGS is the first in the series, and SPEAK FOR THE DEAD will be out in March, 2023. Amy has a PhD in English literature from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and lives in Ottawa, Canada with a daughter named Violet, a husband named Andrew and a dog named Daffodil. She is an enthusiastic, but incompetent, cross-country skier.
Bill welcomes poet and biographer Matthew Hollis to the show. Matthew is a poet, biographer, editor, and teacher. His first full-length collection Ground Water was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, the Whitbread Poetry Award, the Forward Prize for poetry, as well as being a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. He is also the author of Now All Roads Lead to France, a critically acclaimed biography of seminal English poet Edward Thomas. His most recent work is Waste Land: A Biography of a Poem.
Bill welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Paul Harding to the show. Paul is the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Tinkers, and Enon. He is director of the MFA in Creative Writing & Literature at Stony Brook University, and lives on Long Island, New York.
Bill welcomes memoirist Jessica Machado to the show. Jessica Machado is an editor at NBC News. Previously, she was a staff editor at Vox, The Daily Dot, and Rolling Stone. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Cut, BuzzFeed, Vice, and Elle, among others. Born and raised in Hawai‘i, she currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. Local is her debut memoir.
Bill welcomes award-winning slam poet Layla Josephine to the show. Leyla is a performance poet, theatre maker, screenwriter, facilitator and project leader. She won the 2014 UK National Poetry Slam at The Royal Albert Hall with Hammer and Tongue. In 2019 she performed for the First Minister of Scotland and supported John Cooper Clarke on his Scottish tour. She has been featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC The Social, The Guardian Online, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Upworthy, The National and The Scotsman and the anthology Choice Words: Writers On Abortions alongside the likes Margaret Atwood, Audre Lorde and Gloria Steinem. The Scottish Poetry Library named her poem 'Good with our Hands' in The Best Scottish Poems of 2020. Her solo shows Hopeless and Daddy Drag have taken the UK by storm, with sold out shows across the country; Hopeless was runner up for Saboteur’s Best Spoken Word Show 2018. Daddy Drag won the Autopsy Award 2019, which celebrates artists making ground-breaking work in Scotland. It was also shortlisted for Filipa Braganca Award 2019, which honours solo female artists creating important work at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.Her short film, Groom, was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA in 2022 (under Leyla Coll-O'Reilly).
Bill welcomes author Henriette Lazaridis back to the show. Henriette's debut novel, The Clover House, was a Boston Globe bestseller and a Target Emerging Authors pick. Her work has been published in such outlets as Elle, Forge, Narrative Magazine, The New York Times, New England Review, The Millions, WBUR’s Cognoscenti and Pangyrus, and she is a recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artists Grant. Henriette earned degrees in English literature from Middlebury College, Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and the University of Pennsylvania. Having taught English at Harvard, she now teaches at GrubStreet in Boston. Her latest novel is Terra Nova.
Bill welcomes award-winning author Lydia Millet back to the show. Lydia is the author of A Children's Bible, a finalist for the National Book Award and a New York Times Top 10 book of 2020, among other works of fiction. She has won awards from PEN Center USA and the American Academy of Arts and Letters and been shortlisted for the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her story collection Love in Infant Monkeys was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Her latest novel is Dinosaur. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Bill welcomes author Priscilla Long to the show. Priscilla is a Seattle-based writer of poetry, creative nonfiction, science, history, and fiction, and a long-time independent teacher of writing. Her seventh book is Dancing with the Muse in Old Age. Her two poetry books are Holy Magic and Crossing Over: Poems. Her awards include a National Magazine Award for a science-based feature. Her how-to-write book is The Writer's Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writer's Life. Other books are a collection of memoirist essays, Fire and Stone: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? and Minding the Muse: A Handbook for Painters, Composers, Writers, and Other Creators. Her first book was Where the Sun Never Shines: A History of America’s Bloody Coal Industry.
Bill welcomes filmmaker and debut author Brian O'Hare to the show. Brian O’Hare is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and former US Marine Corps officer. His career began in a Baltimore bar, the legendary Club Charles, where director John Waters cast him to appear in his film Cry Baby. Currently, he’s an award-winning writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in War, Literature and the Arts; Santa Fe Writers Project; Hobart; and other journals, and he has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes. He was named a Writing Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and recently served as Visiting Writer at CUNY/Kingsborough (Brooklyn). He’s currently at work on his debut novel. His short story collection, Surrender, is his first published book.
Bill welcomes novelist, violinist, and arts lecturer Erica Miner back to the show. Former Metropolitan Opera Orchestra violinist Erica is an award-winning author, lecturer, screenwriter, and arts journalist. Erica’s debut novel, Travels with my Lovers, won the Fiction Prize in the Direct from the Author Book Awards. Her screenplays have won awards in the Santa Fe, WinFemme and Writer’s Digest competitions. Erica’s 3-part Julia Kogan “Opera Mystery” novel series, released by Level Best Books starting on Oct. 28, 2022, with Aria for Murder, in which young violinist Julia Kogan investigates murder and mayhem behind the Met’s “Golden Curtain.” Erica’s real-life experiences working with operatic superstars such as Luciano Pavarotti lend authenticity to the ale. Sequels take place at the Santa Fe and San Francisco Operas. A resident of the Pacific Northwest, Erica is a top speaker and lecturer on opera and writing. In addition to pre-concert lectures for the Seattle Symphony, Erica regularly presents for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of California San Diego and University of Washington; Creative Retirement Institute at Edmonds College; Wagner Societies in Boston, New York, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, North Carolina and New South Wales (Sydney, Australia). As a lecturer in writing, she has presented for the WOTS, Fields End, and Los Angeles Writer Conferences.
In this special episode, your host Bill Kenower tells a short story about success, failure, parenting, and creativity. Bill is the author of Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt, Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence, and Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion, and the Editor-in-Chief of Author magazine. In addition to his books, he’s been published in The New York Times, Writer’s Digest,Edible Seattle, Parent Map, and has been a featured blogger for the Huffington Post.
Bill welcomes memoirist and novelist Cheryl Klein to the show. Cheryl is the author of CRYBABY (Brown Paper Press), a memoir about wanting a baby and getting cancer instead. She also wrote a story collection, THE COMMUTERS (City Works Press) and a novel, LILAC MINES (Manic D Press). And three unpublished novels, which she still thinks are pretty great. She is also a Senior Editor and columnist for MUTHA Magazine, where she often writes about adoption, foster parenting, fear, and her hatred of LEGOs. Her stories and essays have appeared in Entropy, The Normal School, Blunderbuss, and several anthologies. Her work has been honored by the MacDowell residency program and the Center for Cultural Innovation.
Bill welcomes debut memoirist Brooke Siem to the show. Brooke Siem was among the first generation of teens to be medicated with antidepressants. After spending half her life—and her entire adult life—on antidepressants, she wondered: Who might I be without them? Unfurled against a global backdrop, Brooke's writing, speaking, and work as an award-winning chef chronicles explosive and terrifying antidepressant withdrawal and the fight to manage the modern mental health system, all while demanding hope and forgiveness in the name of healing. Her debut memoir, MAY CAUSE SIDE EFFECTS, was published in September 2022 and was named as one of Good Morning America's Most Anticipated Reads. Her work on antidepressant withdrawal has also appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Post, Psychology Today, Insider, Mad In America, The Washington Examiner, and more. She is also a Food Network "Chopped" champion and author of the newsletter, Happiness Is A Skill.
Bill welcomes screenwriter and novelist Brian Herskowitz to the show. Brian has worked as a writer on series such as THE LEGENDARY JOURNEY’S OF HERCULES, BLOSSOM, DREAM ON, and TOUR OF DUTY. He directed ODESSA OR BUST with Red Buttons, Jason Alexander, George Wendt, and Jason Schwartzman, MURRAY GHOST (short content series), and Produced Candace Bushnell’s The Broadroom (web series). Brian has taught the craft of screenwriting for over thirty years, starting with a stint with Writer’s Bootcamp, then at UCLA extensions, and for the last seventeen years, he has led the Boston University Writer in Hollywood Program. As an author, Brian’s first book was a textbook on screenwriting, PROCESS TO PRODUCT. His second book, CONCEPTUS, is a novel that grew out of one of his screenplays.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Julia Sullivan to the show. Julia started working on Bone Necklace more than twenty years ago, after visiting the Big Hole Battlefield in Wisdom, Montana. Julia first became interested in the Nez Perce story because of the great injustice that the tribe suffered. What kept her interested was their conduct during the war. While under attack, the Nez Perce won the respect of the soldiers sent to fight them and the civilian population. At the end of the war, Canada offered them political asylum. Julia is a lawyer in the United States and a solicitor in England & Wales. Throughout her career, she has worked to expose and root out injustice.
Bill welcomes YA novelist Sara Bennett Wealer to the show. Sara grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, where she sang in all the choirs and wrote for the high school newspaper. She majored in voice performance at the University of Kansas before deciding she had no business trying to make a career as an opera singer. She then transferred to journalism school, where no one cares if you can hit a high C or convincingly play a Valkyrie, and became a reporter covering everything from house fires to Hollywood premieres. These days, she writes event scripts and marketing copy while the sun is out. By night, she writes books for young adults, including her most recent, Grave Things Like Love.
Bill welcomes author Michael Oren to the show. Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael is the winner of both the Los Angeles Times History Book of the Year Award and the National Jewish Book Award (both for Six Days of War: June 1967 and The Making of the Modern Middle East), as well as a celebrated historian and diplomat. With Swann’s War, Michael Oren returns to his first love, fiction writing, bringing his immense creativity, intelligence, imagination, historical perspective and expertise to this unique crime novel.
Bill welcomes author and inspirational speaker Randye Kaye to the show. Randye harnesses the power of words in her work as a radio personality, improv and stage actor, drama teacher, humorist, podcast host, writer, motivational speaker, voice talent, and audiobook narrator. Her mission is to share her lessons of resilience, humor, and the power of words to help others live happier, with the energy to reach their goals. She wrote Happier Made Simple in response to readers of her first book, the memoir Ben Behind His Voices, and attendees of her presentations, who always asked, “With all you’ve been through, how do you stay so positive?”. Randye enjoys speaking to groups of doctors, nurses, medical students, families, providers, and legislators regarding the family experience when mental illness hits.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Mark A. Salter to the show. Like many Americans, Mark A. Salter has a deep love for football–both college and professional. He has an insider’s perspective on both worlds, given that he played the sport in high school and at Canisius College and even had a brief stint with the New York Giants before earning his master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University. While numbers had ruled his career, writing literary fiction and reading philosophy have been his favorite pastimes for decades. He resides with his wife in Jupiter, Florida, where he is a member of the South Florida Writers Association and has won several short story contests. In his debut novel, The Sins of the Tribe, Salter explores the impact of intense tribalism and its resulting dehumanization through the gripping tale of two Southern brothers on the fictional but all-too-realistic Bastille University Tribe football team.
Bill welcomes National Book Award winner Andrea Barrett to the show. Andrea is the author of ten works of fiction, including the National Book Award–winning Ship Fever and Pulitzer Prize finalist Servants of the Map, and her most recent, Natural History. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an NEA Fellowship, as well as a finalist for the Story Prize and a recipient of the Rea Award for the Short Story. Having lived in Rochester, New York, and western Massachusetts, Barrett now resides in the Adirondacks.
Bill welcomes podcaster, essayist and debut novelist Conner Habib to the show. Conner the host of Against Everyone with Conner Habib, an author, a lecturer, and a sex workers’ rights advocate. Conner gives lectures around the world about sexuality, spirituality, ography, science, and art. He served for two years as the elected Vice President of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee and is a member of PEN America. His essays and poetry have appeared in dozens of print and online publications, including CR Fashion Book, The Stranger, Vice,Salon, Slate, and several anthologies. Hawk Mountain is his debut novel.
Bill welcomes author and teacher Peter Gibb back to the show. Peter is a writer, speaker, workshop leader, coach, and musician. He is the author of the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning memoir, King of Doubt (2017) and non-fiction, Mindful Conversation: Speak Openly, Connect Deeply, Live Joyously (Atmosphere Press, 2022).
Following his graduation from Brown University, Peter worked with the U.S. Foreign Service. He has taught at the high school and college levels; served 4 years with U.S. Air Force in Germany; and was Executive Director of a non-profit community center in San Francisco. Peter has lived and worked in Peru, Germany, U.K., Ireland and Greece. For 25 years, he taught leadership and communication skills in 16 countries and three languages. Among his clients have been individuals, couples, many Fortune 500 companies, business and government leaders from around the world. He has worked with the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. Congress, with leaders of the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe, and with hundreds of just plain folk eager to communicate and connect better.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist and writing coach Colleen M Story to the show. Colleen is a novelist, freelance writer, writing coach, and speaker with over 20 years in the creative writing industry. Her latest release, The Beached Ones, and her previous novel, Loreena’s Gift, was a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner, among others. Colleen has written three books to help writers succeed. Your Writing Matters was a bronze medal winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards (2022). Writer Get Noticed! was a gold-medal winner in the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards and a first-place winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards (2019). Overwhelmed Writer Rescue was named Book by Book Publicity’s Best Writing/Publishing Book in 2018.
A lifelong musician, Colleen plays the French horn in her local symphony and pit orchestras. When not writing, she’s reading, practicing yoga, listening to music, exploring the beautiful Northwest, and making up more challenging games for her smart German Shepherd to play.
Bill welcomes debut author Siena Sterling to the show. Siena is an American journalist and writer living in London with her family. Before moving to England, she worked at Doubleday bookstore in New York, in political campaigns, and for the Federal Railroad Administration. She plays poker and tennis, and has a passion for Jack Russell terriers. Tell Us No Secrets is her debut novel.
Bill welcomes author and PNWA President Pam Binder to the show. An award-winning New York Times, USA Today and Amazon bestselling author, Pam Binder has eleven novels and seven novellas to her credit. Drawn to Celtic legends and anything Irish or Scottish, the prolific author blends historical events, characters, and myths into her young adult, romance, historical, time travel, contemporary and fantasy fiction. Pam is president of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and annually chairs the group’s Pacific Northwest Writers Conference. Devoted to helping aspiring authors succeed, she teaches two year-long courses, “Write Your Story” and “After the First Draft.” She also presents frequently at reader, writer and library conventions. Among her many honors is RT Book Reviews’ Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bill welcomes bestselling acclaimed biographer Miranda Seymour to the show. Miranda is a British biographer whose acclaimed books include biographies of Jean Rhys, Lord Byron’s wife and daughter, Annabella Milbanke and Ada Lovelace; Mary Shelley; and Ottoline Morrell. She lives in Nottinghamshire, England.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Holly James to the show. Holly holds a PhD in psychology and has worked in both academia and the tech industry. She loves telling stories with big hearts and a touch of magic. Nothing But the Truth is her first novel. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and dog.
Bill welcomes author and teacher, and storyteller Matthew Dicks to the show. Matthew is the author of Someday Is Today and nine other books. A bestselling novelist, nationally recognized storyteller, and award-winning elementary schoolteacher, he teaches storytelling and communications at universities, corporate workplaces, and community organizations. Dicks has won multiple Moth GrandSLAM story competitions and, together with his wife, created the organization Speak Up to help others share their stories. They also cohost the Speak Up Storytelling podcast.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Kate Brook to the show.Kate lives and works in London. She has a PhD in French Literature and Visual Art from King’s College London, and a master's in European Literature and Culture from the University of Cambridge. Her short-form writing has been published in The Fiction Pool and The Real Story. Not Exactly What I Had in Mind is her debut novel.
Bill welcomes novelist, screenwriter, playwright and journalist Gary Goldstein to the show. Gary has written more than 15 produced telefilms plus the indie features “If You Only Knew,” “Politics of Love” and “Mr. 365.” Gary has also sold or optioned many original screenplays, has a string of episodic TV credits and has sold half-hour pilots to NBC and Warner Bros TV.
He was represented on the Los Angeles stage in 2017 with the World Premiere of his acclaimed three-sisters dramedy "April, May & June," produced by Theatre 40 of Beverly Hills. It won five Broadway World award nominations including Best Local Production. Other L.A. stage credits include the comedies "Just Men," "Parental Discretion" and "Three Grooms and a Bride," which all enjoyed long, well-reviewed runs. Gary’s family drama "Curtain Call" premiered at Carmel, CA's Pacific Repertory Theatre, while "Dinner at the Harbor Reef," a drama "based on fact, rumor and Hollywood," debuted in a staged reading in 2019 at Beverly Hills' Theatre 40.
Gary has also been a contributing film reviewer and feature writer for the Los Angeles Times since 2007. His debut novel, “The Last Birthday Party,” was published August 2021 by Hadleigh House. His second novel, the family drama “The Mother I Never Had,” is coming out October 2022.
Bill welcomes film producer and debut memoirist David Winkler to the show. David comes from Hollywood royalty. A successful film producer of such titles as Creed, Rocky Balboa, The Mechanic, and The Gambler, and the son of renowned producer, Irwin Winkler (They Shoot Horses Don’t They, Rocky, Goodfellas, etc), The Arrangement, a love story, is his first book. David lives in Bel Air, California, but likes to consider himself anything but the typical Hollywood type. He spends most of his free time dragging his two children to movie theaters, surfing, and golfing.
Bill welcomes bestselling author and actress Jennie Mollen to the show. Jenny is a writer, actor, Instagram personality and New York Times bestselling author of the essay collections I Like You Just the Way I Am and Live Fast Die Hot. Heralded by The Huffington Post as one of the funniest women on both Twitter and Instagram and named one of “Five to Follow” by T Magazine, Jenny wrote a regular column for Parents magazine and has contributed to Cosmopolitan, Glamour, New York, Elle.com, “Wake-Up Call with Katie Couric,” and Playboy online. Her debut novel City of Likes just published, and Dictator Lunches, a cookbook inspired by her Instagram account @dictatorlunches, is set to publish September 2022. With her Instagram handles @jennymollen and @dictatorlunches, Jenny has more than half a million followers.
Bill welcomes novelist and memoirist Susan Cushman to the show. Susan is the author of five books and editor of three: the memoirs Pilgrim Interrupted and Tangles and Plaques: A Mother and Daughter Face Alzheimer’s, the novels John and Mary Margaret, and Cherry Bomb, the short story collection Friends of the Library, and the anthologies The Pulpwood Queens Celebrate 20 Years!, Southern Writers on Writing, and A Second Blooming: Becoming the Women We Are Meant to Be. She has also published essays in four anthologies and numerous journals and magazines. A frequent speaker and panelist at literary festivals and conferences, she also taught numerous writing workshops. Her writing embraces her Southern roots, her spiritual journey from the Presbyterian faith of her childhood to her conversion to Orthodox Christianity, and her struggles with various mental health issues.
Bill welcomes authors Tyron Greer and Beth Weir to the show, who were two of seven contributors to the essay and poetry collection Writing While Masked, a book born from the challenges of lockdown.
Tyson Greer is an award-winning writer who, for twenty years, ran her own media company, Tyson Greer….Writes, writing on topics from art to virtual reality for national, regional, and local magazines. She also wrote and directed corporate television and documentaries, which aired on local cable and KCTS-9, and taught screenwriting for the University of Washington. Tyson authored a book for the Microsoft Press Strategic Technology series that was published in eight languages and has contributed to, ghost-written, or edited other non-fiction books. She is also an accomplished visual artist whose works are in U.S. private collections.
Beth Weir is a former elementary teacher and college professor in education with an interest in literacy acquisition. She has had a life-long interest in oral storytelling and is the author of Introducing Children to Folk Tales. She has published articles in airline and gardening magazines and blogged on behalf of Dunn Gardens when she worked as the director for five years.
Bill welcomes author and teacher Nancy Slonim Aronie to the show. Nancy is the author of Writing from the Heart. She has been a regular contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered. She was recognized for excellence in teaching all three years she taught at Harvard University for Robert Coles. She has joined with physicians and writers from Columbia University's program in narrative medicine to lead workshops using her Writing from the Heart. Her latest book is Memoir as Medicine: The Healing Power of Writing Your messy, Imperfect, Unruly (but Gorgeously Yours) Life Story.
Bill welcomes filmmaker and debut novelist P. David Ebersole to the show. David is an award-winning independent filmmaker and television director working in both narrative and documentary. Born and raised in Hollywood, he is the son of a psychologist and his step-father was the City Editor of the Los Angeles Times. His credits include the documentary HIT SO HARD (2012) about drummer Patty Schemel of the seminal grunge band Hole. Along with his husband and business partner Todd Hughes, he is Executive Producer and Director of several documentaries including the new, MY NAME IS LOPEZ (2021) about trailblazing Latino rock and roller Trini Lopez. 99 Miles From LA is his debut novel.
