BookSpeak Network

Joseph A. Rosen's career as a freelance editorial and corporate photographer has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Newsweek, and many others of note. Coupled with his passion for the stories one can tell through a lens is his love of music, especially the Blues. 

Joe was already landing work while still doing his degree (with photography as his focus) at Carnegie Mellon University. A trip to Washington, DC, in 1976 to see Muddy Waters led Rosen to become a fixture at clubs, concerts, festivals, and cruises over the ensuing decades. 

Blues Hands, released by Schiffer Publishing in 2015,  showcased Joe's professional talents, with an emphasis on the hands of the people who played the music. Now, a more expansive work has been released: Inside the Moment: Iconic Blues, Soul, Jazz, Rock and R&B Images and History, which contains over 150 black and white images of some of Joe's finest work. Each chapter covers a genre of music and includes forewords by Scott Barretta, Steve Berkowitz, and Dick Shurman. The reader will see intimate, emotional, and powerful shots of music luminaries they will know, and many more they should.

A native of Yonkers, New York, Joe Rosen won The Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive in Photography and Art Award in 2002.  He still lives in New York; you can find out more about Joe at his website.

UPDATE: after this podcast was recorded, we learned that Inside the Moment won the Living Blues Magazine Reader's Poll as the Best Blues Book of 2025. Congratulations, Joe!

The concerns over Artificial Intelligence, or AI, seem to offset, or even outweigh, the potential benefits. In this episode of The Sunbury Press Books Show, Guy Morris seeks to de-mystify AI and how mankind must guard against the "tsunami" that is coming.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming business, careers, and society faster than most realize. For the individual and the small business owner, the stakes are high and immediate: adapt, or be left behind.

Speaking with host Dr. Lawrence Knorr, Morris explains that there is no one, set AI--there are thousands. He explains AI in plain language, separates hype from reality, and explores its extraordinary promise. Morris balances these arguments with the real and serious economic and societal risks that experts have raised the alarm about. 

Guy Morris is a retired Fortune 500 executive and innovator with four decades of experience in global software and technology. Trained in economics and computer science, Morris is a builder of the early algorithmic models that are the foundation of modern AI. An award-winning author and published composer, Morris' work bridges technology, geo-strategy, and the human impact of machine intelligence. 

You can find out more about Guy at his website.

Crime reporter Tori Younger attends a wedding and finds a potential story: the bride's last husband was stabbed to death by her young son. Then, the night before the ceremony, the groom is murdered. The prime suspect: the now-adult son.

The weapon, location, and motive are all the same, but to Tori, it's a little too open and shut a case. With a family on the brink, Tori must find the real killer before they disappear for good.

The second of the "H_NGM_N" series, "Murder is the Clue," is just the latest from award-winning mystery and suspense author J.C. Gatlin. The first, "H_NGM_N: Murder is the Word," won the Florida Royal Palm Award for Best Mystery and was Runner-Up for Book of the Year in 2019. "Darkness Hides," published in 2021, was a Finalist in the Best Thriller Book Awards. 

J.C. Gatlin lives in Florida. You can find out more about him at his website.

Detective Shelby Reed has been handed a murder case that threatens to strip away all pretensions and preconceived notions about the town of Locust Grove. Whitney Chandler, the All-American high school girl, is dead, and all eyes are on a certain star football player.

Detective Reed and her unwanted "partner," Det. Jasper Erickson must find a way to work together and solve the case. As the case unfolds, Whitney, like many kids struggling to grow up, was not what she seemed to be. Some had an axe to grind, others are in denial, and Shelby is determined to find the killer of the "Bright Girl."

Nancy Basile is the author of several mysteries, including the Riley Sutton trilogy, including "Roadside Homicide" and "A Fatal Fumble." She has also explored the paranormal with "The Haunting of Ivy May." 

A West Virginia native, Nancy Basile now lives with her family in Central Pennsylvania. You can find out more about her at her website. 

In this episode of The History Stacks, teacher and author Joe Regenbogen returns to the BookSpeak Network to talk about his life as an educator, his writing, and his passion for history. A topic of conversation involves education, and especially how history is taught in school, and the potential to challenge norms to achieve a deeper understanding of our history, and perhaps ourselves.

