Five by Five: Tragedy leads to expose of aviation industry

By Max Bowen 

When Rossana D’Antonio’s brother was killed in the 2008 TACA 390 plane crash, that loss led to a lengthy research effort that incorporated her experience as an engineer and strategic communicator to expose the shortcomings in the aviation industry, captured in her book, “26 Seconds.” 

In this article, Rossana talks about what was learned and her take on the aviation industry, as well as the call to action embedded in the story.


What inspired you to write this book?
“26 Seconds” was borne out of a personal tragedy. Fueled by heartbreak and driven by my expertise in civil infrastructure, I set out on a quest for answers. The loss of my brother in the TACA 390 plane crash wasn’t just personal—it exposed systemic gaps in aviation safety that demand accountability. As an engineer and public advocate, I wrote this book to challenge assumptions, question industry practices, and empower readers to think critically. Part memoir, part exposé—it’s a wake-up call wrapped in a deeply human story. I want people to see how one life lost can lead to broader change.

How did you go about trying to learn what happened?
As an engineer and a strategic communicator, I leveraged every tool in my arsenal to uncover what really happened, not only with TACA 390 but with other parallel aviation accidents here in the US and abroad. I pored over public records, interviewed aviation insiders, analyzed technical reports, and asked the hard questions the industry doesn’t want us to ask. Interestingly, the TACA 390 accident investigation report was never made public which, to me, screamed of a cover up. As if living a true crime story, I managed to get a copy of the report through indirect means which ultimately exposed the smoking gun.

What did you find out?
In my search for the truth, I discovered the crash wasn’t simply a tragic accident—it was the result of systemic failures that were predictable and preventable. My investigation uncovered flawed engineering, regulatory blind spots, and a pattern of corporate avoidance. I discovered an aviation industry that experiences systemic weaknesses, chooses profits over safety, withholds the truth from its customers, and is willing to risk lives to get its planes back up in the sky. “26 Seconds” reveals that what happened to my brother wasn't an outlier event but part of a troubling pattern that affects each one of us as consumers.

What’s your take on the aviation industry? Is it safe?
It depends on how you define “safe.” Statistically, flying remains one of the safest modes of transportation. But beneath the surface, “26 Seconds” reveals cracks in the aviation system. It seems that not a day goes by when the news isn’t reporting on unattended risks, overlooked warnings, and a regulatory system that too often prioritizes profit over prevention. My purpose is to spotlight the human stories, the accountability gaps, and the urgent need for reform. The real question isn’t whether the system is safe—it’s whether those in power are doing enough to keep it that way. That’s my call to action embedded in my book.

What do you hope people take from this book?
“26 Seconds,” at its core, is a challenge to look at deficiencies more deeply, question the status quo, and recognize the power of our voice. I hope readers walk away not just moved by my story but awakened to the vulnerabilities in systems we’ve always trusted. It’s a call to action—for change, for oversight, for justice. I want people to realize that every life lost in a plane crash is more than a statistic but represents a human story. And that story could be theirs. If this book sparks conversations, drives reforms, and empowers others to speak truth to power, then I’ve accomplished my mission.

Five by Five: Sharing the life of Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor

By Max Bowen

The story of Marshall “Major” Taylor is well-known in cycling circles, but what else can be told? As it turns out, quire a bit, in John Kennedy Howard and Rene Maurer’s biography, “The Black Cyclone, Major Taylor: A Hero the World Forgot.”

“Fifty years before Jackie Robinson, a decade before the ascendance of heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, there was one young man who was the highest paid athlete in the world. His name was Marshall Taylor and he was a worldwide bicycle racing superstar, a sensation in America, Europe and Australia, setting world record after record. He was also Black…and now long lost to history.”

In this Five by Five, John shares his own knowledge of Major and what inspired him to write thisbook. He shares the research, which included interviews with Major’s daughter and friends, what he learned a lot from other biographies, and the new facts gleaned in the writing process.


How did you become aware of Marshall’s story and why did you want to make them the subject of your book?
Major Taylor was my boyhood hero, it was not hard to find him. But, I knew I had to finish what I started writing soon after I read his original autobiography. Ironically, I also had a stellar career in cycling and it happened that we were both inducted into the USA Cycling Hall of Fame in `89. I had met his daughter, Sydney Taylor Brown, in about 1986 when she was in her mid-80’s, still a quick-witted women with a very good memory. We became friends and I interviewed her in her Pittsburgh home several times to better understand her memories and her relationship with her father.

What did you know about Marshal and how much research was needed for the book?
Cycling history is well documented and mainstream in the day. Today, cycling could best be described as almost subculture compared to the ball sports. My research was ongoing and lasted an embarrassingly long time, 40 years when I do the math!

Because of my patience, I had the benefit of reading all five of the excellent Major Taylor biographies, all of which revealed new information about the man, his family and his associates. I traveled to Europe and mined the microfiche labs in libraries from Paris to Sydney, Australia. The information was vast and allowed me to get a better view of Taylor, both his well-documented strengths and also his never discussed vulnerabilities.

Any particularly interesting facts uncovered through the research?
The facts of Major’s life are well written about, most—cycling enthusiasts-- who know of him can recite his life story fairly well, but it was the information gleaned from Sydney and a few of his contemporaries, some of who I caught in the closing months of life that revealed to me how complicated and conflicted this man was, and that is the lifeblood of my story.

The depth of my research gives substance to the choice of a different genre—biographical novel—whereby we give Major and his contemporaries voices. My book tells the story from the perspective of his childhood friend, Josh, who became a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and actually traveled with Taylor to quite a few of his races. They grew up together in Indy and received a tutored education, courtesy of the Southard family, a wealthy railroad executive.

How did you know when the book was “done”?
Unlike the speculation loosely described in the biographies, I wrote of his little-known failures after retirement, his difficult relationship with his wife and daughter and her memories of his disappointments, his heroics, his humor and then shifted the story back to Josh who describes his treatment of his former trainer and how that played out. Josh and Major had a disagreement about who should ultimately tell his story. Josh very much wanted to document Major’s life in his own biography which he called “Requiem For a Wheelman.” My coauthor and I gave the ending a twist, so ultimately it was Major’s slightly ponderous “world of I” version that you can read today.

What’s your takeaway from Taylor’s story?
In spite of the intense racism that defined his life, he believed in humanity and held no grudges. The man was a staunch Christian and while that cost him dearly after retirement when revenue was shirking during the Depression years, his work as a civil rights advocate — before the term existed — his exemplary.

His relationships with Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Dubois and heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson are all discussed and elaborated. Although he ultimately ended up in a pauper’s grave with no family at his internment, he was later recognized by Frank Schwinn, who had his body placed in a prominent location in a Chicago cemetery. Today his legacy lives on with hundreds of clubs and a social network of perhaps millions of followers.

