Back Porch Writer

Today's show is all about Urban Fantasy versus Paranormal. Christine walks us through the differences and similarities of these subgenres. 

Christine is the author of the Cassie Scot Paranormal Detective Series. Her most recent book is Stolen Dreams.

About the book:

Edward Scot and Victor Blackwood have hated one another for nearly a quarter of a century, but now their simmering hatred is about to erupt. 

When Cassie Scot returns home from her sojourn in Pennsylvania, she finds that her family has taken a hostage. Desperate to end the fighting before someone dies, Cassie seeks help from local seer Abigail Hastings, Evan Blackwood's grandmother. But Abigail has seen her own death, and when it comes at the hand of Cassie's father, Victor Blackwood kills Edward Scot. 

But things may not be precisely as they appear. 

Evan persuades Cassie to help him learn the truth, teaming them up once again in their darkest hour. New revelations about Evan and his family make it difficult for Cassie to cling to a shield of anger, but can Evan and Cassie stop a feud that has taken on a life of its own? Conclusion to the Cassie Scot series.

Nicole Murray is a creative writer by passion, training, and profession. She is a Columbia College graduate with a degree in Fiction Writing and Marketing. Nicole’s dual Gemini personality helps her pursue creative writing as a personal profession.Nicole explores the creative landscape of the mind to craft fiction out of real emotion. She currently writes short stories, novels, poems, and screen plays. Autumn’s Child is her first novel.

About The Book

"I am hurting. Fractured in places stitches can't heal." Autumn’s Child tells the desperate story of Layla, as a young and naive twelve year-old girl. Over ten critical years, her life quickly changes like the colors of the trees in autumn. The accidental death of her parents forces her to abandon her religious, middle-class lifestyle. She moves to the inner city of Chicago with her grandmother and aunt, her only living relatives. Layla tries to approach her new life with optimism, but the perfections of her past life haunt her tormented journey. After coming to grips with the reality over the years that her only aunt despises her, Layla soon discovers that she may secretly hold the keys to helping her aunt’s diminishing health in her hands. Layla’s faith and sanity are continuously tested as she matures throughout each season of her life. She stumbles through her newfound reality while learning how to play the distinct set of cards she’s been dealt. Layla’s neighbor and best friend, Shay, helps guide her from adolescence into adulthood. Autumn’s Child chronicles a life on the opposite side of the coin; where friendships grow out of tragedy, and the pressure of a marginalized life weighs heavily on pure souls. Layla must make many compromising decisions, all while perpetually asking the reader, What would you do?

What do moonshine, motorbikes, misteltoe, and mountain mystery mail have to do with funerals, folklore, feline detectives, singing hounds, and secret blueberry patches? Nothing. That is until our hero and narrator, the ultimate fish-out-of-water, British folklorist, Dr. Tom Watson, finds himself doing post doctoral research in Appalachian Virginia. At first appalled by the absurdity of the language and lifestyle of the simple mountain community of Caney Forks, Dr. Watson falls in with and under the spell of beautiful mountain conjure woman and private detective, Shirley Combs and her feline companion, “Whassup?” Together they set out to solve the little mysteries of Caney Forks as this “Dr. Watson” learns to respect mountain wisdom and culture. Part farce, part detective story, part anthropological dive into the folkways of a culture and way of life that is slipping away, The Curious Case of the Conjure Woman is a wild ride.

Jerry Piell is an author and art dealer from England.

Leo Adam Biga is an Omaha-based blogger, nonfiction author and award-winning journalist. His 2012 book Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film is a collection of his extensive journalism about the Oscar-winning filmmaker. Additionally, Biga is the coeditor of Memories of the Jewish Midwest: Mom and Pop Grocery Stores and the author of two e-books for the Omaha Public Schools. 

The University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate contributes articles to newspapers and magazines. The former film programmer frequently writes about film and other art and culture subjects. His work's been recognized by his peers at the local, regional and national levels. 

