Books and Brews Podcast

Christine Husom is a national best-selling author from Minnesota. She pens the suspenseful Winnebago County Mysteries and the cozy, but not too cozy, Snow Globe Shop Mysteries where bad guys demonstrate not everyone is "Minnesota Nice." She also has stories in many anthologies. Husom served with the Wright County Sheriff, is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and is active with the Twin Cities chapter. She loves meeting readers at a variety of venues and events. www.christinehusom.com

Christine's Readings:

• Death in Lionel's Woods – 33:47
• Secret in Whitetail Lake – 26:11
• Frosty the Dead Man – 41:36

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Oktoberfest, Indeed Brewing Company (paired to Death in Lionel's Woods) – 5:37
• Helles Schlenkerla Lagerbier, HellerBräu Trum KG (paired to Secret in Whitetail Lake) – 24:20
• Bourbon Barrel Quad, Boulevard Brewing Company (paired to Frosty the Dead Man) – 39:16

Interview Highlights:

• From Sheriff's Office to Author – 16:21
• Writing from things seen at the sheriff's office – 18:23
• Researching for a crime novel – 19:35
• Character-driven vs plot driven – 34:29
• Readers' views of Minnesota – 36:12
• Writing mysteries vs writing other fiction – 50:18

COMING NEXT MONTH: Sandy Hanna, Memoirs of military life

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Nicole Burnham is the RITA Award-winning author of over twenty romance novels, including the popular Royal Scandals series. As an army brat, Nicole was raised moving around the world. She still travels abroad whenever she can score cheap airfare and loves that it feeds her writing. If Nicole isn't at her keyboard, she is happiest spending time at Fenway Park or trail running. www.nicoleburnham.com

Nicole's Readings (read by Hollis McCarthy):

• Scandal with a Prince (Megan Hears a Voice) – 12:32
• Slow Tango with a Prince (Emily Finds Vittorio) – 26:02
• To Kiss a King (Expert Advice) – 45:31

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Sofie, Goose Island Beer Company (paired to Scandal with a Prince) – 10:33
• Tango, Wyerbacher Brewing Company (paired to Emily Finds Vittorio) – 23:28
• Ola Dub Special Reserve 40, Harviestoun Brewery Ltd. (paired to Expert Advice) – 42:45

Interview Highlights:

• Struck by a voice – 14:10
• What drew you to royalty? – 18:48
• A man's point of view vs. a woman's point of view in romance – 30:04
• Identical twins – 33:28
• Law degree and writing romance – 35:35
• Emotional focus of romance novels – 50:25
• Fictional kingdom vs. a real kingdom – 53:02
• Growing up military and writing – 54:58

COMING NEXT MONTH: Christine Husom, mystery author

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Jeff LaFerney was a full-time language arts teacher in Davison, Michigan, for 30 years. After coaching basketball for most of his career, he decided to write books instead and took on his new hobby. Now he spends his free time reading, writing, and editing books. He and his beautiful wife have two adult children. His Clay and Tanner Thomas series focuses on a father and son team who use parapsychological abilities to solve mysteries. Jumper is a time-travel science fiction adventure. Lost and Found, is a unique mystery/treasure hunt with ties to World War II history. His latest, Planer, is the sequel to Jumper, his best-selling novel. He has a blog called The Red Pen where he usually infuses humor to share about himself or to give inspiration or writing tips. jefflaferney.blogspot.com

Jeff's Readings:

• Loving the Rain – 13:28
• Lost and Found – 30:22
• Jumper – 43:35

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Union Jack IPA, Firestone Walker Brewing Company (paired to Loving the Rain) – 10:50
• Foggy Geezer, War Pigs Brewing & 3 Floyds Brewing (paired to Lost and Found) – 27:22
• Wonderstuff, Bauhaus Brew Labs (paired to Jumper) – 40:55

Interview Highlights:

