BookSpeak Network

Dorothea is an ordinary girl from the land of Iammarus whose life and destiny are upended in "Dragon's Pick." The annual hunt for dragon eggs brings residents from all over to Thea's hometown of Villa Ovo--the hatchlings choose their riders, and of the four, a rare male picks Thea!Whisked away to Castle Draco, Thea and her fellow trainees, Colt, Tye and Thomas undergo rigorous training. The ride, however, is not guaranteed; furthermore, those who are chosen as Dragon Riders rarely (if ever) return.Under the watchful eye of Adgar, the four learn to fight and ride, but why does this all not seem what it is? In addition to her relationship with her dragon (named Browen), Thea must grow up fast, as do her fellows. Discoveries precede betrayal, violence and a do-or-die quest in which Thea slowly discovers who she really is..."Dragon's Pick" is the first of the Dorothea and Browen trilogy, brought to us by J.K. Weyant. With her first novel self-published at age thirteen, J.K. has since produced more than a dozen novels of fantasy and fiction. "Dragon's Loss" and "Dragon's Fall" round out the series, available through Amazon. She joins BPP host Tory Gates to discuss the series, her roots and the writing process. She lives in Central Pennsylvania with her husband Dan and their Pit Bull, Tango.

For their second foray into "Random Randomness," Novel Guys Brian Koscienski, Jeff Young and Brian's wife Christine Czachur delve into still more random (natch) themes and subjects. The gang discuss Fortress Publishing's latest creation, "Mayhem Menagerie," Book 2 of the Satan's Petting Zoo series. Then for the first time on the BookSpeak Network--a beer tasting! Brian, Jeff and Christine try out Sugar Coated Pony Kisses Beer, from Stable 12 Brewing Company (NOT a sponsor of this program, by the way), and we learn about the serious business of flavor, head and "mouth feel."The metric system is examined, and the fascinating world of the wombat is also brought to light. Random Haiku is shared, and a reading of "The Devil's Grasp."This slightly-scripted podcast comes to you from The Novel Guys' super-secret location from somewhere in the mid-state of Pennsylvania...

A question: "What if an author of graphically violent horror stories also drew cartoons?"That is answered by Thomas Malafarina, who has created Yes, I Smelled it, Too, a series of single panel cartoons that would make The Far Side and Bizarro appear sane! Thomas' drawings are influenced by Peanuts, but also the artists of MAD Magazine and others, and, like in his other works, he pushes the envelope with a unique sense of humor. One of the most prolific authors on the Sunbury Press roster, Thomas Malafarina joins host Lawrence Knorr to discuss his new series, but also his lengthy works of horror and suspense. Among these, What Waits Beneath, Burner, From the Dark, as well as the Dead Kill series. Malafarina's work has also appeared in more than 200 anthologies and e-magazines. He also tells of the origins of unique characters, such as Janitor Joe, Jimmy & Squish, and Buttonface.Much of his work is set and influenced by his upbrining in northeast Pennsylvania, especially his hometown of Ashland. In addition to writing, Thomas Malafarina is also a blues musician; he currently resides in Berks County.

Author Juliette Godot debuts on Sunbury Press Books with From the Drop of Heaven, an historical work of love, books, faith and survival.In 1582, an accused seditionist named Martin escapes execution, and finds refuge with the family of Nicolas. Despite the ban on his books, Nicolas is fascinated by them, and later reads them to Catherine, a young woman he is teaching and later falls for. When caught with one of the books, they soon find their true enemy is the man charged with saving their souls.A former software engineer at Carnegie Mellon University, Juliette Godot's passion for geneology has found more than 40-thousand ancestors. Down the backroads of France, Godot found the setting of Salm in Alsace-Lorraine along with her lineage.From the Drop of Heaven is a winner of the 2021 Royal Palm Literary Award for historical fiction.

Thrice Burned. Thrice Reborn.The dark elven families of Svartalfheim were butchered by a mysterious, powerful creature long ago. Of the few survivors, one family escapes to Midgard. Thyra is one who lives with her adopted human father on and island; in hand is her Bifrost key, left by her relatives. Following a battle against Valkyries, Thyra must go on a journey to save Svartalfheim, and in so doing confront her past, present and future. Thyra's unique ancestry appears to be the focus of her problems, but they could also hold the answer.Steven Grier Williams brings Norse Mythology to life in the second of the Prose Edda Series, "Thyra." This is the second of the ongoing collection, which includes "Skadi." An author, avid traveler and amateur cook, Williams is a graduate of Northwestern University, and lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He sits on the city's School Board, and is an Associate Director for the Pennsylvaia Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network.

