BookSpeak Network

Joe Farley's short stories, poems and novellas dip into the supernatural, the paranormal and the strange. His new collection, Beware the Cartoonist, on Alien Buddha Press is a series of tales spanning back several years. 

In this episode, Joe returns to discuss these works, including the title piece, and offers insights into his inspirations and writing style. 

His previous collections include Nightmares and Hiccups, Farts and Daydreams, The Dog Scowls Instead of Biting, and the recently-released novella, Once Upon a Time in Whitechapel, which will put a twist on a famous detective and his partner.

Joe Farley's writings have appeared in publications that include Alien Buddha Zine, Voices from the Fire, Horror Sleaze Trash, Tales from the Blue Gonk Cafe, and Night Walkers. 

He lives in his home city of Philadlephia.

Mike Stack was born into a Philadelphia political family, and followed his father and grandfather into the "Ring of Fire." After a series of defeats, Stack served in the Pennsylvania Senate, and later as Lieutenant Governor from 2015-19.

In his new book, City of Brotherly Blood: My Political Adventure of Power, Corruption and Redemption in Philadelphia, Stack pulls no punches in his analysis of big-city politics. He discusses the influence of his family, and those of national figures, such as former Mayor Frank Rizzo, and one-time political adversary Vincent J. Fumo (aka "The Prince of Darkness). 

Amid corruption investigations, Stack navigated the minefield of party politics and in this book, tells the stories of these times, but also lessons learned. Speaking with host Lawrence Knorr, Stack discusses Democratic Party politics, how your enemy today may be your ally tomorrow, and his assessment of the national political scene.

Mike Stack's books is available through the Radio Free Press imprint of Sunbury Press Books. He earned his Bachelor's Degree at La Salle and his JD at Villanova University, respectively. He also works as an actor and standup comedian. 

The product of an eight-year-long investigation, Failure Factory: How Baltimore City Public Schools Deprive Taxpayers and Students of a Future examines how one of the most highly-funded school systems in the US has failed not only its students, but taxpayers as well.

In 2024, despite a budget of $1.7 billion, only 10 percent of Baltimore City students tested as proficient in mathematics. 

Through interviews with teachers, parents, and a deep examination of documents, Chris Papst and his team uncovered systemic failures. In this discussion, Papst uncovers an emphasis on securing taxpayer dollars and hiring administrators and educators, while spending almost nothing to educate the children whose futures they are charged with. The book uncovers practices that include data manipulation, grade-changing, and even the enrollment of "ghost" students in order to fill out the rolls.

These issues are not only confined to Baltimore, but to many districts across the country. Papst notes that a national discussion on public education, how it is funded and dispensed, is required.

Chris Papst is an Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and the 2023 recipient of the Maryland State Conference NAACP Vanguard Award. His works include Failure Factory, on the Radio Free Press imprint, and Capital Murder: An Investigative Reporter's Hunt for Answers in a Collapsing City, which examines the life and history of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Football has ingrained itself into Pennsylvania's history since the late 19th century, and at the high school level, one program stands out for its enduring success. Established in 1962, the Southern Columbia Tigers, based in Catawissa, PA have seen hard times in its past which nearly caused its end. Since 1979, however, there has been one head coach, Jim Roth--more than 500 regular season victories and 14 PIAA state championships later, the Tigers have never known a losing season.

Author Merrill Shaffer chronicled the history of this team, its coaches and players through the first edition of "Roaring Tigers." Now, a second edition has been released, and Shaffer returns to the BookSpeak Network to tell more tales of the Tigers.

Speaking with host Lawrence Knorr, Shaffer discusses how Roth and the Tigers developed a no-nonsense, efficient style of football, which plays for the long haul. Numerous former players went on to play in college, and some even made it to the NFL. More importantly, Shaffer notes how many players went on to be successful in life.

A retired law enforcement officer, Merrill Shaffer is an avid football fan who has also written "A Super Steelers Journey," which coincides with another favorite club. He is a student of sports history and attends several games every fall. He lives with his family in Palmyra, Pennsylvania.

The Mortal Guardians are preparing for war, but for Raven Naelo, this battle is personal. A necromancer has taken a fellow Guardian captive, and stolen the corpse of Raven's sister. 

Raven's rescue mission is underway, but it's going wrong. In a world where allies are scarce and the enemy is at hand, Raven's magic has now become erratic, even dangerous. 

Raven must decide whether to deal with the monsters she swore to destroy, while the reality of her past and truths she has tried to forget inch ever closer. The Abyss Realm awaits as Raven and a crew of pirates, bounty hunters and Draakgoons descend "Into the Inferno," the sequel to "Arcane Assassin--Path of Annihilation." Both of these are available through the Hellbender Books imprint.