• What led to the very strong disclaimer that your work is fiction! – 22:15
• Mixing secular and faith – 23:52
• What's historical, what's not – 38:19
• Research on time travel – 49:11
• Dropping crumbs that readers want to follow – 51:54
• How to hook the reader – 54:30

COMING NEXT MONTH: Nicole Burnham, romance author

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Ernie Brill writes fiction and poetry about everyday people. His I Looked Over Jordan and Other Stories explores race and class among hospital workers. The actress Ruby Dee purchased, adapted, and performed the story Crazy Hattie Enters Ice Age for her and her husband's PBS TV series "With Ruby and Ossie." Brill won a New York State Council for The Arts Fiction Grant. He received his BA and MA in English from San Francisco State College. Brill has published widely fiction, poetry and essays in the US and Canada (River Styx, Other Voices, Z, U. of Minnesota, Prentice Hall Ontario Canada. Favorite writers include Virginia Woolf, Richard Wright, Mahmoud Darwish, Hyseoon Kim, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sterling A. Brown, Pedro Pietri, Pablo Neruda. Active Muse

Ernie's Readings:

• Intake – 9:55
• End of Faculty Meeting – 27:13
• Longshore – 42:31

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Commander 2018, Lift Bridge Brewery (paired to Intake) – 6:33
• Caked and Layered, Pipeworks Brewing (paired to End of Faculty Meeting) – 24:22
• Arbeiter Bier, Arbeiter Brewing Company (paired to Longshore) – 38:51

Interview Highlights:

• How a chapbook about hospitals came to be – 12:30
• A short story on PBS "With Ossie and Ruby" – 17:50
• Buzz words at Meetings – 29:38
• Early advocacy for multicultural literature – 30:37
• The value of art to society – 46:56
• How our life's work may hurt us – 49:20

COMING NEXT MONTH: Jeff LaFerney, YA author of time travel and sci-fi

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Eugenia Fain is an author of poetry and prose. She is also a songwriter and available on Amazon and Spotify. Eugenia has forty years of experience in writing. She is a preschool teacher and tutor.

She is published here and abroad; she is considered an international author. Eugenia is featured in several anthologies. She is published online, in print, ebook, and audiobook form. She has no children of her own; but she resides in Columbia, SC with her husband, Ivan, and tabby cat, Buddy. Allpoetry.com

Eugenia's Readings:

• Immortality, a glose poem – 13:12
• A Song of Despair, a viator poem – 29:29
• Dancing, a masnavi poem – 43:22

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Course Correct, Pryes Brewing Company (paired to Immortality) – 11:45
• Dark Truth Imperial Stout, Boulevard Brewing Company (paired to A Song of Despair) – 26:51
• Black Ale, Bent Paddle Brewing Company (paired to Dancing) – 39:41

Interview Highlights:

• Glose poems: which comes first, the poem or the idea? – 17:35
• Published in Norton's Anthology at 11 – 24:17
• Being positive vs admitting difficulty – 33:09
• The complexity of forms – 36:56
• Why love? – 45:05
• Where do you hope your work is 100 years from now? – 50:29

COMING NEXT MONTH: Ernie Brill, poet

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

USA Today bestselling author Melonie Johnson―aka #thewritinglush―enjoys cheap wine, expensive beer, and sipping cocktails that start with the letter m. Declared a "writer to watch" by Kirkus and a "fizzy, engrossing new voice" by Entertainment Weekly, her smart funny contemporary romances include Too Good to Be Real and her award-winning Sometimes in Love debut series: Getting Hot with the Scot, Smitten by the Brit, and Once Upon a Bad Boy. A former high school English and Theatre teacher, she spends her days in her Star Wars office, dreaming up meet-cutes. She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, their two redhead daughters, and one very large dog. Meloniejohnson.com

Melonie's Readings:

• Too Good to be Real – 13:52
• Getting Hot with the Scot – 27:05
• Smitten by the Brit – 44:44

