The Story Blender

Annette Simmons is the CEO of Group Process Consulting and author of five books, including her bestselling book The Story Factor, which was named as one of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time. She has been featured on CNBC’s Power Lunch, NPR’s Market Watch, and on numerous talk radio programs. In this episode, she unpacks the six stories we all need to be able to tell as we share our messages or pass along our values.

Artem Mushin-Makedonskiy is a worldwide leader on using storytelling in organizations and has been studying the field for years, sharing his insights with others. Artem consults on the topics of communication and leadership and is the founder of the Academy Historia, which is dedicated to excellence in communication and storytelling. He also serves as a board member of the Storytelling In Organizations international group and is planning an upcoming international conference called Storyify Your Culture on May 18-20.

Some authors have lived incredible adventures that they can tap into in the stories they tell. That’s certainly true of this week’s guest. First, Don Bentley spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot. Then, as a decorated war hero, he spent time as an FBI Special Agent, SWAT member, and security consultant for the U.S. Special Operations Community. These days, Don writes riveting action stories that will take your breath away. On this week’s show he shares some of his inspiration for the thrillers he writes and gives us an inside scoop on his latest release, HOSTILE INTENT.

Over the last few weeks I've had the honor of working with the creative writing students at Elizabethton High School in Tennessee as an author in residence. We explored the elements of all great stories, how to write organically (without an outline), and how to critique each other’s work. So, this week on The Story Blender, I decided to take a break from interviewing other storytellers or authors and give the students a chance to share their stories. So, sit back and enjoy some entertaining (and frightening!) stories inspired by the simple prompt: Earth Day.This is Part 1 of 2.(We’ll be back next week with an interview with NYT Bestselling author and former FBI agent, Don Bentley.)

Over the last few weeks I've had the honor of working with the creative writing students at Elizabethton High School in Tennessee as an author in residence. We explored the elements of all great stories, how to write organically (without an outline), and how to critique each other’s work. So, this week on The Story Blender, I decided to take a break from interviewing other storytellers or authors and give the students a chance to share their stories. So, sit back and enjoy some entertaining (and frightening!) stories inspired by the simple prompt: Earth Day.This is Part 2 of 2.(We’ll be back next week with an interview with NYT Bestselling author and former FBI agent, Don Bentley.)

Carol LaChapelle is a writer, teacher, and the author of Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Stories from Marion Street Press. She received her B.A. in Psychology in 1971) and M.A. in English in 1988 from the University of Illinois/Chicago. From 1986-2011, she was adjunct faculty in writing at UIC, DePaul University, North Park University, and Truman College. She has been teaching workshops for adults in memoir writing and journal writing since 1990.Beginning in 1992, Carol’s essays and articles have appeared in a variety of publications, both in print and online. These include Notre Dame Magazine, Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical Literary Messenger, and nextavenue.org. She is currently at work on her second book, a memoir.

Carter Wilson is a USA Today bestselling author who has written eight critically acclaimed standalone psychological thrillers as well as numerous short stories. He is an ITW Thriller Award finalist, a four-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, and his works have been optioned for television and film.Carter lives in Erie, Colorado in a Victorian house that is spooky but isn’t haunted.…yet.

Eva Marie Everson is a multiple-award winning author and speaker who hails from the picturesque Southern town of Sylvania, Georgia. She is president of Word Weavers International and the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference. She enjoys coaching new authors through her company, Pen in Hand. Eva Marie and her husband make their home in Central Florida and are the parents of three fabulous children who have blessed them with the world’s greatest grandchildren.

Christopher Riley is a professional screenwriter who co-wrote the award-winning German language courtroom thriller After the Truth with his wife, Kathy Riley. The Rileys have written scripts for Disney’s Touchstone Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Mandalay Television Pictures, the late Sean Connery’s Fountainbridge Films, and Robert Cort Productions. Christopher produced the independent action-thriller Red Line and executive produced the web series Bump+. He is the author of the classic screenplay format guide The Hollywood Standard, now in its third edition, and teaches screenwriting at the undergraduate and graduate levels. His latest book, which he co-wrote with his wife Kathy, is “The Defining Moment: How Writers and Actors Build Characters.”

Eric Wilson is the author of over twenty books, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as five movie novelizations including Facing the Giants and Flywheel. His third novelization, Fireproof, earned him a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list for 13 weeks.Eric has released two suspense novels with Bay Forest Books, One Step Away and Two Seconds Late. His nonfiction includes Taming the Beast: The Untold Story of Team Tyson, released in 2014, as well as From Chains to Change, a memoir he co-wrote with Steven Allen Young, founder of Home Street Home Ministries. He is finishing Six Little Words: How One Simple Question Transformed Lives Around the World, as well as American Leftovers: Surviving Family, Religion, & the American Dream, a family memoir written with his younger sister and brother.Eric was born in California, but now lives in Nashville with his wife, songwriter Carolyn Rose. Together they have two grown daughters and two grandchildren.