Five by Five—The perils of artistic ambition

By Max Bowen

What begins with a well-meant deception spirals out of control in Diane Wald’s new book, “The Bayrose Files” (Regal House, May 27). The story follows ambitious journalist Violet Maris, who is determined to write a captivating exposé on a prestigious writers’ colony in 1980s Provincetown. She even fakes her application using her friend’s short stories. Violet's promising start at the colony takes a dark turn when her friend, the true author of the stories, dies while she’s in the middle of her residency.

In this interview, Diane talks about the inspiration behind the story, developing Violet’s character and how writing this novella compares to her work in poetry.

What went into crafting this story?
“The Bayrose Files” is the result of many years of pondering how I could write about my years in Provincetown (two in an artists’ colony, and one as a motel manager) without making it autobiographical or judgmental or quaint or hackneyed. After all, the place often evokes automatic reactions from people, especially if they’ve never been there. One day it finally came to me that a completely fictional story filled with interesting characters and a touch of suspense (will the main character be able to pull off her “terrible thing?”) was the way to go. Then the fun began!

The character of Violet Maris is really interesting. How did she come to be?
Oh, Violet, how I love her, that crazy girl! I’ve always been intrigued by people who have a hard time with life challenges that other easily manage. At 26, Violet somehow hadn’t yet learned how to imagine what her actions might mean in the future for herself and others. She was focused and energized, but not contemplative. Violet possesses the unusual ability to sense when something important is about to happen through the temperature of objects she touches, but she struggles to realize what those events might be. The lessons she learns are hard.

How does the loss of Violet’s friend affect her, especially as she’s using their stories to get into this writer’s colony?
Violet and Spencer shared a very deep friendship, and his well-meaning suggestion that she pass off his stories as her own allows her to rush forward without thinking things through. His death shocks her so profoundly that she instantly spills the secret she’s kept so diligently through several months of her fellowship. The loss of her dear confidant is crushing and, in a single instant, her world of illusion disintegrates, forcing her to face several significant situations that she’d rushed recklessly into before.

What inspired the story?
In addition to what I described in my first answer regarding Provincetown, I’ve always wanted to write about the conundrum of artistic ambition. Are there any “pure” artists, really, and, if so, what makes them that way? I also wanted to explore the idea of forgiveness. Who, if anyone, will forgive Violet’s deception, and will she forgive herself?

Do you find any parallels between poetry and novel-writing?
Absolutely. First of all, you have to be true to yourself and your own style. For me, that means putting things down plainly on the page, the way they naturally come out of me. I like Emily Dickinson and Henry James, but it would be folly for me to copy their styles. What brings any kind of writing alive for me is the marriage of imagery and emotion. And I try to bring the same appreciation for language into my fiction that I do with my poetry. A beautiful sentence can be poetic and still be easy to digest.

Five by Five—New book offers a deep dive into the story of Mary Magdalene

By Max Bowen 

Just how much is known about the story behind Mary Magdalene?

It’s a question that inspired Ursula Werner to find out for herself, which led to her new book, “Magda Revealed” (She Writes Press).

In this book, “Magda leads readers through tales of miracles and murder, jealousy and acceptance, misogyny, and female empowerment. She uncovers her relationship with Jesus, clarifying centuries of speculation about whether or not they were in love.” In this interview, Werner talks about the research done and what was available, how it sheds new light on the story of Mary Magdalene and ‘sets the record straight.’

What research was done for your book and did this change the direction of the story?
I started my research by reading everything I could find – which was woefully little – on the historical Mary Magdalene. I was surprised at how sparse the historical record was, though maybe I shouldn’t have been, given that she was a woman from the first century. By contrast, there were many books written on Mary Magdalene as an icon or mythological figure, but I wanted, as much as possible, to stick to history, not myth.

I was much more successful in finding books about the historical Jesus, by which I mean Jesus of Nazareth, the man who lived on Earth from about 4-6 B.C. to 31-33 A.D. (The exact dates of his birth and death are not known.) Interestingly, all my biographies of Jesus sit on a bookshelf in my living room, right above the shelf that contains my biographies of Hitler (because my first novel was a World War II saga that featured a Führer-like character).

I also did research, mostly in academic publications, to get a better understanding of life in first century Judea. Topics included everything from Jewish marriage law to women in the synagogues to common vegetation around the Sea of Galilee.

The biggest change in direction of the story came not from my research, but from an insight I had while running in Rock Creek Park one day. (I like to mull my writing issues around in my brain while I’m running.) Out of the blue, I had the idea that provides a plot twist at the end of the novel. That plot twist definitely changed the focus of the story.

How did this change your perception of Magda?
I wouldn’t say that my perception of Magda changed much due to my research, because I knew she wasn’t a prostitute – a slander invented and perpetuated by Pope Gregory I in the 6th century. What did come across from my research was that Mary Magdalene must have been a strong woman, to leave her home and family in order to follow a penniless itinerant preacher, with a group of unknown men and women. I channeled that strength and conviction into my Magda character, and also gave her a spiritual dimension that I’m sure the real Mary Magdalene had.

My Magda’s skill in anointment came from a book I read by Professor Bruce Chilton, who wrote one of the few biographies of Mary Magdalene that exist. Professor Chilton pointed out that anointment was a common female skill in the first century, practiced by the women of every household on a daily basis. It wasn’t just a rite practiced by priests during the coronation of kings and princes. That particular insight helped me direct the focus of the story from Jesus’s healing skills to Magda’s own spiritual gifts.

What light does this shed on the story of Mary Magdalene?
My research on Mary Magdalene and Jesus made clear to me how much more important Mary Magdalene was to Jesus’s ministry than the Catholic Church has acknowledged. Not only was she not a prostitute, she was perhaps the closest disciple to Jesus among his followers. And because of that intimacy, according to the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Philip, he gave her special knowledge that he did not give his other disciples. Thus, she truly was the “disciple of the disciples,” as the Catholic Church has recently, albeit very belatedly, acknowledged.

What I also found, in comparing the history of Jesus’s life with that of the Roman empire, was a fascinating possible connection between what happened in Rome in October of AD 31 and the Passover holiday in Jerusalem five months later (most likely the occasion of Jesus’ crucifixion). This nexus is fleshed out fully in the novel, but it centers on Lucius Aelius Sejanus, head of the palace guard for the Roman Emperor Tiberius. In October of 31 AD, Sejanus was executed for sedition in Rome. Enraged at Sejanus’ betrayal, Tiberius killed everyone who was perceived to be the traitor’s friend or ally. Because Sejanus had appointed Pontius Pilate to his position in Judea years earlier, it’s unlikely that Pilate, upon hearing the news five months later, would have done anything to antagonize the Emperor. (Tiberius had a standing decree that religions in occupied provinces should be given the greatest deference.) This history made me believe that Pilate would not willingly have ordered the execution of Jesus, a beloved and popular rabbi, during the most holy week in the Jewish calendar.

How does this story “set the record straight” on Magda?
First and foremost, I hope the story convinces people that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute. That remains a wide-held misconception to this day, and it makes me angry on her behalf whenever there’s any reference to the falsehood. I’m constantly tempted to write letters to the editor of offending journals or newspapers saying, “You know, of course, that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute.”