R.A. Fischer is in fact two people: Rachel Ann Fischer and Ann-Marie Knorr-Fischer, the latter of whom appears in this edition of the Sunbury Press Books Show. Rachel Ann is an Army veteran with a background in Auto-Cad and Interior Design, and her creativity was spurred by fantasy and role-playing games. Ann-Marie has been a writer of short stories and poems since childhood, which includes work for school literary publications, film scripts plus direction and production of plays.

They live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

A bomb rips apart the home of an older couple in Bloomington, Illinois during an otherwise peaceful summer evening. The target: a Jewish couple who found love in the Sobibor concentration camp during World War II. Motivated by antisemitism at a time when the American Nazi Party challenged the US Supreme Court, the perpetrator, Michael undergoes an experience and possibly, a transformation.

In "The Scent of Violets," Joe Regenbogen raises questions about redemption and forgiveness. Speaking with Lawrence Knorr on this edition of The Sunbury Press Books Show," Regenbogen examines a time in the 1970's when the Nazi Party began to again make inroads in the US, and also his own career as an educator. 

Joe Regenbogen taught history in the public schools for four decades, first in his native New Orleans, Louisiana, then later in St. Louis, where he now lives. He has written several books, including "Questioning History," and "Relearning History," as a means to deepen students' historical understanding. He is also the author of "Longs Peak," and "Dying of the Light," as well as interview-derived works, "The Boys of Brookdale" and "Making a Difference."

On this edition of "The History Stacks," Dr. Lawrence Knorr invites Brady Crytzer to discuss the American Revolution and his quest to not only keep this part of history alive, but to make it accessible for those interested.

A professor of history at Robert Morris University, Crytzer is an Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, and winner of the 2023 Judge Robert K. Woltz History Award. He is the author of eight books, including The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis, Fort Pitt: A Frontier History, and Guyasuta and the Fall of Indian America.

Brady Crytzer has been featured on several cable networks, including C-SPAN, Fox News, and NBC Peacock, as well as Sirius/XM, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and USA Today. You can learn more about him and his various projects here.

Hilary Hauck has created detailed, researched, and yet thoughtful novels that take the reader to parts of the world they may have only read about or seen in films. She has firsthand experience; self-described as an "Italian-speaking Brit living in the US," Hilary has traveled throughout the world and lived in Italy for twelve years. Her writing encompasses historical fiction, adventure, and defining moments with characters who struggle to find "their inner amazing."

When the Stars Were All I Had, on Olive Rose Press, is a collection of short stories, with the title tale one of loneliness and uncertainty during war. Others include real people from Hilary's time ("Saving Red"), and in "The Cookie Table," we are reunited with old friends from another of Hauck's works.

From Ashes to Song tells of Italian immigrants who find their way to Coal Country in Pennsylvania, and was a WCoNA Book of the Year Nominee. The Things We'll Never Have, which follows a woman's journey to Italy to find her missing fiancé, earned the HFC Award of Excellence and was an Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist.

A translator and localization specialist, Hilary Hauck studied at City, University of London, and holds the Chartered Institute of Linguists Diploma in Translation. She lives somewhere in Northwest Pennsylvania with her husband and dog, Phineas. 

In a life of service, Rev. Dr. Reginald Davis feels a nation's problems must be solved by one and all, and his belief that through the Word of God this can be attained. "We Need Each Other--To Transform America--The Call for Unity to Solve Our National Problems Together," from the Scriptoria Press imprint, examines what Dr. Davis has experienced, a program he takes to chruches, university and colleges nationwide.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Reginald Davis earned a Bacholor of Arts from Incarnate Word College, a Masters of Divinity from Colgate Rochester Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Florida State University. He has also served as the Dean of Students at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. His affiliations include the Baptist General Convention, the National and Progressive Baptist Convenstions, and as pastor of The Historic First Baptist Church. 

Davis' previous works include, "Depart from Me--The Dreadful Words of Christ to Many," and "God's Truth to Youth in a World Full of Lies and Decepttion." He lives in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Steven Richard Smith has lived through several "careers," all which have led to literature, both as an author and a teacher. A former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent in the 1990's in California, Smith returned to Ohio to seek his twin passions. Smith earned his Master of Arts in English from the University of Akron. He created the game Sentence Smackdown to teach grammar to students, and is the author of novels, short stories and poetry.

Speaking with host Dr. Lawrence Knorr, Smith recalls his Ohio boyhood in the new novel, The Boys of Rubber City, available on the Local History Press imprint of Sunbury Press Books. Akron of the 1970's is a time Boomers and Gen X'ers will recall with fondness (hopefully), of growing up in a working class neighborhood where kids made their own fun, and not under the watchful eyes of parents.

Smith's other works include King of Methamphetamine Valley, stemming from his days as an ATF agent, The Trial of Agent Whitehall and The Accidental Girlfriend. He lives in Massillon, Ohio.