Bill welcomes historical novelist Connie Hertzberg Mayo to the show. Connie grew up in Westchester County, New York, but moved to Massachusetts to get a Literature degree from Tufts University and never ended up leaving. Her first book, THE ISLAND OF WORTHY BOYS, (2015, She Writes Press) won the 2016 Gold Medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Connie’s short story, “Little Breaks”, was published by Calyx Journal in 2017. Her latest novel, THE SHARP EDGE OF MERCY, is available now from Heliotrope Books. Connie works as a Systems Analyst and empty-nests with her husband and two feuding cats.
Bill welcomes bestselling author Charles Wheelan to the show. Charles is a senior lecturer and policy fellow at the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College, a former correspondent for The Economist, and the author of assorted books that attempt to make serious topics more accessible, including Naked Economics, Naked Money, Naked Statistics, the family memoir We Came, We Saw, We Left, and, most recently, Write For Your Life: A Guide to Clear and Purposeful Writing (and Presentations).
Bill welcomes bestselling YA author Wendelin Van Draanen to the show. Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series—often called “The new Nancy Drew”—and wrote Flipped, which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by School Library Journal and became a Warner Brothers feature film, with Rob Reiner directing. Her latest novel, The Peach Rebellion, explores the lives and loves of three young women who come from completely different backgrounds and join forces to take a stand against the patriarchy.
Bill welcomes novelist Carol Lawrence to the show. Carole is an award-winning novelist, poet, composer, and playwright. In addition to Edinburgh Twilight, Edinburgh Dusk, and Edinburgh Midnight in the Ian Hamilton Mysteries series, she has authored novellas, short stories, and poems—many of them translated internationally. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee for poetry and has won the Euphoria Poetry Prize, the Eve of St. Agnes Poetry Award, the Maxim Mazumdar playwriting prize, the Jerry Jazz Musician award for short fiction, and the Chronogram Literary Fiction Award. Her plays and musicals have been produced in several countries, as well as on NPR; her physics play, Strings, nominated for an Innovative Theatre Award, was produced at the Kennedy Center. A Hawthornden Fellow, she is on the faculty of NYU and Gotham Writers Workshop, as well as the Cape Cod Writers Center and San Miguel Writers’ Conference. Her most recent novel is Cleopatra's Dagger.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Caitlin Barasch to the show. Caitlin Barasch earned her BA from Colorado College and her MFA from New York University. Her work has appeared in more than a dozen publications, including Catapult, Day One, The Forge, and Hobart. A former bookseller, Caitlin currently teaches creative writing at the Writers Circle. She was born and raised in New York and now lives in Brooklyn. A Novel Obsession is her debut novel.
Bill welcomes poet Kim Dower to the show. Kim, the City Poet Laureate of West Hollywood (October 2016 – October 2018), has published four collections of poetry: Air Kissing on Mars, described by the Los Angeles Times as, “sensual and evocative . . . seamlessly combining humor and heartache,” Slice of Moon, called “unexpected and sublime,” by “O” magazine, Last Train to the Missing Planet, “poems that speak about the grey space between tragedy and tenderness, memory and loss, fragility and perseverance,” said Richard Blanco, and Sunbathing on Tyrone Power’s Grave, winner of the 2020 Independent Publishers Book Award Gold Medal for Poetry. Her fifth Collection, I Wore This Dress Today for You, Mom, (April 19, 2022) is “Deftly constructed, inherently interesting, impressively insightful, thought-provoking, and truly memorable,”Midwest Book Review.Kim’s work has been featured in numerous literary journals including Plume, Ploughshares, Rattle, The James Dickey Review, and Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac." Her poems are included in several anthologies, notably, Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond, and Coiled Serpent: Poets Arising from the Cultural Quakes & Shifts of Los Angeles. She teaches poetry workshops for Antioch University, UCLA Extension Writer’s Program, West Hollywood Library and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. www.kimdowerpoetry.com
Bill welcomes bestselling British suspense author Philip Gray to the show. Philip Gray, under the pseudonym of Patrick Lynch, is the coauthor of six thrillers that have sold over a million copies worldwide. He published, as Philip Sington, Zoia’s Gold, The Einstein Girl, and The Valley of Unknowing. His most recent novel is the historical suspense novel Two Storm Wood.
Bill welcomes author Susan Shapiro to the show. Susan Shapiro freelances for the NY Times, NY Magazine, WSJ, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Salon, Elle, Oprah, Wired & New Yorker online. She's the bestselling author/coauthor of 17 books her family hates like Five Men Who Broke My Heart, Lighting Up, Unhooked and The Forgiveness Tour. Her popular writing guides The Byline Bible and The Book Bible were inspired by 25 years of teaching writing and publishing in her popular "instant gratification takes too long" courses at The New School, NYU, Columbia University and now in private classes & seminars online. Her website is Susanshapiro.net and you can follow her on Twitter @susanshapironet and Instagram@Profsue123.
Bill welcomes author Elizabeth Conte to the show. Elizabeth Conte is a women’s fiction writer, “Creating beauty for the mind.” She is a writer of poetry, short stories, and novels, with her debut book, Finding Jane, releasing this spring. Her short stories are featured in anthologies, The Truths That Can’t be Told (2021), Let’s Begin Again (2022), and Free Spirit (2022). Poetry and other writings have been published in The Pangolin Review, Platos Cave, Lost Coast Review, Lake Forest Writers Roundtable, Sad Girls Club Lit, PennWriters, WriterFairys.com, Industry News for Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), and OC-Writers.com.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Erica Ferencik to the show. There is nowhere on earth Erica won’t go to take you out of your head and into the great wild world. An award-winning novelist, she writes adventure stories featuring women who brave not only internal struggles but face extreme challenges in their environment: remote forests, steaming jungles, and desolated icescapes. To research The River at Night, Into the Jungle, and her new thriller GIRL IN ICE, she ventured deep into the remote forests of the Allagash Territory in northern Maine, rafted the Amazon River in the jungles of Peru, and explored the desolate iceberg-packed fjords of Greenland. She is a graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Boston University, and her work has appeared in Salon and The Boston Globe, as well as on National Public Radio.
Bill welcomes suspense author Lynn Hightower to the show. Lynn is the author of numerous thrillers, including the Sonora Blair and Lena Padget detective series. Her internationally-bestselling novels have been included in the New York Times List of Notable Books, the London Times’ bestseller lists, the WH Smith Fresh Talent Awards, and the Shamus award. She teaches Master Novel classes in the UCLA Extension Writing Program, and works as a Manuscript Consultant/Writing Coach for novelists.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Amy Tector to the show. Amy has spent more than 20 years plumbing the secrets squirreled away in archives — whether it's uncovering a whale's ear (true story) in a box of old photographs, or working in The Hague for the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal for War Crimes in the former Yugoslavia, she has been privy to hidden records and extraordinary secrets.
She now works at Canada’s national archives, Library and Archives Canada, and is adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa and a sessional instructor at Carleton University.
Amy’s debut novel, THE HONEYBEE EMERALDS will be published in the spring of 2022. Her second novel, THE FOULEST THINGS is the first in a loose trilogy centered on murders and mayhem in the archives. It will be published autumn 2022.
Amy has a PhD in English literature from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and lives in Ottawa, Canada with a daughter named Violet, a husband named Andrew and a dog named Daffodil. She is an enthusiastic, but incompetent, cross-country skier.
Bill welcomes suspense novelist Emilya Naymark to the show. Emilya is the author of the novels Hide in Place and Behind the Lie, books 1 and 2 in the Sylvan series starring PI Laney Bird. Her short stories appear in A Stranger Comes to Town, edited by Michael Koryta, Secrets in the Water, After Midnight: Tales from the Graveyard Shift, River River Journal, Snowbound: Best New England Crime Stories 2017, and 1+30: THE BEST OF MYSTORY. When not writing, Emilya works as a visual artist and reads massive quantities of psychological thrillers, suspense, and crime fiction.
Bill welcomes author Jacquelyn Mitchard to the show. Jacquelyn's first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was published in 1996, becoming the first selection of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club and a #1 New York Times bestseller. Nine other novels, four children's books and six young adult novels followed, including Two if By Sea, No Time to Wave Goodbye, Still Summer, All We Know of Heaven, and The Breakdown Lane. Mitchard's writing has won or been nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award, the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, UK's Talkabout Prize, and the Bram Stoker Award. A former daily newspaper reporter, Mitchard is a professor in the Master of Fine Arts program at Miami University of Ohio. She frequently writes for such publications as Glamour, O the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, Marie Claire, and Reader’s Digest. Her essays and short stories have been widely anthologized.
Bill welcomes novelist Monica McGurk to the show. Award-winning author Monica McGurk likes nothing better than weaving complex, multi-layered stories that bring contemporary issues and strong female characters to life through different genres of popular fiction. Her previous work includes three volumes of paranormal YA romance—The Archangel Prophecies: Dark Hope, Dark Rising, and Dark Before Dawn—along with numerous works of fan fiction under the name Consultant by Day.
Bill welcomes Irish author Bernard MacLaverty to the show. Bernard is the author of five previous collections of stories and five novels, including Grace Notes, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Midwinter Break, shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. Born in Ireland, he now lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Andrew Lipstein to the show. Andrew's first novel, Last Resort, has been receiving rave reviews prior to its release January 18. We talked about how he dealt with the years of rejection preceding it's publication, the importance of getting into the flow of writing, as well as his unusually creative approach to securing that first contract. Check it out!
Bill welcomes coach and author Shawn Singleton II to the show. Shawn Singleton II is a 2021 CREA Award winner, Brainz Executive Contributor, Scribd featured speaker for leadership and mindset, published author of "Brick by Brick: Reshape Your Thinking," Certified Personal Trainer, and Cognitive Behavioral, Life, and Business Coach who has committed the last 14 years of his life learning what it takes to develop habits and the mindset to become successful in life, both personally and professionally.
Bill welcomes award-winning novelist Jason Mott to the show. Jason is a Bestselling author, National Book Award Winner, Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction Winner, Pushcart Prize nominee, and Carnegie Medals For Excellence Longlist nominee, His poetry and fiction has appeared in various literary journals, and Entertainment Weekly listed him as one of their 10 “New Hollywood: Next Wave” people to watch. He is the author of two poetry collections: We Call This Thing Between Us Love and “…hide behind me…” He is the author of four novels: The Returned, The Wonder of All Things, The Crossing, and Hell Of A Book. The Returned, Jason’s debut novel, was adapted by Brad Pitt’s production company, and aired on the ABC network under the title “Resurrection.” His fourth novel, Hell Of A Book, won the the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction.
Bill welcomes poet and memoirist Gabrielle Myers to the show. Gabrielle is a professor, writer, and chef. Her memoir, Hive-Mind, details her time of love, awakening, and tragic loss on an organic farm. Her poetry manuscripts have been top finalists for the Catamaran West Coast Poetry Prize (2018 & 2020) and the 42 Mile Press Poetry Award (2014). Her poetry has been published in The Adirondack Review, San Francisco Public Press, Fourteen Hills, Evergreen Review, pacificREVIEW, Connecticut River Review, Catamaran, and Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review. She has led writing workshops for the Pacific Writing Conference at the University of the Pacific, Word Spring in Chico, and San Joaquin Valley Writers, and participated in a panel at the Great Valley Bookfest. Access links to her memoir, published poems, essays, interviews, YouTube cooking channel, and seasonal recipe blog through her website: www.gabriellemyers.com
Bill welcomes novelist Farhad J. Dadyburjor to the show. Born and based in Mumbai, Farhad J. Dadyburjor has been an entertainment & lifestyle journalist for more than twenty years. He has written for many publications and held several senior editorial positions, including at DNA newspaper, as launch editor at the international men’s magazine FHM, and currently at The Leela magazine. He also has a popular blog of his own, My Good Life, in which he covers food, travel, culture and fashion. His debut novel, How I Got Lucky (published by Penguin Random House), was a satire on India’s celebrity culture that was hailed as “racy, sexy, and riotous” by Vogue India. The Other Man is his American fiction debut and most likely the first gay rom-com that is set in modern-day Mumbai.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Michael Leppert to the show. Michael Leppert is a lecturer at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, an adjunct professor at IU’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, a columnist and an author. Immediately following his time as a student at IU, Michael went to work for the State of Indiana. His government career began at the Indiana Boys School, leaving there after five years as the program manager in the Intensive Treatment Unit (Maximum Security). His next eight years were significantly different as a manager at the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. The last five years of his public service were spent as the Executive Director of the IURC. Michael began writing a weekly column published in newspapers throughout Indiana in 2014. His first book, Contrary to Popular Belief, which chronicled his early writing, was published in 2016. Flipping the Circle, published by Greenleaf Book Group in November of 2021, is his second book, and first novel.
Bill welcomes debut thriller writer Yasmin Angoe to the show. Yasmin is a first-generation Ghanaian American from Northern Virginia where she grew up in two cultural worlds. In 2020, she received the Sisters in Crime Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color and is a proud member of SinC, Crime Writers of Color, and International Thriller Writers. Yasmin was a middle and high school English teacher and currently works as a freelance developmental editor. When not writing or editing, she is either watching movies, engrossed in a new audiobook, or daydreaming about the fact she probably should be writing.
Bill welcomes author Meredith Jaeger to the show. Meredith is the USA Today bestselling author of The Dressmaker's Dowry, Boardwalk Summer, and her recently released The Pilot’s Daughter. Meredith was born and raised in Berkeley, California, and holds a BA in modern literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She lives outside San Francisco with her husband and daughter.
Bill welcomes slam poetry sensation Sabrina Benaim to the show. Sabrina is a poet, storyteller, and workshop facilitator. She is one of the most-viewed spoken word poets of all time: her videos have reached more than one hundred million people. In 2017, her debut collection, Depression & Other Magic Tricks, was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist, finishing just behind Rupi Kaur's The Sun and Her Flowers. In 2020, she took part in the Heavy Hitters Festival alongside Ani DiFranco, Amber Tamblyn, and Mary Lambert. Her latest collection is, I Love You, Call Me Back.
Bill welcomes debut novelist author Christy Hallberg to the show. Christy Alexander Hallberg is the author of the novel SEARCHING FOR JIMMY PAGE, from Livingston Press. She is a Teaching Professor of English at East Carolina University, where she earned her BS and MA in English. She received her MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from Goddard College. She is Senior Associate Editor of North Carolina Literary Review. Her short fiction, creative nonfiction, book reviews, and interviews have appeared in such journals as North Carolina Literary Review, The Main Street Rag, Fiction Southeast, Riggwelter, Deep South Magazine, Eclectica, Litro magazine, STORGY Magazine, Entropy, storySouth, Still: The Journal, and Concho River Review. Her flash story “Aperture” was chosen Story of the Month by Fiction Southeast for October 2020. The editors of the Best Small Fictions anthology series chose it for inclusion in their 2021 issue.
Bill welcomes New York City–based documentarian, artist, and the creator of Subway Book Review, Uli Beutter Cohen, to the show. Uli explores belonging to a time and place through writing and photography. She is a sought-after speaker and panelist. Her work has been featured in print, on TV, and online by New York magazine; Esquire; Vogue; Forbes; O, The Oprah Magazine; Glamour; the BBC; and The Guardian, among others. Between the Lines: Stories from the Underground is her first book. Uli lives in Brooklyn. Visit @TheUBC, @SubwayBookReview, and SubwayBookReview.co to hear more.
Bill welcomes author Maria Marotti to the show. Maria Marotti is a retired academic and author of several essays and books of literary criticism. More recently she has published two books in the Detective Captain Fusco Mystery Cases Series: A Question of Class (2021) and The Etruscan Princess (2020). Maria is at work on the third volume of the series. She also writes animal/paranormal stories.
Bill welcomes author Laura Davis to the show. In her 30+ year career as an author, Laura Davis has written seven non-fiction books that have changed peoples’ lives. The Courage to Heal paved the way for hundreds of thousands to heal from the trauma of sexual abuse. Becoming the Parent You Want to Be helps parents develop a vision for the families they want to create. And I Thought We’d Never Speak Again: The Road From Estrangement to Reconciliation teaches the skills of reconciliation and peace building to the world, one relationship at a time.
Laura’s ground-breaking books have been translated into 11 languages and sold more than two million copies.
Her new memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars, tells the story of Laura’s dramatic and tumultuous relationship with her mother, Temme, from the time of Laura’s birth until her mother’s death. This story about “two souls who just wouldn’t quit each other” provides a no-holds-barred peek at the real Laura--the woman behind the teacher, the facilitator, and author.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist and indie publishing guru Joanna Penn to the show. Joanna writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She’s also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker.
Bill welcomes author and speaker David Richman to the show. David is an author, public speaker, philanthropist, and endurance athlete whose mission is to form more meaningful human connections through storytelling. In his first book, Winning in the Middle of the Pack, he discussed how to get more out of ourselves than ever imagined. With Cycle of Lives, David shares the interconnected stories of people overcoming trauma and delves deeply into their emotional journeys with cancer. He continues to do Ironman triathlons and a wide range of endurance athletic events, having recently completed a solo 4,700-mile bike ride.
Bill welcomes poet Sarah Lipton-Sidibeh to the show. Sarah Lipton-Sidibeh, BA Honours, LLCM, FRSA, was born in London, England. She has written three volumes of short stories, three volumes of poetry, a play, a children's book, film scripts, song lyrics and two educational textbooks. Some of her short stories were broadcast on the radio, and her poetry has been published in numerous anthologies. She has received an award from 'The Poetry Society' in England, and her poem, 'Stagnation,' was shortlisted in 'The National Anthology Poetry Competition' in 2005. Her poem, 'Wishful Thinking,' was published in 'The Poems In The Waiting Room' pamphlet in 2010. She was also The Featured Poet in 'Bareback Lit Magazine' in October 2012.
Bill welcomes suspense author Gregg Olsen to the show. Gregg is a #1 New York Times, #1 Amazon Charts, #1 Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 crime books. An impassioned voice for victims and their families, Olsen has been a guest on Dateline, 48 Hours, 20/20, William Shatner's Aftermath, Deadly Women, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today, FOX News, CNN, Anderson Cooper, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, Snapped, Forensic Files, Inside Edition, Nancy Grace, Extra, Access Hollywood, NPR with Scott Simon, and Biography, among dozens of other shows. With more than one million copies sold, Olsen's true crime book, If You Tell, was Amazon's bestselling Kindle e-book in 2020.
Bill welcomes suspense author Kevin O'Brien back to the show. Before his thrillers landed him on the USA Today and New York Times Bestseller lists, Kevin O’Brien was a railroad inspector. The author of 21 internationally-published thrillers, he won the Spotted Owl Award for Best Pacific Northwest Mystery. His work has been translated into over a dozen languages. Press & Guide said: “If Alfred Hitchcock were alive today and writing novels, his name would be Kevin O’Brien.” Kevin’s latest nail-biter is THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED (in stores, July, 2021). He is one of 13 bestselling, award-winning thriller authors contributing to the anthology, NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER MIDNIGHT, edited by Jeffery Deaver (November, 2020). He lives in Seattle, where he is hard at work on his next thriller.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Lemony Snicket (AKA Daniel Handler) to the show! Lemony Snicket is the author of far too many books, including the four-volume All the Wrong Questions and the thirteen-volume A Series of Unfortunate Events. His new book, Poison for Breakfast, publishes fall 2021. When inconvenience or treachery prohibits him from making an appearance, Mr. Snicket is represented by Daniel Handler, author of seven unnerving novels himself. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Lyanda Lynn Haupt to the show. Lyanda is an award-winning author, naturalist, ecophilosopher, and speaker whose writing is at the forefront of the movement to connect people with nature in their everyday lives. Her newest book is Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit(Little, Brown Spark 2021). Lyanda’s previous books include: Mozart’s Starling (Little, Brown, April, 2017), winner of the Washington State Book Award: The Urban Bestiary: Encountering the Everyday Wild, (Little, Brown in fall, 2013), finalist for the Orion Book Award; Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness, (Little, Brown in July 2009), winner of the 2010 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award; Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent: The Importance of Everything and Other Lessons from Darwin’s Lost Notebooks, (Little, Brown, 2004); and Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds (Sasquatch), winner of the 2002 Washington State Book Award. Lyanda has created and directed educational programs for Seattle Audubon, worked in raptor rehabilitation in Vermont, and been a seabird researcher for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the remote tropical Pacific. Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including Orion, Discover, Utne, LA Times, Image, Huffington Post, Wild Earth, and Conservation Biology Journal.