I tried to make my character Magda breathe some life into a figure that has become largely mythological in our culture. I don’t think you have to turn Mary Magdalene into a whore, as Pope Gregory I did, to make her accessible as a human being with real flaws and real strengths. To the degree my characterization of her does bring Mary Magdalene to life, I hope that people might relate to her spiritual journey and her calling – the establishment of true connection with another human being.

What do you hope readers take from the book?
At best, the book will plant a seed in readers’ minds, a seed of hope and connection for the human race. We are now living in such a divisive time, I would love the message of the book to challenge our discord and help us see our similarities instead of our differences. Jesus’s message in the first century – that everyone is equal, that no one should consider themselves above anyone else – is as compelling and necessary today as it was back then. I believe that message and our understanding of it to be critical to our survival as a species, both in terms of our interactions with each other, and our interactions with the planet that holds us.

Five by Five: Charting your own path to happiness

By Max Bowen 

Deb Miller’s book, “Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness” seeks to challenge the age-old notion that marriage is the surest path to the good life, and hopes that readers will strike out on their own journey.

In this interview, Deb talks about her own life experiences that helped make the book, the theme of fulfillment, and finding real happiness.

How did the theme of fulfillment coming from a marriage come to be part of your book?
That message was everywhere when I was growing up—from my mom, from society and from every pop culture role model I saw. “Leave it to Beaver.” “The Brady Bunch.” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s epic “Cinderella.” I thought all men wanted to be providers like Charles Ingalls or Ward Cleaver. Marriage, I was taught, was the ultimate destination. My memoir exposes how misleading that narrative is—and what it takes to rewrite it.

What parts of your life were included in this book?
Experiences that mattered to the theme made it in. From early childhood memories and first love to career highs, heartbreaks and finding peace in 2020. If it shaped my understanding of love, purpose, or happiness, it’s in the book—sometimes raw, sometimes funny, always real.

What is the ‘traditional princess narrative’ and how does your book address it?
It’s the belief that happiness comes when Prince Charming shows up. That if you're pretty and patient, a man will “rescue” you with marriage, and your life will be complete – you’ll reach the happily ever after. My book challenges that myth head-on. I spent years trying to live that fairy tale. Then, I realized the heroine I was waiting for was me.

How did you find your own real-life happiness?
Did you know that 50% of your happiness is genetically determined, only 10% is affected by life circumstances and situation and the remaining 40% of happiness is within your self-control?* Despite the title of my book, happiness, isn’t found—it’s chosen.

I stopped chasing what society told me I should want and started doing what brings me joy. At first, it was guiding my kids. I’m happy to report that they are all set now, so I can sip tea and work on my book in the morning instead of taking a long commute and working 12-hour days. I love being outdoors with my dog, hiking and landscaping, and hanging out with people I enjoy—especially my grandkids. We have the most interesting conversations.

What do you hope readers take from this book?
The title says it all: “Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness.” I want readers to feel empowered to chart their own path—not the one prescribed by others. When you stop chasing someone else’s version of happiness and start following your own, that’s when the real happy ending begins.

I hope readers realize they don’t need a glass slipper, a castle, or anyone’s approval to build a beautiful life. Ditch the script. Write your own ending. The journey isn’t about finding a prince—it’s about finding ourselves.

*According to research by Harvard graduate and Stanford university PhD, Sonja Lyubomirsky.

Five by Five: Robert Steven Goldstein explores hidden lives in new book

By Max Bowen 

Author and past guest Robert Steven Goldstein tackles the theme of what we hide in his new book, “Golda’s Hutch.” In the book, were introduced to Craig Schumacher and his wife Shoshana and the secret life they would do anything to keep hidden.

In this interview, Robert talks about the creation of Schumacher and how he incorporates a bit of himself into his characters. He shares how psychologist Carl Jung’s concept of the “shadow” and how this shaped the story.


I like the theme of ‘what we hide from the world versus what we reveal.’ How do you explore it in your book?
“Golda’s Hutch” is an emphatically psychological novel. How the characters interact with each other vs. what they agonize over in their own private thoughts is how the book splits its time. Although Craig Schumacher is ostensibly the protagonist, there’s really an ensemble cast of seven characters at play (three couples and a single woman) all of whom are professionally accomplished but also flawed, and in various ways dysfunctional. Readers will come to know each of these people well. They’ll also come to know an intriguing rabbit named Golda, who practices yoga with Craig, and joins him in his spiritual journey.

How did you create the character of Craig Schumacher?
There are bits of me in Craig, as well as bits of other people I came to know during my 35-year corporate career. When I first started out, in 1974, as a mail-boy earning $500 a month (yes, a month!) I naively believed that as I moved up the corporate ladder, at each new rung I’d encounter people with greater intelligence and more integrity. I was sorely mistaken.

With each promotion I mostly met people who were more scheming, cunning and Machiavellian. But there were exceptions—and the leaders I encountered who modeled values of honesty, integrity, and compassion were not just better people to be around—they also tended to build the most hardworking, loyal. and successful teams. And most of these leaders had a solid spiritual core—and for a select few of them, that spiritual core was shaped more by experiential Eastern mysticism than by faith-based Western traditions. Craig Schumacher is one of these fascinating folks.

Can we get some insight into the secret he’s hiding?
Here’s where the novel gets controversial, and where some readers will really latch on, whereas a few others may shy away. Craig and his wife Shoshana are members of the San Francisco Bay Area’s clandestine BDSM community. Shoshana, in fact, makes her living as a professional dominatrix, although both she and Craig go to great lengths to hide all this from Craig’s work associates.

There have certainly been novels that explore BDSM—some have even been bestsellers—but those novels tended to eroticize BDSM and employ it as a vehicle for titillation. “Golda’s Hutch” is very different. “Golda’s Hutch” gets deep inside the minds of people who are otherwise ordinary, but whose innate sexual orientation demands power exchange and dominant/submissive play. The novel reveals the furtive machinations these people are forced to engage in to keep their propensities secret. And it questions why, despite societal acceptance of many other sexual orientations, this one remains taboo.

Byron Dorn sounds like Craig’s opposite, but how do the two interact?
Byron, an ambitious, and bitterly envious man, reports to Craig in the corporate hierarchy. Quite by chance, he stumbles upon the secret Craig and Shoshana have worked so hard to keep hidden. After his initial discovery, Byron proceeds to uncover still more evidence through purposeful and meticulous spying. Byron and his wife Adelle ostensibly remain friends with Shoshana and Craig, even as they secretly plot to use the potentially damaging information for self-gain.

When I develop characters for a story, I always like to put a little bit of myself into each one, whether that character is male or female, likeable or unlikeable, old or young. When creating Byron Dorn, I was reminded of the famous psychologist Carl Jung, and his concept of the “shadow”—the part of us we’re not particularly fond of, and which we keep hidden away in the deep subconscious recesses of our psyche. The aspects of me that went into Byron were mined from my shadow.

