Online For Authors Podcast

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Joseph Rein, author of the book Youtopia. Joseph is the author of the Youtopia series (Youtopia, Youtopia Reborn, Youtopia Infinity). His short story collection Roads without Houses was nominated for numerous literary prizes. His short fiction has appeared in over twenty journals, magazines, and anthologies worldwide, and has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is also a screenwriter and critical essayist. His second feature-length film, Who Killed Cooper Dunn? (2022), was featured on Showtime and other streaming platforms. He wrote, produced, and acted in multiple other short festival films. He is currently a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. When not writing or reading, he can be found hiking with his wife Jessica, playing cribbage, or recovering from various small injuries inflicted by his four children.

In my book review, I stated Youtopia is a techno-thriller that still has me thinking. Anabel Downer is an FBI agent assigned to find a murderer. However, this isn't an ordinary murder but one that happened in cyberspace.

Youtopia is a place where one can live in a perfect world of their own choosing - every single day - in a virtual reality environment. People tired of life with all its up and downs and disappointments can choose to immerse themselves into Youtopia, living out the rest of their days without pain, discomfort, or disease. As you can imagine, some people love the idea and others abhor it. But who hates it enough to murder?

This book is fast-paced and has plenty of twists and turns, especially as we see Anabel's past and her connection to Youtopia. Mostly, it will make you think. What would you give up to have a perfect life? And is perfect really what you want after all?

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You can follow Author Joseph Rein

Website: https://josephrein.com

FB: @JosephReinAuthor

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IG: @Joseph_Rein1

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Paperback: https://amzn.to/3SpjvDc

Ebook: https://amzn.to/4c3pSmw

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

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Guest-host for Online for Authors, Carole O’Neill chats today with Donna Jones Alward, author of the book When the World Fell Silent. Since 2006, New York Times bestseller Donna Jones Alward has enchanted readers with stories of happy endings and homecomings that have won several awards and been translated into over a dozen languages. She’s worked as an administrative assistant, teaching assistant, in retail and as a stay-at-home-mom, but always knew her degree in English Literature would pay off, as she is now happy to be a full-time writer. Her new historical fiction tales blend her love of history with characters who step beyond their biggest fears to claim the lives they desire.

Donna currently lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and two cats. You can often find her near the water, either kayaking on the lake or walking the sandy beaches to refill her creative well.

In Carole’s book review, she stated When the World Fell Silent is a WW1 tragedy that shakes the core of Canadian Army Nurse, Nora Crowell as she tries to do her part to save the many wounded from the Halifax Harbor explosion. She spends day and night stitching up French soldiers, hardly finding time to nourish herself.  On the other side of town, new mother, Charlotte Campbell tries to accept a life with her difficult in-laws after her husband is reported dead in the trenches across the Atlantic.

Both women find themselves searching for the same miracle until an amazing twist reveals the need for each to move on to a life neither thought possible. As one woman’s strength gives acknowledgement to her weakness, the other’s weakness shows her a way to accept a life she could only dream about.

Donna Jones Alward’s well-written historical fiction, When the World Fell Silent, was released on July 20, 2024. The pages won’t turn fast enough as you wait to see if Nora’s sister and her family will survive the destruction; or will Charlotte’s secret change everyone’s life.

Put this one at the top of that book pile on your reading table.

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Website: https://donnajonesalward.com/

Social media: FB: @DonnaAlwardAuthor

IG: @donnaalward

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Purchase When the World Fell Silent on Amazon:

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FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

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My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Rachel Callaghan, author of the book Under Water. Rachel, novelist, award-winning essayist, ex-short story writer, and former editor of In Posse on WebDelSol, learned a thing or two about traumatic circumstances and the emotional and psychological damage they cause. Starting Hahnemann Medical College (now part of Drexel University) when only one out of eleven students in her class were women, she startled the administration by choosing to have a child her senior year. Even the teaching physicians were put off-balance: one ordered Dr. Callaghan from rounds for being visibly pregnant, as that might scare the patients. Post medical school, she had Internal Medicine, OB-GYN, and ER training and experience, working until her career was cut short when she was diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma. A stem-cell transplant was the cure. What followed was a decade of profound fatigue which left her mourning the loss of patients she loved as friends. The treatment for that was writing about people and making them come alive on the page. Besides writing, she is now a wife, mother, serial home renovator, dog and cat owner, and former traveler who circled the globe at age 21. Dr. Callaghan’s rich life has been instrumental in shaping her fiction.