Bill welcomes Author Lee Zacharias to the show. Lee is the author of four novels, a collection of essays, and a collection of short stories. She has held fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council, has twice won the North Carolina Sir Walter Raleigh Award for a book of fiction, and has received many other prizes, including two silver medals from the Independent Publishers Book Awards and the Phillip H. McMath Book Award. Her latest novel is What A Wonderful World This Could Be.
Bill welcomes novelist Asha Lemmie to the show. Asha is the New York Times bestselling author of Fifty Words for Rain. After graduating from Boston College with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, she relocated to New York City where she worked in book publishing. Asha writes historical fiction that focuses on bringing unique perspectives to life.
Bill welcomes author Christina Baker Kline to the show. Christina is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World, and whose books have been published in 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as "One Book, One Read" selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the NYT Book Review, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, LitHub, Psychology Today, and Slate.
Bill welcomes the "author's librarian" Vikki J. Carter to the show. As a professional librarian and author, Vikki J. Carter reveals the techniques that librarians use to help writers effectively find valuable sources. Vikki's book, Research Life A Librarian, is available in eBook and in print. Since the publication of her book in March 2021, Vikki has scheduled a fall appearance on The Creative Penn Podcast, and she will be presenting at the 2021 Self-Publishing Advice Conference.
Bill welcomes multi-genre author Kris Faryn to the show. Kris is known for her love of bean burritos, of traveling, and of her patooties at home, including the grown-up one and furry ones. She also loves baking, cooking, a good book, and a crackling fire. She is a multi-award-winning author of Young Adult Fantasy books and Adult Suspense. Most importantly, Kris believes in turning dreams into realistic goals and that everyone has something special and unique to offer the world.
Bill welcomes memoirist Marilyn Peterson Haus to the show. Marilyn learned to read and write in a one-room school set in the midst of a sea of corn and oats, and then rode a rickety yellow school bus seven miles to the nearest town (population 700) for middle and high school. Everything was oriented around the railroad that sliced through the tallgrass prairie, heading west. Marilyn’s own journey took her in the opposite direction, and after attending Augsburg College in Minneapolis, she and her husband moved east and settled in western Massachusetts, where she raised three children, earned an MBA and launched a successful business career. After retiring from her day job, Marilyn followed her dream to become a writer, began attending a weekly writer’s workshop, and over the course of ten years, wrote and completed HALF Of A WHOLE – her first book. It was published just prior to her 80th birthday.
Bill welcomes novelist and MD Tammy Euliano to the show. Tammy Euliano, MD, is a practicing anesthesiologist and tenured professor of anesthesiology at the University of Florida. In addition to a prolific list of academic publications, YouTube teaching videos, and numerous teaching awards, she has also written award-winning short fiction. Fatal Intent is her debut novel.
Bill welcomes debut fiction author Ellen Birkett Morris to the show. Ellen is the author of Lost Girls, a collection of short stories called "a varied set of tales from a skilled practitioner of the short form" by Kirkus Reviews. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, South Carolina Review, and Santa Fe Literary Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. She is also a recipient of a 2013 Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. Her poetry can be found in Surrender (Finishing Line Press), a chapbook, and her forthcoming chapbook Abide (Seven Kitchens Press).
Bill welcomes novelist and short story writer Chris Power to the show. Chris is the author of Mothers, which was long-listed for the Rathbones Folio Prize and short-listed for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. His new novel, A Lonely Man, was just published to rave reviews! He lives in London.
Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Kevin McIlvoy to the show. Kevin’s novel One Kind Favor is his eighth published book. He has published five novels, A Waltz, The Fifth Station, Little Peg, Hyssop, At the Gate of All Wonder, and a short story collection, The Complete History of New Mexico. His short fiction has appeared in Harper’s, Southern Review, Ploughshares, Missouri Review, and other literary magazines. A collection of his prose poems and short-short stories, 57 Octaves Below Middle C, has been published by Four Way Books. For twenty-seven years he was fiction editor and editor in chief of the national literary magazine, Puerto del Sol. He taught in the Warren Wilson College MFA Program in Creative Writing from 1987 to 2019; and he taught as a Regents Professor of Creative Writing in the New Mexico State University MFA Program from 1981 to 2008.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Mary Dixie Carter to the show. Mary Dixie graduated from Harvard College with an honors degree in English Literature and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. Her writing has appeared in TIME, The Economist, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Sun, The New York Observer and other print and online publications. She worked at The Observer for five years, where she served as the publishing director. In addition to writing, she also has a background as a professional actor. The Photographer is her debut novel!
Bill turns the tables and is interviewed by author and activist Michael Kaufman. Michael talks to Bill about his new book, Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer's Guide to the End of Self-Doubt. In addition to hosting Author2Author every week, Bill is the author of Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Writer with Confidence, Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion, and is the Editor-in-Chief of Author magazine. In addition to his books he’s been published in The New York Times, Writer’s Digest,Edible Seattle, Parent Map, and has been a featured blogger for the Huffington Post.
Bill welcomes screenwriter, director, and actor Blake Robbins to the show. Blake is an award winning director, writer, and actor. His feature film writing and directing debut THE SUBLIME AND BEAUTIFUL world premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival to rave reviews and went on to win 8 Grand Jury Awards at film festivals around the globe. His follow up film THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING (100% Rotten Tomatoes score) world-premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival as the opening night film and won 9 Grand Jury Awards on the festival circuit prior to a theatrical release.
As an actor Blake's known for performances such as Dave Brass on the critically acclaimed HBO series OZ, Tom Halpert on NBC’s hit comedy THE OFFICE, for the cult hit FIREFLY from creator Joss Whedon, for playing Mitch Glender on FX’s SONS OF ANARCHY, and for appearing opposite Sean Bean on the TNT series LEGENDS. Among his more than 35 film appearances are WIND RIVER, the MARTYRS remake , THE UGLY TRUTH opposite Gerard Butler, as well as the cult hit RUBBER, in which he starred opposite a KILLER TIRE named Robert.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Lauryn Chamberlain to the show. Laurynwas born and raised in Michigan. She studied journalism and French at Northwestern University and then moved to New York City, where she worked for several years as a journalist, freelance writer, and content strategist (sometimes simultaneously). She currently lives in Toronto. Friends from Home is her debut novel.
Bill welcomes crimes novelist Aidan Truhen to the show. Aidan lives in London. He worked in commodities of one sort or another until he was thirty, which is an age when a man wants his positive achievements to outnumber his acquittals. He's trying to reinvent himself as a writer. We'll see how it goes.
He's also the author of The Price You Pay, and, most recently, Seven Demons. He's hilarious and interesting and we had a fantastic conversation. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Clare Whitfield to the show. Clare is a UK based writer living in a suburb where the main cultural landmark is a home store/Starbucks combo. She is the wife of a tattoo artist, mother of a small benign dictator and relies on a black Labrador for emotional stability. People of Abandonned Character is her first novel. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes artist and author Rebekah Modrak. Rebekah is a writer and interventionist artist whose artworks resist consumer culture. Re Made Co. (remadeco.org) poses as an online “company” to recreate actual company Best Made Co. by promoting artisanal toilet plungers. RETHINK SHINOLA (rethinkshinola.com) will guide you through the Shinola company’s past and present of marketing white supremacy. Hyperallergic, Core77, The Creators Project, Detroit MetroTimes, and Design Observer and other publications have written about her work. A Professor in the Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, she is co-editor of Radical Humility: Essays on Ordinary Acts.
Bill welcomes author Jamie Beck to the show. A Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author, Jamie’s realistic and heartwarming stories have sold more than three million copies. She is a two-time Booksellers’ Best Award finalist, a National Readers’ Choice Award winner, and critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work “smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing novels, she enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Lainey Cameron to the show. Lainey Cameron is a digital nomad and author of women’s fiction, as well as the founder and host of The Best of Women’s Fiction series. A recovering tech industry executive, her award-winning novel, The Exit Strategy, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes lecturer and author Joshua M. Greene to the show. Joshua M. Greene is a popular lecturer on Holocaust history and an author whose biographies have sold more than a half-million copies worldwide. Greene’s groundbreaking book on the Dachau war crimes trials, Justice at Dachau: The Trials of an American Prosecutor, was deemed “riveting—history writing at its best” by Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian for CNN. His renowned work on survivor testimony, Witness: Voices from the Holocaust, was the basis of a feature documentary for national PBS and chosen as “One of the Best Holocaust Films” by Facets Media. A former instructor at Hofstra and Fordham Universities, Greene is the recipient of numerous awards for his books and films. He sits on the board of Yale University Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies and has served as director of strategic planning for the United Nations Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. He is the author, most recently, of the forthcoming,“Unstoppable: Siggi B. Wilzig’s Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor to Wall Street Legend.” Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Tammy Euliano to the show. Tammy is a practicing anesthesiologist and tenured professor of anesthesiology at the University of Florida. In addition to a prolific list of academic publications, YouTube teaching videos, and numerous teaching awards, she has also written award-winning short fiction. Fatal Intent is her debut novel. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and coach Martha Beck to the show. Martha is a PhD, a Harvard-trained sociologist, world-renowned coach and New York Times bestselling author. She has published nine non-fiction books including Expecting Adam, Leaving the Saints, and Finding Your Own North Star, one novel, Diane, Herself, and more than 200 magazine articles. Her latest book is The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut author Laura Maylene Walter to the show. Laura has written for Poets & Writers, Kenyon Review, The Sun, Ninth Letter, The Masters Review, and many others. She has been a Tin House Scholar, a recipient of the Ohioana Library Association's Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant, and a writer in residence at Yaddo, the Chautauqua Institution, and Art Omi: Writers. Laura is currently a writer/editor for the Cleveland Public Library, serves as editor in chief of Gordon Square Review, and blogs for the Kenyon Review. Body of Stars is her debut novel.
Bill welcomes novelist Julie Carrick Dalton to the show. Julie's debut novel WAITING FOR THE NIGHT SONG has been named to Most Anticipated 2021 book lists by CNN, Newsweek, USA Today, Parade, and Buzzfeed, and was an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Books of the Month. Julie is a member of the Climate Fiction Writers League and is a frequent speaker and workshop leader on the topic of Fiction in the Age of Climate Crisis. Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, BusinessWeek, The Chicago Review of Books, and other publications. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist and lecturer Erica Miner to the show. A Violinist turned author, Erica has a multi-faceted career as an award-winning author, screenwriter, journalist and lecturer. Erica's lectures, seminars and workshops on writing and on opera have received kudos in venues across the West Coast, including the Wagner Societies of New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego and Northern California. Erica's writings also have appeared in Leitmotive, the magazine of the Wagner Society of Northern California, Italian American Magazine, San Diego Jewish Journal, Del Mar Lifestyle, Opera+ St. Petersburg Music & Art Magazine, Vision Magazine, WORD San Diego, Istanbul Our City, and numerous E-zines. Her most recent novel is Staged for Murder. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Marcia Butler to the show. Marcia has had several creative careers: interior designer, documentary filmmaker, oboist, and author. She was a 2015 recipient of a Writer-in-Residence through Aspen Words and the Catto Shaw Foundation. She was also a writing fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in 2018 and 2019. Her writing has been published in The Washington Post, Literary Hub, PANK Magazine, Psychology Today, Aspen Ideas Magazine, Catapult, Bio-Stories, Kenyon Review and others. Her memoir, The Skin Above my Knee, received rave reviews, as did her first novel, Pickle's Progress. Her third book, Oslo, Maine, draws on indelible memories of performing for many years at a chamber music festival in central Maine. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes memoirist and screenwriter Melissa Gould to the show. Melissa is an award-winning screenwriter who wrote on such acclaimed TV series as Bill Nye the Science Guy, Party of Five, Beverly Hills 90210, and Lizzie McGuire. Her essays can be found in TheNew York Times, TheLos Angeles Times,TheWashington Post. Widowish, her memoir, is her first book.
Bill welcomes novelist and gender activist Michael Kaufman to the show. Michael Kaufman, PhD, is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction books. As an advisor, activist, and keynote speaker, he has developed innovative approaches to engage men and boys in promoting gender equality and positively transforming men's lives. Over the past four decades his work with the United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations, corporations, trade unions, and universities has taken him to fifty countries. His books include The Guys Guide to Feminism, Cracking the Armour
Power, Pain and the Lives of Men, and, most recntly, the crime novel The Last Exit.
Bill welcomes poet and novelist Tim Garvin to the show. Tim grew up in Arizona, then the Alaskan wilderness. Now he lives beside a creek outside Durham, North Carolina, with his wife, Cynthia, and dog, Blue. He built a cabin beside the creek, and in the mornings goes down there to write. In the afternoons, he throws pots, gardens, reads, discusses life with Cynthia, and sometimes coaxes her and Blue to the coast to float around the Outer Banks in a little sailboat. His debut novel, A Dredging in Swann was released last November. He has an MFA in fiction from the University of Arkansas and has published short stories and poems in literary journals. He’s also optioned two screenplays, Dead Money with Magic Hour Entertainment and Anvil City with Twentieth Century Fox. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Wendy Webb to the show. Wendy got her first writing job with City Pages, an arts and entertainment weekly in Minneapolis. She has been a journalist ever since, writing for national and local magazines and newspapers, including Duluth Superior Magazine, where she was editor-in-chief for almost eight years. Even though she loved her career as a journalist, she never forgot her dream of being a novelist. Though it took several years, she eventually found the time to start writing her first novel. And she never looked back. She is now the author of six novels: The Tale of Halcyon Crane, The Fate of MercyAlban, The Vanishing, The End of Temperance Dare, Daughters of The Lake, and, most recently, The Haunting of Brynn Wilder. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Bharti Kirchner to the show. Winner of the 2020 prestigious SALA Award in creative writing, Bharti is the prolific author of twelve books -- eight novels and four cookbooks. Her latest is MURDER AT ANDAMAN: A MAYA MALLICK MYSTERY. Her sixth, a literary historical novel Goddess of Fire was short-listed for the Nancy Pearl Award. Her work has been translated into German, Dutch, Spanish, Marathi, Thai and other languages. Her fourth novel Pastries: A Novel of Desserts and Discoveries was selected for the Summer Washington Reads program. Shiva Dancing, her first novel, was chosen by Seattle Weekly to be among the top 18 books by Seattle authors in the last 25 years. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist and publisher Jon Sealy to the show. Jon Sealy is the author of The Whiskey Baron, The Edge of America, and The Merciful, as well as the craft book So You Want to Be a Novelist. An upstate South Carolina native, he has a degree in English from the College of Charleston and an MFA in fiction writing from Purdue University. His short fiction has appeared in The Normal School, PANK, and The Sun, among other venues, and his nonfiction has appeared in The Rumpus, The Millions, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He currently lives with his family in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, where he is the publisher of Haywire Books. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist and memoirist Tara Moss to the show. Since 1999 Tara Moss has written 13 bestselling books, published in 19 countries and 13 languages. Her latest is the internationally bestselling historical crime novel The War Widow published with with HarperCanada, HarperCollins Australia, and launching in Dec 2020 with Dutton Books at Penguin Randomhouse US, and translated to German in Jan 2021 with AufBau as Die Jägerin. Her first non-fiction book, the critically acclaimed The Fictional Woman, became a number one national non-fiction bestseller in 2014, and her iconic cover design, featuring her face labeled with ‘fictions’ or stereotypes about women won Best Non-Fiction Book Design in 2015.
Bill welcomes suspense novelist Edwin Hill to the show. Edwin is the Edgar- and Agatha-award nominated author of Little Comfort, The Missing Ones, and Watch Her. After attending Wesleyan University and graduating with a B.A. in American Studies, he headed west to San Francisco for the dotcom boom. Later, he returned to Boston, earned an MFA from Emerson College, and switched gears to work in educational publishing. He served as the vice president and editorial director for Bedford/St. Martin's, a division of Macmillan Learning for many years before turning to writing full time. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes memoirist Christopher Zyda to the show. Christopher served as Disney’s Chief Investment Officer, overseeing more than $4 billion of company investments. In 2007, he launched Mozaic, a boutique investment management firm. Chris serves on the Board of Visitors for the UCLA Department of English, the Advisory Board for Veterans in Media & Entertainment, and the Advisory Board for the Landing Zone Grace Warrior Retreat. He is also the author of the new memoir The Storm: One Voice From the Aids Generation. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes suspense author E. A. Barres to the show. E.A. Barres' is the author, The Unrepentant, and (most recently) They're Gone; as well as the anthologies The Swamp Killers, and The Night of the Flood; in both anthologies, he served as co-editor and contributor. His column, "Decisions and Revisions," appears monthly in the Washington Independent Review of Books, and he is also the Managing Editor of The Thrill Begins, ITW's online resource for aspiring and debut thriller writers; he also serves on the Board of ITW as the Vice President of Author Programs. In addition to ITW, he is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, and SinC. Barres also runs the Noir at the Bar series for Washington, D.C. He was born in Panama and now lives and writes in the D.C. area. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Joan Frank back to the show. Joan's two most recent books are WHERE YOU'RE ALL GOING: FOUR NOVELLAS, which won the Mary McCarthy Prize, and TRY TO GET LOST: ESSAYS ON TRAVEL AND PLACE, which won the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize. Joan's 2017 novel, ALL THE NEWS I NEED, won the Juniper Prize for the Novel.Her collected essays about the writing life, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO: A WRITING LIFE, won the ForeWord Reviews Silver Book of the Year Award. She also reviews literary fiction and nonfiction for The Washington Post. She lives in Northern California. Her new novel, THE OUTLOOK FOR EARTHLINGS, has been described as "An elegant elegy."
Bill welcomes British novelist Stuart Evers to the show. A former bookseller, Stuart is the award-winning author of Your Father Sends His Love, Ten Stories About Smoking, the acclaimed novel If This Is Home, and his most recent, and very fascinating novel, The Blind Light.
