Indie Reads Aloud: A Storytelling Podcast

About The Author: Award-winning Canadian author Miranda J. Chivers writes about faith, mental health, and authentic living. As a second-generation Canadian of Russian Mennonite refugees, she grew up surrounded by poverty and intergenerational trauma. As a former social worker, avid researcher, and student of the Bible, her writing reflects her fascination with cultural diversity and social differences. A survivor of complex PTSD, she yearns to heal hurting souls through both nonfiction and fiction.
Title: Katrina’s Dark Shadow
Genre: Christian/Historical Fiction
Book Synopsis: After Katarina disappears during WW2 in Ukraine, her son, Peter, struggles with closure. Will her diaries from the Russian civil war reveal buried secrets? Can he penetrate the iron curtain?
KATARINA'S DARK SHADOW: The Early Years in Ukraine 1915-1917: As a teenager, Katarina discovers that faith is more than a badge and a belief system. During war-time, it requires resilience.
Fifteen-year-old Katarina’s dreams of a self-determined future are compromised by a rebel attack. As Ukraine seeks independence from Russia, Katarina and her German Mennonite family are caught in the political fray. Sides are taken and loyalties questioned. Katarina must choose her fate. Growing up has never been more difficult.
Set during the darkest days of Ukraine’s history, Katarina’s Dark Shadow portrays the courageous human struggle inside a distinct faith during violent political times. Like the book of Job in the Bible, the characters search for the indominitable quest for spiritual truth.
Inspired by true stories and actual events based on the harrowing tales of the author's ancestors, this book will particularly interest those with German-Prussian, Ukrainian, or Russian Mennonite ancestry.

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About The Author: Lisa Jacovsky currently lives in her hometown of North Brunswick, NJ. She works as a Child Development Specialist with Early Intervention. In her job she is able to help children under the age of three with cognitive and developmental delays, sometimes with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has been working in the field of applied behavior analysis for eight years and this is where she had inspiration for writing her very first series, Lets Talk!. Her hopes for this series are to simply inspire families and their children to be open to anyone no matter their differences. There will be six books in the series, with the fourth in production right now! Lisa has always loved writing and hopes to use this way of expression to show the beauty that is in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Title: Spooky Ookye Dance Party
Genre: Children’s
Book Synopsis: Moon is a very special kitty, so special in fact that he can become invisible and ride a broomstick! His hoomans don’t know this and he likes to play silly tricks on them! His favorite day of the year is Halloween. Because that means him and his friends, who are also special, can come out and cause some mischief. No one suspects a thing too! This year though they decided to have a different kind of fun; they started a dance party at the town Halloween event! It was so boring anyways, why not start some music with dancing decorations! Come see all the spooky ooky fun in this story of Halloween and mischief.

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Listener Advisory: Strong Language, Mature Situations
About The Author: Kristy “Koko” Escoto is a Mexican American, lesbian self-published author, poet, and illustrator based in Metro Atlanta, who graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She was born and raised in Minnesota but is currently living in Georgia. She is currently in graduate school for a Master's of Social Work.
Title: I’m Still Healing
Genre: Poetry
Book Synopsis: I'm Still Healing is about love and trauma. A poetry book based on true events that will take you along a journey of self-reflection and the non-linear healing process after abuse. LGBTQ.

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About The Author: A. Kidd is the middle child in a family of three girls. She started making up her own stories at age four. Because she couldn't yet write, her mom wrote the stories down for her while she painted the pictures. Her first story was called Wagland and featured an island community with sea creatures that ate tuna fish sandwiches.

She has a B.S. in Written Communication with a minor in Language, Literature, and Writing from Eastern Michigan University and an MLIS with a specialization in children's librarianship from Wayne State University. Her poetry has been published in literary magazines. She is also an artist and a performance poet. In her free time, she enjoys finding and hiding painted rocks in her neighborhood and going on adventures with her family and friends.
A. Kidd lives with her husband and daughter in a suburb of Detroit, MI. The Healing Star is her debut novel. She often wishes on stars but hasn't caught one yet.

