Radio history is one of change, reflecting not only the times of this country but also the forces upon it. In this episode of the Sunbury Press Books Show, Joe Taylor looks back on 60 years in the business. A deejay, a newscaster, a talk show host, and more, Joe viewed from behind the board, the microphone, and the boss' desk how radio has changed. 

Subtitled What Happened to Radio, 1960 to 2020? Taylor takes the reader on a journey of short stories, anecdotes, and recollections of these changes. From the days of the network era, of Top 40, the emergence of FM Radio over the AM dial, to a medium that is now part of today's multi-platform media, with an uncertain future.

Speaking with Tory Gates (another "radio guy"), Taylor discusses the early days in his hometown of Rochester, New York, becoming a board operator and disc jockey while still in school, the numerous stations and cities (including the famous KDKA in Pittsburgh). He talks of the characters, the wacky stunts, the practical jokes, and those who aided him and helped shape his career. The question remains: what is left for radio, and what place will it hold in the future?

Joe Taylor is the author of two other books, I'm Just Lucky to Own My Own Car, and A Pepper and Egg Sandwich on American Bread, a memoir of his Italian-American upbringing. He lives in DuBois, Pennsylvania. 

The discovery of an explosive Russian document in 2014 sends a journalist, a rival, and security services searching for its elusive writer. Philip Lazar takes the reader on a thrilling, danger-filled adventure across Europe and Southeast Asia. 

A potential separatist movement is alluded to in this paper, which could shatter empires and change the face of the geopolitical world. Lazar brings to life the time of the Gorbachev-era Soviet Union, with the stunning climax in Vladimir Putin's Moscow.

"An intricately plotted tale set against the modern world of media and soft espionage. Startlingly realistic, brilliantly told...(with) an ending that will shock you and leave you breathless." -- I.S. Berry, Edgar Award-winning author, The Peacock and the Sparrow

This debut novel, published on the Agency Press imprint of Sunbury Press Books, is sure to be the first of many from Philip Lazar. He lives in Washington, D.C. 

Lady Marjorie Fetter Goossens would likely agree she lived a varied life, but that would be putting it mildly. Through her writings, the historical records, photographs and memories, authors Glenn and Barbara Long Holliman have traced The Amazing Life and Loves of Lady Marjorie Fetter Goossens: and the Scandal that Destroyed the Magnificent Career of Sir Eugene Goossens III"  in this new work on Sunbury Press Books. 

The Lady's life is broken down into phases, as she traveled the world, made her way through society, and weathered the scandal that brought down her composer husband. Lady Marjorie also gave much away, to fall in love with a penniless Polish aristocrat, to come back home to her native Pennsylvania and provide sanctuary to a most unlikely candidate. 

Glenn and Barbara Long Holliman speak of Lady Marjorie's life and the information they uncovered in their research. A part of her history can be found in Perry County, Pennsylvania, at the famous Fetter House and this fascinating work may be found here.

The "Whispers of War" series examines the subject from the standpoint of soldiers and especially the families they must at times leave behind. Book One, "The Scars of War," comes from the hand of Sarah Peachey, who draws on her experience as an Army wife to craft the first of this series.

Annalise is an Army brat who secretly wishes for freedom and resents the constant moves, redeployments, and absences of her father, Robert. A career man who follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Robert knows no other life than this. The events of September 11th, 2001, changes fortunes and lives.

Annalise becomes anti-war, while Robert is deployed to Afghanistan. A serious injury leaves Annalise wondering if there is a way to heal not only her father, but their own relationship.

Sarah Peachey is a writer, editor and journalist with more than 14 years in media and publishing. Her work has appeared on "Mission: Milspouse," The Homefront United Network, and the Army News Service.  

A Lancaster, Pennsylvania native, Sarah travels about the world with her husband and three children, currently living outside Regensburg, Germany. You can follow her writings and learn more at her website.

The history of professional baseball in Florida is a rich one, and Sam Zygner continues with his captivating series of books, this time delving into the history of a team whose name would be familiar.

"The Forgotten Marlins: A Tribute to the 1956-1960 Original Miami Marlins" tells of how a club moved from Syracuse, New York, and was envisioned as a legitimate outpost for the International League. The club indeed became that, stocked with players and characters, most notably Bill Veeck, who ran the team for free and came up with his usual wacky promotional ideas. 

Pepper Martin managed the club for a time, and Satchel Paige was on the pitching staff. Zygner also discusses team rivalries in the outlaw Florida East Coast League.

Sam Zygner has chaired the South Florida chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research since 2006. His writings on baseball and travel have appeared in numerous publications. A graduate of St. Leo University, Zygner is a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan.