Reading about your past works, you really span different ideas and genres. How do you develop your stories?
I start with characters. I try to recall people I’ve known, combine the interesting traits of two or three of them, toss in a sliver of myself and a huge chunk of imagination, and after a bit of cerebral kneading and manipulating, I have a character. That character often suggests to me what sorts of other characters would make for intriguing compatriots. And a week or so later, when what feels like the right number of characters have materialized, they as a group pretty much take over—they make it quite clear where the novel needs to be set—and then the plot starts oozing slowly from their collective fictional pores.

This process doesn’t lend itself to producing works of a consistent and predictable genre or brand. Some of my novels are light and humorous—some are probing and philosophical—whereas my latest, “Golda’s Hutch,” is a bit of both while also being gritty, and suspenseful. And that, I guess, is a reflection of me as a person. Sometimes I’m serious, sometimes I’m silly, and all sorts of places in between. My novels reflect this sort of variety. And as a novelist, it’s really the only way I feel comfortable working.

Five by Five: An ‘offhand comment’ leads to a string of family secrets

Francine Falk-Allen

By Max Bowen 

When Francine Falk-Allen attended a memorial service for a late uncle, she certainly didn’t expect to leave with the idea for her book, “A Wolff in the Family,” (She Writes Press, Oct. 1).

What mysterious scandals led a father to abandon his five youngest children—and for the elder siblings to keep it hidden for 80 years? In this interview, Francine talks about the initial secret that led her to do extensive research on her family, which led to a lot more that had never been spoken of! She goes into the research itself and shares a few details of what she learned….but for the full story, you’ll need to read the book!


What led you do to this research on your family?
I had attended a memorial service about 20 years ago for one of my uncles; one of my mother’s eight brothers. Afterward as I sat across from my youngest aunt in the church social hall, eating sandwiches and chatting, she said, “…when we were in the orphanage…” as an offhand comment amidst another story. I had never heard that any of the family had been in an orphanage, was absolutely stunned, and pressed her further to elaborate. I learned that my grandfather had placed some of the children there. My mother, who’d been dead eight years at that time, and was exceptionally fond of her father, had never breathed a word about the orphanage, or the surprising reasons the youngest of her siblings had wound up there. I had to know more!


How did you do the research?
I asked my aunt for as much detail as she could remember during the short time I had with her and went home and made notes. I immediately contacted my much older sister (she was 19 years older, born of my mother’s first husband). She also had not heard this story but had some other family tales and gossip I hadn’t heard, which aunts and uncles had told her or that she knew from her own early experiences. I then contacted my other two aunts and asked them what they remembered and asked cousins for what they knew, which was almost nothing.

I had known my grandfather, so I wrote up a nine-page essay on all that my family had shared about him and the orphanage story. When I later decided to write a novel based on the tale, I did a ton of research using census and genealogy records to find out who was where and when they lived with whomever, delving into not just my mother’s family but others who were involved in the story. Several of my cousins had already done a lot of genealogical research on this branch, and I had previously done extensive research (back to the 1600s) on my father’s branch, so this was revisiting a skill I had already honed.

I found a history of the orphanage, medical records of people in the story who had died, even the names of the doctors who had attended them. I also researched newspaper articles from the early 1900s and found bits naming a few of the characters, plus pricing for things they may have owned or could not have afforded, based on the salary records I found for my grandfather’s railroad engineer job.

It was really a lot of fun to find all this information, and every time I found a new detail, such as the house where my grandfather stayed when he was away on the railroad, I used the information to inform the fictitious aspects of the story alongside the parts that were factual.


This secret, is it something anyone in your family ever talked about or even hinted at?
My mother kept more than one secret. My grandfather putting his children in an orphanage is just the beginning of a set of scandals. All her siblings knew about much of this story, and some of them spoke of it to their children, but my mother never mentioned a word of any of it to me or my sister or brother. We didn’t have much contact with our aunts and uncles because we lived far away from them. As the eldest, my mother kept these things (of which she was ashamed) to herself for over 60 years, and some of her siblings also died without sharing these things with their children or even their spouses. So, the secrets and scandals may have been discussed among some, but they certainly weren’t what we talked about at holiday dinners! Some of my aunts and uncles put a different slant on the story, making it sound as if my grandfather didn’t have a choice regarding putting the kids in the orphanage, which in their final eulogies implied loftier intentions on his part.


What were the family secrets? (If this isn’t too big a spoiler)
There were about a half dozen secrets! The fact that the five youngest kids had lived in an orphanage was just the beginning. My aunt Dorothy, one of the orphans, didn’t even have all the facts straight, I learned, when I did my research. But the rest of the secrets are what make up such a good story. There are lots of twists and turns even before the orphanage event, and then, the way I made up the missing pieces, the saga comes to a boiling point, and everything gets chaotic for a while in the middle! So yes, it’s too “spoilery” to tell the other secrets.

I hope that when people read the book it will not only provide them with a juicy cinematic and familial saga but give them a sense of the time from about 1918 through the early 1940s, and how things were, especially for women, in the early 1900s. I also think a lot of people don’t know how much the railroad affected people’s lives in those days, also. Few people had automobiles in those days.

I read that this is set in the Great Depression. Does this time period help drive the story?
The Depression does come into play and does help drive the story…but not in the way one might expect. When I first told friends about hearing the orphanage story from my aunt, older friends said, “Oh, it was common that people had to give their children up to orphanages in that time, or to other friends or relatives.” So, in the beginning, I hope the reader will be thinking along those lines.

Financial difficulty, or at least a great deal of resourcefulness or creativity in making ends meet is portrayed in the story, even before the Depression. The main family was eventually comprised of a dozen children, and the household was supported on one railroad salary! There are other aspects that the reader will not be expecting, which are based upon my research into that time and where and how the characters seem to have been living. Sorry to sound secretive again, but I’d like it to be at least a bit surprising, if not jaw-dropping, to learn about even the Depression Era financial aspects of the family.

I hope I’ve been secretive but “hinty” enough that you’ll be intrigued to read “A Wolff in the Family.” Thanks for the opportunity to talk about it.

Five by Five: Jamal Hodge’s poetry collection journeys through the writer’s world

By Max Bowen

Jamal Hodge’s new book, “The Dark Between the Twilight,” (Crystal Lake Entertainment) encompasses “a heart’s journey from darkness into light,” according to the author.

The book, which was created from the challenges of 2020, is a mirror of sorts that told Hodge he had a message to share with the world. In this article, we look at that message, the different poems collected in this book, and the amazing cover work.

I’d like to begin with the cover, which is just amazing. Who designed this?
The great Ben Baldwin! I had a design with the concept of stepping through broken glass, a black boy emerging from the darkness into the light, with his eyes ever upwards and forward. This was a metaphor for the entire journey of the collection. Ben, in his unrivaled brilliance, took it to levels I could never have imagined. He is a real diamond and seeks to embody the material with his art. I highly recommend him.