In my book review, I stated Under Water is a dual timeline historical fiction you won't want to miss. Iris pushes her husband, Benny, to move across the country to pre-Civil-War-era home. During the renovations, Iris makes a gruesome discovery - a baby, perfectly preserved at the bottom of their pond. Little does Iris know that her past parallels this infant's past, and learning the secrets will unearth the secrets in her own life.

This novel provides the reader with a great story, but also looks at love, relationships, loss, social status, and racial tension, while seamlessly weaving between two worlds. I've always wanted to find a secret in an attic or a diary tucked away in the walls of a home, though I never considered finding a body!

Lorraine's book is well-written, heartwarming, and funny, with many laugh-out-loud moments mixed in with heart-wrenching ones. Definitely add this to your TBR.

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You can follow Author Rachel Callaghan

Website: www.rachelsfiction.com

FB: @Rachel Callaghan Author

Purchase Under Water on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3ZjHlVf

Ebook: https://amzn.to/3XiHZja

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

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*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Robert J Wolf, author of the book Not a Real Enemy. Robert is a neuroradiologist who attended the University of Michigan Medical School and completed his training at Brown and Yale Universities. He grew up in a suburb of Detroit as the only child of Ervin and Judit Wolf. Their stories of their escape from communist Hungary, and his father’s tragic history of escaping the Nazis twice but losing his own parents, inspired Robert to document his parents’ tales and share those stories with Jewish groups, history aficionados, and biography lovers throughout the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. In Not a Real Enemy Robert shares his family saga—and the forgotten history of the nearly half million Hungarian Jews who were deported and killed during the Holocaust—through an epic and inspiring tale of daring escapes, terrifying oppression, tragedy, and triumph.

In my book review, I stated 'Not A Real Enemy: The True Story of a Hungarian Jewish Man’s Fight for Freedom is an amazing family Holocaust memoir that reads more like a novel. I was brought into the story through the main character, Ervin Wolf, the father of the author - and I turned the pages as quickly as I could until I reached the end.

Ervin begins life as a doctor's son and ends life as a doctor in the United States. Everything in between shows the reader the brutalities of the Nazi regime and then the Soviet communists who came after. The story left me wondering if I would have survived? If I would have had the gumption to escape not once, not twice, but three times? It showed me that freedom is something we should value beyond almost everything else.

History wants to bury the ugliness that was the Holocaust. Thankfully, memoirs like this and the bravery of authors like Robert make that impossible. Well done.

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You can follow Author Robert J Wolf

Website: https://robertjwolfmd.com/

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: @RobertJWolfMD

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IG: @robertjwolfmd

Purchase Not a Real Enemy on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3TzbV9Q

Ebook: https://amzn.to/47xMNWA

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FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

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*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Melissa C Diaferia, author of the book Sugar Plum and the Right Winger. Melissa is a talented independent romance author from Toronto, Ontario. Along with her passion for makeup artistry and nail design, Melissa enjoys writing as another creative outlet for her ideas and passions. Here, she is known to focus on her Italian heritage, musicality, sports, and her love for romance-based plots. Melissa also enjoys giving back to others in her community as she volunteers at her local church to further spread the love and joy she has in her heart.

In my book review, I stated Sugar Plum and the Right Winger is a clean, quick-read romance. This novella features Bea, a ballerina, and Teo, a Toronto Blues hockey player.

As with any good romance, neither Bea nor Teo are completely honest about their attraction. Plus, Bea is keeping a secret, one that could stop the romance in its tracks before it really gets started.

One thing I really enjoyed was that the novella includes songs and Melissa provides readers with the song list - including numbers from the Broadway musical, Hamilton, as well as singers like Elvis, Bocelli, and Michael Bublé. Sugar Plum and the Right Winger is the first in the Toronto Blues series.

And BTW, the Toronto Blues is not a real NHL hockey team. The real Toronto team is the Maple Leafs. And yes, I had to look that up!

