Okie Bookcast

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

I got to hang out at WriterCon in OKC for a couple of days where I spent time talking with authors about their work. This episode is a compilation of those conversations with each author giving a 60-second talk about one of their books.

In this episode, you'll hear from 22 authors from all over the country. Everything from children's books to mysteries to thrillers about Bigfoot. You're sure to find a book or two to love.

You can connect with all of these authors and their work in the notes below or at okiebookcast.com/writercon22.

Featured authors and books:
Kat Lewis - Rogue Defender
Kristy Werner - Resurrection
Jenny Simard LaBranche - Kingdoms of Shadow and Flame
Adele Holmes - Winter's Reckoning
Mark Jones - Shadowed Souls
Kathleen Park - The Code Talkers
Walda Collins - A Warrior’s Sword: 10 Strategies to Build Hope and Stand Strong in the Midst are of a Battle
Marlys Gallagher - When Elephants Roar
Cary Herwig - The Ghost's Daughter
Super Author Granny - You Can Be A Super Author Too!
Cheri Decker - Heaven Hill
Barbara Mehnert - Max Sterling Privately Investigating
Shel Harrington - Over 50, Even More Defined
Bryan Farney - Four Ways Dead
Cherie Waggie - No More Heroes
Cynthia Jenkins - BUD
Melonie B. Hylan - Ashes, Ashes...
Christy Johnson - Love Junkies: 7 Steps for Breaking the Toxic Relationship Cycle
Shelley White - Penny Gothic
Betsey Kulakowski - The Veritas Codex
Kimberly Atkins - Empowering Women to Walk in God's Glory
Sheila Gunlock - Groovy Granny and the Character Bees

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

My guest is Oscar Hokeah. Oscar is a regionalist Native American writer of literary fiction, interested in capturing intertribal, transnational, and multicultural aspects within two tribally specific communities: Tahlequah and Lawton, Oklahoma. He is a citizen of Cherokee Nation and the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma from his mother (Hokeah and Stopp families), and he has Mexican heritage from his father (Chavez family) who emigrated from Aldama, Chihuahua, Mexico. Oscar has written for Poets & Writers, Literary Hub, World Literature Today, American Short Fiction, and elsewhere. His debut novel, Calling for a Blanket Dance, released earlier this year to critical acclaim. You can connect with Oscar at oscarhokeah.com or on twitter and instagram. 

In our conversation, we talk about the novel, the need for and challenges of telling multicultural stories, and the importance of honesty in storytelling. We also talk a lot about Oklahoma - from OKC to Goteboh. 

Our review comes from Jes McCutchen, a Science-Fiction & Fantasy YA author whose works are full of ensemble self-proclaimed disaster queer casts and usually feature the occasional tiny crime and/or alien. Her debut novel Chronicles of My Alien Invasion Life came out in July 2022 and her next book, "A Mean Piece of Water" about Oklahoma lake mermaids fighting a giant demon octopus to save the dam is coming out this fall. You can connect with Jes at jesmwrites on instagram.

Jes reviews The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

Mentioned on the Episode:
House Made of Dawn - N. Scott Momaday
The Way to Rainy Mountain - N. Scott Momaday
Alice Munro
Child's Play - Alice Munro
100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Music by JuliusH

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Since the Bookcast is dedicated to helping curious readers like you find your next great read, we're trying something new to introduce readers to even more books.

Your Next Great Read is a conversation between co-hosts J Hall and Hannah Herron about the books they are reading and ones they love.

Connect with Hannah: website | Twitter | Instagram

This Month's Books:
Hannah
Intensity - Dean Koontz
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
A Head Full of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay
The Long Walk - Stephen King

J
Dead Astronauts - Jeff Vandermeer
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin
Ready Player One - Ernst Kline
The Road - Cormac McCarthy

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I wish I could get more books read"? Then this is the conversation for you! I talk with professor, content manager, and uberreader Kenna Griffin about her tips and strategies for reading 150 books a year. We also talk about how her reading informs the writing she does as a blogger, editor, and academic.

If you’re a writer of any kind and any level of experience, I have a quick two-question survey that I’d love for you to take a couple of minutes and fill out - okiebookcast.com/survey. It would be a huge help to me as I work on some exciting things for the days ahead.