There’s quite a collection of poems here. Were these all recently written? If not, what was the first one?
Some were, and others have gestated in me for a while. The truth is that this collection was borne in the uncertainty and pain of 2020 when the world was shut down, and we were left to hold a mirror to ourselves. My reflection told me that I had yet to put out the message I would want to leave behind in case I died. These poems are that message.

I read that the book is partially a memoir. What aspects of your life did you include?
There are poems that reference and explore aspects of my fear and loneliness, of my abuse and isolation… but also my hope and willful transmutation of those negative experiences into positive tools for the future. So much of me is in these pages that your hand might be stained with blood. Lol

What’s the journey that the reader is taken on?
The Journey through NIGHT confronts the evils in the mind, soul, and others, my darkest fears, such as my suspicion that the world is just a giant blue stomach endlessly digesting itself. TWILIGHT is more of a memoir, a journey so personal that it becomes universal. DAWN confronts the objective and subjective truths of life that set us free from the loneliness and fears of the previous sections.

Is there a reason for the order of the poems?
Yes, the whole book is designed to be a crescendo, a spiritual metaphor for the allegory of the cave. Each poem is a step on a path to a door where your heart is the key.

Five By Five—Brian Morra’s second book inspired by 1980s history

By Max Bowen

“Five By Five” is the name for our series of written Q&A interviews with writers and musicians. The name actually refers to audio signals, which ties in with our regular podcast. Five By Five is another way to say “good signal strength” or “loud and clear,” but can also mean “exceptional quality,” which certainly lines up with the artists we speak with. Now with that out of the way, on to the book!

Following the success of his debut novel, “The Able Archers,” author Brian J. Morra returns with a sequel, “The Righteous Arrows” (Koehler Books, April 16).

In the sequel, readers reconnect with American Kevin Cattani and his older Soviet counterpart, Ivan Levchenko in the mid-1980s for a chilling Cold War saga of superpower confrontation. After Cattani barely escapes with his life from an East German bunker, he and Levchenko find themselves on opposite sides of the Soviet Union’s brutal war in Afghanistan, where Cattani supplies the Islamic resistance with advanced weapons to kill Russian troops. In facing new homegrown adversaries, both men question the roles they play in the deadly superpower duel.

In this interview, Brian goes into the history behind this story and how real-life events played a role. He talks about the lessons learned from “The Able Archers” and how his work as an intelligence officer came into play.

"The Able Archers" was your debut novel. What were some of the lessons you learned that you applied to "The Righteous Arrows"?
I learned a great deal about the writing process from my experience with “The Able Archers,” but I think I learned even more from writing the television treatment for that book. Writing for TV taught me a lot about brevity and story arcs and that influenced the final manuscript of “The Righteous Arrows.” I also applied lessons about dealing with conflict and character development–at least I hope I applied them! I think one becomes a better writer by composing in different forms.

What about this time period–the 1980s–inspired you?
Ah, the 1980s. I was an intelligence officer during the 80s and it was a formative time in my life. Also, I find that there is an interesting paradox in America’s collective memory of Cold War history. Despite the fact that the Cold War reached its second climax during the 1980s, most people in the US think of the 1960s and the Cuban Missile Crisis when they recall the Cold War. I find it ironic, because during the 1980s there was great consternation in the media and in academia about Ronald Reagan’s policies toward the Soviet Union as causing a new Cold War, which seems to be forgotten in large part.

I believe that the 1980s are better understood in Europe where the deployment of new NATO nuclear missile systems and fears of provoking the USSR reached a fever pitch in 1983 and 1984. To answer your question about “inspiration,” I think I am inspired to educate readers about the critical events of the 1980s Cold War and how those events reverberate in today’s geopolitics. These events ought to be as well known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

What kind of research was needed?
My research differed for “The Able Archers” and “The Righteous Arrows” in the following way. In regard to “The Able Archers,” I relied a great deal on my own memory of events and I conducted research with aim toward validating those memories. For events I had no personal connection with, I had to conduct research. One example from “The Able Archers” would be the “Petrov ICBM incident.” I had less personal involvement in many of the events in “The Righteous Arrows,” although I had some. For example, I did a great deal of research about how the Soviet military conducted operations in Afghanistan during the war in the 1980s. I wanted my depiction of the climactic Soviet raid into Pakistan to be based on the way that Soviet Spetsnaz forces really fought.

I read that you’ve worked as an intelligence officer. How did this inform your books?
As I have mentioned, my experience as an intelligence officer is central to my writing. It would never have occurred to me to write these historical novels had I not had that experience. I think my experience allows me to write realistically about how intelligence works and the challenges that one confronts as an intelligence officer. The feedback I have gotten from people in the intelligence field and from special operators has been very positive.

Any real-world stories that found their way into these books?
Oh my. My books are historical fiction, so they are based on real events. I also tap into my personal memory and write from that perspective. At times, I get a sensation of time travel. When composing a scene that is based on personal memory, I get into a zone where I travel back to the event. Sometimes I can hear the dialogue and see faces from those long ago times. At times like those, I feel I am transcribing rather than composing.

Five By Five—Author follows her dream as her new book take readers on a romantic journey

By Max Bowen

Before we get into the book, you’re probably wondering what “Five By Five” is. This is the new name for our series of written Q&A interviews with writers and musicians.

The name actually refers to audio signals, which ties in with our regular podcast. Five By Five is another way to say “good signal strength” or “loud and clear,” but can also mean “exceptional quality,” which certainly lines up with the artists we speak with. Now with that out of the way, on to the book!

Set to be released on April 30, Norah Woodsey’s book “The States” follows a young woman who enters a sleep-study that allows her to lucidly dream of summers in Ireland, and the boy she was forced to leave behind. Here’s a look at the plot:

“Tildy Sullivan is the middle child in an elite family who amassed their wealth with a cosmetics company. Despite the comforts of life, all Tildy cares about are the summers she spent in Galway, Ireland and the boy she was forced to let go. After her mother’s death eight years ago, she was persuaded to leave Ireland and Aidan behind. Now, as her family’s fortune dwindles and concerns about her future arise, she signs up for a sleep study where she lucidly dreams about her past, hoping to reconcile with the boy she can’t let go. With the dream of being with Aidan again, Tildy embarks on a journey back to Ireland hoping that her dreams can soon become a reality.”

The book is a reimagine of Jane Austen’s classic “Persuasion” and in this interview, we talk about the book inspired Noorah’s, Tildy’s relationship with Austin and the original version being written during NaNoWRiMo.


For those not familiar, what is Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” and how did it inspire this book?
“Persuasion” is Jane Austen’s final completed novel, published in 1817 soon after her death. Unlike Austen’s other novels, we meet Anne Elliot not before her youthful love story begins, but after it has ended. The reader learns that 8 years prior to the events of the novel, Anne chose her aristocratic family over herself, over her love, Captain Wentworth, and broke his heart. She kept it all a secret from nearly everyone. Then, her father, a vain and careless baronet, stands to lose everything and suddenly, Anne’s former love returns to her life. He is now wealthy and still handsome, and she must endure his anger while loving him still, all on the sidelines. Until things begin to shift, and… I’ll leave it there!