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You can follow Author Melissa C Diaferia

Website: https://melissacdiaferia.wixsite.com/author

IG: @melissa_dia

Tiktok: @melissa.diaferia

Purchase Sugar Plum and the Right Winger on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3ShIqbT

Ebook: https://amzn.to/3YcqmDz

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X: @terimbrown1

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#melissacdiaferia #sugarplumandtherightwinger #romance #novella #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is V.S. Gardner, author of the book A Killing on Hardee Street. VS Gardner excitedly achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a published author when her first novel, A Killing on Hardee Street, was published in 2020. Holding to the belief that life’s greatest treasures are found in relationships, V.S. Gardner enjoys spending time with family and friends. When not writing, she enjoys reading, thrifting, exploring local points of interest, and trail walking. She is grateful for the many blessings of life. Be sure to follow the Author on Amazon for future publications.

In my book review, I stated A Killing on Hardee Street is the first in a series located in Logan, South Carolina, a small town not too far from Myrtle Beach. In fact, this tiny town is patterned after V.S. Gardner's hometown!

In this novel, we meet Vonda, a recent widow trying to adjust to her new circumstances. We also meet Marshall and get introduced to his family and his construction company. As Vonda watches new homes being built from her back deck, she sees something she wasn't supposed to see - and this lands her in the thick of a mysterious disappearance. Will she be next?

I enjoyed the easy tone of this Cozy Mystery, and you will, too!

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You can follow Author V.S. Gardner

FB: @vs.gardner.author

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/121649748-vs-gardner

Email: [email protected]

Purchase A Killing on Hardee Street on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3Sgpv1b

Ebook: https://amzn.to/3LCE23b

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

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*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Van Haney, author of the books Stories to Curl Your Toes and Bloody Ever After. Today, Van is here to talk to us about her early career in film, how that shaped her writing, and writing tips she’s learned along the way.

Vanessa grew up in the new-age circus known as the entertainment industry. She was first published in an anthology of poems in 1997. In the early 2000's she was showcased in young filmmaker competitions for her screenplays, and in 2018 while getting her Master's in Education she self-published her first book of short stories, Stories to Curl Your Toes. Now after two children and a move to the Pacific Northwest she's unleashing her stories into the world once again.

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You can follow Author Van Haney

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Van-Haney/author/B0CFJYCSYJ

Tiktok: @van_haney_books

IG: @dystopianess

FB: @Dystopianess

Purchase Bloody Ever After on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3AaFd7L

Ebook: https://amzn.to/4duDsAx

Audio: https://amzn.to/4fzQKxJ

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Paperback: https://amzn.to/46uh0FD

Ebook: https://amzn.to/4cbUbHO

Audio: https://amzn.to/3SAaszx

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X: @terimbrown1

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*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Gail Priest, author of the book Soul Dancing. Gail has a passion for women’s fiction. Her degrees and work in theatre and counseling psychology inspire her stories of healing from trauma and secrets within families. A dash of romance and her love of second chances are always in the mix. The settings of her novels are influenced by her time spent on the coast of New Jersey and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Gail Priest’s newest novel, Soul Dancing, was an American Fiction Awards semi-finalist for Women’s Fiction. Firebird Book Awards has awarded it first place in Cross Genre and second place is Women’s Fiction. Gail is also the author of the Annie Crow Knoll trilogy which includes Annie Crow Knoll: Sunrise, Sunset, and Moonrise. The final novel was a Kindle Book Awards semi-finalist. Eastern Shore Shorts, her collection of short stories set in various Eastern Shore towns, was a finalist in the International Book Awards Short Story category.

Gail is a member of The Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Eastern Shore Writers Association, Novelitics Writers Collective, and the South Jersey Writers Group, where she was named Writer of the Year. Gail lives in New Jersey with her husband and their Havanese dog, Annie. When she’s not writing or teaching, Gail can be found reading or looking for birds and sea glass along the beaches and bays of the East Coast.

In my book review, I stated Soul Dancing is a delightful woman's fiction with a bit of romance and a paranormal twist! And quite frankly, I LOVED this cross-genre experiment!

Shirlene is a 90-year-old woman dying of cancer. Rain is a 20-year-old drug addict giving birth. Both women die, but Shirlene refuses to go toward the light. However, she dwells long enough that she can't return to her old body, instead finding herself in L&D in the final stages of labor.

Imagine this classy, reserved, older woman finding herself in the body of a young woman with tattoos and piercings - and then trying to explain to those she loves what has happened. Throw in her husband's death bed confession, romantic feelings toward Cameron, the uncle willing to raise his brother's baby, and an old friend who pushes Shirlene to take second chances, and you have an amazing novel that will make you shake your head, laugh, cry, and cheer for redemption.