Prohibition was referred to as, "the great social and economic experiment," by former President Herbert Hoover, but the 20th-century temperance movement did not stop people from consuming alcohol or manufacturing it. In much of the US, the making of home-brewed "moonshine" was an industry, and often was the difference between putting food on families' tables, or going hungry.

One such place was Mississippi, where an April 1, 1921 shootout saw two law enforcement officers ambushed and killed while they worked to shut down a still. The murders of Richton Town Marshall Lawrence Dunnam and US Treasury Special Agent Jacob "Jake" Green of Leakesville, and what happened fell to Green's granddaughter, Juanita Green Hollinghead.

Spanning four decades of research, interviews with family and those in the know, plus old family documents, Hollinghead tells of her grandmother's unwillingness to speak of the incident, and what happened to the killers of her grandfather and Dunnam. Hollinghead also examines family dynamics through her own experiences and paints an intimate, detailed portrait of that time and its place in history. 

A longtime educator, Juanita Green Hollinghead has teamed with author Sherye S. Green to bring "Beyond the Green Widow" to Sunbury Press Books. She lives in Leakesville, Mississippi.

The Fourth of July is the day we honor America's independence, but on successive fourths from 1776 onward, there have been some fascinating moments in US History. Thomas K. Clancy offers some of these in his new book, "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Clancy discusses with host and Sunbury Press founder Lawrence Knorr how the Declaration of Independence and the concept of liberty have changed and expanded beyond what the Founding Fathers could have imagined. 

Efforts by Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and Filipinos to make the declaration more inclusive. The deaths of former Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson fell within hours of one another on July 4th, 1826, and Clancy details their long correspondence. The likes of Henry David Thoreau, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lou Gehrig, and the difference in their pursuits are also chronicled.

A nationally recognized expert on the Fourth Amendment, Thomas K. Clancy has written more than 20 articles on the subject, and is the author of "Cyber Crime and Digital Evidence" and "The Fourth Amendment: Its History and Interpretation. He holds the title of Professor Emeritus from the University of Mississippi School of Law, from which he retired in 2014. He lives on Cape Cod.

March of every year brings about spring, but it is also a unique time in a certain place south of Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland ConCoction, or CleCon, completed its 2025 event recently at the Bertram Hotel & Conference Center in Aurora. Your host, Tory Gates, once again took part in this annual event of authors, board and video game enthusiasts, Star Trek fans, artists, and cosplayers.

During this three-day event, Tory got to speak with organizers, volunteers, and especially those who come to show off and sell their wares, but also to network and be with friends of a unique tribe.

All of the guests and their doings can be found on the CleCon website -- Tory speaks with:

Melissa Stasko, Organizer/Manager, Cleveland ConCoction

Weston Kincade

Mike Harness, aka "Duerger," Volunteer, Right Hand to Melissa

David F. Balog

Megan Leigh, Artist

Marie Vibbert

Marcus V. Calvert

Jarod K. Anderson

Clif Flynt

Meg Englehardt

“In a Power Couple, one may rise. The other may fall.” 

In the first of the Aluzamoak Series, “The Elder’s Sequence” (on Compassionate Alien Press) sets a deep aesthetic for a universe that recalls the heaviest of science fiction and fantasy. Author S. A. Ferguson tells of worlds that show advancement, but can also fall to frailties, such as ambition, jealousy, fear, and a drive for power. 

Mira has vowed to lead the planet of Aluzamoak and its empire with her spouse, the native-born Zaraith. To break these vows means death.

As Zaraith begins to exploit and possibly abuse his authority, Mira becomes the questioner. Above them are the nebulous elders who elected them, but they remain in the shadows. Mira must navigate the politics of several cultures and decide whether to stay loyal to Zaraith or oppose him.

 S. A. Ferguson has been an author since childhood. They hold an MA in English with a concentration in creative and technical writing. They practice Vajrayana Buddhism, along with Holotrophic Breathwork, and other healing practices. They live near Cleveland, Ohio.

Twenty-year-old Charlotte Savatier returns to Charleston during the American Revolution, on a mission to avenge the wrongful execution of her affluent parents. While assigned by Lord Balfour to make this investigation, Charlotte takes on Heathcliff, a ruthless young Brit to assist her.

Soon, Charlotte realizes not only being a woman (mixed race at that) in a man's position is dangerous enough but that Heathcliff's greed could cost them their lives.

Adam Smith brings his historic novel The Journey of the Snake to Sunbury Press Books and speaks with founder and podcast host Lawrence Knorr. A native of Vermont, Smith is an award-winning author and a graduate of the University of Arizona. He is an accomplished chef and a "reformed restauranteur." Smith's previous works include SCABLAND, and Falling from the Light.