I have loved this book since I first read it in college. I had read Austen’s other works well before then, but I didn’t read “Persuasion” until a snowy day when I had nothing else to do. I’m glad I waited. I love “Pride and Prejudice,” I respect “Emma” and “Northanger Abbey,” but “Persuasion” beautifully describes living with regret and overcoming it to find happiness. It explores loving, mourning that love, and learning to love as a new person who has experienced that pain. It also shows the contrast between the gentry and those who work, with exquisitely written adult friendships that exist beyond aristocratic connections and money.

How does your story interpret Austen’s?
Much of “Persuasion” explores loyalty and regret, in addition to Austen’s more consistent themes of class hierarchy, family drama, romantic love, and a woman finding her place in the world. I directly discuss these elements in “The States,” but I chose to give Tildy a more direct hand in her isolation. In “Persuasion,” Anne refuses to fight for herself for much of the story, but you do get the sense she and Wentworth had a lot to lose by chasing their love. His career, her place in society and her inheritance were at stake. However, modern society gives women more freedom. A modern-day Anne could have pursued Wentworth, and his career wouldn’t have suffered. When I wrote “The States,” I had to decide – why didn’t Tildy pursue Aidan? It had to be a cage of her own making. From there, I added in my science-fiction element of the dream experiment as a way for her to create a dream world to shun the real one.

I also expanded the story to discuss her mother. I think Austen deliberately made Lady Elliot a distant, beloved figure. We learn very little about her and that makes her compelling. In “The States,” I wanted to explore Tildy’s maternal side. Her mother, her nana, her mother’s origins. I always felt, maybe incorrectly, that many of the negative events in Persuasion wouldn’t have happened had Lady Elliot lived. I couldn’t resist bringing a character with that power more forward in my retelling. 

What was Tildy’s relationship with Aidan and why did it have to end?
Tildy and Aidan met as teenagers. Over summers together, when Tildy would visit her nana in the Galway Gaeltacht, an Irish speaking area just beyond Galway City. Their friendship quickly turned to love. Tildy promised to come back and stay, and build a life with him. But her life fell apart. Out of familial obligation, she left Aidan behind and stayed in Manhattan with her father, sisters, and the family cosmetics empire. 8 years later, Aidan is wealthy. A famous chef, handsome, and beloved by his friends. Tildy is the black sheep of her family, though she feels obligated to support them. Her father’s business is failing, her family is oblivious to imminent ruin, and Tildy dreams of returning to before her fateful choice. When they meet again, he resents her for the heartbreak but knows her better than any person in the world, as well as she knows him.


I read that this was first written during NaNoWriMo. How did it grow to the finished product?
It started out as a fun little distraction from my much darker novel, “The Control Problem.” I wrote about longing for Ireland, for my grandmother, in the guise of a love story between an Irish man and a first-generation Irish-American. By the end of the month, I hit the word count and set it aside, promising myself to turn it into something someday. “The Control Problem” was released at the end of 2021, so I switched back to my Irish-American love story with fresh eyes. And I realized what was best about it really made it a rough draft of a “Persuasion” retelling. I gave it a few days, primarily to feel sorry for myself that I can’t write an original love story! Then, I decided to do the hard work of making it an honest retelling. I spent a month re-reading “Persuasion,” marking up a paperback copy I bought for the purpose, as well as listening to the audiobook and watching (most) of the movies and miniseries adaptations.

I had a lot of fun weaving in details from “Persuasion” into “The States,” particularly during the scenes with Tildy’s father and sisters. With the additional material of Tildy’s mother and nana, I think it grew into a novel that stands on its own, while still being a faithful retelling.


Why did you choose a sleep study to be used in the story?
I’m fascinated by our relationships and dependencies on technology, whether from the perspective of a scientist, a user, or a research subject. I had a dream machine idea earlier in my career, but it wasn’t strong enough to support a full story. When I realized this was going to be a novel about Tildy’s internal desires versus her lived reality, I decided to use that dream machine idea now.

When I had made that decision, I got in touch with the brilliant cognitive neuroscientist Delphine Oudiette from Northwestern University. She graciously helped me understand how lucid dreaming could be initiated by an external device, the flaws in existent technology, and I tried to incorporate as much of that information into the novel as I could.

Tim Facciola talks amnesiac gladiators and extensive worldbuilding for his epic trilogy

Our next guest is a familiar name, having been featured as part of our artist Q&A series. We had such a great time, we knew we had to have him back to talk about his third book. Author Tim Facciola joins us to talk about his soon-to-be-released “The Age of the End,” out on April 16. Here’s a quick synopsis of the overall story.

In a world where blood is a short resolution for rebellion, Zephryus only knows two things: he is prophesied to bring peace and balance to the world, and he doesn’t remember anything before his life as an enslaved gladiator. With the fragmented shards of his memory, he is bought by the prince to fight in the gladiator ring, and spy on the queen’s bloody rebellion against the king. Fighting as a gladiator means fighting for his life, and as he faces the prince’s foes and thwarts the queen’s plans, he also discovers that there is more injustice in this world than he imagined. Will Zephyrus be able to stay alive long enough to enact his revenge? Or will the vengeful plot within this royal family keep him from fulfilling his destiny?

Tim shares the inspiration for this book as well as the 10 years he spent developing the world and its characters. He explains how Zephyrus’ amnesia shapes the story, as well as the extensive psychological research he did during the writing process.

Tim talks about the story’s conclusion (with no spoilers!) and the possibility for spinoff or prequel down the road. We go into the many reviews he’s gotten, if he reads them, and how such feedback affects him as a writer.

New tech novel looks at the real impacts of AI

By Max Bowen

In her new book, “The Deepfake” (Out on April 2 through She Writes Press) Author Joan Cohen takes a look at the possible consequences of artificial intelligence (AI), not in some distant future, but here and now.

In the book, Sylvie, who works for an AI company, uncovers her colleagues’ illegal activities. Torn about what to do, she confides in her personal trainer, who’s dismayed not only by the choices she faces but also by her advocacy of AI, a technology he considers dangerous.

In this book, Joan talks about what inspired the book, gives insight to her main character, and shares her take on this technology.


What inspired you to write a book centered on AI?
So many people don’t understand what AI is or don’t believe they need to worry about it yet. They associate the risks with the distant future when robots might take over. AI is already in our lives. When a fictional character uses a GPS or talks to Siri, that person is using AI. So, the question is, why isn’t AI part of every novel and not just speculative fiction or nonfiction? “The Deepfake” is a story about its characters, but for them, AI moves from a topic of debate to an influence on outcomes.

Who is Sylvie and what is her stance on the technology?
Sylvie is a young woman working in sales for a software company that sells businesses AI-powered solutions. To Sylvie, AI is a wonderfully promising technology. As the story unwinds, she finds herself defending AI to a man she falls in love with. He takes the opposite view and sees AI as dangerous. Events unfold that give both of them reason to reconsider their views.