A Louisiana native, Joe Regenbogen taught history in high schools for four decades before transitioning to a writing career. His works include Questioning History and Relearning History, which target those disenchanted with conventional history education. 

His subsequent books include The Boys of Brookdale, a collection of stories from 16 veterans, all of whom lived at the same senior living facility in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Making a Difference tells the story of renowned East St. Louis educator Irl Solomon. Regenbogen's latest work is Evaluating America's Past: A Critical Thinking Approach to the Study of American History. 

Joe Regenbogen holds a Master's of Education from the University of New Orleans. He currently lives in the St. Louis area.

Omaha, Nebraska, does not seem to be the place for high society, high fashion, and even higher-stakes crime. Don't tell that to Jennifer and Nari, two women who are engaged in a caper that promises the big score, but is done for different reasons.

The straight woman, Jennifer, has walked the line all her life, but feels let down by a corporate system that doesn't value her. Jennifer's dreams seem nothing more than that--then Nari, driven by big money, adventure, and the need to impress her equally nefarious mother, convinces Jennifer to turn on her boss and steal a huge quantity of a needed food additive as part of a black-market conspiracy.

"The Sweetest Getaway" is the second in a series by Sasha Preston, and forces Jennifer and Nari to question themselves, face their fears, and risk everything in a roll of the dice that could bring them closer to their dreams...or get everyone killed!

A Michigan native, Sasha is also the author of "A Sweet Scheme," the first of the series from Heart & Horizon Press. She now lives in Southern California. You can find out more about Sasha at her website.

Thomas K. Clancy is the author of four books and is a nationally recognized expert on the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution. In this episode of The History Stacks, Clancy discusses his interest in the Constitution, and in particular, the amendment that he sees as the anchor of the document.

His works include Cyber Crime and Digital Evidence, the fifth edition of which will be released in 2027. Clancy is also the author of The Fourth Amendment: Its History and Interpretation, which comes out in its fourth edition next year as well. Clancy has also authored Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Fourth of July Stories, and 1775--America Rebels. 

Thomas K. Clancy is Professor Emeritus of the University of Mississippi School of Law and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Vermont Law School. He lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

"Once love is taken away from you, taken out of your hands, or beaten into a fearful thing, you lose the capacity to salvage yourself in the presence of another person."

These words are one thread that leads into "A Dangerous Friendship," an intense, dark-humored, cynical, and at times perilous journey for two women. Author Robin Merle (pronounced Merrill) makes her fiction debut with a tale of two women, recovering from loss, and finding one another with answers that will likely not be the same.

Tina is 29, suffering from a lost relationship. She leaves New York City for New Hampshire and a writing camp to hammer out a story in the hopes of finding some relief. Instead, amongst the strange collective, Tina bonds with the most unlikely character of all, a woman named Spike.

Merle weaves a tale of relationships, old and new, which test both Tina and Spike. One seeks what most readers would recognize: connection, validation, perhaps love again, while the other spins tales of past activities, which lead one to wonder how much of this is real and how much is imagined.

There are no real heroines or heroes in "A Dangerous Friendship," but there are characters with numerous layers of humanity that lead one to question what one truly wants out of life.

Robin Merle is a New York native--an author and writer, a non-profit professional, and an executive coach who specializes in career transitions. Women in Development, New York, named Robin one of their 30+ Women of Achievement for her service to the fields of development and philanthropy. 

"A Dangerous Friendship is Robin's second work for She Writes Press; the first is the award-winning "Involuntary Exit: A Woman's Guide to Thriving After Being Fired." An alumna of the first class of women at Rutgers College, Robin also holds a Master's Degree from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. She now lives in Maine. You can find out more about her at her website, TheProfessionalGuide.com.

In the second and final installment of this series, we hear from the voices of the Pennwriters Conference. The annual event, in its 39th year, was held recently in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. As part of its long-running commitment, Sunbury Press Books founder, Dr. Lawrence Knorr, participated in the three-day event. The conference is designed to assist authors, poets, and writers of any genre and skill level. Events include presentations, workshops, and one-on-one meetups with book editors and literary agents.

