Today on the podcast I have YA author Aminah Mae Safi. She’s here to talk about her brand new YA romance ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel”. This is Aminah’s second time on the podcast. She’s one of my favorite people to talk to, so I think you’ll enjoy this episode. She was previously my guest on Episode #8 of GiantPanda last September to promote her ebut novel ‘ Not The Girls You’re Looking For’. Aminah Mae Safi is a Muslim-American writer who explores art, fiction, feminism, and film. She's the winner of the We Need Diverse Books short story contest. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her partner and two cats.

Buy “Tell Me How You Really Feel’ here:https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250299482

or here:https://www.amazon.com/Tell-How-You-Really-Feel-ebook/dp/B07KP6PGT7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1560915647&sr=8-1

Learn more about Aminah here:

http://www.aminahmae.com/

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

photo courtesey of Kirsten Gilliam Photography

My guest on the podcast today is the New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews. She has written 26 novels, including ‘The High Tide club’, ‘The Weekenders” and ‘Summer Rental.’ She is also the author of ‘The Beach House Cookbook’. Her newest novel is ‘Sunset Beach’. On the episode today we talk about her beginnings as reporter writing for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. And her coverage of the murder case that inspired the book ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and evil’. She talks about how and why she transitioned from journalist to mystery writer to a prolific novelist producing a new summer beach read every year. We also hear about what provided the spark for her newest book ‘Sunset Beach’

Click on the link to buy ‘Sunset Beach’

https://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Beach-Mary-Kay-Andrews/dp/125012610X/marykacom-20

Click on the link to learn more about the author

https://marykayandrews.com/

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

Today on the podcast I have freelance writer and novelist Jessie Kwak. Her latest book is ‘ Double Edged: The Bulari Saga’, which is part of The Durga System series. This book is also included in our Sponsors UniverseBound ‘Simple Read and Relax’ June Bookbox. The deadline for this months box is June 15th. More information on this can be found at https://www.universebound.com/. Jesse is also the author of the books ‘Starfall’, ‘Deviant Flux’ and ‘Shifting Borders’.  On todays episode we talk about how she write action scenes. And she describes her most recent Sci-fi novel as The Godfather meets Firefly. We touch on some of her favorite writers and she recommends books by Fonda Lee and Ian McDonald. She tells us about her freelance writing work and her upcoming non-fiction book ‘From Chaos to Creativity’ : Building a Productivity System for Artists and Writers which is out October 11th.

You can buy her books here:

http://www.jessiekwak.com/

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

Today on the podcast I have novelist Erica Ferencik. Her work has appeared in Salon and The Boston Globe, as well as on National Public Radio. Her newest novel is the thriller “Into the Jungle” In it a love-struck 19 year old American woman follows a man back to his native Bolivian village and has to survive in ‘ a ruthless  new world of lawless poachers, bullheaded missionaries and desperate indigenous tribes…” On the episode today we talk about the month she spent in the rainforests of Peru doing research for the book.  And she recounts the true story that inspired the novel. We also talk about her first novel “The River at Night” which takes place in the Allagash Wilderness of Maine.

You can buy “Into the Jungle’ here

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501168924/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

You can find out more about Erica here

https://ericaferencik.com

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

Today on the podcast I have Janet Livingstone. Janet is the translator of Seeing People Off and Away! Away! by Slovak author Jana Beňová. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and ventured to Czechoslovakia just after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. In total, she spent 15 years in Bratislava in Slovakia. In 2003, she began translating films and plays from Slovak to English and hasn’t looked back since. Her full-length book translations are Master your Stage Fright by Slovak master violinist, Bohdan Warchal and Piata loď (working title: Boat Number Five) by novelist Monika Kompaníková. In addition to Jana Beňová, her current translation projects include the novels The Best of All Worlds by Slovak-Swiss author Irena Brežná and The Arab World—Another Planet? by Emire Khidayer.  Janet lives in Seattle with her two children and also speaks French, Italian, Russian, Spanish and elementary Japanese to anyone who will listen.