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense author Ian K. Smith, M. D. to the show. Ian is best-known for his #1 New York Times bestselling health books, including SHRED: The Revolutionary Diet, and The Clean 20, and his frequent national television appearances on shows including The Rachael Ray Show, The Doctors, Celebrity Fit Club, as well as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, Dr. Oz, Steve Harvey Show, The Talk, Larry King Live, Anderson Cooper 360, CNN, MSNBC and many others. The author of fifteen books (eight of them New York Times bestsellers) he has also written three thrillers: The Blackbird Papers (2005 BCALA fiction Honor Book Award winner), The Ancient Nine, and, most recently, THE UNSPOKEN. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes poet and editor Clifford Brooks back to the show. Clifford is the founder of the Southern Collective Experience and Editor-in-Chief of the Blue Mountain Review. He hosts Dante's Old South on NPR/WUTC and This Business of Music & Poetry. He has three books of poetry: The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics, Athena Departs, and Exiles of Eden. He currently bounces around Georgia writing his new collection, The Book of Old Gods. His poetry/fiction hybrid, The Salvation of Cowboy Blue Crawford, is due out in the spring of 2022. We started this conversation a few weeks ago, and this time we'll finish it. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Brian Selfon to the show. Brian Selfon has worked in criminal justice for nearly twenty years, more than fifteen of them with law enforcement agencies in New York. As the Chief Investigative Analyst for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, he handled cases ranging from money laundering to first-degree murder. He now lives in Seattle and works as an investigator for the county public defender. He has published nonfiction pieces in the Detroit Jewish News and Fiction Writers Review. The Nightworkers is his debut novel. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and coach Bridgit Dengel Gaspard to the show. Bridgit is the author of The Final 8th, and the founder of the New York Voice Dialogue Institute. She is a former performer who earned a master's degree from Columbia University and teaches at numerous professional settings, including the Omega Institute. She lives in New York City, where she maintains a thriving private practice. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes poet, publisher and editor Clifford Brooks to the show. Clifford is the founder of the Southern Collective Experience and Editor-in-Chief of the Blue Mountain Review. He hosts Dante's Old South on NPR/WUTC and This Business of Music & Poetry. He has three books of poetry: The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics, Athena Departs, and Exiles of Eden. He currently bounces around Georgia writing his new collection, The Book of Old Gods. His poetry/fiction hybrid, The Salvation of Cowboy Blue Crawford, is due out in the spring of 2022. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes suspense novelist Joseph Reid to the show. Joseph is a patent attorney and the author of a popular series about air marshal Seth Walker. His most recent book is Departure, in which Walker is called to investigate the disappearance of an electrical engineer from one of America’s premier tech companies who disappears inside the San Francisco International Airport before an overseas flight. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes journalist, music critic, and debut fiction author David Hajdu to the show. David is the music critic for The Nation and a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Before joining The Nation in January 2015, he served for more than ten years as the music critic for The New Republic. His most recent book, Adrianne Geffel, is "fictional work of nonfiction," a biography of a nonexistent songwriter. He is currently working on a nonfiction book about artificial creativity, in addition to collaborating with the artist John Carey on a book of graphic nonfiction for Columbia University Press. David also published four books of nonfiction and one collection of essays: Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn (1996), Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Fariña and Richard Fariña (2001), The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America (2008), Heroes and Villains: Essays on Music, Movies, Comics, and Culture (2009), and Love for Sale: Pop Music in America (fall 2016). Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes internationally bestselling suspense writer Brad Parks to the show. Brad is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His novels have been translated into 15 languages and have won critical acclaim across the globe, including stars from every major pre-publication review outlet. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Parks is a former journalist with The Washington Post and The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and educator Jen Knox to the show. Jen is an educator and storyteller who teaches writing, leadership, and meditation. She is also is the co-owner of Unleash Creatives. Her books include the short story collections The Glass City and After the Gazebo, and her novel-in-stories, RESOLUTIONS. Her writing has been nominated for the Pen Faulkner, The Best of the Net, and a Pushcart. Her stories have been featured in textbooks, classrooms, and both online and print publications around the world. Her fiction appears in The Best Small Fictions 2017, The Adirondack Review, Sivana East, Chicago Tribune's Printers Row, Chicago Quarterly Review, Cosmonauts Avenue, Crannog, Elephant Journal, Fairlight Books, Fiction Southeast, Juked, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, MJI News, Poor Claudia, The Saturday Evening Post, The Santa Fe Writers Project Quarterly, NPR, Short Story America, and Sequestrum, among over a hundred other publications. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes architect and author Donald M. Rattner to the show. Donald's professional and academic activities have been featured on CNN and in such publications as The New York Times, Work Design Magazine, Better Humans, Town & Country, Robb Report, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, Builder, Traditional Building, L-Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, ChildArt Magazine, Design Milk, and Core77. Donald is also the author of My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation, The Creativity Catalog, and Parallel of the Classical Orders of Architecture. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist and coach Rea Frey to the show. Rea is an award-winning author of several nonfiction books and the novels Not Her Daughter, Because You’re Mine, and Until I Find You. She is also the founder and CEO of Writeway, which teaches writers about the business of publishing—not just the craft. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Sharon Harrigan to the show. Sharon is the author of the new novel Half. In a starred review Booklist said, “Fans of Jeffrey Eugenides, Andre Dubus III, and Jane Smiley will adore Harrigan’s suspenseful, lyrical, and consuming exploration of two difficult lives, intertwined. . . Raw and powerful, Half will stay with you.” Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “Harrigan’s bold stylistic choices and memorable voice lend the novel a sense of mystery and magic, well suited to the themes of childhood fears and adult disillusionment. Riveting and inventive, this is a cut above the average coming of age tale.” Foreword Reviews called Half “gripping” and New York Journal of Books called the point of view “astonishingly effective.” Sharon is also the author of the memoir Playing with Dynamite. She teaches writing at WriterHouse in Charlottesville, where she lives with her family. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and educator Geraldine Woods to the show. Geraldine has taught and tutored every level of English from 5th grade through AP for more than four decades. She makes snarky comments on grammar and usage in her blog, www.grammarianinthecity.com. She is the author of more than 50 books, most recently, 25 Great Sentences and How They Got That Way. She's written many Dummies books, including Basic English Grammar for Dummies, English Grammar for Dummies, English Grammar Workbook for Dummies, Research Papers For Dummies,College Admissions Essays For Dummies, and the SAT For Dummies. She also wrote AP English Literature and Composition, AP English Language and Composition, and Webster's New World Punctuation: Simplified and Applied. Don't miss it, or Geraldine will scold you!
Bill welcomes memoirist, aviator, and professor Cecilia Aragon to the show. Cecilia is a professor at the University of Washington, and the winner of many awards for her work. She’s published hundreds of articles, co-authored the book Writers in the Secret Garden, taught astronauts to fly, and worked with Nobel Prize winners. Her innovative research has been lauded by President Obama. She is also the author of Flying Free, a memoir of her journey from fearful child to airshow pilot. She overcame her fears to become an aerobatic champion, and then used what she learned from flying to achieve her goals in life. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes poet, teacher, and councilor Jude Rittenhouse to the show. An award-winning poet, short-story, and non-fiction writer, Jude is also a teacher, speaker, and holistic practitioner with a Master’s degree in Counseling. For over twenty years, she has been helping others learn how to use their creativity to achieve positive change and growth. Her work has been published in literary magazines and anthologies, including Nimrod International Journal; Tiferet: Literature, Art, & the Creative Spirit; Narrative Northeast; Balancing the Tides; River Oak Review; Crone’s Nest;Newport Review;Lay Bare the Canvas: New England Poets on Art (The Poetry Loft, RI, 2014); Her Mark 2001 and 2005 (Woman Made Gallery, Chicago), Inhabiting the Body (Woman Made Gallery with Moon Journal Press, 2002);The Kali Guide: A Directory of Resources for Women (Zenprint, 2002); Jane’s Stories II (Wild Dove Press, 2000); and several Tall Grass Writer’s Guild anthologies, among others.
Bill welcomes suspense author Glen Erik Hamilton to the show. A native of Seattle, Glen Erik Hamilton was raised aboard a sailboat and grew up around the marinas and commercial docks and islands of the Pacific Northwest. His novels have won the Anthony, Macavity, and Strand Magazine Critics awards, and been nominated for the Edgar®, Barry, and Nero awards. He now lives in California with his family, and frequently returns to his hometown to soak up the rain. His most recent novel is A Dangerous Breed.
Bill welcomes memoirist Heather Siegel to the show. Heather Siegel is a writer, teacher, and creative with interests in the arts, food, and animal welfare. In her past life, she founded several independent businesses, including a coffeehouse, a café, an organic juice bar, and a natural beauty bar. She currently teaches creative and academic writing for local colleges, continuing education programs, and private workshops. She is also the author of two memoirs, Out From the Underworld, and, most recently, The King and the Quirky. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist and screenwriter David Klass to the show. David is the author of many young adult novels, including You Don't Know Me, Losers Take All, and Grandmaster. He is also a Hollywood screenwriter, having written more than twenty-five action screenplays, including Kiss the Girls, starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, Walking Tall, starring The Rock, and Desperate Measures, starring Michael Keaton and Andy Garcia. He studied at Yale University, where he won the Veech Award for Best Imaginative Writing. He taught English in Japan, and wrote his first novel, The Atami Dragons, about that experience. His latest novel is Out of Time. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes literary suspense author August Norman to the show. August has called Los Angeles home for two decades, writing for and/or appearing in movies, television, stage productions, web series, and even, commercial advertising. A lover and champion of crime fiction, August is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, and Sisters In Crime (National and LA), and regularly attends the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference. He is the author of Come and Get Me, and, most recently Sins of the Mother. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist, screenwriter, and filmmaker Ann Crawford to the show. Ann is the bestselling author of ten books, a screenwriter, and an award-winning filmmaker. She has been a part of an improv team, did the odd acting gig here and there, and even had a stint in talent management. Her latest novel, Life in the Hollywood Lane, takes a funny and compassionate look at the challenging life of being an actress. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist, essayist, and teacher Aimee Liu to the show. Aimee is the author of numerous bestselling novels as well as nonfiction books on medical and psychological topics. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, Ms., and many other publications. She is on the faculty of Goddard College's MFA in Creative Writing Program at Port Townsend, WA. Aimee earned her MFA from Bennington Writing Seminars. She worked as a flight attendant, edited business and trade publications, and was an associate producer for NBC's TODAY show before turning to writing full-time. Her latest novel is Glorious Boy. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Ashley E. Sweeney to the show. Ashley is the winner of the 2017 Nancy Pearl Book Award for her debut novel, Eliza Waite. A native New Yorker, she is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and resides in the Pacific Northwest and Tucson. Answer Creek is her second novel. She has long been enamored with underserved women’s voices. Her technique to hitch a heroine to history dovetails with an unfortunate fact: women’s stories make up only a fraction of narratives set in the American West. She aims to rectify that! Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes poet, memoirist and speaker Albert Flynn DeSilver to the show. Albert Flynn DeSilver is an American poet, memoirist, novelist, speaker, and workshop leader. His work has appeared in more than 100 literary journals worldwide including ZYZZYVA, New American Writing, Hanging Loose, Jubilat, Exquisite Corpse, Jacket (Australia), Poetry Kanto (Japan), Van Gogh’s Ear (France), and many others. He is the author of several books of poems and the memoir Beamish Boy. He also served as Marin County, California’s very first Poet Laureate and has shared the stage with U. S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan, Bestselling authors’ Maxine Hong Kingston, Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, Legendary Beat poet Michael McClure, and many others. Albert is the founder of Writing as a Path to Awakening, which is about an embodied inter-connected approach to creativity and writing. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Amy Engel to the show. Amy is a former criminal defense attorney who grew up in Iran and Missouri. Her debut novel, The Book of Ivy, published in 2014, won the Missouri Gateway Readers Award and the Georgia Peach Book Award. After this promising start, she's gone on to publish The Revolution of Ivy, The Roanoke Girls, and, her most recent, The Familiar Dark. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Sahar Mustafah to the show. Sahar is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, from which she draws inspiration for her fiction. She is an acclaimed writer of short stories, having been awarded the Guild Literary Complex Prize for fiction, a Distinguished Story honor from Best American Short Stories, and three Pushcart Prize nominations. The Beauty of Your Face is her first novel. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist, speaker, and productivity coach Allie Pleiter to the show. An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois. The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist, speaker, and folklorist Kate Ristau to the show. Kate is an author, and the executive director of Willamette Writers. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and she is the author of the middle grade series, Clockbreakers, and the young adult series, Shadow Girl, including her most recent, Shadow Queen. In her ideal world, magic and myth combine to create memorable stories with unforgettable characters. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes celebrated Irish Novelist Anne Enright to the show. Anne has published three volumes of stories, one book of nonfiction, and several novels. In 2015, she was named the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction. Her novel The Gathering won the Man Booker Prize, and The Forgotten Waltz won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Her latest novel is Actress. This show was prerecorded. Enjoy!
Bill welcomes poet Gloria Mindock to the show. Gloria Mindock is the founding editor of Červená Barva Press and one of the USA editors for Levure Litteraire (France). She is the author of, I wish Francisco Franco Would Love Me (Nixes Mate Books, 2018), Whiteness of Bone (Glass Lyre Press, 2016), La Portile Raiului (Ars Longa Press, Romania, 2010) translated into the Romanian by Flavia Cosma, Nothing Divine Here, (U Šoku Štampa., 2010), and Blood Soaked Dresses (Ibbetson, 2007). Gloria has been published in numerous literary journals including Gargoyle, Web Del Sol, Poet Lore, Constellations: A Journal of Poetry and Fiction, Ibbetson, Muddy River Poetry Review, Unlikely Stories and Nixes Mate Review and anthology. Gloria has been awarded the Ibbetson Street Press Lifetime Achievement Award, and was the recipient of the Allen Ginsberg Award of Community Service by the Newton Writing and Publishing Center. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Katrin Schumann. Katrin's work has been featured multiple times on TODAY and in Woman’s Day, The London Times and on NPR, as well as other national and international media. Her debut novel, The Forgotten Hours was a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her latest novel This Terrible Beauty has been called "luminous and unflinching," "unputdownable," and "hard to forget." It was chosen by SheReads as among the "Most Anticipated Women's Fiction in 2020." She's also the author of several nonfiction books. For the past ten years she's been teaching writing, most recently at GrubStreet and at local prisons through PEN New England. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes memoirist Nadine Kenney Johnstone to the show. Nadine is the author of the memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, winner of the CWA Book of the Year award. Coverage of her memoir has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Today’s Parent, MindBodyGreen, Metro, and Chicago Health Magazine, among others. She teaches at Loyola University and received her MFA from Columbia College in Chicago. Her other work has been featured in various magazines and anthologies, including Chicago Magazine, The Moth, PANK, and The Magic of Memoir. Nadine is a writing coach who presents at conferences internationally. She is a core faculty member at Story Studio.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Susan Zurenda to the show. After teaching literature, composition, and creative writing to thousands of high school and college students for 33 years, Susan turned her attention to putting a novel in her heart on paper, the genesis of which started with a short story that won a fiction prize some years ago and Bells for Eli was published on March 2! During her years of teaching at Spartanburg Community College and then as an AP English teacher at Spartanburg High School, Susan published short stories and won numerous regional awards such as the South Carolina Fiction Prize (twice), the Porter Fleming Competition, The Southern Writers Symposium Emerging Writers Fiction Contest, The Hub City Hardegree Contest in Fiction, Alabama Conclave First Novel Chapter Contest, and The Jubilee Writing Competition (twice). Since 2018, she has published six stories in literary magazines.
Bill welcomes memoirist and fiction writer Donna Conrad to the show. Donna is an award-winning author, journalist, activist, and teacher. Her core values revolve around the concept of individual empowerment, a sustaining ideal running through the books she writes. She has studied writing with the likes of Alan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Erica Jong. Her writing interests are varied and include articles for fine-art periodicals, memoir/narrative non-fiction, as well as historical, flash, and paranormal fiction. She teaches all of the above at writers’ conferences, including PNWA. Her first published book, "House of the Moon: Surviving the Sixties," has received rave reviews. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and psychologist Andrea Polard back to the show. Andrea is a life-long meditator. Her interest in psychology and happiness began early, at age sixteen. She became a Clinical Psychologist in Germany (1993) and California (2001) and was trained in Primal Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Self-Psychology, and Positive Psychology. When Andrea discovered that happiness is possible even for those who were previously traumatized, she decided to share the necessary skills. Soon she began to write A Unified Theory of Happiness: An East-Meets-West Approach to Fully Loving Your Life, which she completed over the course of twelve years. It was published by Sounds True and is an internationally published, award-winning book. Subsequently, she founded a psychotherapeutic approach, synthesizing psychology and the wisdom traditions: Zen Psychology Therapy (ZPT). She offers this approach in her Los Angeles Center for Zen Psychology. Andrea also writes a popular column for Psychology Today. Her two, new projects --The Heart Sutra and Enlightenment Guaranteed: The 10 Habits of Sane People in an Insane World - are soon to be published. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes lecturer, newscaster, and filmmaker Louise L. Schiavone to the show. Louise is a member of the full-time faculty and Senior Lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. She teaches “Business Leadership and Human Values” and “Business Communication” to graduate level students at the Baltimore and Washington D.C. campuses. A career journalist, and TEDx speaker, Schiavone has covered Congress, the White House, as well as news at the Pentagon, Treasury, State, Transportation, Energy, and Housing Departments, as well as national presidential campaigns, the mortgage meltdown and financial crisis, food safety challenges, and natural disasters. An on-air veteran of CNN, ABC News, and the Associated Press, Schiavone is currently a newscast anchor at NPR and a SiriusXM “P.O.T.U.S.” host, both on a contributing basis. Her award-winning 2020 short documentary, “Crisis on The Half Shell: The Chesapeake Bay” is being shown at film festivals this Spring. She also writes for print media, with work appearing most recently in The Los Angeles Review of Books as well as in National Geographic. Schiavone speaks extensively about the environment, politics, journalism, communication and civility. Schiavone is currently producing a video documentary about marine life biodiversity in the Scottish Highlands, and the role of the oyster in raising the quality of the marine environment around the world. You won't want to miss this one!
Bill welcomes debut author and digital marketing guru Jess Zafarris to the show. Jess Zafarris is the author of Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids. She is also an award-winning innovator of digital content and marketing solutions and a prolific online and print journalist, having served as the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters. Before that, she served as Digital Content Director and Content Strategist for Writer’s Digest and Script, and she still occasionally writes for WD. Her nine years of experience in digital and print content direction and marketing include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the The Hot Sheet, the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She spends much of her spare time researching curious word histories and writing about them at UselessEtymology.com. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist, essayist and short story writer John Michael Cummings to the show. John is the author of the nationally acclaimed coming-of-age novel "The Night I Freed John Brown", winner of The Paterson Prize and recommended by USA TODAY for Black History Month. His 2011 short story collection, "Ugly To Start With", was an IndieFab Award Finalist hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer for its "sharp observation and surpassing grace." His last novel, Don't Forget Me, Bro was excerpted in The Chicago Tribune. Over the last twenty years, John's short stories and essays have appeared in more than seventy-five literary journals, including The Iowa Review, North American Review, The Chattahoochee Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Kenyon Review. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Christina Adams to the show. Christina is an award-winning writer, journalist, author, and speaker. She and her work have been featured by National Public Radio, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and the LA Times Magazine. Her book Camel Crazy: A Quest for Miracles in the Mysterious World of Camels explores the scientific and cultural importance of camels and their milk. Her book, A Real Boy reveals the world of autism and her son’s early intervention. Her series “Autism and Beyond” airs on Autism Live at www.autism-live.com. An expert on autism and camel milk, she advises families and scientists from many countries. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut suspense author Amy K. Green to the show. Amy was born and raised in a small New England town where she was once struck by lightning. She was a practicing CPA before leaving the corporate life to work in film production, write, and wear fewer high heels. Her first novel, The Prized Girl, is receiving rave reviews. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense writer Joseph Finder to the show. Joe is the New York Times bestselling author of fifteen previous suspense novels, including JUDGMENT, THE SWITCH, THE FIXER and SUSPICION. He introduced “private spy” Nick Heller in VANISHED, an instant bestseller, and the continuing series includes BURIED SECRETS, GUILTY MINDS and, most recently, HOUSE ON FIRE. Joe’s novels HIGH CRIMES and PARANOIA have been adapted as major motion pictures. GUILTY MINDS and COMPANY MAN won the Barry Award for Best Thriller. An international bestseller, KILLER INSTINCT won the International Thriller Writers’ Thriller Award for Best Novel. BURIED SECRETS won the Strand Critics Award for Best Novel. A founding member of the International Thriller Writers, Joe is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Russian Research Center, and lives in Boston. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling crime writer and TV writer and producer Lee Goldberg to the show. Lee is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award nominee and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including Washington Post best-sellers Killer Thriller and True Fiction, as well as King City, The Walk, fifteen Monk Mysteries, and the internationally bestselling Fox & O’Hare books, cowritten with Janet Evanovich. He has also written and/or produced scores of TV shows, including Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, Monk, and The Glades. We’ll be discussing, among other things, his latest novel, Lost Hills. Don’t miss it!
Bill welcomes author and transformational coach Michael Bianco-Splann to the show. Michael Bianco-Splann, conscious leadership expert, visionary author and inspirational speaker, brings unique and powerful expertise to deliver a differentiated and transformative approach to leaders, organizations and those seeking a life fully engaged and true to one's passion and purpose. He is the author of Conscious Leadership, and, most recently, Dying to Live: A Tapestry of Reinvention. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Peter Curtis to the show. Peter was born in Slovakia in 1937, grew up in England, and studied medicine in London. Always as interested in people’s lives as in their ailments, he wrote and published short stories about his country practice. After he and his family moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina where he was a professor of Family Medicine, he began to write the story of what his parents, grandparents and he went through in the great and tragic dislocation of WWll. His novel Cafe Budapest won first place in the Pacific Northwest Writer's Conference 2019 Nancy Pearl Award in fiction!
Bill welcomes journalist and memoirist Carmen Gentile to the show. Carmen has written for some of the world’s leading publications including the New York Times, TIME, Newsweek, USA Today and many others. He has also produced online video reporting for The Times and TIME. He also regularly produces radio reports and has published numerous photos with his work. He has covered both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, embedding with soldiers on the frontline. His work has also taken him to Nigeria, where he reported on the continuing unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta. In September 2010, Carmen was shot by a rocket-propelled grenade while reporting on U.S. and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan. Following a lengthy recovery, he returned to Afghanistan and resumed embed reporting for USA Today and others. He is also the author of the memoir Blindsided by the Taliban: A Journalist's Story of War, Trauma, Love, and Loss.