This year, BookSpeak Network host and Sunbury Press author Tory Gates sat down with several of these writers in an informal, "shoot-style" series of interviews. No questions were scripted; the conversations are lightly led, and it is hoped the listener will be interested in how these authors create, but also in why. Further, it is hoped you will find some new authors to check out.

Segment 1:

Misty Simon is a longtime author who seeks to touch readers' hearts and their funny bones.

C.J. Grant has worked as a technical writer, but also in fiction, including the recent release, "Sometimes Death is a Blessing," on Running Wild Press.

Joy Givens is a Youth Program Specialist for resettled refugee and immigrant children. She is the author of children's and middle-grade fiction. Her debut picture book, "The Unstoppable Jamie," was released by Two Lions in 2023. 

Segment 2:

Rachel D. Lyne (pronounced Lynn) is an author of both fiction and non-fiction, specializing in faith-based themes. An educator with degrees in Business and Biblical Studies, Rachel believes in spreading hope, "one word at a time." Her works include the Tales of Rizalia series. 

Elle Brown is an author of Harlequin Romance stories, set in the high-stakes, high-risk world of Formula 1. Her love of racing is credited to her father; Elle also dabbles in painting, costuming, and hosting wildly themed dinner parties.

Robert Walton is the author of several Sunbury Press Books releases, including "Fatal Snow," the first of the Henry Thursday series. 

Segment 3:

Sandra M. Bush is the author of the novels "Money Man" and "Money Man Marooned," inspired by her husband's work as a financial advisor. She is also a technical writer and has written for the Pennsylvania School Board Association Magazine, "The Bulletin."

Dave Agans admits to being corrupted early on by MAD Magazine, Get Smart, and Rocky & Bullwinkle at an early age. Dave began writing spy spoofs in the sixth grade; he is the author of the popular technical book, "Debugging," the spy-fi "Urban Legion Trilogy," and the award-winning flash-fiction work, "The Big Nap."

For more information about these authors and the conference, go to Pennwriters dot org.

The 39th Annual Pennwriters Conference was recently held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. As part of Sunbury Press Books' longstanding commitment to the written word and those who craft it, founder and publisher Dr. Lawrence Knorr was among those who attended--the conference is designed to help authors, poets, and writers of all genres and skill levels. Workshops, presentations, and meetups with editors and agents are part of the event.

This year, BookSpeakNetwork host and Sunbury Press author Tory Gates sat down with several guests of the conference to discuss their careers, their works, and inspirations.

Segment One: 

David Conway is an author of literary fiction who is currently editing his first novel.

Kelly Gourley is an organizer, activist, and writer who is working on her debut work of science fiction.

Cirsten Edwards is an Oncology Nurse who discusses her technical and non-fiction works.

Segment Two:

Nancy A. Hughes is a communications graduate of Penn State University and is the author of eight novels of suspense.

Carla Conti is a journalist-turned-author of true crime. Her works include the award-winning "Chained Birds: A Crimemoir," and "The Jacklighter: Murder, Betrayal, and Justice in Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains."

Vickie Fisher is the author of eight inspirational works, and her latest release is "The Hippy Dippy Grandma's Natural Remedies." 

Segment Three:

M.C. Hillegas has drawn on her work as a search and rescue K9 handler and human remains recovery. She is a winner of the Independent Book Publisher Award for The Canine Handler Series, which includes "Payback," "Setback," and the forthcoming release, "Comeback."

Don Helin has called on his military service, which included postings in Vietnam and Germany, along with three tours in the Pentagon, for his writings. Don has written eleven award-winning thrillers, a personal memoir, "From Army Regulations to Novels," and is the editor of Voices from the Pandemic, an anthology.

Jim Rada is a journalist plus an author of history and historical fiction. He has received numerous awards from the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, the Associated Press, and the Society of Professional Journalists. 

To find out more about these authors and the conference, go to Pennwriters dot org.