Online For Authors Podcast

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Rebecca Hodge, author of the book Wildland.  Rebecca is a former veterinarian and clinical research scientist who lives and writes in North Carolina. Her novels WILDLAND and OVER THE FALLS both place memorable characters in situations filled with suspense. She has three grown sons, one crazy dog, and one patient husband. When not writing on the back porch or brewing yet another mug of tea, she loves hiking, travel, and (of course) curling up with a good book.

In my book review, I stated that Wildland is a contemporary suspense that will have you gripping your seat and praying for Kat Jamison and those in her care.

Kat heads to the Blue Ridge Mountains to get away for a while. She needs to make a big decision about the return of her breast cancer. Does she continue to fight, as her daughter wants her to do, or does she allow the cancer to take her life, as she believes she wants to do.

Within moments of her arrival, her peaceful, alone time is transformed by two dogs, and two families staying nearby. Add a drought and a summer lightning storm, and Kat's survival is in question long before she intended - as is the survival of others now in her care.

​This book made me think about life, living it fully, and what I would do if faced with a battle. Definitely a great read.

You can follow Author Rebecca Hodge:

Website: www.rebeccahodgefiction.com/

FB: @ rebeccahodgefiction

IG: @ rhodge.fiction  

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

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#rebeccahodge #wildland #suspense #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Bookologist Stephanie Affinito of A Lit Life. She’s going to chat with us about a new concept called Bookology, which is the study of books and reading and notebooks and writing, mixed with mindfulness and creativity to bring you restorative reading and writing.

Stephanie states on her website that “books and reading have the power to transform our lives. We meet new friends, travel to locations, experience new perspectives and learn valuable life lessons with each turn of the page. And, when we explore the themes of the book in our own lives, from love and relationships to baking and gardening, magic happens. The book leaves us a better person than when we started.”

Stephanie is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of books and writing. Through her blog, podcast, and coaching endeavors, Stephanie delves into the profound impact of literature on our lives, weaving together stories of personal growth, healing, and empowerment.

Her journey from a childhood immersed in books to navigating through life’s challenges with the solace of literature showcases the profound influence of reading and writing on our well-being. She has an inspiring vision and commitment to fostering restorative reading practices for a brighter, more connected future.

She blogs about the power of leading literate lives at www.alitlife.com and podcasts weekly on books and reading, writing and notebooks and everything in between on Get Lit(erate). She also chats with a new children’s literature author every week on her KidLit Love podcast, too.

You can follow Stephanie Affinito:

Website: www.alitlife.com

FB: @AffinitoLit

IG: @AffinitoLit

X: @AffinitoLit

Threads: @affinitolit

Patreon: www.getliterate.co

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

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#stephanieaffinito #bookology #bookologist #notebooking #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Jennifer Gasner, author of the book, My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis. Jennifer received her BA in English from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and her MS in recreation from Western Illinois University. Her work with Independent Living Centers enabled her to learn about various disability programs throughout the country and ignited her passion for disability culture. She relocated to San Diego, California, on her own at the age of twenty-eight.

As a mentor for What’s Next, a program for youth with disabilities, and as co-chair of UC San Diego’s Staff Association for staff with disabilities, Jennifer solidified her role in the San Diego disability community. In 2020, Jennifer became an ambassador for the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), raising awareness about Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA). She participated in Rare Across America, meeting with legislators to discuss laws affecting more than 25 million Americans living with one or more rare diseases.

Jennifer is a member of the San Diego Memoir Writers Association, and her writing has been published in Shaking the Tree, volumes 3 and 4. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, and traveling. She lives with her boyfriend Gregory and their dog. My Unexpected Life is her first book.

In my book review, I stated My Unexpected Life is a memoir that takes an honest look at Jennifer’s journey from diagnosis to embracing life with a disability. Jennifer has no qualms about showing the messy middle which includes denial and anger on her part, insensitivity on the part of family and friends, ableism culture in her school, community, and herself, and more.

As a reader, you will want to both shake Jennifer and those around her, as well as cheer her on. You will learn what it's like to get potentially devastating news and how such news can affect everything you believe about life. In the end, you will learn that a disability doesn't have to define you. In fact, for Jennifer, her disability is just a small fraction of who she has become.

Reading this book will help you shed light on your own ableist ideas and offer new ways of seeing those navigating life with a disability. I highly recommend this memoir.

You can follow Author Jennifer Gasner

Website: https://jennifergasner.com/.

IG: @jennygwriter

FB: @AuthorJenniferGasner

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host:

https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#jennifergasner #myunexpectedlife #memoir #disability #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Thomas Kelso, author of the book Fractured. Tom is a physician who also holds a Ph.D. from Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Following medical school Dr. Kelso completed his residency in orthopedic surgery and served in the US Navy for nine years before entering civilian practice. He writes thrillers based on current innovations in medicine and science and continues to practice orthopedic surgery in Brunswick County, North Carolina.

