The Danny and Park Novels Good News Podcast

      Today I’m talking to Dave Burt, a retired police officer who worked for the Richmond Police Department 31yrs,(26) of those years as a Homicide detective. Over the course of his Homicide career, Dave worked over a hundred murders. Over a hundred. Incredible. Dave and I talk about his years with the department and he gives some sage advice to officers and detectives still out there doing what he did for more than half of his life. I hope you enjoy the interview.

Today's guest is someone who was not just one of my favorite people at the Richmond Police Department but is one of my favorite people in the whole world: Tish Edmonds. Tish is a sergeant with the police department and is currently the supervisor of the Community Care Unit. Before that she was a Domestic Assault detective in the Youth and Family Crimes Unit. 

Tish and I talk about her time in both units as well as her hope and advice for current and future Richmond police officers.

This is also the first podcast in a new series that I'm calling 'Hope for Richmond'. I'll be talking to people from different organizations who believe in Richmond and know that together we can make it a safer, viable city for all of its residents and visitors.

 Today's guest is Emily; survivor, mom, wife and advocate. Emily has an amazing story to tell about being kidnapped and assaulted while she was a college student. Her torment didn't end when she managed to escape; she was stalked for years afterwards. She recounts the horrific events, yet she still maintains hope and exudes positivity. That's what this podcast is all about. Listen to our interview and let me know what you think.

Follow Emily on Instagram at her handle: emilynatani3

Welcome back to the podcast, I’m Jamie Baynes. Today’s guest is Chesterfield Police Chief Jeffrey Katz. Chief Katz heard my interview with Will Smith and commented that he enjoyed hearing from Will. Since I had Chief Katz’s attention, I asked him if he’d be willing to be on an episode. To my delight and surprise, he readily agreed. We’d planned on a three PM interview, but when I called at three, it went to voicemail. He texted me immediately and said that he needed five more minutes because he was tied up. I figured he was out on some dire situation that needed a chief’s attention. Turns out that I was right. A citizen in Chesterfield had a concern, so Chief Katz agreed to meet that person for a cup of coffee and talk about the issue. The meeting ran late. That’s the kind of chief Jeffrey Katz is. We begin the interview with how to came to be Chesterfield’s chief, then talk about the community, the police, who, as Chief Katz says, are one and the same. 

Today's guest is Deneice Coleman, a mother, daughter and employee of the Richmond Police Department. Deneice epitomizes positivity and optimism, so obviously I had to have her on the podcast. We worked together for many years in the Major Crimes Division of the RPD and in all those years I never saw her down, depressed or angry. She always has a smile for everyone and if she thinks that you're down, she'll do her best to bring you back up. I hope you enjoy the interview. 

Today I'm welcoming back Sharmeen Farooq. I'm sure you guys remember my last interview with this amazing author and poet. For those that don't, Sharmeen has experienced a lot in her life and I wanted to bring her back to talk about a multitude of topics. Too many in fact for another single podcast, so expect to hear from her again. Today, she's going to share why she and her family left Pakistan to move to Canada. She's part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and they're a persecuted minority in Pakistan. 

To find out more about this community, check out their official website: alislam.org

Another resource can be found at: https://www.alislam.org/book/murder-name-allah/

     Today's guest is Will Smith who was Richmond's police chief up until last summer. Will and I are in the same generation of RPD officers; I graduated from the academy in 1993 and Will in 1995. Both of us worked Patrol in Richmond's east end, also known as Church Hill.

     Will and I talk about our time in Patrol, as well as his rise to chief. We also discuss the current pay problems that RPD officers face when compared to surrounding jurisdictions and the hope that he has for the city and it's residents.

     I hope you enjoy the interview.

Today's guest is Kiki, a Richmond area high school student and artist. Kiki's aunt portrays a main character in my novel series and when she heard that I was asking for writers, poets and artists to display their work on my website, she asked Kiki to email me some of her art. I liked it so much, Kiki has her own gallery on the website.

If you want to follow Kiki on Instagram, her handle is: kiki_the_bored_poofball

I hope you enjoy our interview.

On today's Popcorn Podcast (which is a quick, solo podcast) I vent a bit about well-known authors who take advantage of their large platforms to insert their own politics into their thrillers, despite the fact that their political views have nothing to do with the storyline. Longtime readers can't stand it and judging by many of the negative reviews, want the authors to cut it out.

Today's guest is J. Lynden Collingwood, an author, poet and aspiring playwright. I met J. Lynden through a mutual friend who knew that I enjoyed poetry and thought J. Lynden's work would be a good fit for the website. She was right. J. Lynden has been such a frequent contributor to the site, I reserved a permanent space for his poetry readings. Take a listen to the interview and let me know what you think.