Book Title: Yasuko and The Dream Eater
Genre: Children’s

Book Synopsis: Yasuko loves making paper airplanes with her parents in the US. When she visits her grandmother in Japan, everything seems different, including folding the complicated origami crane. She starts having the same bad dream every night, so her grandmother suggests she call the dream eater for help. The dream eater devours Yasuko's nightmare but is still hungry. Will Yasuko be able to stop it from gobbling up her good dream too?

About The Author: Michigan-based author Kristoffer Gair wrote his first puppet play in 1st Grade and continued writing in one form or another from that point on. Much of it was crap, but there were tiny nuggets of potential mixed in with the likes of Pickle Pony Gets A Puzzle. He spent three of his years at Fraser High School performing in plays, then attended Grand Valley State University where he graduated with degrees in Film & Video and Creative Writing.
The first professional piece Kristoffer completed was Honor Unbound, a historical non-fiction novel he co-wrote with retired Fraser High School teacher Diane Abbott. He then went solo, donned the pseudonym Kage Alan, wrote several comedy novels within the LGBTQ genre, and contributed to a series of comedic anthologies (affectionately known as the Butt-Thology).

Kristoffer shed his pseudonym in 2017 and has since published under his real name, starting and continuing on with the Falling Awake series, a serious departure from his previous comedic novels.

When not writing and editing, Kristoffer spends his days tormenting management at his day job, shopping at ALDI, being bossed around by the dog he inherited from his mother, playing Halo, listening to music, and going to see The Motels play in concert whenever they're in the area.
Title: Butterflies I Have Known
Genre: LGBT+ Romance
Book Synopsis: Even time cannot stop love.
University professor Matthew Richter hates complications. Planning his every day down to the second leaves no opportunity for a social life, which he doesn’t feel the need for anyway.

Jian Wei helps run his family’s business. The only thing he enjoys more than tormenting his parents and siblings with endless pranks is plotting his next trick on a certain uptight customer.

Though so different, chance inexplicably draws them both to a World War II photography exhibit, and the aging photographer Milton Glass.
Milton shares the story of two soldiers brutally cut down on the battlefield—which has haunted him for the better part of his life—and his suspicions that the soldiers shared a bond they never fully realized.

Now, in the twilight of his life, Milton can’t help but wonder if Matthew and Jian share a potential bond of their own. Could they possibly be the same men from so long ago, returned for a second chance at being together? Milton can hope.

About The Author: Xander Cross holds a Bachelor’s degree in History, which he uses to write his paranormal fiction. A lifelong enthusiast of Japanese culture and folklore, Xander cosplays as a kitsune yōkai on occasion, and photographic evidence can be found on Instagram and Pinterest under @ayakashi_fox. He has also published a short novella series as an adjunct to “The Atlas Dystopia Apocalyptica,” entitled “Come by Night” on Wattpad and Instagram.
Book Title: The Onmyoji Gambit: The Atlas Dystopia Apocalyptica Book Three
Genre: Dark Fantasy / Cyberpunk Science Fiction / Asian Myth & Legend
Book Synopsis: Summer is sizzling and the megapolis is heating up…  The Council of Dragons is over and the inevitable war for New Tokyo has begun. Youta’s enemies are converging to remove the young dragon from his seat of power. Between kidnapping a newly-recruited young onmyoji and contriving a full-scale invasion from within the Chinese Sector, mercenaries are making bold moves in the light of day!
Hayate is the only creature who can stop them. Unfortunately, between girlfriend catastrophe and his debut as Youta’s international arms dealer, the fox demon has problems of his own. When mysterious mogul and CEO, Tanabe, reveals a distant interest, Hayate alone senses a trap of a different kind being set. A strange connection resides between Hayate and the faceless Tanabe that will bring the fox demon into an unthinkable and daunting confrontation with his true enemy.
So batten down the hatches, because a typhoon is coming and Hayate is in the eye of the storm!