Bill welcomes scholar and translator Peter Booth to the show. Peter is a Hafiz scholar and translator, co-author of Dante I Hafiz, and member of the DC area Iranian Culture Association. He studied Sanskrit and sacred Indian texts at Georgetown University in his teens, received a B.A. in English Literature from Bard College, and attended Harvard Graduate School in Persian Language and Literature, studying with Annemarie Schimmel and Wheeler Thackston. He then studied Persian Literature at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, on a scholarship from the Shah of Iran. For 32 years he was a resident in Avatar Meher Baba’s home, Meherabad, in rural India, where he helped build water and electrical systems, roads, and other infrastructure, and through extensive afforestation and applied environmental technology, increased the area's average annual rainfall from 9 to over 20 inches. He also contributed translations to the just relased The Illuminated Hafiz: Love Poems for the Journey to Light. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes Anthony Award-winning author Matt Coyle to the show. Matt is the author of the best-selling Rick Cahill crime novels. He knew he wanted to be a crime writer when he was fourteen and his father gave him The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler. His foray into crime fiction was delayed for thirty years as he spent time managing a restaurant, selling golf clubs for various golf companies, and in national sales for a sports licensing company. Writing at night for over a decade, his debut novel, Yesterday’s Echo, was finally published in 2013. The wait was almost worth it as it won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the San Diego Book Award for Best Mystery, and the Ben Franklin Award for Best New Voice in Fiction. He has gone on to publish five other novels in the series, including his most recent, Lost Tomorrows, which comes out December 3rd. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes suspense author Michael Niemann to the show. Michael has long been interested in the sites where ordinary people’s lives and global processes intersect. He’s shared umqombothi with shack dwellers outside Cape Town, interviewed Morgan Tsvangirai, former Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, when he was still a trade union leader, and seen Eduardo Mondlane’s dorm room at Northwestern University, faithfully recreated at the Museum of the Revolution in Maputo.
He has published four thrillers featuring UN investigator Valentin Vermeulen: Legitimate Business, Illicit Trade, llegal Holdings, and, most recently, No Right Way. Illegal Holdings won the 2019 Silver Falchion Award for Best Thriller at Killer Nashville. His short stories have appeared in Vengeance, the 2012 Mystery Writers of America anthology edited by Lee Child, and Mysterical-E. On the non-fiction side, he is the author of A Spatial Approach to Regionalism in the Global Economy.
Bill welcomes adventurer and memoirist Chris Fagan to the show. Chris is a wife, mother and business owner who, along with her husband Marty, was a part of the first American married couple to ski without guide, resupply, or other assistance to the South Pole, becoming Guinness World Record holders in the process. She has summited Denali, in Alaska; run 100-mile trail races through the mountains; canoed the hippo-laden Zambezi River, in Zimbabwe; sailed and paddled through the Inside Passage; and biked through remote Tanzania. She is also the author of the memoir The Expedition: Two Parents Risk Life and Family in an Extraordinary Quest to the South Pole. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Susan Welch to the show. Susan's first book, A Thread So Fine, won the prestigious 2019 Nancy Pearl Book Award for Fiction at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference. An adopted child, her novel grew out of a desire to understand the life of her birth and adoptive mothers' lives in the optimistic but still socially-restrictive post WW II Midwest. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense writer Hank Phillippi Ryan to the show. Hank is the on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV. She's won 36 EMMYs, 14 Edward R. Murrow awards and dozens of other honors for her groundbreaking journalism. A nationally bestselling author of 11 mystery novels, Hank has also won multiple prestigious awards for her crime fiction: five Agathas, three Anthonys, the Daphne, two Macavitys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. National reviews have called Hank a "master at crafting suspenseful mysteries" and "a superb and gifted storyteller." Her novels have been named Best Thrillers of the Year by Library Journal, New York Post, BOOK BUB, PopSugar, Real Simple Magazine and others. Her newest book is the acclaimed standalone psychological thriller THE MURDER LIST, which CNN named an Ultimate Beach Read and the Library Journal rave starred review calls it "a riveting must read!" Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes journalist and debut crime novelist Holly Watt to the show. Holly started her career at the Sunday Times, before moving to the Daily Telegraph. During six years at the Telegraph, she was the Whitehall Editor and jointly ran the investigations team. She then moved to work on the Guardian's investigations team. Holly has been nominated for a wide range of journalism prizes, winning awards for her work on stories including MPs’ Expenses at the Telegraph and the Panama Papers at the Guardian. She has reported from a wide range of countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Libya, Jordan and Lebanon. As well as flying around the world on everything from Lynx helicopters to Air Force One, Holly also worked as an undercover journalist. In 2008, she was the Laurence Stern Fellow, spending several months working at the Washington Post. She is also the author of the widely-praised debut crime novel, To the Lions. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Frank Heller to the show. Frank Heller has published biographical and exhibition catalogs on American and European artists, some of which are housed in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries in Washington, DC. He was a hospital corpsman in the US Navy during the early years of the Vietnam War. To write THE SECRET EMPRESS, he drew on his thirty years of experience working in and traveling to China in the import business. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Talia Carner back to the show. Talia Carner's first novel, PUPPET CHILD, was listed in “The Top 10 Favorite First Novels 2002” and launched a nationwide legislation–The Protective Parent Reform Act–which became the platform for two State Senatorial candidates. CHINA DOLL made Amazon’s bestsellers list and served as the platform for Ms. Carner’s presentation at the U.N. in 2007 about infanticide in China—the first ever in U.N. history. Her novel, JERUSALEM MAIDEN won the Forward National Literature Award in the Historical Fiction category. HOTEL MOSCOW, won USA Book News award in the Multicultural category. Her latest novel, THE THIRD DAUGHTER, is a daring exposé of sex trafficking.
Over 70 of Carner’s award-winning short stories, articles, and personal essays have appeared in anthologies, literary magazines, and leading websites. She's a board member of HBI, a research center for Jewish women’s life and culture at Brandeis University. She is also an honorary board member of several anti-domestic violence and child abuse intervention organizations and sits on committees of organizations that work toward Israeli causes. Her addictions include chocolate, ballet, hats—and social justice. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Howard Michael Gould to the show. Howard spent five years working on Madison Avenue, winning three Clios and numerous other awards. In television, he was executive producer and head writer of CYBILL when it won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series, and held the same positions on INSTANT MOM and THE JEFF FOXWORTHY SHOW. He wrote and directed the feature film THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY LEFAY, starring Tim Allen and Jenna Elfman. He is the author of two novels, LAST LOOKS and BELOW THE LINE, both featuring tortured, eco-maniacal private eye Charlie Waldo. The film version of LAST LOOKS, starring Charlie Hunnam and Mel Gibson and directed by Tim Kirkby, is currently in post-production. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes actress and author Marianne Leone to the show. Marianne is an actress, screenwriter and essayist. She had a recurring role on HBO's "Sopranos" as Joanne Moltisanti, Christopher's (Michael Imperioli's) mother. She has also appeared in films by John Sayles, Nancy Savoca and Martin Scorsese. Her essays and op ed pieces on a variety of topics have appeared in the Boston Globe. She is married to Chris Cooper, an academy-award winning actor and was Jesse Cooper's mother for seventeen years. After his death in 2005, her essay on grief was published in the Boston Globe ("He Was Our Touchstone".) Her memoir, Jesse: A Mother's Story, grew out of that essay.
Bill welcomes author and coach Alison Sher to the show. Alison is a generational change agent, organizational consultant, and the author of The Millennial's Guide to Changing the World. She has spent the past decade working as a journalist interviewing hundreds of people on some of the most pressing issues of our times. Her work has been published in books, newspapers and magazines around the country. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes award winning short story writer Beth Mayer to the show. Her short story collection We Will Tell You Otherwise won the Hudson Prize in fiction with Black Lawrence Press. Her fiction has appeared in The Threepenny Review, The Sun Magazine, and The Midway Review. She was a fiction finalist for The Missouri Review’s Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize (2016), her work recognized among “Other Distinguished Stories” by Best American Mystery Stories (2010), and her stories anthologized in both American Fiction (New Rivers) and New Stories from the Midwest (Ohio University). She currently teaches English at Century College in Minnesota. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes back bestselling suspense author Robert Crais to the show. Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. He began his creative career writing for such hit TV shows as Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice. He decided to leave the lucrative world of television to pursue his dream of writing novels. Though it took some time, he hit paydirt with first published novel: The Monkey's Raincoat, which became a smash hit and went on to win the Anthony and Macavity Awards. He has since published over twenty novels and remains one of the most read and respected suspense writers working today!
Note - this week's show airs on Wednesday, not Tuesday!
Bill welcomes award-winning suspense novelist Lori Roy to the show. Lori Roy's debut novel, BENT ROAD, was awarded the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. Her work has been twice named a New York Times Notable Crime Book and included on various best of lists and summer reading lists. UNTIL SHE COMES HOME was a New York Times Editors' Choice and a Finalist for the Edgar Allen Poe award for Best Novel. LET ME DIE IN HIS FOOTSTEPS also received the 2016 Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Novel, making Lori the first woman to receive an Edgar Award for both Best First Novel and Best Novel, and she is only the third person to have ever done so. Her latest, GONE TOO LONG, just hit shelves this June.
Bill welcomes life-coach and bestselling author Shannon Ethridge to the show. Shannon Ethridge is a million-copy best-selling author, international speaker, certified life coach, and advocate for healthy sexuality with a master’s degree in counseling / human relations. Since her mortuary days of embalming many HIV+ and AIDS patients, she has boldly spoken to high school and college students, single adults, and married couples about: * Embracing a lifestyle of sexual integrity Overcoming past sexual & emotional baggage Cultivating genuine intimacy in marriage* Instilling sexual values in young children.
Should be interesting!
Bill welcomes poet and novelist Melissa Studdard to the show. Melissa Studdard is the author of four books, including the poetry collection I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast and the young adult novel Six Weeks to Yehidah. Her short writings have appeared in a wide variety of journals, magazines, blogs, and anthologies, such as The New York Times, Poetry, Psychology Today, The Guardian, New Ohio Review, Harvard Review, Bettering American Poetry, and Poets & Writers.
Her awards include the Forward National Literature Award, the International Book Award, the Kathak Literary Award, the Poiesis Award of Honor International, the Readers’ Favorite Award, and two Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards.
Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and marketing specialist Steve O'Keefe to the show. Steve is the Content Director at Orobora where he designs content marketing campaigns for authors, experts, companies and brands. Steve is the author of The Complete Guide to Internet Publicity, and taught Internet Public Relations at Tulane University for over a decade. In addition to his work with Orobora, Steve is Director of the Staunton Media Lab, a media arts program for the deaf, blind and uniquely able where he sources audio and video for campaigns. He is the also the author of recently released Set the Page on Fire: Secrets of Successful Writers.
Bill welcome memoirist Megan Griswold to the show. Megan has trained and received certification as a doula, shiatsu practitioner, yoga instructor, personal trainer, and in wilderness medicine, among others. She has worked as a mountain instructor, a Classical Five Element acupuncturist, a freelance reporter, an NPR All Things Considered commentator, a spokesperson for egg freezing, an off-the grid interior designer, and the creator of the backcountry-meets-high-style online store Little Moving Spaces. She is also the author of a fabulous new memoir, The Book of Help: A Memoir in Remedies.
Bill welcomes author and inspirational speaker Cate Montana to the show. A clarion voice for commonsense & higher awareness, Cate’s books, inspirational talks and videos address and provide solutions for the primary drivers behind our individual and social crises today: lack of self-awareness, confusion about the nature of gender, and an inability to manage ourminds and emotions. A journalist for over 30 years, she has worked in all areas of communication, from network television and radio to newspapers, magazines and online publications. Cate is the author of five books and hundreds of published articles. A frequent guest on radio and TV talk shows and podcasts, she is an outspoken advocate for actualizing human potential and calls herself an “evolutionary activist.” We'll be discussing her first novel, Apollo & Me.
Bill welcomes debut novelist and short story writer Maura Roosevelt to the show. Maura’s work has been published in places like The Nation and Vol. 1 Brooklyn. Her first novel, Baby of the Family, was developed from a short story with the same title, which was published in Joyland magazine and given an award for “Most Read Story of 2014.” She has taught writing at NYU and the University of Southern California. She’s currently completing a PhD program at Columbia University, where she is investigating how to make writing studies more accessible and inclusive to diverse communities. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist and short story writer Devin Murphy to the show. Devin is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Bradley University. He has worked various jobs in national parks around the country and once had a three–year stint at sea that led him to over fifty countries on all seven continents. His fiction has appeared in over 60 literary journals and anthologies, including The Missouri Review, Glimmer Train, The Chicago Tribune, New Stories from the Midwest, and Confrontation. His also the author of two novels, The Boat Runner, and the newly released Tiny Americans. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Alan Gelb to the show. Alan is a writing coach, a communications consultant for higher education, and the author of the bestselling Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Daily Beast, Next Avenue, and other publications. He is also of the author of the newly released Seven Steps to Confident Writing. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes actress and author Tembi Locke to the show. Tembi is passionate about two things: the power of storytelling as a tool to inspire meaningful connection, and savoring the flavors, food and kitchen wisdom from her favorite place in the world, Sicily. An accomplished actor with over sixty television and film performances to her credit, including The Magicians, NCIS: LA, Bones, Eureka, Dumb and Dumber To, Friends, and Proven Innocent, she is also the author of the new memoir, FROM SCRATCH: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home. FROM SCRATCH is the story of losing her beloved chef husband to a rare cancer and the transformative path she embarked on to heal her heart and rebuild her life. Reviewers have called the book “lyrical,” “utterly incandescent” and “shimmering with hope and inspiration,” and New York Times bestselling author Claire Bidwell Smith says, “you will be forever changed for having turned these pages.”
Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and publisher Elizabeth Atkins to the show. Elizabeth is a best-selling author, actress, TV host and award-winning journalist who uses a multimedia platform to inspire people to unlock their infinite potential and live with passion, prosperity, health and happiness. A health and fitness enthusiast whose 100-pound weight loss was featured on Oprah, Elizabeth co-hosts a weekly television show, MI Healthy Mind, which promotes wellness by shattering stigmas around taboo topics such as mental illness, addiction and abuse. She has written nearly 20 books, including novels White Chocolate, Dark Secret and Twilight (with Billy Dee Williams), and her most recent memoir, God's Answer is Know: Lessons from a Spiritual Life.
Bill welcomes YA novelist Stephen Wallenfels to the show. Stephen wrote freelance for the Health and Fitness industry for fifteen years before turning writing novels. He has since penned three YA novels: POD, Bad Call, and, most recently, Deadfall. His books have been described as "gripping," "tightly plotted," and "fast-moving." Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes poet and publisher Michael Dylan Welch to the show. Michael has been investigating haiku and related poetry since 1976. He founded his press, Press Here, in 1989, and cofounded Haiku North America in 1991 and the American Haiku Archives in 1996. He founded the Tanka Society of America in 2000, the Seabeck Haiku Getaway in 2008, and National Haiku Writing Month (www.nahaiwrimo.com) in 2010. Michael was keynote speaker for the 2013 Haiku International Association convention in Tokyo. He has published his poetry, essays, and reviews in hundreds of journals and anthologies in more than twenty languages, and has also published numerous books. Should be fun!
Bill welcomes New York Times bestselling romance author Erin Quinn to the show. Erin writes dark paranormal romance for the thinking reader. Her books have been called “riveting,” “brilliantly plotted” and “beautifully written” and have won, placed or showed in the RWA RITA Award, Booksellers Best, WILLA Award for Historical fiction, the Orange Rose, Readers Crown, Golden Quill, Best Books, and Award of Excellence. She's a good one, people!
Bill welcomes New York Times bestselling author and suspense writer Hallie Ephron to the show. Hallie is an Edgar Award finalist, and five-time finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. A sought-after writing teacher, her Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel was nominated for Edgar and Anthony awards. An award-winning crime fiction book reviewer, Hallie also wrote the ON CRIME column for the Boston Globe for ten years. Should be awesome!
Bill welcomes author Iris Graville to the show. Her profiles and personal essays have been published in national and regional journals and magazines. Her first book, Hands at Work—Portraits and Profiles of People Who Work with Their Hands, received numerous accolades including a Nautilus Book Gold Award, Independent Publishers Award, and an Indie Next Generation Book Award. Her second book, Bounty, combines photographs, profiles by Iris, and recipes to present an intimate, behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to bring food from earth to table on Lopez Island. Her latest is a memoir, Hiking Naked—A Quaker Woman’s Search for Balance, is a personal narrative of what she learned in the remote mountain village of Stehekin, WA about work, community, and leadings of the Spirit. Hiking Naked was named a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Nancy Pearl Contest. In August 2018, Iris was named the first writer-in-residence with the Washington State Ferries.
Bill welcomes internationally bestselling suspense writer Karen Rose to the show. A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen's debut suspense novel, DON'T TELL, was released in 2003. Since then, she has published over twenty novels and two novellas. Her books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, London's Sunday Times, and Germany's der Spiegel (#1), and the Irish Times, as well as lists in South Africa(#1) and Australia! Her novels, I'M WATCHING YOU and SILENT SCREAM, received the Romance Writers of America's RITA award for Best Romantic Suspense for 2005 and 2011. Five of her other books have been RITA finalists. To date, her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Wow!
Bill welcomes author and life coach Kayce Stevens Hughlett to the show. Kayce is a life coach and author who began her writing career as a blogger in the early 2000s. She has gone to pubish three popular books: As I Lay Pondering: Daily Invitations To Live a Transformed Life, Blue: a novel, and most recently SoulStroller: Experiencing the Weight, Whispers, & Wings of the World, a memoir of self-discovery. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense author Brad Taylor to the show. Brad served in the military for more than 21 years, retiring as a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. In 2011, he published his debut novel, One Rough Man, which was an immediate success and launched the Pike Logan series. Now with more than 12 installments and more than 2 million copies sold, the series has consistently hit the New York Times bestseller list. When not writing, he serves as a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies. How awesome is that?
Bill welcomes author and educator Lillian Stulich to the show. Lillian is a middle school teacher who took a traumatic experience (2012 superstorm Sandy), and turned it into a creative opportunity: her first children's book Host a Little Ghost. Tune in to meet this very cool woman!
Bill welcomes author Kerrie Flanagan to the show. Kerrie is an author, writing consultant, accomplished freelance writer with over 18 years’ experience, and the founder of Hot Chocolate Press. Her work has appeared in publications such as, Writer’s Digest, Alaska Magazine, The Writer and six Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Her article, “How to Find Success in the Magazine World,” has been featured in the Writer’s Market for the past six years. She is also the author of eight books all published under her label, Hot Chocolate Press. In addition to her own writing, she is passionate about helping other writers. She was the founder and former director of Northern Colorado Writers and now does individual consulting with writers. Her background in teaching and enjoyment of helping writers, has led her to present at writing conferences across the country, including Writer's Digest. Don't miss it!
Join host Bill (William) Kenower for a special edition of Author2Author as he discusses why Everyone Has What it Takes. Based on his popular writing book Fearless Writing: How To Create Boldly and Write With Confidence, Bill disbands the widely accepted myth that "some people have what it takes, and some don't." This belief is not only untrue, but can stand in your way as you try to write the book you want to write and lead the life you want to lead. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author, life coach, and entrepreneur Anne Tucker to the show. Anne spent years working at the top of the corporate world, coaching executives and advising them on how to reach their goals in the workplace. She was successful, but found herself asking, “Is this all there is?” After a truly global search with some wonderful teachers and mentors, she's embraced her purpose as a spiritual healer, author (Undoubtedly Awesome: How Doubt Creeps into Your Decision Process), and the founder of Wisdom Soup, helping to redefine business for a spiritual age. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes memoirist Betsy Bell to the show. Betsy Bell, born before WWII in New York City, spent her formative years in the Jim Crow town of Muskogee, Oklahoma. As a Girl Scout, she began her social justice activism working with a bi-racial team to integrate public schools after the 1954 Supreme Court decision mandating the end of school segregation. After completing her BA and MA at Bryn Mawr College, she began an academic career in Lawrence, Kansas where her husband taught. In Lawrence, she advocated for reproductive rights with Planned Parenthood. She lives in Seattle where she has held several career positions. Twice widowed, Betsy has published two short memoirs and several poems. Should be fun.
Bill welcomes suspense author Taylor Adams to the show. Taylor Adams directed the acclaimed short film And I Feel Fine in 2008 and graduated from Eastern Washington University with the Excellence in Screenwriting Award and the prestigious Edmund G. Yarwood Award. His directorial work has screened at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival and his writing has been featured on KAYU-TV’s Fox Life blog. He is also the author of the novels Our Last Night, Eyeshot, and No Exit. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes author Beau L'Amour to the show. Beau is a writer and entertainment industry jack-of-all-trades. He is the son of bestselling novelist Louis L'Amour and has managed his father's literary estate since 1988. Striving to maintain that legacy, he has done editorial work, revised unfinished manuscripts, managed a literary magazine and an audio/radio drama series, done art direction, been a comic book writer and producer and become an expert in marketing. In the years since his father passed away L'Amour has helped sell over 120 million books, nearly 5 million audio programs and placed a number of books of short stories (out of 16 posthumous collections) on the Best Seller lists. Should be awesome!
