Lessons from fish and lessons from life

It’s that time again—the return of the annual Rhode Island Author Expo, happening on Dec. 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. As part of our coverage, I’m once again previewing this event by speaking with a handful of the 100-plus writers that you can meet there.

Opening this episode is Brielle Lilygarten, who’s released two children’s books: “Fishy Fishy” and “Fishy Fishy Goes to School.” Brielle and I talk about how she’s made the pivot from middle school teacher and realtor to children’s writer. We look at the lessons she hopes that readers take from these books and what we can expect down the road.

After that, it’s Paul Mainville for his book, “Fifteen Miles: One Man’s Journey to Find Family and Self.” It’s based on Paul’s journey to meet his birth family years after learning that he was adopted. Paul talks about the process of writing his debut book and what he experienced reliving this part of his life. We go into the significance of the title and if we can look forward to another book in the future.

Patry Francis' newest book follows the lives of a diverse foster family

 

Author Patry Francis' third book, “All The Children Are Home,” follows a foster family through 12 years of dazzling triumph and wrenching heartbreak. The book is full of wonderfully diverse characters, and we talk about the creation of each and what they bring to the table. Patry also looks at the real-life story that influenced the book.

This book is very different from her first two, and Patry talks about what brought about this change, as well as the new experiences that came with it.