Audrey Gales takes us on a thrilling ride through the annals of medical history

In her Depression-era thriller “The Human Trial,” author Audrey Gale shares the story of Dr. Randall Archer, who changed medicine forever with his groundbreaking microscope. Overnight, he’s catapulted from the steel mills to the upper echelon of Bostonian society. But many challenges await, from the devastation of the Great Depression to the battle to maintain his place.

In this episode, Curtis and Max talk with Audrey about what inspired this book and the creation of Archer. We look at her own experience with medicine and how this shaped the novel, as well as the research done. Audrey talks about Archer’s ascension and how this impacts him, as well as how he has to fight to keep what he’s earned.

Fantasy, children’s lit and more at the Rhode Island Author Expo

The weekend of Dec. 2 saw the return of the annual Rhode Island Author Expo. Citywide host Max Bowen was there to not only emcee the event, but interview some of the great writers who were there.

Kicking off this episode is Nishita Roy-Pope to talk about her new book, “Courage Kids: The Magic Soccer Ball.” It’s her debut book and we talk about how her background in business and as a diversity leader helped prepare her for this new role. Nishita talks about the different characters, how her kids helped with the ideas and what she hopes people take away from the story.

Up next, Ann Watt channels her 30 years as a critical care nurse into a memoir, “When Being a Nurse was Fun.” She shares a few stories from her time as a nurse and what inspired the book. We go into what nursing was like pre-COVID and how the pandemic changed everything.

Keith Carreiro is no stranger to the show, having been on before to talk about his nine-book series, “The Immortality Wars.” This blend of science fiction and fantasy centers on Pall Warren, a 16th-century warrior who wakes up to find himself in the far future. He’s now four books into the series with the release of “The Pilgrim” and we look at how the story has advanced.

Kelly Swan Taylor brings a little mystery to the show with her series “The Wright Detective,” now three books long. Tessa Wright is a seventh-grade student who solve mysteries with her friends. We talk about the main character’s creation, along with how her friends and father—also a detective—factor into the books. Kelly has a new book, “Frozen in Time,” and we talk about the intense plot that awaits.

Maggie Kozel brings things to a close with her book, “My Legs are Crying.” Like Ann, this book is centered on real-life experience in the medical world. Maggie’s book is based on her work with emotional-based illnesses, and we go into what they are and how her work impacted medicine.

Matt Jatkola talks about tying music into his health journey

Boston singer-songwriter Matt Jatkola returns to talk about his newest singles—“When Tomorrow Comes” and “Japanese Butterfly.” Both were written at different stages of Matt's battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. “When Tomorrow Comes” was written shortly after he received the diagnosis in early 2020, and “Japanese Butterfly” was penned as his treatment was nearing its end. Matt's been cancer-free for nearly a year now.

We talk about Matt's mindset when he began writing the songs and why he wanted to share the story through his music. Matt shares his feelings when he was diagnosed and how it feels to have a clean bill of health. We also look at Matt's interest in professional wrestling and how it helped him to get through both his treatment and the pandemic itself.

Keep listening after this interview, because I've got both songs for your listening enjoyment. They have very different sounds, both of which I really liked.

Annette Berkovits' poetry book offers a portrayal of a mother's anguish

When Annette Berkovits' son was taken to the hospital for a stroke, she found writing to be a comfort, putting down her thoughts on faith, hope, and guilt. At the time it was just meant for her own eyes, but as she continued to write, the decision was made to collect these poems into her new book, “Erythra Thalassa: Brain Disrupted.” 

Annette talks frankly about what led to her son's stroke and his life today, particularly his love of music. We talk about her faith in science and how she kept it during this time, as well as how she stays positive. Annettee also shares one of her poems during the interview.