I’m so excited to introduce you to my friend Dr. Kenna Griffin. Kenna is the content director for Content Journey, an Oklahoma-based content marketing company. She also is an adjunct journalism and public relations professor. Before her work in content marketing, she was a full-time professor and college media adviser, following a career as a professional journalist.  Kenna has been a writer, editor, and educator for more than two decades and is a self-proclaimed word nerd, reading 100 to 150 books a year.

You can connect with Kenna via Twitter (@profkrg), on Facebook (Real Nerds Read page), the Real Nerds Read blog, or on her website - profkrg.com.

Luke Swanson does our review this episode. Luke is a fledgling Oklahoma author with four novels under his belt. His newest book, an action satire titled Spectators of War, dropped in July. You can find out more about Luke and his work at lukeswansonauthor.com. 

Luke is reviewing one of my favorite books - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Check out Behind the Rain: An Audio Anthology of Oklahoma Poetry

Mentioned on the show:
The Body Keeps the Score - Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Goodreads
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Steven King
Best of Books
Everybody Writes - Ann Handley
Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World - Michael Hyatt
The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule
False Witness - Karin Slaughter
Louis L'Amour
Zane Grey
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

Music by JuliusH

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Welcome to Chapter 23!

My guest is Oklahoma children's literature legend, Anna Myers. Anna has published 20 books for children, including award-winning titles like Red Dirt Jessie, Graveyard Girl, Assassin, and Tulsa Burning. She is a four-time Oklahoma Book Award recipient, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book in 2012, and was inducted into the Oklahoma Writers’ Hall of Fame in 2013. You can find out more about Anna and her work at her website - annamyersauthor.com.
In our conversation, we talk about Anna’s writing career, her process, some tips for young writers, and her firm belief in the power of story.

We have a special reviewer for this episode. Anna's daughter, Oklahoma author Ginny Myers Sain, is reviewing one of Anna's books. Ginny is the author of the award-winning YA novel Dark and Shallow Lies and her new book, Secrets So Deep, releases in September. You can connect with Ginny and her work through her website ginnymyerssain.com and you can hear my conversation with Ginny about Dark and Shallow Lies way back in Chapter 7 of the Bookcast.
Ginny is reviewing Assassin by Anna Myers.

Check out Behind the Rain: An Audio Anthology of Oklahoma Poetry

Mentioned on the show:
Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - Howard Pyle
Green Lantern
The Yearling - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Book Thief - Markus Zusac
Our Town - Thorton Wilder
The War that Saved My Life - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
The War I Finally Won -  Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Kate Morton
Kristin Hannah
Tumbleweed Baby - Anna Myers
Fire in the Hills - Anna Myers
Jerry Bennett

Music by JuliusH

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

I'm excited to talk with Amanda Bales and Chris Murphy - authors who tell Oklahoma stories using short fiction.

Amanda Bales is the author of Pekolah Stories, a collection about life in SE Oklahoma. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Amanda has since lived in many places, including Fairbanks, Alaska, where she completed her MFA at the University of Alaska. She now lives and writes in Champaign, Illinois and teaches at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. You can find out more about Amanda and her work  through her website - amandabales.com - or on Twitter or Instagram.

Chris Murphy is an Assistant Professor at Northeastern State University in Talequah where he teaches creative writing. He received his MFA from the University of Arkansas and his work has been featured in a number of literary journals. Chris recently released a  flash fiction collection about life in NE Oklahoma called Burning All the Time. You can connect with Chris at his website - chrisjmurphy.com - or on Instagram and Facebook.

