GiantPandaPodcast: Writing/Books/Reading

Happy Halloween Everybody! Today on the podcast I have author Simona Grossi. She’s the author of ‘Looking for Clara’ and the new book ‘Frozen Butterflies’. Simona was born and raised in Italy and is a woman of many passions and talents. In addition to being a wonderful writer she is also a professor of law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. And along with that an accomplished pianist. (and loves to bake too!) On today’s episode we talk about her study of classical piano, her time spent as a practicing lawyer and her journey to publishing her first book. We also talk about her return to playing piano after a twenty year hiatus and how she came to study and work in California. Enjoy the episode and ‘Don’t forget to stay spooky!’

You can buy her new book ‘Frozen Butterflies” here https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DYGBHPP/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2

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 Christine Taylor-Butler. She has published more than 75 children’s books and now has a new YA sci-fi book series The Lost Tribes. A graduate of MIT, Christine holds dual degrees in Civil Engineering and Art & Design. On today’s episode we talk about her Lost Tribes book series, her experience in book publishing as both a children’s book and YA author. We also touch on her time as a process engineer at Hallmark, what it was like to attend an exclusive new England boarding school and we discuss an essay she published arguing for diversity in science fiction and fantasy. You can find out more about her at http://www.christinetaylorbutler.com/aboutme.html# and read her essay The Importance of Dreaming: Why Diversity Matters in Science Fiction and Fantasy at https://christinetaylorbutler.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/the-importance-of-dreaming-why-diversity-matters-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy/

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

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Today on the podcast I have Amy Meyerson author of the new book ‘The Bookshop of Yesterdays” I had a blast recording this. On this episode we talk about the influence of The Tempest on her new novel. We talk about independent books stores and why they’re important, her time at Weselyn and USC and the teachers that made a special impact on her. We also touch on her writing habit, her ‘writing shed’ and writing for yourself versus writing for readers. She also tells us about the book she’s working on and gives her current reading recommendations. You can find out more about her at https://www.amymeyerson.com/ and buy her book at https://www.amazon.com/Bookshop-Yesterdays-Amy-Meyerson/dp/0778319849/

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

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Today on the Podcast I have Marion Winik. Her new book ‘The Baltimore Book of the Dead’ comes out today. Longtime All Things Considered commentator (1991-2006) Marion Winik is the author of First Comes Love, The Glen Rock Book of the Dead and seven other books.The host of The Weekly Reader radio show and podcast, she reviews books for Newsday, People, Kirkus Review and other venues; she is a board member of the National Book Critics Circle. Her Bohemian Rhapsody column at BaltimoreFishbowl.com has received the "Best Column" and "Best Humorist" awards from Baltimore magazine, and her essays have been published in The New York Times Magazine, The Sun and many other publications. She is a professor in the MFA program at the University of Baltimore. She has appeared on Today, Politically Incorrect and Oprah.

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Today I talk to author Sara Flannery Murphy, author of The Possessions. This is a very relevant and riveting thriller. The Possessions is her first novel. Her shorter work has appeared in The Guardian, LitHub, Storyglossia and Tammy. Todays episode is one of my favorites so far! It was a really fun and engaging conversation. We talk about what types of things inspired the story of her debut novel, growing up in Eureka Springs, Arkansas-an artist community in the Ozark Mountains and what it was like transitioning to university after being homeschooled.

The Possessions ( book description taken from https://saraflannerymurphy.com/)

“The Elysian Society is an underground organization where grieving clients reconnect with lost loved ones. The employees, known as bodies, spend their days in a numb routine as they channel the dead. Edie has worked at the Elysian Society for five years. She’s a loyal employee, turning blankness into an art form. When she takes on an enigmatic new client, her quiet life cracks open.

As Edie grows closer to Patrick Braddock, moving deeper into his life, she learns unsettling details about the death of his wife, Sylvia. Strangers start to seem familiar; memories leak into waking life. Edie can’t tell whether this is Sylvia’s growing influence or her own walls breaking down. Secrets are circling closer, threatening the precarious balance that Patrick and Edie have created.”