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Sea Quench Ale, Dogfish Head Brewery (paired to Too Good to be Real) – 11:05
• Old Chub, Oskar Blues Brewery (paired to Getting Hot with the Scot) – 24:53
• Lager, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Beer Americano Cocktail (paired to Smitten by the Brit) – 39:23

Beer Americano Recipe

• 5 oz. Campari
• 5 oz. Sweet Vermouth
• 3 oz. Lager Beer

Fill a collins glass with ice. Add the Campari and vermouth. Froth the beer using an Aerolatteor immersion blender and pour into the glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Interview Highlights:

• Easter Eggs vs Tropes – 21:20
• Boozy Book Broads – 22:42
• Winks & Nods – 36:34
• The author in the characters – 52:54

COMING NEXT MONTH: Eugenia Fain, poet

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Philip Watling lives in Milton Keynes, England with his American wife and their amazing cats, Spirit and Shadow. Unable to work, he still manages to do some… a zero-hour contract job that he can dip in and out of when he feels up to it! When not doing that, much of his week is spent at the gym, swimming and talking to everyone – socializing with people in the city center, seeing friends at various church-sponsored lunch clubs and chatting to lots of people - on line and off - trying to help as many as he can. His remaining time is spent playing with the cats, caring for his wife and volunteering at a local community fridge. philipwatling Amazon Mardibooks Facebook

Philip's Readings (Read by Chris Powel):

• Intro – 11:55
• Hit by a Bus – 24:52
• Falling out of bed – 43:25

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Fuller's London Porter, Fuller's Brewery (paired to Intro) – 8:09
• Fuller's London Pride, Fuller's Brewery (paired to Hit by a Bus) – 21:45
• Provider, Steel Toe Brewing (paired to Falling out of Bed) – 36:46

Interview Highlights:

• The coincidence that saved a life – 13:29
• The dream job with horses – 16:05
• How long can a person be dead? – 18:37
• Reassessing values – 30:11
• Goal in writing this book – 54:37

COMING NEXT MONTH: Freida Kilmari, fantasy author

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Cynthia Kraack is an author of fiction, short stories and nonfiction. 40 Thieves on Saipan was released by Regnery History in 2020 and received Best Book in Military History from the American Book Festival. The High Cost of Flowers won two 2014 Midwest Book Awards taking first in Literary Fiction and Contemporary Fiction. Her debut work, Minnesota Cold, won the 2009 Northeastern Minnesota Book Award for Fiction. She also wrote the Ashwood trilogy, a speculative fiction family saga. The Saturday Evening Post, Glimmer Train, Big Muddy Literary Journal and the Hal Prize competition have published or recognized her short stories. She has an MFA from the University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast Program in Creative Writing. She is a founding board member of Write On, Door County. Cynthiakraack.com Facebook

Joseph Tachovsky is the son of Lieutenant Frank Tachovsky, commanding officer of the 40 Thieves. Tachovsky knew nothing of his father's heroic past beyond that he was a Marine in the Pacific until his father's funeral in 2011. A eulogy was given in which a man recounted a story a wherein Lieutenant Tachovsky "saved every man in our unit" from a Japanese tank. This set him on a journey to discover everything he could about his father and the 40 Thieves. Tachovsky is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and currently resides in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. 40thievessaipan.com Facebook

Cynthia and Joseph's Readings:

• Four Woodpeckers – 13:48
• Arello and Duley – 29:48
• Pacts & Premonitions – 41:59

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Coastal Sunshine Fruited Sour, Humble Forager Brewery (paired to Four Woodpeckers) – 10:00
• Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch InBev (paired to Arello and Duley) – 25:56
• Old Rasputin, North Coast Brewing Company (paired to Pacts & Premonitions) – 40:31

Interview Highlights:

• The hardest part of writing such a book – 23:09
• Why does it matter to tell the story of the 40 Thieves? – 24:52
• Origins of the name "40 Thieves" – 35:18
• Rivalry and stereotypes among the branches – 36:30
• The Thieves as old men – 38:00
• Do you believe in premonitions? – 47:42
• What gives a 21-year-old the courage to face death? – 50:27
• Lingering impacts of war – 52:58

COMING NEXT MONTH: Philip Watling: The car hit me....I died....