This episode's review comes from Dee Dee Chumley. In 2008, Dee Dee  retired from teaching high school English and “re-fired” to pursue her passion for writing. She has won numerous awards for her short stories, essays, and poems, including Best Juvenile Book from the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. for her YA novel Beyond the Farthest Star and she was a finalist in the Southern Writers short story competition. In her latest writing effort, Dee Dee collaborated with grandson Brooks to write Ron Finds His Courage, a children’s chapter book inspired by Brooks’s pet bearded dragon. You can connect with Dee Dee and find her work on her website - deedeechumley.com.
Dee Dee reviews Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

Mentioned on the show:

The Adventures of Tintin - Georges Remi
Winesberg, Ohio - Sherwood Anderson
Cowboy Jamboree Press
Mongrel Empire Press
Jeanetta Calhoun Mish
Scissortail Creative Writing Festival
David Joy
Courtney Milan
Nora Roberts
Slow Horses - Mick Herron
Mortals - Norman Rush
Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John Le Carre
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - John Le Carre
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
Bastard Out of Carolina - Dorothy Allison
Stoner - John Williams
Miss Benson's Beetle - Rachel Joyce

Music by JuliusH

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Welcome to Chapter 21 of the Okie Bookcast!

My guests for this episode are Bill Price and Dr. Michael Hightower. Bill and Michael recently released Bill’s biography, called At War with Corruption, chronicling Bill’s life and involvement in prosecuting high-profile cases in Oklahoma. The book recently won the 2022 Nonfiction Book of the Year from the Oklahoma Book Awards. 
 
Bill Price was the Assistant U.S. Attorney Western District Oklahoma from 1975-1982 and U.S. Attorney Western District of Oklahoma from 1982-1989. He was the Republican nominee for Governor 1990, and is now in Private practice Phillips Murrah. In addition to his law career, Bill has been instrumental in causes related to kids and education, something we get to talk about in our conversation. 

Dr. Michael Hightower was born and raised in Oklahoma City and lived in Tulsa in the 80s and 90s. He was a co-founder and president of Council Oak Books, a trade publishing house. in Tulsa. Since completing his PhD in sociology at the University of Virginia, Michael has written several histories and biographies based in Oklahoma. You can find more of Michael's work at his website - michaeljhightower.com.

Jeff Clark is our reviewer. Jeff is an author, speaker, and veterans advocate born and raised in Oklahoma. Jeff recently released his first book, "Hear These Truths: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Leadership Algorithm". You can connect with Jeff on social media @officialJSClark and on his website - jeffclarkofficial.com. You can also hear Jeff on his podcast - Course of Action with Jeff Clark. 

Jeff is reviewing Brooklyn to Baghdad: An NYPD Intelligence Cop Fights Terror in Iraq by Christopher Strom with Jerome Preisler  and  Michael Benson

Check out Behind the Rain: An Audio Anthology of Oklahoma Poetry

Mentioned on the Show
Bobby Baker
Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" Speech
Thomas Sowell
Matt Ridley
Ron Chernow
Evan Osnos
Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
Free to Choose - Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman
Animal Farm - George Orwell
1984 - George Orwell
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Music by JuliusH

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Connect with the Bookcast: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | WebSite
Check out Behind the Rain: An Audio Anthology of Oklahoma Poetry

Welcome to Chapter 20! This one is all about Summer Library Reading Programs. I have a great lineup of librarians and other library-connected folks, giving us a bird's-eye view of summer reading and a picture of what it looks like in a couple of local contexts. We get to cover quite a bit of ground across the state - OKC east to Shawnee then north to Claremore and out west to Enid - and get tons of ideas about how to connect with reading and learning opportunities through local libraries for kids of all ages. We also talk about the importance of helping students avoid the summer reading slide by connecting them with reading opportunities that they enjoy. 

I first talk with Bill Young and Adrienne Butler from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. Bill has worked in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries' Public Information Office for 35 years, and has served as the PIO Director for 28 years. Adrienne is the Youth & Regional Services Consultant at the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. She's been with the State of Oklahoma over 25 years. 

For our local libraries segment - I talk with Ashley Welke from the Pioneer Library System and Nikki Lunk and Leslie Rogers from the Will Rogers Library in Claremore. Ashley is the Director of Community Engagement and Learning for the Pioneer Library System where she oversees programming, outreach, and readers' services. 
Nikki is a first year children’s librarian with the Will Rogers Library and Leslie is the Assistant Director and Adult Programming and Outreach Coordinator. She has been with the library for 9 years. 

Our review comes from Theri Ray, who is the acting library director at the Enid Public Library. Theri is a Former middle school teacher who earned a Master of Library and Information Services from the University of Oklahoma in 2021. She describes herself with one word - bibliophile. 

