See you all next week.  Happy Halloween!

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Today I sit down with author Thomas Kohnstamm to talk about his wild ride from grocery store deli worker to grad student, Lonely Planet travel writer, and now celebrated novelist. In the early 2000s, Thomas made global headlines after an Australian tabloid twisted an interview claiming that he'd written about places he'd never visited. While what he’d said about the truth of travel writing was more nuanced, it effectively ended his travel-writing career. But he turned that setback into a second act — spending the next decade reinventing himself as a fiction writer. With acclaimed novels like Lake City and his latest, Supersonic, Thomas has built a new literary identity rooted in humor, grit, and determination. It’s a fascinating conversation with an all-around great guy.

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Raising a teenage boy today is not easy. Young men face intense pressure to navigate conflicting models of masculinity. They're told that a real man should strive, win and dominate but one misstep could lead to being cancelled online without recourse. For many teenager boys, isolation feels safer than engagement with the world. Today I talk with author Ruth Whippman about what it means to raise boys in these complicated times. Her book Boymom offers an exploration of this landscape from the perspective of a feminist mother of three boys. 

https://www.ruthwhippman.com/

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Get ready for a good laugh. Today I talk with my friend, beta reader, piano man - Bryan Roper. Bryan spent years sailing the seas as a piano bar entertainer on all manor of cruise ships. From bargain savers to billionaire yachts, from blues cruises to nude cruises he's seen it all. For 18 consecutive months Bryan tickled the ivories and sang the American songbook for thousands of drunken fantasy seekers. It was a carnival life that is hard to believe, and he tells it all.

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When I was living in Los Angeles in 1993-94, I was homesick for the Pacific Northwest. I missed my friends, I missed the rain, and the small-town charms of the Olympic Peninsula. One thing got me through: reruns of Northern Exposure, which reminded me of home. The show was filmed in the town of Roslyn, just over the mountains from Seattle. The whole vibe of the show just hit me in my comfort zone, and man, I was grateful for it. Today I talk with Dr. Fleischman himself, the legendary Rob Morrow, about his recollections of the show as well as his podcast, with co-star Janine Turner, called Northern Disclosure. 

Northern Disclosure:  https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernDisclosurePodcast

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Jess Walter is one of my favorite modern authors. I love his voice, his sense of humor and the way his characters stick with me long after I finish one of his books. Today we discuss his new novel, "So Far Gone." The story follows our reclusive hero, Rhys Kinnick, as he engages a Christian Nationalist militia to recover his kidnapped grandchildren from his conspiracy addled son-in-law, Shithead Shane. The Philadelphia Inquirer calls the novel "a rollicking, razor-sharp, and ultimately moving road trip through a fractured nation, from a writer who has been called 'a genius of the modern American moment.'"

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Today I talk with legendary rock guitarist, Stone Gossard. Stone's distinct guitar sound has become synonymous with what we understand as the other Seattle sound of the '90s. On one hand, there were the more chaotic, big fuzzy guitar sounds from Steve Turner, Kurt Cobain, and Kim Thayil, and then on the other, there was Stone's rock/glam-influenced power chords that defined Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, Brad, and Pearl Jam. We talk with Stone about his legacy and his influences. We also take time to give flowers to the many musicians that he's collaborated with throughout his career. Some deep thoughts and surprising moments of candor from my old friend—enjoy!

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I'm a big fan of boxing. As a novelist I can't think of a sport that lends itself more to dramatic storytelling. Today I'm thrilled to talk "The Sweet Science" with one of my all time heroes, sportscaster Jim Lampley. Jim was the voice of HBO World Championship Boxing for over 30 years. We discuss the upcoming Canelo v. Crawford fight as well as some of the highlights from his storied career. Jim has some incredible stories, grab some popcorn and enjoy.

 It Happened!  

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I was at a book signing a week or two ago when a tall, handsome fellow named Bill approached me to say that he was a fan of the podcast. It turns out Bill was a recently retired police sergeant from the Lynnwood PD. Remembering how much everyone loved the Nurse Lexi episode, I asked him if he'd be interested in telling us what it's like to be a cop. I asked him if I could call the episode "Smells Like Bacon", and he agreed! That's when I knew I had a winner of a guest. Defund the Police, Blue Lives Matter, Thin Blue Line—we cover it all and more.

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Today I talk with indie publisher, Christoph Paul of Clash Books. We discuss the publishing process—from acquisition, to editorial, to marketing and publicity, to distribution, to the retail bookshelf, revealing step-by-step how the sausage is made, and highlighting some of the differences between corporate and indie publishing, and even self-publishing. We also discuss some of the challenges the modern publishing paradigm is facing, including the reading crisis.

https://www.clashbooks.com

https://linktr.ee/christophpaul

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