What is the big secret Sylvie discovers and what’s the risk that it poses?
There is more than one secret in “The Deepfake.” I don’t want to provide spoilers to potential readers, but Sylvie learns AI can be a tool that alters our perception of reality in both our personal and professional lives.

Does the book take a page from recent AI-related news?
Recent AI-related news has been both enlightening and a thorn in my side. The technology and the news about it changed so fast, I had to keep going back in my manuscript as I was writing it to change aspects of the story that were obsolete.

What would you say are the pros and cons of AI becoming more prevalent in our lives?
This question invites a PhD-sized thesis for an answer. I can best respond with an example. There has been plenty of publicity around the failures of self-driving cars. I keep wondering how the AI software in those cars decides the correct course of action in a potential accident. Is it better to let the driver die to save pedestrians who are children? That would be for the greater good, but would I buy such a car?

What values inform AI’s choices: an eye for an eye? Turn the other cheek? Die for a cause, or live to fight another day? We all have different values (and religions), but what are the values of the software engineer who develops the AI software intended for a specific application? What will the software decide after it has digested all our religious and philosophical literature? It teaches itself. AI will bring fabulous advances into our lives but not without terrible risks.

The Pastor of Horror returns with a found footage nightmare

Ezekiel Kincaid, known as “The Pastor of Horror” and “The Paranormal Pastor” returns to the show to talk about his new book. “The Tetromet Tapes,” a part of his ongoing Tetromet Universe.

Set in 1990 in a small town in Louisiana, the book adapts the found footage movie style as a literary device. Five 12-year-old boys find some VHS tapes in the trash can of their neighbor, Edgar Craddock. The sickening footage leads the five friends down a rabbit hole of shadows and darkness, seeking to discover the truth around an ancient cult, a haunted road, and Edgar Craddock.

Ezekiel and Max dive into just what is on the tapes and where the footage leads the boys. He talks about Edgar Craddock, a character which plays a wider role in the Tetromet Universe. We also learn about the five boys, who reflect Ezekiel’s childhood friends, and how their different personas drive the story.

The book is currently out on Amazon and Godless, an e-book publisher launched three years ago and Ezekiel shares how he came to work with them. And of course, no horror conversation is complete without talking about the book’s epic cover.

New SAT strategy books centers on the test’s switch to digital

By Max Bowen

Looking back on my own experience with the SAT, I recall a grueling several hours with a paper-and-pencil exam. These days, things are finally changing with the launch of a Digital SAT and Dr. Shaan Patel’s new book, “Prep Expert Digital SAT Playbook: Winning Strategies to Achieve Your Dream Score” (Scribe Media, March 9).

In this interview, Patel talks about his own experience with the SAT (it was much better than mine) and how he views the transition to a digital format. He goes into how his book can help and his goal to assist students in getting $1 billion in merit-based scholarships.


What do you see as the impacts of the SAT going digital?
I see it as an amazing leap forward in the world of standardized testing. The SAT has been a paper-based exam for almost 100 years. However, almost all work in the real world is now done digitally. The SAT is finally catching up. I also think it will be advantageous for students who struggled with the standardized tests in the past. The Digital SAT is a shorter exam (two hours instead of three hours), you have more time per question, you can use a calculator on all math questions (unlike previously), and the reading passages are about 70% shorter. A major win for students!

What was your own SAT experience and how did you raise your score from average to perfect?
I was a good student in high school who got As and Bs. However, I was not a good standardized test-taker. I had a lot of test anxiety, I didn’t know the first thing about how to prepare, and on my first SAT I only scored slightly above average. I then spent hundreds of hours self-studying for the SAT in 10th and 11th grade. I unlocked many strategies that simplified the test and increased my accuracy on questions. Eventually, I achieved a perfect score on the SAT — a feat only achieved by 0.02% of all students. My perfect SAT score opened the doors to top universities, full scholarships, and prestigious awards. It completely changed the trajectory of my life!

I read about your $1 billion mission. How will you see this through?
My favorite part about Prep Expert is helping students win merit-based scholarships through their test scores. Over the past decades, we have helped students win over $100 million in scholarships! Over the next decade, I want to help students win over $1 billion in college scholarships. This will be tracked through our website where we ask students to enter any merit-based scholarships they received after improving their test scores using our books and courses. Although $1 billion sounds like a lot, when the average full-tuition college scholarship is worth $150,000, I think we can get there pretty quickly!

Tell me about your book and what it can offer that sets it apart from other SAT-related books?
I am so excited about the release of my new book: Prep Expert Digital SAT Playbook. I have spent over 1,000 hours putting together this new book for students to ace the new Digital SAT. It specifically offers perfect-score strategies to ace the test for every section of the Digital SAT including Math, Reading, and Writing. Students will learn elite methods such as how to solve the toughest questions, read passages faster, and solve algebra questions without doing any algebra.

What, in your opinion, is the role of the SAT in helping prospective college students?
I do not think the SAT in and of itself is a good measure of intelligence or future success in college or career. However, I think there are two major benefits that students can gain from studying for the SAT in high school. First, students gain direct access to top universities, networks and scholarships that they would not have had access to without a high SAT score. Second, the larger benefit students get from studying for the SAT in high school is developing the attributes of self-control, hard work, and grit in their teenage years. If students can tune out the distractions of high school and social media, and buckle down to study for the SAT, they will develop habits that will lead to more success in college, graduate school, and their future careers.

New book takes readers on an adventure through the American West

By Max Bowen

In Tim Piper’s new book, “The Powell Expeditions,” kicks off a historical adventure series set in the 1860s American West. Piper’s historical fiction is inspired by the Colorado River expeditions of real-life naturalist, college professor, and one-armed Civil War veteran Major John Wesley Powell, who was the first American explorer to hike the Longs Peak Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, and navigate the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

In this interview, Tim talks about how he learned of Wesley’s story and adapted it for his book, as well as what we can expect in future novels. He also goes into the research he did and building the character of Jubilee Walker.

“The Powell Expeditions” was released on Jan. 15 through Sunshine Parade Publishing. Learn more at www.timpiper-author.com.

Let’s begin with setting this in the 1860s. What about this time period appealed to you?
It was not the time period itself that appealed to me, but Major John Wesley Powell’s Colorado exploring expeditions during the summers of 1867, 1868 and 1869. I wanted to describe Powell’s adventures, but it seemed too daunting to tell the story from the point of view of a historical figure. I created Jubilee Walker, my fictional protagonist, and used his coming-of-age story as a vehicle to follow Powell’s adventures, and examine life during that era.

Who is Major John Wesley Powell and how did he inspire your book?
Powell was a geologist, soldier, explorer, professor and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He is most famous for being the first to follow the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Several years ago, I hiked the Longs Peak Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Afterward, I purchased a book on the history of the mountain. I was surprised to learn that the first person to summit it was Major John Wesley Powell, a professor at Illinois Wesleyan University in my hometown, Bloomington, Illinois. As I read more about Powell’s expeditions in his early years, I felt as though I were reading an adventure novel. When I searched for novels based on his exploring trips, I didn’t find any, so I decided to write one myself.

