Today's guest is author Samantha Gassman, and we have the distinct privilege of discussing her apparently extreme versatility as an artist, encompassing not only her three VERY different published or acquired works, but additionally her military background, her motherhood, her singing ability, and her impeccable rhyme sense.

I'll leave her other two books to be discussed in our chat, but did want to introduce DEAR RAINBOW BABY, published as her commercial picture book debut this year. This book is deeply personal to Sam, as you might imagine given the subject matter of miscarriage, pregnancy loss, and the ways families rebound. It's a beautiful book and a touching way to introduce one of the most difficult topics imaginable to a child.

All this is to say that the conversation Brenna and I had with Sam is a real journey as we reconcile and connect the tissue between her nonfiction, her early 2022 debut on the educational market, her publication of DEAR RAINBOW BABY, and Artichoke-y Karaoke, which you'll have to wait til the end of the episode to hear about and is WELL worth the wait for the introduction of our new occasional segment called the Dead Manuscripts Society.

And as I'm writing this I realize for the first time that I never got the proper spelling of Artichoke-y. Sorry if I got it wrong in the show notes, Sam!

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Our book reviews of the week:

UNDERWEAR by Jenn Harney

MR THATCHER'S HOUSE by Kristin Wauson