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#019: Bruce Olav Solheim – Documenting the paranormal, serving veterans with education, and trusting the muse.

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Bruce Olav Solheim is a distinguished professor of history at Citrus College in Glendora, California. He served for six years in the US Army as a jail guard and later as a hel­icopter pilot. He is the founder of the Veterans Program at Citrus College and co-founded, with Manuel Martinez and Ginger De Villa-Rose, the Boots to Books transition course—the first college course in the United States designed specifically for recently returned veterans.


Bruce has published eight books, one comic book, and has written ten plays—two of which have been produced—and spends time exploring and documenting his experiences with the paranormal.


In this episode we go deep into:

  • Why the paranormal is actually normal
  • Bruce’s experiences with the paranormal.
  • Why Bruce chronicled his paranormal experiences in his books
  • Why it’s key to take risks and go to the other side of fear
  • Shrugging off critics in favor of unlocking doors for others
  • Thriving in a supportive environment
  • How Bruce documents and collects his stories through life
  • Using poetry to channel and communicate experiences beyond prose
  • Bruce’s approach to selecting stories for his collections
  • Finding the narrative which threads in between
  • Creating the Boots to Books transition course to enable veterans to segue back into education
  • How the military shaped Bruce’s drive and discipline
  • Bruce’s daily writing process
  • Meditative walks and their benefits
  • Whether Bruce believes that everyone can access the paranormal
  • Why Bruce writes in so many genres and across so many mediums
  • How Bruce learned to write plays and create an award-winning show


    • This week’s question: What, if any, have been your experiences with paranormal, and how do you approach the paranormal in your writing? @willcocksauthor or use the #greatwritersshare


    Find out more about Bruce:

    bruceolavsolheim.com

    Timeless Book


    Special thanks to:

    Intro vocals: Persephone Rose

    Show theme: Karl Hughes


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