Theri reviews Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.

Mentioned on the show:
Oklahoma Department of Libraries
Pioneer Library System
PLS Connect App
Will Rogers Library, Claremore - Facebook | Instagram
Enid Public Library
Tana French
Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
To Say Nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis
Firekeeper's Daughter - Angeline Boulley
Shine - Lauren Myracle
Hercule Poirot Novels
Fred and George Weasley - Harry Potter Novels
Legendborn - Tracy Deonn

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Welcome to Volume One of Behind the Rain: An Audio Anthology of Oklahoma Poetry. 
I'm excited to share with you the work of these 10 Oklahoma poets. 

Cotton Candy Skies - Hallie McGrath

• Instagram: @jackrabbit_spiritual

Coyote Communion - Brand Rackley

• Instagram: @brandrackley 

Worse than My Bite - Rob Sturma

• Twitter: @ratpackslim  
• Website: freezeraypoetry.com

The City Dump - Benjamin Myers

• Twitter: @BenMyersPoet 
• Website: benjaminmyerspoetry.com

Spare Change - MAC Woods

• Instagram: @mac_since1985

In Oklahoma, You Don't Need to be Strangers to Talk about the Weather - Nathan Steinman

• Twitter: @barsvontrier

A Heart Warrior's Creed - Amy M. Le

• Twitter: @amy_m_le  
• Website: amy-m-le.com

Visitation Hours - Rebecca Lemke

• Instagram: @newcrunchymom
• Website: rebeccalemke.com

All the Things I Should've Told You - Shayla Raquel

• Instagram: @shaylaleeraquel
• Website: shaylaraquel.com

(No) Mercy From Ghosts - Gary Reddin

• Twitter: @andrewreddin
• Website: GaryReddin.com 

If you'd like to submit a poem for consideration for Volume Two of Behind the Rain (releasing September 15, 2022), visit okiebookcast.com/behindtherain for details.
Connect with the Bookcast @okiebookcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more Oklahoma voices. 

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Welcome to Chapter 19 of the Okie Bookcast!

Jerry Bennett is a full time illustrator and art director and is one of the great comic creators in Oklahoma. He has done work for local film company Reckless Abandonment Pictures, Invisible Layers, Oklahoma Today magazine, Okie Comics, Stan Lee, Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm. He also creates the Chicken Fried News illustrations in the Oklahoma Gazette and serves as the illustrator Coordinator for the Oklahoma/Arkansas region of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. He is currently working with Charles J Martin (who you met way back in chapter one) on an incredible comic called Glamorella’s Daughter which has just finished its first four-issue run and has a volume one trade releasing later this month. You can see Jerry's work at his website - thejerrybennett.com or connect with him on Twitter or Instagram.

Rachel Elliott is an author-illustrator of comics for young readers. Her debut middle grade graphic novel, THE REAL RILEY MAYES, is an LGBTQ+ story set in Oklahoma and has received multiple starred reviews. Rachel grew up in Pryor, Oklahoma, and took drawing lessons at a neighbor's farm. She now teaches first-year composition, multimedia writing, and writing comics at the University of Kentucky.
Rachel is reviewing Come Over, Come Over by Lynda Barry

Mentioned on the show:
Star Wars - Marvel Comics
Transformers - Marvel Comics
John Byrne - Fantastic 4 and X-Men
Art Adams - Longshot
Stewart Immonen
Darwyn Cooke
Salt Magic - Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock
This Was Our Pact - Ryan Andrews
March - Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
The Murder of Emmett Till - Dr. Karlos K. Hill and David Dodson
Literati Press Comics and Novels
Glamorella's Daughter - Jerry Bennett and Charles J. Martin
Image Comics
Laron Chapman - You People
Stray Dogs - Tony Fleecs
Immortal Hulk - Al Ewing and Joe Bennett
Sea of Stars - Jason Aaron and Dennis Hopeless
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Judy Blume
Come Over, Come Over - Lynda Barry
The Greatest of Marlys - Lynda Barry

Music by JuliusH

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Shop the Bookcast on Bookshop.org
Music by JuliusH