In my book review, I stated that Fractured is a medical thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire read. It features an orthopedic trauma surgeon, Mark Thurman, and a stem cell scientist, Claire Hodgson. The two have figured out how to grow bones and heal fractures in days. And their first patient, one who arrives in the ER, happens to be a former Navy SEAL sniper and a friend of Thurman. In fact, Thurman owes his life to John Bristow.

Thurman's ties to Bristow and the SEALs, as well as his involvement as a trauma professional with the local police force, quickly entangles him - and his colleague - in a world of intrigue. Who tried to kill John Bristow - and why? More importantly, will Thurman's breakthrough be able to save his friend's leg, and will Thurman be able to save his friend's life?

​This is beautifully written and deserves the awards it has won. Kelso has definitely captured me as a reader.

You can follow Author Thomas Kelso:

Website: www.thomaskelso.com/

FB: @ThomasKelsoMD

IG: @tomkelsowrites

X: @TomKelsoWrites

LinkedIn: @thomas-kelso-614b4948

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host:

https://www.terimbrown.com

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#thomaskelso #fractured #medicalthriller #militarythirller #thriller #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Vivien Sieber, author of the book Kino and Kinder: A Family’s Journey in the Shadow of the Holocaust.  Dr Vivien Sieber is a biologist. After ten years of biomedical research, she began lecturing in Genetics before her interests moved into academic development, learning technology and information literacy. She worked at several UK universities and has published around 100 academic papers. She lives in Oxford UK and wrote Kino and Kinder since retirement and is learning to make pottery.

In my book review, I stated Kino and Kinder is the story of Paula Ticho and her family, and it focuses on life around WWI until Paula's death decades after WWII. Paula, a co-owner with her sister of a theater in Vienna, enjoyed great success until the Nazi takeover. We see her get her son to safety and beg her family to leave, before eventually fleeing to England. Penniless, Paula works as a matron to a hostel for Jewish girls who have fled the Nazis. What was supposed to be a temporary shelter for girls, turned into an orphanage spanning several years.

Sieber uses letters from these girls, extensive research, and her grandmother's memories to create a story that helps others understand the atrocities of the Holocaust - and how this period of time negatively impacted Jewish people even if they were fortunate enough to escape a work or death camp.

​This family memoir is a must-read.

You can follow Author Viven Sieber:

FB: @Vivien Sieber

IG: @siebervivien

X: @VivienSieber

LinkedIn: @Vivien Sieber

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

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#viviensieber #kinoandkinder #memoir #holocaust #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Sheila Athens, author of the book Neena Lee is Seeing Things. Sheila writes smart contemporary women’s fiction set where the South meets the Sunshine state. Her stories are about women seeking to find the peace we all deserve. Readers are drawn to her work because they believe that everyday heroes can make a difference in our world. She loves quiet spaces, eccentric people and the little band of writer hikers who walk at sunrise on a regular basis.

After growing up in the Ozarks, she moved to Florida—sight unseen—with the man who would become her husband. She’s a boy mom, a former vice president of human resources, and an avid audiobook listener. To sign up for her newsletter or to schedule a book club visit (either in-person or virtual), go to SheilaAthens.com.

In my book review, I stated Neena Lee is Seeing Things is a contemporary southern fiction looking back at the marriage of John F Kennedy to Carolyn in 1996 and their death in a plane crash in 1999 through the eyes of a journalist, Neena Lee.

You can follow Author Sheila Athens:

Website: www.SheilaAthens.com

FB: @sheilaathensauthor

IG: @sheilaathensauthor

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

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#sheilaathensauthor #neenaleeisseeingthings #southernfiction #contemporaryfiction #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Babette Rosen Hughes, author of the book Lessons in Evil. Born in Cleveland Ohio, Babette grew up in the time of Prohibition and bootleggers. Her father was one of the first rum runners in the country and was murdered by the Mafia in a turf war at the age of 29. Babette was just two at the time.

Writing has allowed her to draw from her unusual life experiences to create her characters and tell their stories (and sometimes cautionary tales) in vivid detail. Though she had always been an excellent writer throughout her life, and had even published a memoir, Lost and Found, Babette’s first novel, The Hat, wasn’t written and published until she was in her late eighties. She followed that with the other two books in the Kate Brady trilogy, The Red Scarf, and The Necklace. Other books followed: Searching for Vivian, 97 Speaks, and The Secret of Happiness.

Now 101, she still writes every day with a fluidity and grace of a woman half her age. “The truth is liberating, but sometimes elusive.” She explains. “I’m always looking for it and how to best write about it, and I probably always will.”

In my book review, I stated that Babette hit her latest creation out of the park.

Annie Burg is an author who has been asked to write the unofficial biography of a very famous writer, Helga Hoffman. Annie doesn't want the assignment because of Helga's dismissive personality. Nonetheless, she takes it in hopes of restarting her career. But that is when everything turns sideways, and Annie finds herself in the middle of a Nazi-hunting investigation!

