A Book and a Chat

John G Nelson is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant and former Special Forces Medic. Now, the Director of Quality and Risk Management, Patient Safety, and Infection Control at a community hospital in Utah. His novel Against Nature was released on April 5th, 2011

The U.S. is ground-zero for a mysterious global pandemic. The disease is highly infectious and kills it’s victims within two weeks of exposure. It’s neither bacteria nor a virus and all traditional treatment regiments have failed.

Serena Salus, a radical scientist, discovers the organism is an extraterrestrial dust mite brought to earth by a shuttle astronaut. The government contends it’s a genetically-engineered organism created on earth by enemies of freedom.

Dr. Salus uncovers a vile plan for distributing her experimental antitoxin and finds herself in a deadly confrontation with powerful forces that’ll stop at nothing to control the distribution of her vaccine.

Derrick Lin’s is the guest on today's show, his book TIGER MOTHER: SON OF A BITCH, which details how his strict Chinese mother mercilessly drove him to excel, and in the process exacerbated his anxiety disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome, while generally “making my life hell.” During the past few years, Derrick has attempted suicide twice and has seen seven psychiatrists, all of whom he resisted due to his mother’s insistence that he take antidepressants.

In Derick's own words...

I was abused and tortured as a child up until adulthood.  That was when I finally was able to break free of my oppressive mother.  No human being should go through what I did.  Now I am devoid of social skills, I have an anxiety disorder, and I have asperger's syndrome which I found out only compounds problems that my mother exacerbated  It is all thanks to my mother who brutalized me with her parenting.  That is what this book is about.

My guest today is Susan Avitzour, whose book "And Twice the Marrow of Her Bones" is a tribute to her eighteen-year-old daughter Timora who died of leukemia in 2001. The book is a memoir of my journey with her while she was ill, then without her after she left this world.

"While focusing on the author's deeply Jewish experience and perspective, And Twice the Marrow of Her Bones is inspiring to people of all faiths, or none. A must-read for both my Jewish and Christian students and colleagues."

Imagine a Jewish girl at a Christian summer camp and you have "OyMG" hthe debut YA novel of my guest today Amy Fellner Dominy. And of course alll the makings of a great hours chat with another of the class of 2K11 debut authors.

Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. After all, she’s been arguing with her Zeydeh (that’s grandfather in Yiddish) since she could talk. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she’s sure she can win the final tournament and a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot—literally. His name is Devon and whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she’s up for the challenge—until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship’s benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity be worth a shot at her dream?

Debut author Amy Fellner Dominy cooks up sizzling romance, surprising secrets, and even some matzo ball soup in a funny yet heartfelt story about an outspoken girl who must learn to speak out for herself.

Caridad Piñeiro is a multi-published and award-winning author whose love of the written word developed when her fifth grade teacher assigned a project – to write a book that would be placed in a class lending library. She has been hooked on writing ever since

The author of numerase award winning paranormal romantic suspense books, her latest book "The Lost" came out this July.

So why not join the chat with this prolific writer on "a Book and a Chat"

My guest today is Daren Krupa, his junior class English assignment was to write a meaning of life essay.  All he could think was meaning of life? I’m fifteen years old. I don’t know diddley about life! The one lucid moment of his youth.

A native of New York State Krupa grew up in Phoenix and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, waiter and telemarketer. At least a dozen novels have presented themselves throughout his life. Such a Nice Boy is the second he wrote and the first to be published.

After love at first sight strikes gay Alan Hovey and married female co-worker Lindsey Ronan, Alan is outed, forcing both to face unresolved issues.  Lindsey found her fiancé with his lover boy half a lifetime ago and never got over it.  Alan’s controlling mother made men an attractive alternative.  When Lindsey’s feelings threaten her career she's forced to confront her past and her marriage.  When Alan seems to go nowhere with boyfriend Parker he questions his lifestyle and his fear of women.

My guests today are Dr David Fett and Steve Langford, David is a bioterrism expert and Steve a Holywood producer/writer, together they have penned the thriller "White Sleeper".

A one reviewer wrote...

This book was engaging, eye opening and thought provoking all wrapped up into a perfect fast-pased thriller. An enjoyable read that will surely leave you feeling creep-ed out and thinking how venerable we are as a society and how a similar situation can possibly and easily someday become reality.

Author of "A Soul Less Broken" Helen will be today's guest on the show. As one reviewer wroteabout her book.

"...  Laibach has written a brilliant novel that brings the theme to a terrifying pinnacle in a story about rape, healing, friendships, and the power of love. This book is well written and the characters are convincingly portrayed.  The darkness and poignancy of this story enthralled me from beginning to end. What makes this story most frightening is that rape victims can be, and often are, tormented by these same scenarios.  In Laibach's skillful hands, the psychological impacts are brought home in a frightening way. I wanted the perpetrator to pay for what he did more than anything -- that's an excellent indication the story and its characters will touch readers in a deep level.  Yes, this book is also a love story, but certainly not in the conventional sense.  It will haunt you long after you turn the final page..."

YA author Kelly McClymer drops by to chat with us today.

Kelly has been writing has been Kelly’s passion since her sixth grade essay on how to not bake bread earned her an A plus. After cleaning up the bread dough that oozed on to the floor, she gave up bread making for good and turned to writing as a creative outlet.

She is the author of 14 books including "Must Love Black", so it will be interesting to see what the news is from this popular YA author

Melissa Crandall is the author of “Weathercock,” a fantasy novel, and “Darling Wendy and Other Stories,” a collection of speculative fiction.  The title story in the collection won the New England Writer’s Network 2002 Short Story Contest. 

Other writing credits include Star Trek novels “Ice Trap” (written in collaboration as L.A. Graf) and “Shell Game,” Quantum Leap novel “Search and Rescue,” and “Earth 2.”  She is a contributor to Amoskeag: The Journal of Southern New Hampshire University, The Geranium Farm Cookbook, 5.5BW – Poems and Stories, and Serve It Forth:  Cooking with Anne McCaffrey.  Her articles have appeared in Animal Watch – the magazine of the ASPCA, NEWN Magazine, Strides – the magazine of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, and various newspapers.  She writes a semi-regular blog.