Catherine Jordan joins Lawrence Knorr on the Sunbury Press Books Show to discuss her writing, and a new anthology she has edited, That Darkened Doorstep. What lies behind that unopened door? Several authors imagine the answer, including Jacque Day, Carol and Fred Lauver, Amanda Headlee, Thomas Malafarina, and Jordan herself!A native of the Pocono in Northeast Pennsylvania, Jordan has appeared in several anthologies, along with her own tales, including her 2012 debut, Seeking Samiel, along with Bitter Sweet, The Book Seller's Secret and Strange Magic.In addition, Jordan is an editor with Fortress Publishing, the review coordinator for horrortree.com, teaches and facilitates creative writing courses. You can find out more at her website, catherinejordan.com.

"Don't Play with Dead Things."When Anna Dingel finds a boyfriend in her classmate Timmy, their summer after high school is anything but fun. Attacked by those unimpressed, Anna and her best friend Naomi resort to an ancient Abrhamic ritual in revenge, but the eldritch power goes out of control. Anna must decide who she really is.John James Minster's love of horror goes back to his childhood, and is expressed in his new work, "The Undertaker's Daughter." A native of Norristown, Pennsylvania, Minster forged a successful international business career, while publishing short stories in major magazines and horror anthologies since 1990. His first full-length novel, Dreamjacker was published in 2018, and he has also contributed to the Kids Are Hell! anthology.

When Vivien Kindler answers an ad to take over the midday talk show spot on WNWT Radio, an AM station in Frost Pond, Maine, she finds out how much there is to learn about this little town, the people in it, and herself.Considered "From Away" by most natives, Vivien has lost her husband, and without realizing it, has found a new vocation. In today's corporate radio world, it would be unheard of for a person right off the street to get a job like this, but Vivien takes it on. Despite not knowing a thing about the business, Vivien learns the ropes quickly and how to handle callers who have much to say about local affairs, the world around them, and life in general.From the cranky Bob the Welder, the elderly "JJ's Mom," Paul the Piano Tuner, Brownie the Poet and the former teacher Miss Scanlon (among others), Vivien finds a purpose, and brings the quirky denizens of Frost Pond into a daily feed of concerns, complaints and insights. This is not today's "Talk Radio," but one of a time where the hosts didn't insist on doing all the talking! Ham Martin hosted a show just like this one--living in Woodstock, Connecticut for 40 years, Martin made his career as a woodcarver, furniture maker and oil painter. "Talk Radio" is his debut work on Black Rose Writing, and was nominated as a Finalist in the Fiction category by the Maine Writers and Publisher's Alliance. Martin's latest work, "Tiezzi's Board" is also available. He lives with his wife, Mary on the Pemaquid Peninsula in Maine.

For years, the little seaside town of San Cicaro has held its secrets, but with time, those secrets, and the stories behind them tend to get out. "Decades of San Cicaro," the fourth volume in the series by Thunderbird Studios, follows the path of a young researcher, Olivia who is gathering information on the town. Her innocent search, however, begins to dredge up yet more mysterious, macabre and strange tales...and the Watchers...all brought to life through the pens of contributing authors.The Brown Posey Press Show brings together three of these contributors: Adrianna Valencia, author of "Echoes in the Bath House," is an artist and writer who lives in Sacramento, California. Ian Ableson, an ecologist from Michigan who brings us "Garibaldi Pearls" and a look at the underwater world just off San Cicaro's lands, and J. Rohr, author of "Animal Control," about a man seeking his place once more in a world that somehow leads him here. J. is a native of Chicago, whose work appears in "Horror Obsessive," his blog "Honesty is Not Contagious" and whose musical expressions can be heard in the band Beerfinger.All four works of the San Cicaro series, and other works can be found at tbirdstudios.com

Dan Van Tassel joins Lawrence Knorr on the Sunbury Press Books Show, to discuss travel from a unique perspective: by examination of classic narratives, stories and road trips in "Journey by the Book - A Guide to Tales of Travel."Journeys, real and imagined are looked upon here, including Homer's "Odyssey," "Gulliver's Travels," and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." The tours of Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Jack Kerouac and Bill Bryson are also here, the overland travels of Marco Polo, and the seafaring adventures of Captain James Cook among others take the reader inside the accounts. The journey itself becomes the destination.Dan Van Tassel is a graduate of St. Olaf College, and earned his Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Literature from the University of Iowa. A professor at Pacific Lutheran and California State University San Marcos, Van Tassel served as academic dean and professor of English at Muskingum College for more than twenty years. He is also the author of "Back to Barron," a chronicle of early life in smalltown, rural America. Now retired, he lives in Northfield, Minnesota.