I love Annie because I see her hang ups and all that is holding her back in life. I understand what drives her forward at the beginning of the story, but more importantly, what drives her at the end. The transformation is stunning. Add to that an antagonist you love to hate, and this novella has everything you need for a quick, satisfying read. Highly recommend!

You can follow Author Babette Rosen Hughes:

Website: www.babettehughesbooks.com

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

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#babetterosenhughes #lessonsinevil #novella #historicalfiction #suspense #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Janet Roberts, author of the book What Lies We Keep.  Janet Roberts is a global leader in cybersecurity education and awareness with over a decade of experience. She holds a BA in Journalism from Temple University, and MA in Communications from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of both the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and Pennwriters.

Her first two novels won 1st Place in Fiction from Pittsburgh’s The Authors’ Zone. Her poetry has been published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and in San Fedele Press’ Art in the Time of COVID-19. She lives in Pittsburgh’s East End where Frick Park is her favorite place for a hike. She never met a library, bookstore, or ice cream shop she didn’t like.

In my book review, I stated What Lies We Keep seamlessly weaves cybersecurity with the lies we tell one another. Ted and Charlotte are on the road to "living the dream." Ted has a good job, they have a daughter, and are saving to buy their first home. But something is amiss.

Ted is hiding something and Charlotte, though she isn't sure what, is dragging him to marital counseling in hopes of saving their marriage. But the lies go beyond Ted, with two good friends, a brother-in-law, and even her mother keeping things from her - things that shape her world.

​This is not merely a story of Ted's redemption, but of Charlotte's journey to find the truth - about her husband, about her marriage, about her friends - and mostly about herself. Great read!

You can follow Author Janet Roberts:

Website: www.booksbyjanetroberts.com

Threads: @janetroberts77

FB:  @janet.roberts.1426

TikTok:  @wpawriter12

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT0Ve00TmFDDIhKv2ujvhmA

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

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#janetroberts #whatlieswekeep #womensfiction #familyfiction #contemporaryfiction #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Edward Trayer, organizer of The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, and author of 18 children, YA, and adult books under the pen names of Billy Bob Buttons and Hickory Crowl. Today, Edward and I are chatting about book awards – what they are, what makes a good award, why you want to enter, and what to do if you win.

Edward is a young talented author. On top of being a secondary school English teacher, he is also a pilot.

Born in the Viking city of York, he and his wife, Therese, a true Swedish girl from the IKEA county of Småland, now live in Stockholm and London. Their twin girls, Rebecca and Beatrix, and little boy, Albert, inspire him every day to pick up a pen and work on his books.

When not writing, he enjoys tennis and playing 'MONSTER!' with his three children.

He is the author of the much loved, The Gullfoss Legends, Rubery Award finalist, Felicity Brady and the Wizard's Bookshop, UK People Book Prize runner-up, TOR Assassin Hunter and TOR Wolf Rising.

I Think I Murdered Miss' is his ninth children's novel and recently won The UK People's Book Prize.

You can follow Edward, aka Billy Bob Buttons:

Website: https://www.bbbuttons.co.uk/ and https://www.thewsa.co.uk/

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

FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#edwardtrayer #billybobbuttons #hickorycrowl #thewishingshelfbookawards #wishingshelfawards #bookawards #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Meredith Ritchie, author of the book Poster Girls.  Her historical fiction novel takes place in North Carolina during WWII, and is based on the true but forgotten events that happened in her hometown. When her triplets left for college, she wrote Poster Girls as a cure for acute empty nest syndrome. She now lives in Charlotte with her husband, two cats, four chickens and grown adults that occasionally return to her cozy coop.

Poster Girls was named 2022 "Best of the Nest" for fiction by QC Nerve magazine and was recently named as part of the 2024 North Carolina Reads program sponsored by NC Humanities, a division of the Library of Congress. A lifelong learner, Meredith believes history told in the form of stories can never be forgotten, especially history that happened in our own backyard.

In my book review, I stated that Meredith tells a delightful story about a group of "Rosie the Riveters" working in a bullet factory in Charlotte, NC during WWII. The story comes from two points of view - Maggie and Cora. Both women are married to soldiers, have moved to Charlotte from other areas, and love books - enough to start a friendship. However, others aren't quite as keen to see this relationship, since Maggie is a white woman of privilege and Cora is a poor, black woman.

These two women are strong and fight for themselves and for one another. I enjoy how Meredith shows how, despite her good intentions, Maggie often 'gets it wrong.' I also love how she shows that Cora, who interprets life through a lens of racism, also gets it wrong. Most importantly, I love how the two characters persevere despite it all.

​If you love a good historical fiction, especially one that makes you think about issues we face today, then, this is the book for you.

You can follow Author Meredith Ritchie

Website: meredithritchie.com

IG: @postergirlsbook

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

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on

#meredithritchie #postergirls #historicalfiction #womensfiction #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview