Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read

Episode 467 - Emma MacDonald - Whispers Most Foul, a spellbinding sapphic romantasy, and step through the doors of Dunhollow Academy of Witchcraft

Emma MacDonald was born and raised outside of Washington, DC, where she received a B.A in International Relations from American University. When she’s not writing, she can be found gardening, brewing potions, or chasing after her small menagerie of pets. Emma loves to write fantasy with a big splash of magic and romance.

Whispers Most Foul - Pre-order this spellbinding sapphic romantasy, and step through the doors of Dunhollow Academy of Witchcraft, where magic and status mean the world, and deadly whispers haunt every corridor . . .

Rose Thenlif has never felt at home in these elite halls. An outcast for her inability to cast spells, she keeps her head in books, away from the critical eye of her headmistress mother, and the sneers of her fellow scholars – especially the talented but insufferable Sylvie.

But in the corridors of Dunhollow, something strange and threatening is stirring. Classmates are going missing and Rose discovers that she alone can see their ghosts. Are they dead, or enchanted? Or is something more sinister at work?

Worse yet, Rose’s latest ghostly vision is Sylvie – who’s just as displeased as Rose is to find herself magically tied to her greatest academic rival. The reluctant pair must team up to uncover the deadly mystery that lies at the heart of the academy, before time runs out for Sylvie.

But are either of them prepared to face the most haunting of secrets, one buried deep in both their hearts?

https://emmamacdonaldauthor.com/
https://linktr.ee/emmamacdonald_author

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Episode 466 - Damian Serbu - History Teacher Turned Author of LGBTQIA+ horror and speculative fiction

About the author

Damian Serbu is an author of LGBTQIA+ horror and speculative fiction. After over twenty years of teaching history at the collegiate level, he now writes full time. He lives in the Chicagoland area with his husband and two dogs.

A winter storm blows through Salem, Massachusetts, setting young witch Alexander MacBeth on a perilous path to adulthood as his dying mother gifts him an heirloom and pleads for him to use it to survive.

To do so, he will need to perfect his inherited witchcraft to protect himself from those who want him dead. In his journey to adulthood, he falls in love with dashing nobleman Crispin Nottingham. Abandoned by Crispin and pursued by the Puritans, he finds he must harness the wind to assist his escape and flee his homeland aboard a pirate ship led by the handsome captain, Henri the Twisted.

Struggling against distrustful pirates, an evil witch, and his continued longing for Crispin, Alexander sharpens his magical skills and falls into a romance with Henri. Chaos and danger confront him at every turn, even as he searches for love and belonging. A new sail on the horizon may signal hope or more danger than ever before—if Alexander can survive to meet his future.

https://damianserbu.com/

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Episode 465 - Kay Smith-Blum - Tangles, A Suspense-Filled, 20th-Century Historical Environmental Thriller

MEET THE AUTHOR 

Redefining Historical Fiction - An Austin, Texas transplant, Kay Smith-Blum is a recovering retailer who is redefining the historical fiction genre from her bayside perch in Seattle. Named Woman Business Owner (NWWA) of 2013, her wit, humor, and resourcefulness helped her high-end retail fashion business endure multiple economic shifts in a decades-long career. She and her husband sold their company in 2016, allowing KSB to write full-time.

Winner of the 2023 Black Fox Lit short story contest, Smith-Blum is a member of the WFWA (serving on the Scholarship committee), the HistFic Affinity Group, a member of the Feisty Deeds Anthology editorial committee, Ravenna Writers Circle, CommuterLit Writers Group, the Authors Guild, PNWA, NIWA and AWP. She has been published in over a dozen literary journals and her debut novel, TANGLES, will be published on December 3, 2024 (available for pre-order now and all preorders benefit the Heart of America NW/HanfordCleanup.org.

As a publicly elected official (President of the Seattle School Board 2012) she led multiple initiatives on behalf of the students of Seattle. As a private citizen, Smith-Blum raised millions of dollars for education, the arts, and medical research. She established the first greenhouse and urban gardening program in Seattle Public Schools. She has served on numerous charitable boards in the Pacific Northwest. 

An active member of the downtown Seattle community, she is currently advocating for a park in the last green space in the urban core, made available by the demolition of the Highway 99 viaduct. An avid gardener, Smith-Blum works out her writer's block in her three sons' gardens and the nearest lap pool.​A graduate of the University of Texas, Smith-Blum chaired Downtown Seattle’s first marketing campaign and published a seasonal magazine for 10 years. She co-authored the “Every Man, Every Woman” inspirational series of cards and posters, published by Schurman Fine Papers, Portal Publications, and Sawdust City. Smith-Blum is a dynamic speaker and experienced producer of large and small events that leverage both traditional and social media.

Book: Tangles
Oppenheimer was just the beginning.

When a harpooned whale offers proof the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the Columbia River Basin, Luke Hinson, a brash young scientist, seizes the chance to avenge his father's death but a thyroid cancer diagnosis derails Luke's research. Between treatments, he dives back in, making enemies at every turn. On an overnight trek, Luke discovers evidence that Mary, his former neighbor, embarked on the same treacherous trail, and her disappearance, a decade prior, may be tied to Hanford's harmful practices mired in government-mandated secrecy.

A love story wrapped in a mystery, this stunning Cold War home-front tale reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual.

Tangles is a genre-defying must-read for our time.

https://a.co/d/gJxsZa8
https://www.kaysmith-blum.com/

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Episode 464 - Dr. Sangita Swechcha - Pakhalieko Siundo A Novel about the trafficking of girls and women in Nepal

About the author

Sangita Swechcha is a Nepali writer based in England. Her poems, stories, and articles have been published in various literary sites and international journals. Sangita wrote her first novel ‘Pakhalieko Siundo’ at 18. ‘Pakhalieko Siundo’ novel is about female tolerance for pain and suffering. It also tells the story of the trafficking of girls and women in Nepal. The novel received excellent reviews from literary critics. 

Sangita’s story collection book ‘Gulafsangako Prem’, published in 2019, comprises 20 stories set in the UK, Australia, and Nepal. 

Sangita was a Guest Editor for the ‘Nepali Literature Month–November 2019’ for Global Literature in Libraries Initiative (GLLI), a USA based organisation working towards the visibility of world literature. 

She was featured in ‘Global Voices’ in 2019. The interview, originally published in English, was also published in Greek, Russian, French, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, Romanian, Czech, Bangla, Malagasy, Arabic and Nepali languages, which gave her a recognition among literature lovers in various countries. 

Sangita currently is a contributing author at Global Voices.

Book: Rose's Odyssey is a collection of short stories by Dr Sangita Swechcha. It comprises 20 stories set against the backdrop of Nepal, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

“This collection features stories that eloquently depict the joys and sorrows within women’s hearts. The stories illuminate the constricted mindset and ego of men, as well as feminist perspectives and selfishness, effectively conducting an incisive examination of our society.” - Krishna Bajgain, Samakalin Sahitya

“The collection beautifully weaves together the tales of Nepali immigrants, exploring their complex mindset, nostalgia, challenges of living abroad, vulnerability, aspirations, conflicts, feminist perspectives, regrets, love, jealousy, repentance, sacrifice, dreams, and anxieties.” - Khusi Limbu, NepalBritain.com

“Swechcha masterfully weaves her narratives and imaginations into a patchwork of words. Each story resembles a finely crafted sketch, brought to life through the art of words.” - Mani Lohani, Writer, Madhuparka literary magazine

“The stories within the book defy the reader’s initial assumptions. Numerous narratives hold unexpected twists that catch readers off guard, adding a layer of intrigue and highlighting the captivating essence of Sangita’s storytelling.” - Shekhar Kharel, Writer and Documentary Filmmaker

“The ebb and flow between stories was different every time, some leading straight into the next while others needing space to sit and linger. A wonderful insight into cultural differences on a highly personal and intimate level.” - Jessica Hayden, Editor

https://a.co/d/2UAP1im

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Episode 463 - Public Policy Analyst, Journalist, and Author Sreya Sarkar - Beneath the Veneer

Sreya Sarkar is a freelance writer based out of Massachusetts, with her fingers dipped in multiple writing projects. A public policy professional by training, she writes socio-political columns for Indian news magazines. She has published her debut novel and continues to pen more full-length fictions and short stories for literary magazines.

Book: Beneath the Veneer

The newly sprouted town of Rangvihar has lured people with the promise of a safe haven, away from Delhi’s maddening din. But beneath its swanky veneer lurks a hidden evil that is devouring the town’s safety.

Six women with troubled pasts – Falguni, Kesri, Gunjan, Asha, Farzeen, and Rani, drawn to the town with the hope of starting their lives afresh, befriend one another to form a safety net. They discover the sinister side of Rangvihar as Falguni’s teenage daughter goes missing. It soon becomes evident that the disappearance is connected to a nefarious human trafficking racket in the town. The plot further thickens with more disappearances and the eventual death of suspects. As the layers of mystery peel off, all six find themselves embroiled in the crisis in unexpected ways.

Pushed to seek a way out of it, what secrets will they unearth about the town as well as each other? Will they be able to re-establish the golden equilibrium of peace and safety they had once come in search of?
How heavy a price do they have to pay to protect themselves?

https://sreyasarkar.wixsite.com/sreyasworld

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Episode 462 - Co Authors Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley - Where Design is Going, Try On Future with Assembling Tomorrow

Assembling Tomorrow
Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter

Learn how to use the readily accessible tools of design to both mend the mistakes of our past and shape our future for the better.

Book Overview
Assembling Tomorrow explores how to use readily accessible tools of design to both mend the mistakes of our past and shape our future for the better. It explores the intangibles, the mysterious forces that contribute to the off-kilter feelings of today, and follows up with actionables to help you alter your perspective and find opportunities in these turbulent times. Mixed throughout are histories of the future, short pieces of speculative fiction that illustrate how things go haywire and what might be in store if we don’t set them straight.

Carissa Carter is a designer, geoscientist, and the academic director at the Stanford d.school. She guides the development of the d.school’s pedagogy, leads its instructors, and shapes its class offerings. She is the author of The Secret Language of Maps: How to Tell Visual Stories with Data and teaches design courses on emerging technologies, climate change, and data visualization. Her work on designing with machine learning and blockchain has earned multiple design awards, including Fast Company Innovation and Core 77 Design awards.

Scott Doorley is a writer, designer, and the creative director at the Stanford d.school. He has overseen everything from books to workspaces to digital products and initiatives focused on the future of learning and design. He co-wrote the book Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration and teaches courses in design communication. His work has been featured in museums from San Jose to Helsinki and in publications such as Architecture + Urbanism and the New York Times.

Illustrator
Armando Veve is an award-winning illustrator and 2023 Pew Fellow whose drawings have appeared in The New Yorker, National Geographic, Scientific American, MIT Technology Review, and Wired, among other publications. He studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and currently resides in Philadelphia.

https://dschool.stanford.edu/book-collections/assembling-tomorrow

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Episode 461 - Susan E. Schwartz, Ph.D. - A licensed clinical psychologist, Jungian Analytical Psychology

Susan E. Schwartz, Ph.D. is a Jungian analyst educated in Zurich, Switzerland and is a licensed clinical psychologist. For many years Susan has been giving workshops and presentations at numerous local, national, community and professional organizations, and lectures worldwide on various aspects of Jungian analytical psychology. She has written several journal articles and book chapters on daughters and fathers, Puella, Sylvia Plath and has co-authored a couple of books.

She is a member of the International Association of Analytical Psychology and the American Psychological Association. Susan maintains a private practice in Paradise Valley, Arizona serving people in the greater Phoenix area, Tuscon, Prescott and Cottonwood, West Valley, Scottsdale and Tempe.

Jungian Analytical Psychology
Each of us harbors within our inner universe a number of characters, parts of ourselves that can cause conflict and distress when not understood. We seem to be relatively unacquainted with these players and their roles and yet they are constantly seeking a stage on which to perform their tragedies and comedies personally, relationally and collectively.

A life challenge, crisis or change of any form may feel overwhelming and leave us bewildered, confused, even shattered. The current world with its uncertainty can make us feel isolated and confused. How we coped before works no longer and the former attitudes, beliefs or ways we perceived ourselves are now proving inadequate. The problems reflect what is discordant and unassimilated in our personality. Paradoxically, these very obstacles can also become the incentives and openings to development.

The approach of Jungian Analytical Psychology addresses a broad range of emotional and relational situations and conflicts in the service of psychological growth. At the heart of the Jungian process is a realignment of conscious and unconscious energies so the psyche gains balance. Jungian Analytical Psychology is very much experience driven, keeping one foot in the outer world and the other in the realm of dreams, synchronistic events, fantasies, and symbols. Knowing oneself entails a journey so the unconscious, repressed or unknown elements are released, not merely for symptom relief but to transform and become concious. The psychological work involves connecting the past and the present, personal and collective, spiritual and mundane, and thereby creating an embodied and meaningful life. This is a process that is individual and collective, personal and relational and the work occurs in a sensitive and therapeutic atmosphere oriented to becoming all one is meant to be.

https://susanschwartzphd.com/

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Episode 460 - Gillian Eliza West - Ruin - The Infernis Duology, A fantasy romance novel

About the author

Gillian Eliza West, debut author of Ruin: The Infernis Duology, lives in Austin, Texas. With a passion for mythology that has taken her around the world (despite her fear of flying), she strives to infuse her own stories with a similar kind of wonder and magic. Her first foray into writing for an audience came through fan fiction, allowing her to hone her skills as a storyteller. When she isn’t working on her debut duology, you can find Gillian snuggled up with her dog, Walter, and a book or her favorite fanfic. 

Book: 

“Ruin is a captivating romantasy that masterfully blends steamy tension with breathtaking world-building. . .a must-read that will leave you bewitched and eager to read the next book.” — Amanda Richardson, USA Today Bestselling Author

Oralia Solis hasn’t felt the touch of another in 245 years. Not without them crumbling to ash at her feet. Cursed by the bite of a daemoni, she has been sequestered away for the greater good of Aethera by her adopted father, King Typhon.

King Renwick rules the rival kingdom of Infernis, the land of the dead. When Oralia flees the palace of Aethera after her power is let loose with deadly results, he recognizes her potential as a weapon and aids her escape.

Oralia finds herself the prisoner of the man she has been taught to fear most, and Renwick is surprised to find there is more to this princess than her untamed powers. Despite the gulf of secrets and magic between them, Renwick can’t deny the pull he feels towards her, and Oralia struggles to resist the one person who cannot only survive her touch, but craves it.

As Oralia uncovers the truth of her parentage and masters her magic, she will discover that the power to raze or save either Aethera or Infernis lies in her hands. War between the two kingdoms looms and she must decide who she can trust and which she wants more: power or love.

Ruin is a true slow burn romance, with enemies to lovers, nods to multiple mythological stories reimagined into new lore, LGBTQIA+ representation (supporting characters)

https://a.co/d/dVUSvUA

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Episode 459 - Jody Hobbs Hesler - A Literary Citizen Residing in The Blue Ridge Mountains

Jody Hobbs Hesler has written ever since she could hold a pencil and now lives and writes in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Growing up, she split time between suburban Richmond, Virginia, and the mountains outside Winchester, Virginia. Experiences of all these regions flavor her writing. She is the author of the novel Without You Here (Flexible Press) and the story collection What Makes You Think You're Supposed to Feel Better (Cornerstone Press). She  teaches at WriterHouse in Charlottesville, Virginia, and serves as assistant fiction editor for The Los Angeles Review. 

https://www.jodyhobbshesler.com/

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Episode 458 - Annika Rosendahl, Storyteller, Timefinder, Leadership Coach and Consultant

Annika is a result-minded and caring Storyteller, Timefinder and Leadership coach with 20+ years of leadership experience from the corporate world in Telecom, Automotive and Utility industries. She is a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, a PMI certified Project Management Professional and a certified Professional scrum master as well as a Robbins-Madanes trained life coach. Annika is also a published author of both fiction and non-fiction books.

https://www.instagram.com/annikaslol
https://annikarosendahl.com/

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