Bill welcomes historian and author James R. Hansen to the show. James is a professor emeritus of history at Auburn University. A former historian for NASA, Hansen is the author of twelve books on the history of aerospace and a two-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize in History. His 1995 book Spaceflight Revolution was nominated for the Pulitzer by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the only time NASA ever nominated a book for the prize. He serves as co-producer for the major motion picture First Man, which is based on his New York Times bestselling biography of Neil Armstrong and that is now being shown internationally in theaters. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes authors and publishers Elizabeth Atkins and Catherine Marie Atkins Greenspan. Elizabeth Ann Atkins and Catherine Marie Atkins Greenspan are the siblings behind Two Sisters Writing and Publishing. Elizabeth, now the author of nearly 20 books, has been a guest on Oprah, Montel, NPR, Good Morning America Sunday and CBS Evening News. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Essence, Ebony and the Detroit News, for which her articles on race were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Catherine is a sought-after writer and editor, whose work has led to her interviewing Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka, among others. She is a past recipient of writing grants from the Sierra Arts Foundation and the Nevada Arts Council, and has taught university-level English, creative writing and English as a second language. And now, through Two Sisters Writing and Publishing, they help others craft and share their own stories, with a client list that includes writers from every walk of life. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and pastor John Pavlovitz to the show. John is a writer, pastor, and activist from Wake Forest, North Carolina. In the past four years his blog Stuff That Needs To Be Said has reached a diverse worldwide audience. A 20-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, John is committed to equality, diversity, and justice—both inside and outside faith communities. In 2017 he released his first book, A Bigger Table. His new book, Hope and Other Superpowers, was published this month. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Rita Dragonette to the show. Rita is a writer who, after spending nearly thirty years telling the stories of others as an award-winning public relations executive, has returned to her original creative path. The Fourteenth of September, her debut novel, is based upon personal experiences on campus during the Vietnam War. She lives and writes in Chicago, where she also hosts literary salons to showcase authors and their new books to avid readers. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling author Carla Neggers to the show. Carla is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 75 novels, including her popular Sharpe & Donovan and Swift River Valley series. Her books have been translated into dozens of languages and sold in over 35 countries. Her books have been called “smart and satisfying” (Kirkus), “extraordinarily memorable” (RT Book Reviews) and “highly entertaining” (Publishers Weekly), and she has been praised for her “unerring knack for creating compelling, sympathetic characters and vivid, realistic settings” (Library Journal). Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut author Karen Treiger to the show. Karen retired from her law practice in 2015 to research and write My Soul is Filled With Joy: A Holocaust Book, a book about her in-laws Sam and Esther Goldberg. She in an accomplished and dynamic speaker and has presented at many Continuing Legal Education Conferences, community events, and is a member of the Seattle Holocaust Center Speakers’ Bureau. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and literary agent Jeff Herman to the show. Jeff opened his literary agency in the mid-1980s while in his mid-20s. He has made nearly one-thousand book deals, including many bestsellers. His own books include JEFF HERMAN’S GUIDE TO PUBLISHERS, EDITORS & LITERARY AGENTS (more than 500,000 copies sold), and WRITE THE PERFECT BOOK PROPOSAL (coauthored with Deborah Herman). He has presented hundreds of workshops about writing and publishing, and has been interviewed for dozens of publications and programs. Don't miss a great conversation with this industry insider.
Bill welcomes comedian and memoirist Adam Cayton-Holland to the show. Adam is a national touring headliner who was named one of 25 “Comics to Watch” by Esquire magazine and one of “10 Comics to Watch” by Variety. Along with his co-horts in the The Grawlix comedy troupe, Adam created, writes and stars in truTV’s “Those Who Can’t,” in which Adam plays Spanish teacher and bon vivant Loren Payton.
He has also appeared on CONAN, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, Happy Endings, Deadbeat, Flophouse, Hidden America and @midnight. He has also the author of the fabulous, funny, touching, and honest momoir, Tragedy Plus Time. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes short story writer and publicist Caitlin Hamilton Summie to the show. Caitlin is the former Marketing Director of MacMurray & Beck and also of BlueHen Books/Penguin Putnam. At each company she also managed imprint profile and directed all publicity, hardcover & paperback. Her first book, a collection of short stories called TO LAY TO REST OUR GHOSTS, was published to excellent reviews nationwide, including a starred Foreword. The title won Silver in the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award, was selected for 35 Over 35‘s Annual List, and is also a Pulpwood Queens Book Club selection. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Stephen Markley to the show. Stephen is the author of the novel Ohio. He's also the author of memoir Publish This Book and the tavelogue Tales of Iceland. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop and his essays and short fiction can be found scattered across the internet. Ohio is a lyrical and emotional novel set in an archetypal small town in northeastern Ohio—a region ravaged by the Great Recession, an opioid crisis, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—depicting one feverish, fateful summer night in 2013 when four former classmates converge on their hometown, each with a mission, all haunted by the ghosts of their shared histories. It's ambition, incredibly well-reviewed, and we've got its author on the show! Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes celebrated novelist Andre Dubus III to the show. Andre is the author of six books, including the New York Times’ bestsellers House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days, and his memoir, Townie.Dirty Love, was a New York Times “Notable Book” selection, a New York Times “Editors’ Choice”, a 2013 “Notable Fiction” choice from The Washington Post, and a Kirkus “Starred Best Book of 2013”. Andre has been a finalist for the National Book Award, and has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, The National Magazine Award for Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, and is a 2012 recipient of an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. We will be discussing his latest book, Gone So Long. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and undertaker Elizabeth Fournier to the show. Elizabeth, known as The Green Reaper, is the owner and operator of Cornerstone Funeral Services, outside of Portland, Oregon, in a tiny town called Boring. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Green Burial Council, and lives on a farm with her husband, daughter and many rescue goats. She is also the author of The Green Burial Guide: Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes novelist Kristina McMorris back to the show. Since her debut, Letters From Home, released in 2011, Kristina's published works have expanded to include the novels Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, The Pieces We Keep, and The Edge of Lost, in addition to her novellas in the anthologies A Winter Wonderland and Grand Central. Her novels have garnered more than two dozen prestigious awards and nominations, including the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, RWA's RITA® Award, and a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. We will be discussing her latest novel, Sold on a Monday.
Bill welcomes author and teacher Gary Gach to the show. Gary is an author, translator, editor, teacher and poet. His work has been translated into several languages, and has appeared in several anthologies and numerous periodicals. He serves on the International Advisory Panel of the Buddhist Channel, a MalaysianBuddhist news website. We'll be discussing his latest book, Pause, Breathe, Smile. Don't miss it
Bill welcomes therapist and author Philip Kenney to the show. Philip Kenney is a practicing psychotherapist who has taught Self Psychology as part of his private practice. A long time meditator and poet, Philip is the author of the novel, Radiance, and a collection of poetry, Where Roses Bloom. He strives to bring together the worlds of psychology, creativity and spirituality in his work and is the author of a new book on those subjects entitled, TheWriter's Crucible: Meditations on Emotion, Being and Creativity. Join us!
Bill welcomes novelist, screenwriter, and playwright Seth Greenland to the show. Seth is the author of five novels: The Bones, Shining City, The Angry Buddhist, I Regret Everything, and, most recently, The Hazards of Good Fortune. His play, Jungle Rot, won the Kennedy Center/American Express Fund For New American Plays Award and the American Theater Critics Association Award. Television credits include a two-year stint as a writer-producer on the Emmy-nominated HBO series Big Love. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense author Dan Fesperman to the show. Dan's travels as a writer have taken him to 30 countries and three war zones, beginning with the Persian Gulf War in 1991. His novels of intrigue have captured acclaim in eleven different languages, while winning a Dashiell Hammett Award in the United States and two Dagger awards in the United Kingdom. We'll be discussing his fascinating and engrossing new novel, Safe Houses. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Katherine Jegede to the show. Katherine is a British television presenter and author with a background in science. She was first introduced to metaphysics as a teenager by her mother, a former yoga teacher and education specialist. She developed a penetrating and enduring fondness for the self-empowering teachings of Neville Goddard, and remains just as steadfastly devoted to spreading his message today. She has been published in the internationally acclaimed science journal, Nature, and she has also presented two science series aimed at young adults in the UK, earning a BAFTA nomination. We will be discussing her new book, Infinite Possibilities: How to Use the Ideas of Neville Goddard to Create the Life You Want.
Bill welcomes author Lydia Millet to the show. Lydia Millet is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. Her third novel, My Happy Life, won the 2003 PEN Center USA Award for Fiction, and she has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize as well as a Guggenheim fellow, among other honors. Laura Miller of Salon has described Millet’s writing as “…always flawlessly beautiful, reaching for an experience that precedes language itself.” Millet has written books and stories that range from the philosophical to the satirical, on matters including the inventors of the atom bomb, political culture under George H. W. Bush, the discovery of mermaids in a coral reef and the crises of extinction and climate change. Her latest book is the short story collection Fight No More. Should be awesome!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Libby Page to the show. Libby Page is the author of The Lido, published in the UK by Orion and by Simon and Schuster in the US. Before writing The Lido Libby worked as a campaigner for fairer internships, a journalist at the Guardian and a Brand Executive at a retailer and then a charity. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist and storyteller Matthew Dicks to the show. Matthew is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Something Missing, Unexpectedly, Milo,The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, and, most recently, Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling. His novels have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide. Matthew is a 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 6-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour and their weekly podcast. Don't want to miss this one!
Bill welcomes suspense novelist Riley Sager to the show. Riley is a former journalist, editor and graphic designer. Now a full-time author, Riley's first thriller, FINAL GIRLS, was a national bestseller that has been published in 25 languages. His next book, THE LAST TIME I LIED, is out right now! Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes memoirist Jen Waite to the show. Jen is the author of the international bestselling memoir A Beautiful Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Love and Betrayal. In addition to her memoir she has been published in Scary Mommy, Upworthy, Today Parenting, The Huffington Post, and Romper. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Henry Alford to the show. A humorist and journalist, Henry Alford has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times and Vanity Fair for two decades. He has also been a contributor to National Public Radio. He is the author of a book about manners, Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That?; a book about the wisdom of people over the age of 70, How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They are Still on This Earth; a humor collection, Municipal Bondage; and an account of his attempts to become a working actor, Big Kiss, which won a Thurber Prize for American Humor. His most recent book, And Then We Danced, is all about dance. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes children's book author Barbara Bottner to the show. Barbara is a New York Times best-selling author, a screenwriter, TV writer, and writing coach, who began her multi-hyphenate career as an artist and actor. She is the author of over 40 books in all areas of children’s literature, including Young Adult, Middle Grade, chapter and I Can Reads as well as her award-winning picture books, several of which have been animated, and translated into multiple languages including French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hebrew amoung others. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Robert Dugoni to the show. Robert is the critically acclaimed New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon Best Selling Author of The Tracy Crosswhite series: My Sister’s Grave, Her Final Breath, In the Clearing, and The Trapped Girl. The Crosswhite Series has sold more than 2,000,000 books and My Sister’s Grave has been optioned for television series development. He is also the author of the best-selling David Sloane series: The Jury Master, Wrongful Death, Bodily Harm Murder One and The Conviction, and the stand-alone novels The 7th Canon, a 2017 finalist for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for best novel, The Cyanide Canary, A Washington Post Best Book of the Year. He is a two time finalist for the International Thriller Writers award and the Mystery Writers of America Award for best novel. His books are sold world-wide in more than 25 countries and have been translated into more than two dozen languages. We'll be discussing his latest stand alone novel: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell.
Bill welcomes novelist Jessica Knoll to the show. Jessica has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan, and the articles editor at SELF. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Luckiest Girl Alive, which was recently purchased by Lionsgate and will be produced by Reece Witherspoon. Her second novel, The Favorite Sister, is another blockbusting page-turner!
Bill welcomes bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey to the show. Dickey's novels, Chasing Destiny, Liar's Game, Between Lovers, Thieves' Paradise, The Other Woman, Drive Me Crazy, Genevieve, Naughty or Nice, Sleeping with Strangers, Waking with Enemies, and Pleasure have all earned him a spot on The New York Times bestseller list. Liar's Game, Thieves' Paradise, The Other Woman, and Genevieve have also given Dickey the added distinction of being nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Literary Work in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. In 2008, Eric was nominated for Storyteller of the Year at the 1st annual ESSENCE Literary Awards. Dickey is also the author of a six issue miniseries of comic books for Marvel Enterprises featuring Storm (X-Men) and the Black Panther. We'll be discussing his latest book, Bad Men and Wicked Women.
Bill welcomes author, journalist, editor, and content strategist Natalie Singer to the show. Having spent ten years writing for papers up and down the West Coast, including The Desert Sun, The San Francisco Independent, and The Seattle Times, she currently curates and programs content on two global Microsoft websites and works as an editor for the tech giant’s culture storytelling program. She is also the author of her recently published the memoir California Calling, a lyrical self-interrogation of obsession, emigration, and identity. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Debra Dean to the show. Debra Dean is the bestselling author of four critically acclaimed books that have been published in twenty-one languages. Her debut novel, The Madonnas of Leningrad, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a #1 Booksense Pick, a Booklist Top Ten Novel, and an American Library Association Notable Book of the Year. We will be discussing her newest book, Hidden Tapestry: Jan Yoors, His Two Wives, and the War That Made Them One. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Joan Dempsey to the show. Joan has had her short fiction published in numerous journals and magazines, including The Criterion Review and Plentitude magazine, and is a writing instructor sought-after public speaker. She is also the author of This Is How It Begins, a novel that was described by Forward as "an extraordinarily pertinent novel dripping in suspense and powerful scenes of political discourse." Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and publisher Jane Porter to the show. New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jane Porter has written 50 novels since getting her first sale to Harlequin Presents in 2000. A six time RITA finalist, and RITA winner in July 2014 for Take Me, Cowboy, Jane is known for her passionate, powerful stories and relatable heroines. An advocate for writers, Jane founded Tule Publishing in 2013 to give romance and women’s fiction authors support and opportunities.
Bill welcomes author Corinne Zupko to the show. Corrine is a counselor, coach, professor, mindfulness instructor, and the author of From Anxiety to Love: A Radical New Approach for Letting Go of Fear and Finding Lasting Peace. We'll discuss her journey from deep, debilitating anxiety to excitement, creativity, peace, and the role A Course in Miracles played in that transformation. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Kay Kenyon to the show. Kay is the author of over a dozen science fiction and fantasy novels. Her science fiction books include The Entire and The Rose quartet, Maximum Ice, and The Seeds of Time. Her fantasy novels are: At the Table of Wolves, Book 1 of the Dark Talent novels, A Thousand Perfect Things and Queen of the Deep. Her novels have been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Endeavour Award, the John W. Campbell Award and have been twice nominated for the American Library Association Reading List Awards. Her most recent novel is Book 2 of the Dark Talent series: Serpent in the Heather.
Bill welcomes debut romance novelist Audrey Wick to the show. Audrey is a full-time English professor at Blinn College in Texas. Her writing has appeared in college textbooks published by Cengage Learning and W. W. Norton as well as in The Houston Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Orlando Sentinel, and various literary journals. Audrey believes the secret to happiness includes lifelong learning and good stories. But travel and coffee help. She has journeyed to over twenty countries—and sipped coffee at every one. Finding True North is her first novel.
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense author Robert Crais to the show. Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. He began his creative career writing for such hit TV shows as Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice. He decided to leave the lucrative world of television to pursue his dream of writing novels. Though it took some time, he hit paydirt with first published novel: The Monkey's Raincoat, which became a smash hit and went on to win the Anthony and Macavity Awards. He has since published over twenty novels and remains one of the most read and respected suspense writers working today!
Bill welcomes author Tom Miller to the show. Tom graduated from Harvard University and went on to earn an MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame and an MD from the University of Pittsburgh. While writing The Philosopher’s Flight, he worked as a travel guidebook writer, EMT, and college English instructor. He's now an emergency room doctor in Madison, Wisconsin. The Philisopher's Flight is his first novel.
Bill welcomes suspense author Philip Donlay back to the show. Philip's been a flight instructor, flown a private jet for a Saudi prince, and for twenty-eight years flew a corporate jet for a Fortune 500 company. Licensed to fly six different jets and having logged nearly 14,000 hours, his travels have taken him to over forty countries on five continents. No longer flying, Donlay now divides his time between Montana and the Pacific Northwest. He's the bestselling author of eight novels, Category Five, Code Black, Zero Separation, Deadly Echoes, Aftershock, Pegasus Down, Seconds to Midnight and his latest: Speed the Dawn. Good to have you back, Phil!
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense author Lisa Gardner to the show. Lisa, a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist with over 22 million books in print, has been published in 30 countries. She’s also had four novels become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and has made personal appearances on TruTV and CNN. Her books have received awards from across the globe. Her novel, The Neighbor, won Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers, while also receiving the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle in France. Check it out!
Bill welcomes bestselling author Kristin Hannah to the show. Kristin is an award-winning author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbusters, The Nightingale, Winter Garden, Night Road, and Firefly Lane. Her novel, Firefly Lane, became a runaway bestseller in 2009, a touchstone novel that brought women together, and The Nightingale, in 2015 was voted a best book of the year by Amazon, Buzzfeed, iTunes, Library Journal, Paste, TheWall Street Journal and The Week. Additionally, the novel won the coveted Goodreads and People’s Choice Awards. What a treat to have her on the show!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Anna Quinn to the show. Anna Quinn is a writer, teacher, and the owner of The Writers’ Workshoppe and Imprint Books in Port Townsend, WA. She has thirty years of experience teaching and leading writing workshops across the country. Her writing has appeared in various literary journals, including Literature Circles and Response, Practical Aspects of Authentic Assessment, Instructor, Tidepools, IS Literary Magazine, Manifest-Station, Lit-Fest Anthology, 2016, and Washington 129 Anthology. Night Child is her first novel.
Bill welcomes author and activist Kit Bakke to the show. An activist all her life, Kit knows that successful democracies are built on informed and principled dissent. She’s a retired pediatric oncology nurse, a traveler, and a native Seattleite, and the author of three books: Dancing on the Edge, Miss Alcott's E-Mail, and, most recently, Protest On Trial. A timely interview if ever there was one!
Bill welcomes legendary author James Lee Burke to the show. James Lee Burke, a rare winner of two Edgar Awards, and named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, is the New York Times Best Selling Author of more than thirty novels and two collections of short stories, including The Tin Roof Blowdown, The Neon Rain, In The Electric Mist With Confederate Dead, and, his most recent, Robicheaux. Don't miss it!
Bill Welcomes author and coach Tama Kieves to the show. Featured on Oprah radio and Martha Stewart Living radio, best-selling author Tama Kieves, a former Harvard-trained attorney, is a sought-after speaker and visionary career/success and writing coach. She has helped thousands world-wide to discover, launch, and thrive in the life, calling and businesses of their dreams. We will be discussing her latest book, Thriving Through Uncertainty: Moving Beyond Fear of the Unknown and Making Change Work for You.
Bill welcomes author and teacher Spring Washam to the show. Spring is a founding member and core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center. She is the founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, an organization that blends indigenous healing practices with Buddhist wisdom. In addition to being a teacher she is also a healer, facilitator, spiritual activist and the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment.
Bill welcomes author Jordan Rosenfeld to the show. Jordan is author of the suspense novels Women in Red, Forged in Grace and Night Oracle as well as the writing guides Writing the Intimate Character, Writing Deep Scenes: Plotting Your Story Through Action, Emotion & Theme, A Writer’s Guide to Persistence: How to Create a Lasting & Productive Writing Practice , and Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in numerous periodicals including, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and Writer's Digest.
Bill welcomes novelist David Rocklin to the show. David's work combines a love of language, history, and the complex social dynamics of power, race, and culture. He is the author of The Luminist, and, most recently, The Night Language. He is also the founder and host of Roar Shack, a reading series held monthly in Echo Park, CA.
Bill welcomes playwright, actor, and author Martin Moran to the show. Most recently he completed the Off Broadway run of his one-man play, All The Rage, which received the 2013 Lucille Lortel Award and Outer Critics Circle Nomination for Outstanding Solo Show. He received an OBIE and two Drama Desk Nominations for his 2004 solo play, The Tricky Part, based upon his memoir of the same title. The Tricky Part memoir won the 2005 Lambda Non-Fiction Prize and Barnes and Noble Discover Award. We will be discussing All The Rage: A Quest, a memoir adaption of his one-man show. Check it out.
