GiantPandaPodcast: Writing/Books/Reading

Today on the podcast I have author Emma Rous, speaking about her debut novel The Au Pair. The book has been on numerous lists for the most anticipated books of 2019 and gotten lots of advance praise. So, I feel very lucky to have gotten her as a guest on the podcast. On today’s episode we talk about her time working as a veterinary surgeon and what it’s been like to finally realize her dream of publishing her first book. We also touch how she wrote her first draft of the book so quickly. She tells us about her second book , which she’s working on now and we talk a bit about her balancing having a family and being a full time writer.

You can buy her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Au-Pair-Emma-Rous/dp/0440000459/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547622929&sr=8-1&keywords=emma+rous

You can find out more about her here: http://emmarous.com/author.html

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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Today on the podcast I have YA author Marit Weisenberg. We talk about her two book YA romance/sci-fi series ‘Select’ and Select Few’ We find out if this is the last book in the series and she tells us a little bit about her next book.  We learn about the interesting way she wrote and finished the first book in story and how quickly she wrote the second book. She also shares with us how she got an agent and how it really feels to put your first book out in to the world.

You can buy her books here:

https://www.amazon.com/Select-Few-Marit-Weisenberg/dp/1580898297/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547009770&sr=8-1&keywords=marit+weisenberg

https://www.amazon.com/Select-Book-1-Marit-Weisenberg/dp/1580898068/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1547009770&sr=8-2&keywords=marit+weisenberg

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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Today on the podcast I have Kristi Wientge author of the debut middle grade novel KARMA KHULLAR’S MUSTACHE.KRISTI WIENTGE is originally from Ohio where she grew up writing stories about animals and, her favorite, a jet-setting mouse. After studying to become a teacher for children with special needs, she spent several years exploring the world from China to England, teaching her students everything from English to how to flip their eyelids inside out before finally calling Singapore home. Now, all her adventures revolve around her four children and within the contemporary MG books she writes.

You can purchase her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Karma-Khullars-Mustache-Kristi-Wientge/dp/1481477706/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1546444066&sr=8-1

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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Today on the podcast I have author Janet Clare speaking about her debut novel ‘Time is the Longest Distance’ This is the story of an American woman, a New Yorker, who ends up in Australia tracking down her estranged father. It also follows them on a strange and awkward long hike through the outback as she tries to get know him. It explores what can happen when you take people far outside of their comfort zones and stick them together in the middle of nowhere. On today’s episode we talk about how she came to set her story in Australia and how she captured the landscape and mood so well. We also talk about how she came to writing fiction late in life and her career before she started writing full time.

You can find out more about Janet at https://janetclare.com/ and buy her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Longest-Distance-Janet-Clare-ebook/dp/B07H843FB5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545201300&sr=8-1&keywords=janet+clare+time

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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Today on the podcast I have author Isaac Marion author of The Warm Bodies Series, which includes the books, Warm Bodies, The New Hunger and The Burning World. Today he is here to talk about the final book in the series The Living. On the episode today, we talk about how he came to the decision to self-publish the final book in the series and the challenges he’s encountered in this process. We also talk about his recent move to a ‘cabin in the woods’ on Orcas Island after living the city life in Seattle for 13 years. We also talk about his original plan to be a professional musician and his current band “Thing Quartet.

The ebook of The Living is available now on his website and on amazon. You can pre-order the hardcover now on his website isaacmarion.com

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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If you want to support the show you can rate and review us on iTunes and you can also go to giantpandapod.com and click on shop of the top of the page to get book boxes, tee-shirts and stickers

Today on the podcast I have author Nancy Richardson Fischer speaking about her debut YA novel ‘When Elephants Fly.’ On today’s episode in addition to her new book we talk about her time working for the Circus, working for LucasArts and how she went about researching Schizophrenia for her new book. We also discuss animals in captivity and what can be done to best care for animals outside of the wild. She also teases her next book. Her new novel is one of my favorites of 2018. She writes about the subjects of mental illness and animals in captivity in a subtle and thoughtful way. And yes, it is a story of a girl and an elephant, but it is never sentimental or manipulative. It was a joy to talk with her and I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did the conversation.

Her website: http://nancyrichardsonfischer.com/

Buy her book:

 https://www.amazon.com/When-Elephants-Nancy-Richardson-Fischer/dp/1335012362

 https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335012364

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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Today on the podcast I have Katya Apekina, author of the brand-new novel The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish published by Two Dollar Radio. The book has already been named ‘Best Fiction of 2018’ and ‘Best Debut Fiction of 2018’ by Kirkus Reviews! Katya Apekina's short stories have appeared in various literary magazines. She is the recipient of an Elizabeth George grant, an Olin Fellowship, the Alena Wilson prize and a 3rd Year Fiction Fellowship from Washington University in St. Louis where she did her MFA. She has done residencies at VCCA, Playa and Ucross. Her prose and poetry translations from Russian appeared in Night Wraps the Sky: Writings by and About Mayakovsky (FSG 2008), which was short-listed for the Best Translated Book Award.

https://twodollarradio.com/products/deeper-the-water

http://www.apekina.com/

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is safe and sound and enjoying the holiday! Today on the podcast I have Demetra Brodsky. She is the author of one of my favorite books of 2018, Dive Smack, a suspenseful, gripping and thrilling YA novel. On the podcast today we talk about what genre her book falls into. We also talk about what the books title means, the origin of the fantastic cover art and her previous career in graphic design. She also talks about being a self- taught writer and her road to getting a literary agent. Buy the audio, kindle and physical book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Dive-Smack-Demetra-Brodsky/dp/0765396955/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542823225&sr=8-1&keywords=dive+smack

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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Today on the podcast I have Alex Owumi, He’s a fiction writer and pro-basketball player. His new book is The Man in Forest Hills, a new detective/mystery novel. He is also the author of the Fire Raven Series. In addition to this he is an author of the non -fiction book Qaddafi’s Point Guard about his time in Libya playing for Al-Nasr, a Libyan basketball team owned by the family of Momar Gaddafi, during the Libyan civil war. He’s originally from Lagos, Nigeria and lives in Atlanta, but most of his year is spent in England, where he plays for the Worthing Thunder, a National Basketball League team. On the episode today we talk about what it’s like to be a pro- athlete and writer, his time in Libya and growing up in Nigeria. He was a great guest. This was one of the easiest and most interesting conversations I’ve had so far. I hope you enjoy it! Also you can buy his new book by going to https://www.amazon.com/Man-Forest-Hills-Alex-Owumi ebook/dp/B07JDJDXPH/ref=sr_1_1ie=UTF8&qid=1542170211&sr=8-1&keywords=the+man+in+forest+hills

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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Today on the podcast I have Francesca G Varela. At the age of 25 she has already published 3 novels-Call of the Sun Child, Listen and her newest book The Seas of Distant Stars a sci- fi novel about a human girl kidnapped from earth who grows up on an alien planet. She lives and works in Portland Oregon for the Oregon League of Conservation Voters. In today’s episode we talk about her work with this organization, her new book and she talks about her writing process. We also talk about the term “Ecological Fiction, where it came from and what it means. You can buy her new book at https://www.amazon.com/Seas-Distant-Stars-Francesca-Varela/dp/1947003925 

Music for this episode is "beeKoo mix" by Lasswell 2007 - Licensed under Creative Commons
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