I couldn't put this award-winning book down - and I'm betting you won't be able to either!

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Website: http://gailpriest.com

FB: @AuthorGailPriest

FB: gail.priest.56

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Purchase Soul Dancing on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3Z96QIS

Ebook: https://amzn.to/3Z2OdWU

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

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*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Mark R Anderson, author of the book Sage Among the Pines. Mark, a Fulton Books author, retired after thirty-five years of distinguished service in the Department of Defense and ten years, concurrently, as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He completed his most recent book, Sage Among the Pines.

A graduate of the University of Maryland and the National Intelligence University, Mark’s upbringing in a military family instilled a love for travel and exploration, shaping his diverse perspectives and providing rich material for his creative works. Currently, the author resides in Pinehurst, North Carolina, with his wife and youngest daughter. In his spare time, Mark is an avid golfer at Pinehurst Country Club and enjoys filming book videos, alongside indulging in freshwater bass fishing across the Southeastern US.

In my book review, I stated that I was excited to read this book before it came out on the shelves. Tom and Cynthia, along with their daughter, Lexi, have a great life. Until. Tom makes a mistake. Cynthia can't forgive him. No one tells Lexi what is going on. And then, without warning, Tom dies in a military training exercise. As Cynthia spirals into depression, her daughter spirals into adolescent rage. Only a sage among the pines, in the form of a grandfather-grandmother duo, can save them.

This is a healing journey - healing from loss and betrayal - as well as a forgiveness journey. It shows how complicated life can become, even when people truly love one another. I enjoyed Mark's book because his characters are real. If you enjoy character-driven fiction, then this one is for you.

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You can follow Author Mark R Anderson

Website: https://fultonbooks.com/books/?book=sage-among-the-pines

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21435889.Mark_R_Anderson

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Ebook: https://amzn.to/4f8dR21

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FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

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X: @terimbrown1

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#markranderson #sageamongthepines #contemporaryfiction #comingofage #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Catherine W Rouhana, author of the book When the Fudge Trees Bloom. Cathy grew up in the ’50s and ‘60s in a three-bedroom row house in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the second of ten children, seven girls, and three boys. Yikes! You might say. Somewhat cramped? Well, yes, in retrospect. But children can always find a cubby hide-away to escape the chaos, (and maybe the chores). In the days before social media and even the days of the infancy of television, she and her siblings escaped into books. They were voracious readers and fought over the treasures brought home from a three-mile hike to the nearest library. Of course, the hiker had first dibs, but the rest was up for grabs.

The ‘70s brought marriage to her Lebanese husband and their first child. Books were still front and center with a job as a children’s librarian/head of agency at a branch of the prestigious Enoch Pratt Free Library. This was soon followed by the opening of The Bookmark, an independent bookstore, with her friend and fellow librarian, Janice. But not to stay in one thing for too long, the “80s brought their second son and an offer to Nagib to work in Saudi Arabia. They accepted, and their adventure began.

Back and forth in the Middle East, between Lebanon, Nagib’s country of origin, and Saudi Arabia. From heat and humidity and daily sameness to fresh mountain breezes punctuated by intermittent bombings.

She returned to the States in the late ‘80s but maintained one foot in the Middle East. Retirement from her position as manager in a medical office gave her the time and space she needed to complete the book she had been writing (slowly) for the past twenty years. When the Fudge Trees Bloom: Memories of an American in the Middle East is her first book, but, she hopes, not her last.

In my book review, I stated When the Fudge Trees Bloom is an amazing memoir. Catherine spent many years of her adult life in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. However, the person she was when she left the US as a young mother and wife to a Lebanese citizen, and the person she was when she entered Lebanon again when her son got married were two very different women.

I learned a lot about the unrest in the Middle East in the 70s and 80s. I also learned a lot about living life in the closed society of Saudi Arabia and family traditions in Lebanon. This memoir made me wonder how I would have handled the many wars, the political upheaval, the idea that women are second class citizens, and simply the loneliness of being far from home.

In the end, I fell in love with Lebanon - at least the Lebanon known to Catherine's family. The one not torn to shreds by war.

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You can follow Author Catherine W Rouhana:

Website: https://cathyrouhana.com/

IG: @authorcathyrouhana

FB: @authorcathyrouhana

Purchase When the Fudge Trees Bloom on Amazon:

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4dd43CE

Ebook: https://amzn.to/3SGz21r

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

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*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.