He's nearing completion on the biography of a Catholic priest who served marginalized populations around the world and he continues researching a new project on Nebraska's film heritage. A new edition of the Payne book is in-progress.

Sample his eclectic work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com or www.facebook.com/LeoAdamBiga.

Our guest is children's book author, Renee Prewitt. 

About the book: Taj Cleans the Garage

Taj always wants new cars for his train set, so his parents encourage him to start earning the money to buy them. Much to his surprise, Taj’s new chore turns into an exciting adventure where he is the only one who can save the day.

Unfortunately, our scheduled guest wasn't able to join us, so Kori did what she does best: Rolled with it! 

During this short episode, she talked about our #needfordiversebooks as it relates to #ferguson, her successful (and first) virtual book launch for her children's book Dante, the end of year guest line-up, and the 2015 programming schedule.

Thanks for listening! We'll be back next week with Renee Prewitt.

Show Time: 9:30 a.m. CDT/ 10:30 a.m. EDT/ 7:30 a.m. PDT/ 8:30 a.m. MDT

Nancy Lynn Jarvis was a Santa Cruz, California, Realtor for twenty-five years but was having so much fun writing that she let her license lapse in May of 2013.

After earning a BA in behavioral science from San Jose State University, she worked in the advertising department of the San Jose Mercury News. A move to Santa Cruz meant a new job as a librarian and later a stint as the business manager of Shakespeare/Santa Cruz. Nancy's work history reflects her philosophy: people should try something radically different every few years. Writing is her newest adventure.

She put Regan, Tom , and Dave from the Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries Series on hiatus to write Mags and the AARP Gang, a comedy/adventure about a group of octogenarian would-be bank robbers, but she missed her characters, so they're back to solve another murder in recently released "The Murder House."

Show Time: 9:30 a.m. CDT/ 10:30 a.m. EDT/ 7:30 a.m. PDT/ 8:30 a.m. MDT

Our guest wasn't able to join Kori today. Instead, Kori discussed NaNoWriMo 2014, being a reformed pantser, and her upcoming virtual launch party for Dante, her first children's book. 

The Dec. 23rd date that she mentioned has been filled.

She's accepting guests for Jan-March 2015, so get in touch via the Back Porch Writer website. Kori also is lining up a series of Sunday seminars for Scribe Talk. Check the website for more information.

If you're curious about publishing trends, check out Publishingtrends.com

Thanks for joining us!

Tall tales and imagination filled James Wymore's formative years as he moved around the American West. Constantly in pursuit of a gateway to another world, he failed to find a literal door to another reality. However, he learned to travel everywhere fantastic through writing.

As an adult, James voyaged to other continents, where new philosophies and cultures fed his desire to see life from different perspectives. He then immersed himself in studying nature, in the hopes of finding a loophole. Along the way, he continued creating stories about alternate worlds like the ones hiding just out of sight.

James finally settled in the Rocky Mountains with his pet wolf, Kilgore, and started publishing his work. With three books and six short stories in print after just one year, he celebrates the best supernatural portal he's found so far--the mind.

Search with him at http://jameswymore.wordpress.com

Announcements:

It's Sockotber. Did you accept Kid President's challenge?

We have show openings in December. Get in touch is you're interested in being a guest

Audrey Kinsman (on your right) is the author and creator of Halloween’s newest tradition Switchcrafted: The Story of the Switch Witches of Halloween (available September, 2014). A proud mother of two young boys, Kinsman struggled with finding a solution to the piles of candy that her two sons collected while trick-or-treating in 2013. An inspiration on a cross-country flight lead to the creation of the Switchcrafted: The Story of the Switch Witches of Halloween.

The 20 page beautifully illustrated hardcover book and 8.5″ Witch doll come in a hard cover box with a Switchcrafted trick or treat bag. The product provides a story and platform for families to start a new Halloween tradition with their children by getting rid of all the sugary Halloween treats and exchanging them for something healthier.and all because the Witches need their candy for fuel (energy, heat, broom fuel). For all children ages 3 and up.