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Dr. Chris Powell is an author, poet, musician, engineering and management consultant and aspiring polymath with his fingers on everything from fretboards and ivories to the pulse of post-modernism, surrealism, and nihilism's impact on the destruction of morality and sanity. His work takes him from the Internet of Things to Cyberspace, and from Supercomputers to AI. More down to earth, he putters in his labs with birdhouses and cameras, servomotors and drones. At the range he's comfortable with AR's and lasers, in a kilt with trombones and guitars, on a kneeler with his Rosary, and in the kitchen making omelets and Long Island Iced Teas for his love.

Dr. Powell's book has been described by Kirkus Reviews as having certain similarities to Joan Didion's 2005 book The Year of Magical Thinking, which investigated the nature of grief, but Dr. Powell's book investigates the nature of illness itself. He meticulously details his late wife Bonnie's every procedure and symptom, and every failure of modern medicine to provide her with relief. He also applies the same method to his own emotions and spirituality, presenting engaging, admirably honest deductions regarding sacrifice and dedication in this powerful, heartbreaking memoir. chrisandlaurapowell.com

Chris's Readings:

• Caring for Bonnie – 12:09
• From Love to Shame – 25:07
• Psalm of Winged Transcendence – 41:51

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Manhattan Social Club, Boulevard Brewing Company (paired to Caring for Bonnie) – 9:13
• Belgian Iambic (paired to From Love to Shame) – 22:55
• Chardonnale, Brewery Ommegong (paired to Psalm of Winged Transcendence) – 38:13

Interview Highlights:

• Sacrifice and service--the hard parts of love – 17:10
• Writing for healing – 20:30
• Love that destroys – 30:02
• Narcissism – 32:39
• A poem as psalm – 45:24
• Powell as musician – 46:56
• The Hurdy-Gurdy – 54:48

COMING NEXT MONTH: Cynthia Kraak and Joseph Tochovsky, Forty Thieves on Saipan

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Lauretta Kehoe is an avid reader of all types of books, but mostly science fiction and fantasy, seeking in these stories reflections of my Christian faith. Not finding many, she decided to write what she wanted to read. Michael Kehoe is a professional comedian, actor and screenwriter, who has appeared in several movies, including the latest Jason Bourne film, the upcoming Godzilla sequel, two television shows and two commercials. Michael has also appeared as his Geriatric Elvis persona at five casinos in the Las Vegas area.

A Dream of Dragons is their debut urban fantasy novel published by Tate Enterprises in 2016. They have also published stories in several anthologies, including Creative Writing Institute's 2017 anthology Lost, Enchanted Anthologies: Once Upon a Cursed Time, Christmas Nightmares and Fractured Fairytales Volume II, and Black, Blue and Purple Pain. In addition to writing their own books, they work with other authors to publish theirs, such as turning movie scripts into novellas for Producer, Director and Actor, Ron Becks. They are members of the Jerry Jenkins Writer's Guild. laurettakehoe.com mikekentertainment.com

Laurie's Readings:

• I am flying! – 13:02
• Shopping with Anne – 26:10
• Henry with the Bad Guys – 43:15

Michael's Beer Pairings:

• Dragon's milk, New Holland Brewing – 10:37
• Gray Duck Spirited Seltzer, Gray Duck Spirits – 23:01
• Chaos Monger, Warpigs Brewing USA – 38:18

Interview Highlights:

• Dreams in story-telling – 16:10
• Mixing light and dark story elements – 19:22
• Elvis impressions – 20:33
• Pollyanna vs likable characters – 32:14
• Saving Anne vs Saving Henry – 35:45
• Fiction: Faith, Secular or 3-dimensional? – 53:48

COMING NEXT MONTH: Dr. Chris R. Powell, readings on love for February

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.