Bill welcomes author Windy Lynn Harris to the show. Windy Lynn Harris is the author of Writing & Selling Short Stories & Personal Essays: The Essential Guide to Getting Your Work Published (Writer’s Digest Books). She’s a prolific writer, a trusted mentor, and a frequent speaker at literary events. Her long list of short stories and personal essays have been published in literary, trade, and women’s magazines across the U.S. and Canada in places like The Literary Review,The Sunlight Press, and Literary Mama, among many other journals. Her articles for writers can be found at The Review Review, the 2018 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market (Writer’s Digest Books), the 2018 Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market (Writer’s Digest Books), and many industry blogs.
Bill welcomes journalist and author Josh Dean to the show. Josh was an editor at various magazines, most recently Men's Journal, where he was deputy editor until 2004, when he left to write full-time. Over the years, he has written for dozens of national magazines including Rolling Stone, Popular Science, Men's Journal, GQ, Travel + Leisure, New York, Entertainment Weekly, Inc., Fast Company, Men's Health, Runner's World, and Outside, where he's currently a Correspondent. He is also the only person in history to play in both the Elephant Polo World Championships and the Quidditch World Cup. He is also the author of two books: Show Dog, and most recently, The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History.
Bill welcomes author Gayle Brandeis to the show. Gayle is the author of Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write, Dictionary Poems, the novels The Book of Dead Birds, Self Storage, and Delta Girls (Ballantine) - and her first novel for young readers, My Life with the Lincolns, which won a Silver Nautilus Book Award and was chosen as a state-wide read in Wisconsin. She is also author of the new memoir, The Art of Misdiagnosis: Surviving My Mother’s Suicide. Her poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies (such as Salon, The Rumpus, The Nation, and The Mississippi Review) and she has received several literary awards, including the QPB/Story Magazine Short Story Award, and a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2016. Gayle Brandeis is also the Editor-in-Chief at Tiferet Journal and host of Tiferet Talk, Tiferet's live radio interview broadcasts.
Bill welcomes debut memoirist Paula Pederson to the show. Paula's memoir, Mysterious Builder of Seattle's Landmarks: Searching for My Father, tells the fascinating tale of Paula's search to uncover the truth about her father, and her family's many secrets. Join us as we discuss writing, memoirs, families and much more. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes author and celebrity mortician Caitlin Doughty to the show. Caitlin is a mortician, activist, and funeral industry rabble-rouser. In 2011 she founded the death acceptance collective The Order of the Good Death, which has spawned the death positive movement. Her first book, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, was a New York Times best-seller. She lives in Los Angeles, where she runs her nonprofit funeral home. We will be discussing, among other things, her latest book, From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death.
Bill welcomes journalist and bestselling author Blaine Harden to the show. For 28 years, Blaine worked for The Washington Post as a correspondent in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, as well as in New York and Seattle. For four years, he was a local and national correspondent for The New York Times and a writer for the Times Magazine. He is a reporter and consultant for PBS FRONTLINE, and he has written for The Economist, Time, Foreign Policy, National Geographic and the Guardian. He is also the author of several books, including Escape From Camp 14, The Great Leader and Fighter Pilot, and, most recently, King of Spies.
Bill welcomes author and teacher Maresha Donna Ducharme to the show. A unique combination of mystic, teacher and author Maresha Donna Ducharme is the founder of the Snow Dragon Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a contemplative center for all faiths and traditions. Maresha has guided and inspired countless students over many years. A dedicated practitioner of unity in consciousness, she has distilled more than three decades of study, training, teaching and practice into her simple and insightful book, The Way Home to Love: A Guide to Peace in a Turbulent Times.
Bill welcomes author and yogi Rachel Scott to the show. A yoga instructor who has logged over 3000 hours of teaching, Rachel is currently the Director of Teachers’ College and Development for YYoga. In addition to her videos and blogs, she contributes regularly to Yoga International, Huffington Post and the blog at Half Moon. Her first book Wit and Wisdom from the Yoga Mat was published in 2016. We will be discussing her latest book: Head over Heals; A Yogi's Guide to Dating.
Bill welcomes novelist Donna Baier Stein to the show. Donna is the author of The Silver Baron’s Wife, Sympathetic People, and the poetry collection Sometimes You Sense the Difference. She was a Founding Editor of Bellevue Literary Review and founded and publishes Tiferet Journal. Her stories and poems have appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, Confrontation, Prairie Schooner, New York Quarterly, Washingtonian, New Ohio Review, Ascent, Puerto del Sol, and many other journals as well as in the anthologies I’ve Always Meant to Tell You (Pocket Books), To Fathers: What I’ve Never Said (featured in O Magazine), Men and Women: Together and Alone from Spirit That Moves Us Press.
Bill welcomes novelist and short story writer Audrey Kalman to the show. Audrey writes literary fiction with a dark edge, often about what goes awry when human connection is missing from our lives. She is the author of two novels: What Remains Unsaid and Dance of Souls. Her short fiction has appeared in a number of print and online publications.
She served as editor of Fault Zone, the anthology of California writers produced by the SF-Peninsula Branch of the California Writers Club, and is currently the branch vice president.
Bill welcomes acclaimed novelist Claire Messud to the show. Claire has twice been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award; her second novel, The Last Life, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and Editor's Choice at The Village Voice. All of her books have been New York Times Notable Books of the Year. She has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Radcliffe Fellowship, and is the current recipient of the Straus Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. We will be discussing her newest novel, The Burning Girl. Should be fun!
Bill welcomes debut YA novelist Lana Popovic to the show. Lana studied psychology and literature at Yale University, and law at Boston University. She is a graduate of the Emerson College Publishing and Writing program and works as a literary agent with Chalberg & Sussman, specializing in YA. Her debut YA novel, Wicked Like a Wildfire, is out now! Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes author Denise Jaden to the show. Denise wrote her debut novel, Losing Faith, in twenty-one days during NaNoWriMo in 2007, and she loves talking with writers and students alike about drumming up story ideas and her just-get-to-the-end fast-drafting process. Jaden’s other young adult novels include Never Enough, A Christmas Kerril, Foreign Exchange, and Avalanche. Her nonfiction books for writers include Writing with a Heavy Heart and the NaNoWriMo-popular guide Fast Fiction. Her latest how-to writing guide is Story Sparks. In her spare time, she homeschools her son, acts in TV and movies, and dances with a Polynesian dance troupe. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes comedian and author Nate Dern to the show. NATE DERN is a senior writer at Funny Or Die and the former artistic director of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. He appeared in the Paolo Sorrentino film Youth and in the TV shows Boardwalk Empire and Gossip Girl. His writing has been published by The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Outside, Vice, New York Magazine, and others. "Not Quite a Genius" is his first book.
Bill welcomes suspense writer Erika Mitchell to the show. Erika is the author of three novels, Blood Money, Take the Bai Tide, and her most recent, Take the Bai Road. Join us for a discussion about suspense, espionage, writing, life, and whatever else interests us both!
Kay Kenyon is the author of over a dozen science fiction and fantasy novels, including The Entire and The Rose quartet, Maximum Ice, The Seeds of Time, A Thousand Perfect Things, Queen of the Deep and, just released, At the Table of Wolves. Her novels have been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Endeavour Award, the John W. Campbell Award and have been twice nominated for the American Library Association Reading List Awards. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes journalist and memoirist Heather Chaplin to the show. Heather has written about all kinds of things in her journalism career and is the founding director of the Journalism + Design program at The New School. She is the author of, Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution, and, most recently, the memoir, Reckless Years: A Diary of Love and Madness.
Bill welcomes standup comedian, keynote speaker, and author Michael Burger to the show. If you’re a fan of daytime talk or iconic game shows, you’ll know Michael Burger. If you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you might know him even better. Michael was the co-host of two successful morning talk shows, ABC's Mike & Maty, and Home & Family with Cristina Ferrare, as well as the host of four game shows, including Personals for CBS and the classic Match Game. For Iron Chef USA, he sat behind the microphone as the play-by-play announcer. Michael was featured on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood profiling his status as the most in demand warm up comic in television. For TV Land he hosted Moments/After an on-the-fly interview show capturing actor's moments after their appearance on the Betty White sitcom “Hot In Cleveland.” 2017 began with a show he created for Sean Hayes and Todd Millner at HazyMills called Uber Comic. It’s now in development. In the corporate world, Michael is in demand for his insight and expertise. Michael’s keynotes reveal why happy employees can be your greatest asset, in addition to offering the tools you need to become better communicators. Michael uses his 4000 hours of television experience to deliver with great humor countless useful solutions that help individuals and companies succeed in this constantly changing world. Michael is the author of, Absolutely Necessary (how to keep yourself in demand) and the just released coloring book for adults, Coloring Your Way To Success.
Bill welcomes memoirist Claire Dederer to the show. Claire is the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses. Poser has been translated into 11 languages, optioned for television by Warner Bros., and adapted for the stage. Dederer is a long-time contributor to The New York Times. Her essays, criticism, and reviews have also appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s, The Nation, Vogue, Chicago Tribune, Real Simple, Entertainment Weekly, New York magazine, Yoga Journal, Newsday, Slate, Salon, and many other publications. Her essays have appeared in numerous anthologies, most recently Labor Day. We will be discussing her latest acclaimed memoir Love and Trouble: A Midlife Reckoning. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and teacher Sandra Marinella to the show. Sandra Marinella is an award-winning teacher and writer. In recent years she has taught more than 10,000 writers and given 200+ professional workshops. She founded the Story You Need to Tell Project (www.storyyoutell.com), where individuals who want to write or tell their stories can discover life-changing stories and learn the power of reworking and editing their personal life stories with the goal of finding hope, inspiration, and a better way of living. We'll be discussing her new book, The Story You Need to Tell: Writing to Heal From Trauma, Ilness, or Loss.
Bill welcomes Roman Krznaric to the show to discuss his new book Carpe Diem: Seizing the Day in a Distracted World. In this thought-provoking book, leading popular philosopher Roman unveils five very different ways humankind has discovered over the centuries to seize the day that we urgently need to revive, from the personal to the political.
Drawing on everything from the neuropsychology of regret and medieval carnival traditions to the carpe diem lives of nightclub dancers, war photographers and committed revolutionaries, the book unpacks the history, philosophy and modern-day applications of ‘seizing the day’. At the same time, it offers inspiration for anyone up for the daunting challenge of leading a meaningful life. Should be fun!
Join host William (Bill) Kenower and co-host RJ Jeffreys for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire.
Bill welcomes author Joan Frank to the show. Joan is the author of six books of fiction and a book of collected essays. ALL THE NEWS I NEED, her fourth novel, won the 2016 Juniper Prize for Fiction. Joan's last story collection, IN ENVY COUNTRY, won the Richard Sullivan Prize and the Gold ForeWord ReviewsBook of the Year Award, and her book of essays, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO: A WRITING LIFE, won the Silver ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Award. A MacDowell Colony Fellow and recipient of many grants and honors, Joan also frequently reviews literary fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Bill welcomes memoirist and teacher Peter Gibb to the show. Peter has dedicated his life to two guiding principles. The first is creativity – the quest, the moment of inspiration, the joy of exploration and discovery. The second principle is mindfulness, the ongoing adventure of trying to be present to the moment. To his good fortune, memoir and mindfulness turn out to be flip sides of the same coin, and so he now teaches, coaches and speaks about them together. We'll be discussing mindfulness as well as his new memoir King of Doubt.
Bill welcomes children's book author, motivational speaker, and TV and radio host Lisa McDonald to the show. Lisa is the author of three bestselling children’s books: Little Boy Gan: From Passion-Filled Everland; Reimburse the Universe and Planet Pome-Granite. She is also a contributing author to the International nonfiction bestsellers, 365 Moments of Grace and 365 Life Shifts.
On her weekly radio talk show, Lisa interviews a variety of newsmakers, leaders, authors and celebrities. Recent guests have included, Deepak Chopra, Leeza Gibbons, David Suzuki, Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath and leadership expert, Dov Baron. Lisa believes that the key to success and happiness comes through learning how to LIVE LIFE FEARLESSLY!
To find out more about our fascinating guest, Lisa McDonald, please visit: https://lisamcdonaldauthor.com/
Ellen Tadd is an internationally known clairvoyant counselor, educator, and author who has been teaching and counseling for more than forty years. She is widely respected for the integrity of her work, the accuracy of her perceptions and guidance, and the clarity and usefulness of her teaching.
Tadd is the author of four books, including: The Infinite View, The Wisdom of the Chakras, and Death and Letting Go, which appeared on the Boston Globe bestseller list. Should be a good one!
Join host William (Bill) Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire.
Bill welcomes motivational speaker Anne Tucker to the show. Anne has addressed audiences around the world on topics of leadership, personal transformation, decision making, and the psychology of doubt. She is the founder of Wisdom Soup, an online social learning community that speeds up serendipity by connecting people with similar interests in spirituality and personal growth. We'll be discussing, among other things, her recent book, Undoubtedly Awesome: Your personal roadmap from doubt to flow. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes suspense writer Philip Donlay back to the show. Philip has been a flight instructor, flown a private jet for a Saudi prince, and for twenty-eight years flew a corporate jet for a Fortune 500 company. His travels have taken him to over forty countries on five continents. No longer flying, Philip now divides his time between Montana and the Pacific Northwest. He's the bestselling author of six novels, Category Five, Code Black, Zero Separation, Deadly Echoes, Aftershock, Pegasus Down and his latest: Seconds to Midnight. Always an interesting to guy to talk to. Don't miss it.
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire.
Bill wecomes Lisa B. Martin to the show. In her dynamic career, writer and communications consultant Lisa Martin has been a leading change maker and entrepreneur in marketing, public affairs, and philanthropy development. Her articles on travel, culture, lifestyle and business have appeared in Boston Magazine, Antiques & Fine Arts, Another Day in Paradise, Design Times, and numerous trade publications and newspapers. Lisa Martin is also the founder and former executive director of The Netza Project, a U.S./Mexico non-profit social change organization dedicated to creating equal access to education and economic advancement for all people, including migrant and indigenous Aztec children and their families. The Netza Project helped build a now locally sustainable six-language public primary school for over 500 indigenous and at-risk children in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Lisa’s award-winning work collaborating with local and international partners fostered vital advocacy, literacy, scholarship, and economic empowerment initiatives in the region, including a pilot women’s microfinance program. Her fundraising skills have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in international aid. Can't wait!
Bill welcomes novelist and publisher Jason Rekulak to the show. Jason is the publisher of Quirk Books, where he has acquired a dozen New York Times bestsellers. Some of his most notable acquisitions at Quirk include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and the YA fantasy novel series Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, which has spent five years on the New York Times bestseller list. We'll be discussing, among other things, his first novel The Impossible Fortress.
Bill welcomes writer, editor, and New Thought provocator Mitch Horowitz back to the show. Mitch is a PEN Award-winning historian and the author of books including Occult America; One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life; and the forthcoming The Miracle of a Definite Chief Aim (Gildan/Hachette). Mitch has written on everything from the secret life of Ronald Reagan to the war on witches for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Salon, Politico, and Time.com. He is the host of ORIGINS: SUPERSTITIONS, and a vice-president and executive editor at Penguin Random House, where he publishes authors, living and dead, including David Lynch and Manly P. Hall. Today we will be discussing, among other things, the work of Joseph Murphy. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes legendary songwriter Carole Bayer Sager to the show. Carole Bayer Sager’s songbook spans almost 50 years and contains some of the worlds most popular and successful songs. From the Grammy-winning “That’s What Friends Are For,” the Oscar-winning “Arthur’s Theme,” and the Oscar-nominated Golden Globe winning, “The Prayer,” to “Don’t Cry Out Loud” and “On My Own,” Carole’s songs have become pop standards. Honors for her work include an Academy Award, a GRAMMY Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Tony Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a Songwriter’s Hall of Fame induction. Carole’s songs have been recorded by such artists as Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Celine Dion, and Reba McEntire. We will be discussing, among other things, her memoire, "They're Playing Our Song." Don't miss this one folks - should be dandy!
Bill welcomes Author and teacher Thomas M. Sterner to the show. Sterner is the founder and CEO of The Practicing Mind Institute. As a successful entrepreneur, he is considered an expert in Present Moment Functioning or PMF tm. He is a popular and in-demand speaker who works with high-performance individuals including, athletes, industry groups and individuals, helping them to operate effectively within high-stress situations so that they can break through to new levels of mastery. He is the author of the best seller The Practicing Mind, and most recently, Fully Engaged: Using the Practicing Mindin Daily Life. Should be a good one.
Bill welcomes suspense author Alex Dolan to the show. Alex is the author of The Euthanist and The Empress of Tempera. He also hosts the show "Thrill Seekers," part of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. He was an executive committee member of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Litquake festival, and is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. He has recorded four music albums, and created "The End of the World" festivals, which combined philanthropy with the arts. Don't miss it!
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Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire.
Bill welcomes author and mindfulness expert Jospeh Emet to the show. Joseph is the author of Sleep Better With Mindfulness Meditation, Buddha’s Book of Stress Reduction, A Basket of Plums, Songs for the Practice of Mindfulness Meditation, and Buddha’s Book of Meditation. These books all have forewords by Thich Nhat Hanh. His book on sleep has won an award as the best self-help book of the year in 2013, and has been translated into 10 languages. We will be discussing his latest book Finding the Blue Sky: A Mindful Approach to Choosing Happiness Here and Now. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author, speaker, and publisher Mitch Horowitz back to the show. Mitch is a writer and publisher who explores “rejected stones,” from the occult to positive thinking to ESP. He is a PEN Award-winning historian and the author of Occult America (Bantam) and One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life (Crown), now out in paperback from Skyhorse.
Mitch has written on everything from the secret life of Ronald Reagan to the war on witches for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Salon, Politico, and Time.com. He is the host of ORIGINS: SUPERSTITIONS, and he narrates audio books including Alcoholics Anonymous.
We will be discussing, among other things, AT YOUR COMMAND, the classic work by the visionary mystic, Neville. Should be awesome!
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire.
Join host Bill Kenower for another this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire. Call in with your questions, or contact Bill on FB or Twitter. The first class went so well we're doing it again - and will continue doing it as long as there's interest. See you there!
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire. Call in with your questions, or contact Bill on FB or Twitter. The first class went so well we're doing it again - and will continue doing it as long as there's interest. See you there!
William welcomes publicst and founder of We Grow Media Dan Blank to the show. Dan has worked with hundreds of people via online courses, consulting, and workshops, including such organizations as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, and Library Journal. His writing has been published in Poets & Writers magazine, Compose Journal, the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works blog, Writer Unboxed, and Folio: magazine. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes award-winning novelist Melinda Rucker Haynes to the show. Award-winning author Melinda Rucker Haynes has published six novels in the romance sub-genres of paranormal, young adult and contemporary. Melinda’s other published work includes three nonfiction books, numerous articles and columns on a variety of subjects, including education research, instructional processes and assessment. She is a former education research projects director, and her interest in curriculum development and teaching led her to create Story Compass©, a creative writing development process and tool that her students enjoy in her international writing workshops, creative personal development seminars and presentations. Melinda’s postgraduate work includes advanced study of language, artistic expression, neurolinguistic programming, hypnosis, and metaphysics. Melinda applies her continuing study of human behavior, positive change creation and motivational techniques in her creative coaching practice that emphasizes block removal and flow generated production for writers and other creatives.
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire. Call in with your questions, or contact Bill on FB or Twitter. The first class went so well we're doing it again - and will continue doing it as long as there's interest. See you there!
Bill welcomes Hélène Cardona to the show. A poet, literary translator and actor, Hélène is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Hemingway Grant and the USA Best Book Award. Her books include three bilingual poetry collections, most recently Life in Suspension (Salmon Poetry, 2016) and Dreaming My Animal Selves (Salmon Poetry, 2013), and two translations, Beyond Elsewhere (White Pine Press, 2016) and Ce que nous portons (Éditions du Cygne, 2014). With Yves Lambrecht, she co-translated Walt Whitman’s Civil War Writings for the Iowa International Writing Program’s WhitmanWeb. Her acting credits include Chocolat, Jurassic World, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Hundred-Foot Journey, Muppets Most Wanted, X-Men Days of Future Past, Happy Feet 2, Mumford, & many more. Don't miss it!
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire. Call in with your questions, or contact Bill on FB or Twitter. The first class went so well we're doing it again - and will continue doing it as long as there's interest. See you there!
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire. Call in with your questions, or contact Bill on FB or Twitter. See you there!