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​About The Author: Donna Lee Neumann lives in Clarkston, Michigan with her husband Chris . With a master's degree in elementary education and a minor in early childhood, she has spent over 20 years of her life teaching preschool and elementary students. Throughout the majority of her career, her focus has been on Young 5's and Kindergarten. Recently celebrating her 50th birthday, she believes that her heart will always be at the age of five.
As a proud mother of three and grandmother of one, she cherishes the moments she spends with her family. Now that her children are adults and not present at home as frequently as she would like, Donna keeps busy with her three cats, a dog, and a diverse array of tropical fish.
When it comes to reading, her interests are limitless. From the enchanting world of Harry Potter to the intriguing back of a shampoo bottle, she finds joy in exploring various literacy works. Another pastime is engaging in a multitude of games, including video games. Additionally, her love for travel has fueled a goal to visit all 50 United States, and she is thrilled to report that she has already experienced the wonders of 45 states. Five more to go!
Title: I Want A Birthday Party!
Genre: Children’s
Book Synopsis: Tomorrow is Annie’s birthday. She only wants one thing: a big party with a giant carrot cake, lots of presents, and all her friends.
But Annie's family doesn't do birthday parties. So, Annie will spend another birthday without the party she's always wanted.

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About The Author: Mandy Jo is a multi-genre author, including Fitness, Fantasy, Time Travel, and Historical Fiction.  She has published three books, and is working on more every day.  Upcoming projects include Mystery, Paranormal, and Women’s Lit. Mandy Jo is the founder of Creative Slingers of Ink, a writing group that encourages writing of all kinds and connecting indie authors with readers.
Aside from writing, Mandy Jo enjoys cooking, photography, traveling, genealogy, and is a self-proclaimed Hallmark movie addict.
Title: Adventures in Walking: From the Couch to 5K
Genre: Fitness Fiction
Book Synopsis: Maerith AJ is a divorced mother of twin boys. She has decided to get off the couch and walk her first 5K. Follow along on her journey and even do the training program with her.

Learn More at www.DKPWriter.com

About The Author: Mandy Jo is a multi-genre author, including Fitness, Fantasy, Time Travel, and Historical Fiction.  She has published three books, and is working on more every day.  Upcoming projects include Mystery, Paranormal, and Women’s Lit. Mandy Jo is the founder of Creative Slingers of Ink, a writing group that encourages writing of all kinds and connecting indie authors with readers.
Aside from writing, Mandy Jo enjoys cooking, photography, traveling, genealogy, and is a self-proclaimed Hallmark movie addict.
Title: Adventures in Walking: From the Couch to 5K
Genre: Fitness Fiction
Book Synopsis: AJ is a divorced mother of twin boys. She has decided to get off the couch and walk her first 5K. Follow along on her journey and even do the training program with her.

Learn More at www.DKPWriter.com

Listener Advisory: Violence
About The Author: Kathleen is a Texas gal. Except for an eighteen-month hiatus living in New York City after college, she lived in the Lone Star State continuously for fifty years. Since then, Texas has been hit and miss—a little hit, but a heck of a lot of miss. There was a time when she thought she would happily die in Austin, Texas. But circumstances and weather—especially weather—changed that. Now she spends most of the year on Fidalgo Island in Washington State with a view of the bay and the mountains. When she gets homesick, she and her husband listen to Willie Nelson. Soon, they are dancing the two-step, imagining they are at their favorite honky-tonk in Tokio, Texas, where the mayor is believed to be a dog. Who wouldn’t miss that?
Kathleen writes the awarding-winning mysteries: The Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s and The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book, which was updated and released by Lyons Press in November of 2020. She also writes the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series; as well as a biography of ornithologist  Robert Porter Allen, The Man Who Saved The Whooping Crane.
On her blog, you can also find her Five-Minute Writing Tips and Growing Up Catholic in a Small Texas Town. Kathleen also coaches writers and edits manuscripts.
Book Title: Murder at the Pontchartrain
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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Book Synopsis: I'm Sydney Lockhart. I solve murders, most of which I'm the primary suspect. My boyfriend/partner, Ralph Dixon, and I came to the Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans to get married. Instead, Dixon's in jail for a double murder. I'm in a swamp, spying on the KKK. Helping me untangle this mess is my bubble-headed cousin Ruth who's undercover as a hotel chef. My twelve-year-old charge, Lydia LaBeau, dressed as a voodoo queen, is looking for clues at Pat O'Brien's. Rip Thigbee, a ghost detective, is my only hope. So, mix yourself a Hurricane and join me in the Big Easy for another historic hotel murder case.

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