Today on the podcast I have YA author Aminah Mae Safi. I was really excited to talk to her and she didn’t disappoint. Her debut book ‘NOT THE GIRLS YOU’RE LOOKING FOR’ is funny and lighthearted and at the same time Safi manages to explore topics such as racism, identity, friendships and family in a very real way. On today’s episode we talk about growing up a mixed race Muslim American in Houston, Texas, her next book TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL (Feiwel and Friends, June 2019) and the importance of strong friendships. We even manage to touch on her love of the Fast and the Furious franchise and romance novels. You can find out more about her at https://www.aminahmae.com/ ( author photo courtesy of Two Cats Communications)

Today on the podcast I have Lisa Locascio. She is author of the new debut novel “Open Me.’ Chances are if you’ve been paying attention to literary debuts for this year that people are excited about you’ve heard about this one. It deserves all the attention it’s getting and more. ‘Open Me’ is the story of one girls sexual awaking and her journey of self-discovery. On the podcast we talk quite a bit about the book, her time in Los Angeles as a student and teacher at USC and her work on Joyland Magazine and 7X7. You can find out more about her at http://www.lisalocascio.com/

Today on the podcast I have Katya De Becerra, speaking with me from Australia. She is the author of “What The Woods Keep”, which comes out today. This is a great combination of YA horror, mystery and dark fantasy. We talk about her new book and what’s up next for her. We also talk about her study of cultural Anthropology and how she came to write young adult books. I had a great time talking with her! I hope you enjoy the episode.

“What The Woods Keep”

On her eighteenth birthday, Hayden inherits her childhood home―on the condition that she uncover its dark secrets.

Hayden tried to put the past behind her, and it worked. She’s getting ready for college, living in a Brooklyn apartment, and hanging out with her best friend and roommate Del. But now it’s all catching up with her: her mother’s mysterious disappearance a decade before, her father’s outlandish theories about a lost supernatural race, and Hayden’s own dark dreams of strange symbols and rituals in the Colorado woods where she grew up.

As soon as Hayden arrives at her hometown, her friend Del in tow, it begins: Neighbors whisper secrets about Hayden’s mother; the boy next door is now all grown-up in a very distracting way; and Hayden feels the trees calling to her. And among them, deep in the woods, Hayden will discover something incredible―something that threatens reality itself.

Today on the Podcast I have Abby Geni author of the fantastic new novel ‘The Wildlands.’ This is a literary thriller, like nothing I’ve ever read. It explores the connection between humans and animals when a tornado creates a tear in the fabric of one Oklahoma Family. This is one of my favorite books of 2018. Abby I talk about the book, her hometown of Chicago and what it was like attending the Iowa writers workshop.

Abby is also the author of The Lightkeepers, winner of the 2016 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award for Fiction and the Chicago Review of Books Awards for Best Fiction, and The Last Animal, an Indies Introduce Debut Writers Selection and finalist for the Orion Book Award. Geni is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a recipient of the Iowa Fellowship. Her website is www.abbygeni.com If you enjoy this episode I highly recommend you go out and get a copy of her new book ‘The Wildlands.’ I’ve included a description of the book below:

When a Category 5 tornado ravaged Mercy, Oklahoma, no family in the small town lost more than the McClouds. Their home and farm were demolished, and orphaned siblings Darlene, Jane, and Cora made media headlines. Their brother, Tucker, soon abandoned his sisters and disappeared.

On the three-year anniversary of the tornado, a cosmetics factory outside of Mercy is bombed, and the lab animals trapped within are released. Tucker reappears, injured from the blast, and seeks the help of nine-year-old Cora. Caught up in the thrall of her charismatic brother, whom she has desperately missed, Cora agrees to accompany Tucker on a cross-country mission to make war on human civilization.

Today on the podcast I talk to Jennifer Wolfe about her debut thriller Watch the Girls. She also talks about the journey to writing and publishing her first non YA novel, horror movies and growing up Mormon. And we come up with a new reality show 'GhostCat Hunters'© This episode was my longest yet because I had so much fun talking to her. Hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed doing it. After you listen pick up a copy of her new book Watch the Girls. It’s a really dark, fun and thrilling ride. You can connect with her online on Instagram and twitter @jwolfeauthor and on her website @jwolfewriter.com