GiantPandaPodcast: Writing/Books/Reading

Today on the podcast I have audiobook narrator Emily Lawrence. Emily is an award winning actor and writer. She’s narrated more than 325 audiobooks, including titles from all Big Five publishers, and has also worked in film, television, and theater. Born and raised in New York, Emily moved to Los Angeles shortly after receiving her BFA in drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She also had the privilege of living in London while studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). 

https://www.emilylawrence.com/

Music from https://filmmusic.io
"Sovereign Quarter" and others by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

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Today’s Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Today on the podcast I have novelist Elizabeth Leban. She is here today to talk about her new novel ‘Beside Herself’. She is also the author of The Restaurant Critic’s Wife, Not Perfect, and Pretty Little World, which she co-authored with Melissa DePino. In addition, she wrote the young adult novel The Tragedy Paper, published by Knopf, which has been translated into eleven foreign languages, and The Grandparents Handbook, which has been translated into seven foreign languages.

Buy ‘ Beside Herself’ https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781542093729

Find out more about the author http://elizabethlaban.com/

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

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Today’s Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Today on the podcast I have YA author Katya de Becerra. This is her second time on the podcast. Go back to episode 6 of the podcast to listen to us talk about her first book ‘What the Woods Keep.’ Today she is here to talk about her new supernatural thriller “Oasis.’ Katya de Becerra was born in Russia, studied in California, lived in Peru, and then stayed in Australia long enough to become a local. She was going to be an Egyptologist when she grew up, but instead she earned a PhD in Anthropology.

Buy ‘Oasis’ here: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250124265

Find out more about Katya here: http://katyabecerra.blogspot.com/

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

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Today’s Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Katya de Becerra

Today on the first episode of the new year I have fantasy author Laurie Forest.. She is the author of THE BLACK WITCH (Book 1.0, The Black Witch Chronicles), THE IRON FLOWER (Book 2.0), WANDFASTED (Book 0.5) and LIGHT MAGE (Book 1.5). Her latest book, THE REBEL MAGES (2019), is a paperback edition of WANDFASTED & LIGHT MAGE bound together. Book 3.0 of The Black Witch Chronicles “ The Shadow Wand’ will be released in June of 2020.

Learn more about Laurie http://laurieannforest.com/

Buy ‘The Rebel Mages” https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335556776

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

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Today’s Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Laurie Forest

Today on the podcast I have Valerie Nieman . Her most recent novel is ‘To the Bones’. Valerie is also the author 3 previous novels: Blood Clay, a novel of the New South, Survivors, a novel about the Rust Belt of the 1970s, and her first book, Neena Gathering a classic in the post-apocalyptic genre.  She is also an accomplished poet. Her most recent poetry collection is, Leopard Lady: A Life in Verse. She is also the author of the poetry collections Hotel Worthy, Wake Wake Wake, and a collection of short stories, Fidelities. Nieman graduated from West Virginia University and Queens University of Charlotte. A former newspaper reporter and editor, she now teaches creative writing at North Carolina A&T State University

To buy the book: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781946684981

To find out more about Valerie: http://www.valnieman.com/

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

Email us at [email protected]

Todays Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Today on the podcast I have novelist Sara Faring. She’s the author of ‘The Tenth Girl’ which is a YA ‘ gothic psychological thriller’ with a twist you won’t see coming. Born in Los Angeles, Sara is a multi-lingual Argentine. After working in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, she worked at Penguin Random House. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in International Studies and from the Wharton School in Business. She currently resides in New York City. “The Tenth Girl’ is her debut novel.

More about the author at https://www.sarafaring.com/

Buy “The Tenth Girl’ https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250304506

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

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Todays Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Today on the podcast I have novelist Kate Hope Day. She’s here to talk about her debut book “If, Then”  The novel is about four neighbors in the mountain haven of Clearing, Oregon, who find their lives upended when they begin to see themselves in a parallel reality.  At first the visions are relatively benign, but they grow increasingly troubling--and in some cases, frightening. On today’s episode we talk about alternate selves, alternate timelines and counterfactuals. She shares the genesis of “If, Then’. She also tells us about her next novel and details the challenges of first-person narration.

Buy the book: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525511229

Find out more about Kate: https://www.katehopeday.com/

Read Kate’s Essay in the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/well/family/carrying-the-ghosts-of-lives-unlived.html

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

Email us at [email protected]

Todays Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Today on the podcast I have premiere pet photographer Lori Fusaro. Lori collaborated with writer Laura T. Coffey to put out the book “My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts” Lori works as a staff photographer at Best Friends Animal Society-Los Angeles and runs her own business, Fusaro Photography, whose clients include DreamWorks Studios, Paramount Pictures and many animal-rescue organizations. She also serves on the advisory council for HeARTs Speak, a group that connects artists with the animal-welfare community.

Buy the book https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608683400

More about Lori and the book http://www.myolddogbook.com/?team=lori-fusaro

More about Laura and the book http://www.myolddogbook.com/?team=laura-t-coffey

Fusaro Photography http://www.fusarophotography.com/

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

Email us at [email protected]

Todays Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Lori Fusaro

Today on the Podcast I have novelist Layne Fargo. She’s here to talk about her debut psychological thriller ‘Temper’ which is set in the Chicago Theater community. Layne has a background in theater and library science. She’s a Pitch Wars mentor, a member of the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the co-creator of the podcast Unlikeable Female Characters.  On today’s episode we learn about the real-life incident that inspired ‘Temper’. We also talk about the Chicago theater scene and our mutual backgrounds in theater. We hear about her writing process and what part ‘Pitch Wars’ played in it the books development. And she tells about her next book, which I can’t wait to read!

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781982106720

http://www.laynefargo.com/about/

http://www.unlikeablefemalecharacters.com/

https://www.sistersincrime.org/

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

Email us at [email protected]

Todays Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/

Layne Fargo

Today on the podcast I have YA author Kelly Devos. Her newest novel ‘Day Zero’ is out now. She’s a second time guest. Listen to episode 27 of the podcast to hear her talk about her fantastic first book ‘Fat Girl on a Plane’, which was named one of the ‘50 Best Summer Reads of All Time’ by Reader’s Digest magazine. On today’s episode we talk about her new book and she tells us what’s coming after the ‘Day Zero’ duology. She talks me into visiting Arizona, and we discuss the end of library fines there. I learn what the Amazon ‘Treasure Truck’ is. And she gives us her recommendations for my future pod guests.

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335008480

https://www.kellydevos.us/

Podcast theme music ‘In Retrospect’ by Black Market Karma http://www.blackmarketkarma.com/black-market-karma

Visit our website at https://www.giantpandapod.com

Email us at [email protected]

Todays Sponsor is https://www.universebound.com/