To buy a copy of Away! Away! go to https://twodollarradio.com/products/away

To buy a copy of Seeing People Off go to https://twodollarradio.com/products/seeing-people-off

To find out more about the publisher Two Dollar Radio go to https://twodollarradio.com/

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

Today on the podcast I have Constantine Singer. He is the author of the YA, Sci-fi novel ‘Strange Days” He’s a full time high school teacher, part-time writer who lives in Echo Park and works in South L.A. On today’s episode we talk about his book and how he came to write YA. And since I had a school teacher on the podcast I figured he was a good person to talk about one of my favorite topics- the topic of ‘boys and reading’. Do boys read? If not, how do we get them to like reading? Do boys read YA? Who is YA marketed to? It turns out he had a lot to say on this topic. We also how talk how about schools can both create young readers or turn kids off from reading all together.

Buy “Strange Days” https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1524740241/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

Today on the podcast I have author Sofia Segovia speaking to me from her home in Mexico. I’m speaking with her about her newest book “The Murmur of Bees’ published by Amazon Crossing. This is Sofia’s first book to be translated into English. She is also the author of two other novels ‘Night of the Hurricane and ‘Pilgrims.’ On todays episode she talks about how literature can erase borders and force us to see each other in a different way. We talk about how the place you live shapes how you see things and how sometimes fantasy and magic makes better sense of our world than a literal re- telling of events. She also tells a little about the craft of translation and why typically more books aren’t translated in to English. We also hear what it was like to work with her translator for this book, Simon Bruni.

Buy ‘ The Murmur of Bees’ https://www.amazon.com/Murmur-Bees-Sofia-Segovia-ebook/dp/B07GNCQXXB/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+murmur+of+bees&qid=1557889833&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

Today on the podcast I have author Christie Grotheim talking about her debut novel “The Year Marjorie Moore Learned To Live” Christie is a New York-based writer whose personal essays and creative non-fiction have been featured on Salon.com, The New York Observer, Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood and Smithmag.org

Find out more about Christie here

https://www.christiegrotheim.com

Buy her book here

https://www.amazon.com/Year-Marjorie-Moore-Learned-Live/dp/1942762461/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1553977257&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

Today on the podcast I have artist Darrell Fusaro. In addition to being a fantastic cartoonist and illustrator Darrell is a sought after speaker on the topics of Leadership and Positive Mindset.  He is the Author of What if Godzilla Just Wanted a Hug? Leading With The Heart Instead of The Chin a compilation of personal stories to inspire and entertain illustrated with Darrell’s hilarious cartoons. Every chapter is a bite sized example of practical spirituality sure to ignite your creative spirit . He is also co-host of the internationally popular podcast, Funniest Thing! With Darrell and Ed.  He’s exhibited with Andy Warhol, worked as a Hollywood stunt coordinator, and as producer of the Emmy-nominated "Local Edition" on CNN. On today’s episode we talk about his work at CNN and how he went from ‘job security’ to ‘stepping out boldly’ and writing and publishing What If Godzilla Just Wanted A Hug?’ We find out How the little rascals inspired him and how he went from art school to the Coast Guard. We learn how a group of Marines in Hawaii turned out to be the unlikeliest spiritual guides. We also hear how he learned to be kind and loving to himself. We see if we can make “failed it’ happen and what impact recovery had on his way of thinking. This is also the episode where I call Andy Warhol a ‘hack’. I know! Just listen.

You can buy Darrell’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HXI954Y/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

You can learn more about Darrell here: http://www.darrellfusaro.com/

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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

Today on the podcast I have Katrin Schumann, author of the new novel The Forgotten Hours, a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller. The book is about a young woman dealing with the aftermath of her father being accused and sent to prison for the sexual assault of her best friend, when she was just a teenager. Katrin was born in Germany and grew up in Brooklyn and London and now live in Boston and Key West where she is the Program Coordinator of the Key West Literary Seminar and Workshops. Her work has been featured multiple times on TODAY and in Woman’s Day, The London Times and on NPR. Although she’s published several non-fiction books, The Forgotten Hours is her first novel******WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE FORGOTTEN HOURS*****

You can buy ‘The Forgotten Hours here: https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Hours-Novel-Katrin-Schumann/dp/1542040035

You can find out more about her here: https://katrinschumann.com/

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution (3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Get GiantPanda Merch at https://www.giantpandapod.com/shop/

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