What kind of research was done for this book?
I started at the library. The archive librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Ames Library allowed me access to their John Wesley Powell Special Collection. These materials, along with other resources suggested by the librarian, provided a wealth of information about Powell. As I started to develop my other characters, I found I needed to know what everyday life was like in Bloomington and in the wider United States during the post–Civil War years. I began reading through newspapers in online archives and seeking out books about that era to fill in these details.

It seems Jubilee Walker is a person who loves a good adventure. Why and how does this impact the story?
“The Powell Expeditions” is the story of Jubilee Walker, a young man whose mother dies when he is 17, leaving him to decide whether to continue farming or pursue a life of adventure, which he has often dreamed of. He turns to Major John Wesley Powell, a family friend, for advice, and learns Powell is leading a group of students on an exploring expedition in the West. Jubil sets his sights on joining Powell. But his plans for a life of adventure are complicated by his deepening feelings for his best friend, Nelly Boswell. She is very independent-minded and reluctant to spend her life with a man who insists on such a dangerous lifestyle. We join Jubil as he navigates the hardships and lawlessness of the American West and grapples with choosing between a life of adventure and the girl he loves.

What’s next for you?
The next book in the series is “The Yellowstone Campaign.” In this story, Jubil is drawn into the 1870 Washburn expedition that paved the way for the first formal geographic surveys of the Yellowstone Basin in 1871 by Dr. Ferdinand Hayden and Captain John Barlow. Jubil and his fellow adventurers find themselves in a wonderland of exotic geography that can be as deadly as it is awe inspiring.

“The Yellowstone Campaign” will be released in July 2024.

Thirteen journeys into the wild are captured in “Solo Passage”

Over the course of several years, author and artist Glenda Goodrich discovered herself through a series if wilderness quests. 

Traveling into the remote wilds of Oregon, Washington and California, she learned about life, death and what it means to be happy—and chronicled those experiences in her new book, “Solo Passage: 13 Quests, 13 Questions.”

In this episode, Glenda talks about the inspiration for her journeys and what she experienced while on them. We talk about the things she learned and how it’s influenced the person she is now. 

She also talks about the decision to write the book and the editing process—both with an editor and a writing group—that shaped the final product.

Michael Eon holds back nothing in “These Things Happen”

In his recently-released book, “These Things Happen,” writer Michael Eon weaves his own battles with substance abuse and a challenging childhood into the story of Daniel Zimmer. I loved this book from the first page and was drawn into the story of Daniel’s early life, which we see transposed with his later years. This book is available through Girl Friday Books.

The characters are really amazing, from Daniel’s brother Max—whose struggles with mental health frame much of his life—to love interests Jill and Brie, to his father. Michael and I talk all about the many people in the book, some of whom came right from Michael’s own life, and the different roles they play. 

Music from bands like The Ramones and Black Sabbath plays a strong part in Daniel’s upbringing, and of course we take the time to nerd out about favorite bands and songs.

Michael also talks about his childhood and his battles with substance abuse. The author shares a lot of details, and we go into who the theme of substance abuse and the message for the readers.

It’s a world of daemons and magic in Alison Levy’s new book

I’ve been a longtime fantasy fan, and so it was a real pleasure to speak with Alison Levy’s new book, “Blue Flame,” part two of the Daemon Collecting series, out on Oct. 11 through SparkPress. The new book continues the adventures of Rachel Wilde, who comes from a dimension adjacent to ours. The people there have structured their society around daemon collecting: they locate, catch, and repair malfunctioning daemons (creatures out of phase with our world that tempt people to do good or evil).

While introducing Leda Morley, last of an ancient line of gatekeepers, to the ins and outs of her daemon-collecting work, Rachel Wilde encounters something far more dangerous than any daemon: a young boy who stands alone against an unseen yet terrifying enemy that has invaded his home—an inhuman creature who, hellbent on revenge for a minor slight, intends to harm the boy’s oblivious family. Meanwhile, Leda’s brother, Simon, is feeling left out of his maternal family legacy but is coping partly by helping Rachel’s friend Bach—a previously homeless man with unusual mental abilities—get his life back on track.

In the midst of all of this, Bach unintentionally but serendipitously makes contact with a capable otherworldly being who, with great reluctance, agrees to help Bach and his friends take on the dangerous creature that’s just become their problem to solve. Together, this group of unlikely allies must put aside their differences to save an innocent child, and his family, from a monster—before it’s too late.

Alison and I dive into the worldbuilding that went into this book and the new characters that we meet. She talks about the daemons and the system of magic she created and how it all works. We look at how writing this book compared to her first novel, “Gatekeeper,” and her plans for the release of “Blue Flame.” Along with being a writer, Alison is also a mental health advocate, and we go into how writing the new book helped and how it can be a platform to help others.

Anne Whitney Pierce takes us to Cambridge in the 1960s in new book

Author Anne Whitney Pierce has called Cambridge home for her entire life, and over the years has seen a lot happen in the 02138 zip code. In her new book, “Down To The River,” we see the lives of Boston elite as they begin to fade into obscurity. Stuck in a powerfully dysfunctional family, their children enter the world of Harvard Square at the height of the Vietnam era. As they cling together for comfort and support, they are pulled by the Cambridge undertow as politics, sex, drugs and rock and roll sound their siren call.

Anne has so many stories of Cambridge to share and in this episode, we see what the area was like—both through the eyes of the teenager she was then and the person she is now. Anne takes us through the character creation and how the environment of one of Boston's most notable neighborhoods shaped them. We look at what it's like to write for the market and how that can pose a challenge when it comes time to decide what the story will be. 

A family story leads to a debut novel in “One April After The War”

Picture this—you're cleaning out the home of a relative who's passed on when you find a scrapbook and the message “Please finish this story.” What's your answer? For author G.S. Boarman, that answer was “Yes,” and we all benefit with the new book “One April After The War.” Here's a quick synopsis:

Fresh from concluding a counterfeiting sting in Cincinnati, Secret Service agents Merritt and Argent are tasked by President Ulysses S. Grant to convince Miss Warner to return with them to Washington, D.C. For the two Treasury agents, this simple assignment to escort the socially awkward and willful young woman on an 800-mile railroad journey from Louisville, Kentucky to the White House proves far more interesting and difficult than the men could have ever thought possible. And, in the face of danger, it may just turn out that Mary is more of an asset than a problem for the two agents.

In this episode, G.S. and I talk about the discovery and what led them to complete the story, a gripping historical adventure set right after the Civil War. We're introduced to the origins of the Secret Service, a much different organization than the one we know today. We also learn about the main characters, Secret Service agents Merritt and Argent and Mary Warner, and the work that went into creating them.

This book explores the themes of mental illness and sexism and what is was like to be mentally ill in the late 1800s. G.S. and I also look at the endless research that was done (enjoyably so) to make this book happen.