Bill welcomes novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and director, Stephen Metcalfe to the show. Stephen's stage plays include LOVES & HOURS, VIKINGS, STRANGE SNOW, SORROWS AND SONS, PILGRIMS, HALF A LIFETIME, EMILY, WHITE LINEN, THE INCREDIBLY FAMOUS WILLY RIVERS, WHITE MAN DANCING, A WORLD OF THEIR OWN and THE GIFT TELLER. He has been produced in New York and at regional theaters throughout the United States, as well as in Europe and Japan. His screen credits include HALF A LIFETIME, COUSINS, JACKNIFE, ROOMMATES, EL ABUELO and BEAUTIFUL JOE. He is also the author of two novels, THE TRAGIC AGE, and, most recently, THE PRACTICAL NAVIGATOR.
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire. Call in with your questions, or contact Bill on FB or Twitter. See you there!
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire. Call in with your questions, or contact Bill on FB or Twitter. The first class went so well we're doing it again - and will continue doing it as long as there's interest. See you there!
Join host Bill Kenower for this special edition of Author2Author. What stands between you and the writing experience you most desire? Is it time? Craft? Do you feel as though you write stuff that's not marketable? Do you procrastinate? In this show Bill will answer questions from his listeners and readers about the blocks every writer must overcome to have the successful, creative, exciting writing career they desire. Call in with your questions, or contact Bill on FB or Twitter. See you there!
Most writers’ love of storytelling does not easily translate to marketing those stories once they are published. Unfortunately, authors are increasingly responsible for their own marketing, a task most writers find boring, irritating, depressing, and often fruitless. Today, Bill Kenower will help us turn marketing on its head so that authors can take the skills and passion they have for writing and learn how to apply them to marketing. Don't fear it. Love it!
Bill welcomes memoirist Lynda Hubbard to the show. Artist, writer and entrepreneur Lynda Cain Hubbard whose art has been displayed throughout the U.S. and Canada. She runs a successful market research firm in Southern California and has also written the ebook Know Before You Go: Marketing Basics for Any Business. Her non-profit charity Hublee Foundation encourages children’s educational programs and alternative energy sources. We will be discussing her spiritual memoir Loving Dangerously: Journey to Nepal. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and teacher Zen Cryar DeBrücke back to the show. Zen Cryar DeBrücke is the author of Your Inner GPS. She is an internationally renowned teacher, speaker, and coach whose programs have helped people all over the world transform their personal and business lives for the better. Our conversation was rudely interrupted by an Internet SNAFU last month. Can't wait to continue it!
Bill welcomes author, teacher, and publisher Joel Fotinos back to the show. Joel, known the world over as the Spiritual Businessman, is vice-president and publisher at Tarcher/Penguin, and the co-author of THE PRAYER CHEST. Fotinos has also written or co-written several other books, including MULTIPLY YOUR BLESSINGS, A LITTLE DAILY WISDOM, and THE THINK & GROW RICH WORKBOOK; his books have over 120,000 copies in-print, and have been published in 14 languages. Fotinos has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, and was given Science of Mind magazine’s first “Spiritual Hero of the Year” award. We will be disucssing one of Tarcher/Penguin's recent re-releases, Napoleon Hill's Road to Success. You won't want to miss this one.
Bill welcomes author and psychotherapist Nigel Wellings to the show. Nigel, as well as being practicing phsychotherapist since 1985, is also the author Why Can't I Meditate? How to get Your Mindfulness Practice on Track. We'll discuss the relationship between psychotherapy and spirituality, as well as the role mindfulness plays in the everyday practice of writing. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes suspense writer and former Los Angeles District Attorney Marcia Clark to the show. Since gaining fame as a lead prosocuter in the O. J. Simpson trial, Ms. Clark has gone on to become a bestelling author - first in non-fiction, and more recently, in fiction. Her popular Rachel Night books have been optioned by TNT, and she was a producer for a one hour reality pilot on CBS. Busy woman! Should be a fascinating conversation. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes author and teacher Zen Cryar DeBrücke to the show. Zen Cryar DeBrücke is the author of Your Inner GPS. She is an internationally renowned teacher, speaker, and coach whose programs have helped people all over the world transform their personal and business lives for the better. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author Mark Adams to the show. Mark is the author of the acclaimed history Mr. America, which The Washington Post named a Best Book of 2009, and the New York Times bestseller, Turn Right at Machu Picchu, which Men's Journal recently selected as one of the Fifty Greatest Adventure Books of All Time. His work has appeared in many national publications, including ESPN: The Magazine, GQ, New York and the New York Times. Today we'll be discussing his fascinating travel book Meet Me In Atlantis.
Bill welcomes author, teacher, and painter Abigail Thomas to the show. Abigail Thomas was for a time a book editor and for another time a book agent before writing for publication. Her first three books “Getting Over Tom,” “An Actual Life,” and “Herb’s Pajamas” were works of fiction. Her memoir, “A Three Dog Life,” was named one of the best books of 2006 by the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. It won the 2006 Inspirational Memoir Award given by Books for A Better Life. She is also author of “Safekeeping,” a memoir, and “Thinking About Memoir," and, most recently, the memoir "What Comes Next and How to Like it."
Bill welcomes Cara Bradley to the show. Cara is an author, yoga teacher, mental strength coach, former pro-skater for Team Rollerblade® and entrepreneur who has devoted more than three decades to movement disciplines and personal transformation. She is the founder of Verge Yoga in Philadelphia and the cofounder of a non-profit Mindfulness Through Movement, providing full year mindfulness programs to more than a dozen schools in urban Philadelphia. She is the host of a podcast series for Women for One called Real Women, Courageous Wisdom. We will be discussing, among other things, her new book: On The Verge: Wake Up, Show Up, and Shine.
Bill welcomes author Mitch Horowitz to the show. A writer, speaker, and publisher with a lifelong interest in man’s search for meaning, Mitch Horowitz is the author of One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life. Mitch has written on everything from the secret life of Ronald Reagan to the war on witches for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Salon. Politico, and Time.com. He often discusses spiritual issues in the national media, including CBS Sunday Morning, Dateline NBC, Coast to Coast AM, and NPR’s All Things Considered. Should be a good one. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes inspirational speaker, teacher, and writer Lee Milteer to the show. Dame Lee Milteer is an Internationally known and celebrated Entrepreneur, Visionary, Best Selling Author, Award winning Professional Speaker, TV Personality, and Intuitive Business Mentor. Lee provides business and success advice and resources to nearly 250,000 people around the world. She has authored 11 books, including Success Is An Inside Job, Spiritual Power Tools for Successful Selling. Join us as we discuss her most recent book, Reclaim the Magic. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Laurel Saville to the show. Join Bill as he and Laurel discuss the joys and terpidations of publishing that first novel, as well as the long road we travel to get there. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes one-of-a-kind novelist Matt Ruff to the show. Matt is the author of the novels Fool on The Hill (1988), Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy (1997), Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls (2003), Bad Monkeys (2007), and The Mirage (2012). His new novel, Lovecraft Country, has just been published by HarperCollins, and it's a good one. Join us as we talk fiction, storytelling, and how to make a life as an author. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense writer Philip Donlay to the show. As a young man, Philip Donlay's life was shaped by two distinct events. At the age of seventeen, he earned his pilot's license, and at eighteen was published in a national aviation magazine. The combination of these two passions: flying and writing, has led to successful careers as both a professional pilot and novelist.
He's been a flight instructor, flown a private jet for a Saudi prince, and for twenty-eight years flew a corporate jet for a Fortune 500 company. Licensed to fly six different jets and having logged nearly 14,000 hours, his travels have taken him to over forty countries on five continents. No longer flying, Donlay now divides his time between Montana and the Pacific Northwest. He's the bestselling author of six novels, Category Five, Code Black, Zero Separation, Deadly Echoes, Aftershock and his latest: Pegasus Down. He's an interesting guy. Don't miss it.
For today's episode Bill Kenower offer's a crash course on fearless writing. We don't begin writing until we forget to be afraid. If you've ever had a good day of writing - a day where you lost track of time, where your characters talked to you, where you were surprised by where the story went - then you've written fearlessly. The question, then, is not whether you will write fearlessly, but whether you will do it on purpose. In this crash course, Bill offers three tips to focussing our attention on our inherent fearlessness so that we can have the writing experience we crave and deserve. Don't miss it.
Something different for today's episode. Most writers spend far more time editing and rewriting the stories they tell on the page than the stories they tell themselves about their writing experiences. Too many writers do not question the stories they tell themselves about rejection and acceptance, talent, intelligence, luck, and craft. Many of the stories I've heard about the most common experiences all writers face do not serve the writer. Today I'll offer a new story about writing, a story about how everyone is born with whatever they need to tell any story they want. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselliong author Susan Mallery to the show. Susan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women's lives—romance, friendship, family. With compassion and humor, Susan keenly observes how people think and feel, in stories that take readers on an emotional journey. Sometimes heartbreaking, often funny, and always uplifting, Susan's books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list, thanks to her ever growing legions of fans.
How can you beat that? Should be a lot of fun. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes bestselling suspense writer Lisa Gardner to the show. With over 22 million books in print, Lisa is published in 30 countries. Her success crosses into the small screen with four of her novels becoming movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and personal appearances on television shows (TruTV; CNN). Her novel THE NEIGHBOR was recognized as the Best Hardcover Novel from the International Thriller Writers in the United States and Grand Prix des lectrices de Elle, prix du policier in France. She was also recognized with the Daphne duMaurior Award presented by RWA in 2000 for THE OTHER DAUGHTER. Should be a good one. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes Tami Hoag to the show. Tami Hoag is the #1 international bestselling author of more than thirty books published in more than thirty languages worldwide, including her latest thrillers—BITTER SEASON, COLD COLD HEART and THE 9TH GIRL. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times Bestseller list with NIGHT SINS, and each of her books since has been a bestseller. What can we say? Tami knows how to tell a good story. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes Paul Selig to the show. Paul Selig is considered to be one of the foremost spiritual channels working today. In his breakthrough works of channeled literature, I Am the Word, The Book of Love and Creation, The Book of Knowing and Worth, and The Book of Mastery, author and medium Paul Selig has recorded an extraordinary program for personal and planetary evolution as humankind awakens to its own divine nature.
A spiritual experience in 1987 left Paul clairvoyant. His unique abilities have been documented in the Biography Channel series The Unexplained, the documentary film, Paul & The Word, Fox News, and the forthcoming documentary film Widowsville. Paul serves on the faculty of The Omega Institute, The Kripalu Center, and the Esalen Institue. Also a noted playwright and educator, Paul is the former director of the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Goddard College and served on the faculty of NYU for over 25 years.
Should be a good one. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes novelist Eliot Pattison to the show. Pattison has been described as a "writer of faraway mysteries," a label which is particularly apt for someone whose travel and interests span such a broad spectrum. After reaching a million miles of global trekking, visiting every continent but Antarctica, Pattison stopped logging his miles and set his compass for the unknown. In the late 1990's he decided to combine his deep concerns for the people of Tibet with his interest in venturing into fiction by writing The Skull Mantra, which won the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery. We will be discussing among other things, his most recent historical novel, Blood of the Oak. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes prospoerity coach Marilyn Jenett to the show. Marilyn is a renowned prosperity mentor with an international following. Her success os the result of the prosperity principles she now teaches in her Feel Free to Prosper® Program, a simple yet powerful lesson and mentoring program based on mental and spiritual laws. Marilyn's memoir, Feel Free to Prosper: an Entrepreneurial Memoir of Synchronicity and Guidance, was written completely online, has attracted over 65,000 views, and countless rave reviews. Don't miss this interesting converstaion.
Bill welcomes teacher, chef, and memoirist Gabrielle Myers to the show. Gabrielle is an Associate Professor of English at San Joaquin Delta College. Her poems and essays have been published in professional journals and literary magazines. She coauthored a nutrition book, The New Prostate Cancer Nutrition Book. Join Bill and Gabrielle as they discuss her new memoir, Hive Mind. don't miss it!
Bill welcomes legendary writer, thinker, and physician Bernie Siegel back to the show. Last time Bernie stopped by we had a fanastic conversation about miracles, medicien, science, love, the imagination, and much else. I expect nothing less this tie as we discuss, among other things, his latest books Love, Animals, and Miracles. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes bestselling novelist Kristina McMorris back to the show. Join Bill and Kristina as they discuss her latest novel, The Edge of Lost, as well as her love of history, family, and storytelling. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Anna Lefler to the show. Hardly a novice to the writing world, Anna joins Bill to discuss her first novel, Preschooled, her work on Nickelodian's “Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor,” as well as her strange journey to the world of fiction. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes award-winning suspense writer Chris Patchell to the show. Join Bill and Chris as they discuss her latest suspense movel, In The Dark. Winner of the Indie Reader Discovery Award for fiction, Chris will also talk about her experience with Amazon's new Kindle Scout Program, as well as her fondness for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes Paul Steinberg, MD to the show. Join Bill and Paul as they discuss his book A Salamander's Tale. Part medical biography and part philosophical musing, A Salamander’s Tale looks at the evolution of the regenerative capabilities of cold-blooded vertebrates like the salamander and what we as humans have lost and gained in our warm-bloodedness. How do we as human beings regenerate? How do we redeem ourselves when our capacity for regeneration is limited? How did the prostate evolve, and how does prostate cancer develop?
Bill welcomes debut novelist Michael Golding to the show. Michael's first novel, SIMPLE PRAYERS, has been translated into nine foreign languages. His translation of Alessandro Baricco’s stage play NOVECENTO opened the 2002 Edinburgh Festival and his screenplay adaptation of the best-selling novel SILK was a Featured Selection at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival. Join Bill and Michael as they discuss his third and most recent novel, POET OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD. Don't miss it!
Michaela Haas, PhD, is a reporter, lecturer, and consultant (www.michaelahaas.com). She is the owner of HAAS live!, an international coaching company for media, mindfulness and communication training. Since the age of sixteen, she has been working as a writer and interviewer for major nationwide German newspapers, magazines and TV stations including hosting her own successful nationwide talk show. In America, her articles have appeared in the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and numerous online media.
Michaela is the author of Bouncing Forward, Dakini Power, co-author of Coco Schumann-der Ghetto-Swinger, translator of Light Comes Through, as well as contributor to and editor of numerous other books. Should be a good one!
Bill welcomes novelist Laura Dave to the show. Laura Dave is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The First Husband, The Divorce Party, London Is The Best City In America, and her most recent, Eight Hundred Grapes. Dave’s fiction and essays have been published in The New York Times, ESPN, Redbook, Glamour and Ladies Home Journal. We'll talk all things fiction, life, love, and writing in general. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes debut novelist Anna Lefler to the show. Hardly a novice to the writing world, Anna joins Bill to discuss her first novel, Preschooled, her work on Nickelodian's “Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor,” as well as her strange journey to the world of fiction. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author, teacher, and fellow podcaster A. C. Fuller to the show. A.C. is the host of the fabulous WRITER 2.0 Podcast and the author of the media thriller The Anonymous Source. Previously, he was a chef, a journalist, and an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU. He teaches writing and literature at Northwest Indian College and lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two children. We'll talk all things, writing, life, teaching, and much more. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and life coach Rhys Thomas to the show. Rhys Thomas is a visionary author, speaker, trainer, and coach in the personal growth and energy medicine field. He is the founder of the Rhys Thomas Institute of Energy Medicine and the creator of the Rhys Method®, a powerful system self discovery, transformation, and healing. Join us as we discuss his latest book, Discover Your Purpose: How to Use the 5 Life Purpose Profiles to Unlock Your HIdden Potential and Live the Life You Were Meant to Live. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes Kristin Meekhof to the show. In 2007, when Kristin Meekhof was 33, her husband (a teacher and veteran) of four years was diagnosed with advanced adrenal cancer. Approximately eight weeks later, he died. Bill and Kristin will discuss the book she wrote in response that experience, and which has names as a Maria Schriver "Architect of Change." Don't miss this inspiring interview.
Bill welcomes novelist and slam poet Karen Finneyfrock to the show. Karen was influential during slam-poetry's infancy. She has since been short-listed for the Stranger genius award, and was named Seattle Magazine's "Queen of the Spoken
Word." Karen has now aimed her considerable talents toward the world of books, with her young adult novel Starbird Murphy and the World Outside. This should be a good one. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut suspense writer Christine Carbo to the show. Join us as we talk about the pleasures and perils of taking that first dip in publishing waters, what does or doesn't make for good suspense. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes John C. Robinson to the show. Dr. Robinson is a clinical psychologist with a second doctorate in ministry, and is an ordained interfaith minister. Bill and John will discuss his work with spiritual-oriented psycholtherapy, as well as his writing and teaching about the powers and benefits of aging. Maybe it ISN'T all downhill after 40! Turne in and find out.
Bill welcomes Will North back to the show. Will has led a varied writing life. He has written more than a dozen non fiction books. He was also a ghostwriter—for an American President, a Vice-President, a famous mountaineer and explorer, a team of Everest climbers, a group of dinosaur-hunters, and a pioneering doctor, among others. He also wrote a series of off-the-beaten-track guidebooks to Britain. Now he's writing ficiton. What an interesting guy! Don't miss it for anything.
Bill welcome blogger, foodie, and memoirist Tara Austen Weaver to the show. Tara is author of numerous books, including The Butcher and the Vegetarian, which was mentioned in Newsweek, on New York Magazine’s Grub Street, in Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Redbook, and Women’s Wear Daily. She writes the incredible popular blog Tea and Cookies, which has been recommended by the Food Network and selected by the Times of London as one of the top 50 food blogs in the world, and by The Independent (UK) as one of the 50 best food sites in the world. We'll be talking about all these things, as well as her new memoir Orchard House. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes Kim Schneiderman to the show. Kim Schneiderman is a psychotherapist, workshop facilitator, former journalist, and spiritual essayist. She counsels adults through her private psychotherapy practice and has facilitated therapeutic writing groups at the 92nd Street Y, the JCC in Manhattan, FEGS Health and Human Services, the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS), Art Studio NY, Limmud New York, and various other venues. We will be discussing her new book, Step Out of Your Story: Writing Exercises to Reframe and Transform Your Life. Don't miss it.
Bill welcomes author and thinker Richard Barrett to the show. Richard Barrett is an author, speaker and internationally recognised thought leader on the evolution of human values in business and society. He is the founder and chairman of the Barrett Values Centre, a Fellow of the World Business Academy, an Advisory Board Member of the Centre for Integral Wisdom, Honorary Board Member of the Spirit of Humanity Forum, and Former Values Coordinator at the World Bank. We will be discussing his latest book, The Metrics of Human Consciousness. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes novelist Stephanie Kallos back to the show. Kallos's short fiction has received a Raymond Carver Award and a Pushcart Prize nomination. Her first novel, Broken for You, was published in 2004; it was chosen by Sue Monk Kidd as a “Today Show” book club selection, and received the Washington State and PNBA Book Awards. Her second novel, Sing Them Home, was published in 2009; a Pacific NW Independent Booksellers bestseller, it was selected as a January ’09 IndieNext title. We will be talking about her latest novel, Language Arts. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes psychotherapist and author Sunita Pattani to the show. In addition to her practice, Pattani shares her message through a combination of speaking, running workshops, and writing. A regular blogger for Huffington Post, Pattani’s first book, My Secret Affair with Chocolate Cake – The Emotional Eater’s Guide to Breaking Free was published in 2012. We will be discussing her second book The Transcendent Mind – The Missing Peace in Emotional Wellbeing. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author, speaker, and publisher Marc Allen to the show. Marc is an internationally renowned author and president and publisher of New World Library, which he co-founded (with Shakti Gawain) in 1977. He has guided the company from a small start-up with no capital to its current position as one of the leading independent publishers in the country. Today we'll be discussing his latest book, Tantra For The West. Should be fun!
Bill welcomes renowned behavioral economist Richard H. Thaler to the show. Richard is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Finance Association and the Econometrics Society, and is the actiing President of the American Economic Association. He is also the author of the bestelling book Nudge. This week we'll be discussing his latest book, Misbehaving, which looks at how economists can use actual human behavior to create more viable economic models. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes author and quantum physicist Amit Goswami to the show. Dr. Goswami served as a full professor at the University of Oregon’s Department of Physics from 1968 to 1997. He is currently a pioneer of the new paradigm of science called “science within consciousness,” an idea he explicated in his seminal book, The Self-Aware Universe, where he also solved the quantum measurement problem elucidating the famous observer effect. Bill and Dr. Goswami will discuss his most recent books, Quantum Creativity and Quantum Economics. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes debut novelist Patricia Park to the show. Patricia's essays have been published in the New York Times, the Guardian, Slice Magazine, and many others. Her first novel Re Jane, is a Korean-American retelling of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë set in NYC and Seoul. Don't miss it!
Bill welcomes Steampunk novelist Brooke Johnson to the show. Join Bill and Brooke as they discuss all things fictional, mechanical, steamy, and punky. Don't miss it!