Here’s the audio version of the talk I posted as a video session.

Connect the dots. Read between the lines.

Readers do better in the real world because they’ve already been there, done that.

Connecting Los Angeles and Melbourne, SHAIR.care show host Damian Andrews and I talk across the Pacific Rim about the essential human trait of curiosity and how our experience of the world benefits from being close observers. When we read about spies and detectives, we’re learning how paying careful attention enriches our lives, helps keep us safe, and even promotes healthy and inspiring relationships.

Feed your curiosity with a paid subscription to this Thinking About Thinking blog. You’ll gain access to all content here, and you’ll be helping us build our worldwide community through storytelling and self-expression.

Mick & Moira & Brad - #me-three?

In Chapter 1 of this romantic comedy, billionaire-boyfriend Brad Davenport prevails on no-nonsense Moira Halimi-Joubert to throw a doubles tennis match so he can get the Botheralls' business. When busybody Bitsy Botherall catches Moira singing expertly in the shower, the young woman's path to stardom has accidentally begun. She's about to meet Hollywood superagent Mick McGraw, who will try mightily to hide his attraction to her. #romcom #litfic

This episode hosted by our correspondent Inna Logunova’s podcast Being Modern, Being Human started with a conversation about modern dating and romantic relationships but organically turned to broader issues of contemporary society, such as inequality and the growing role of artificial intelligence.

This is the second episode with Gerald Everett Jones, from what turned out to be her mini-series of “Talks with a Writer.”

#litfic #booktalk #geopolitics

Los Angeles and Moscow link up in this freewheeling chat exploring showbiz, Hollywood, and the art of storytelling. The show is Being Modern, Being Human, hosted by Inna Logunova. As she describes our spirited session:

In this episode, we step behind the scenes of showbiz and the entertainment industry. What sacrifices one has to make on their journey to fame? How does Hollywood operate? Where is the line between the constructed public image and the real person? We explore these questions and more with award-winning author Gerald Everett Jones whose recent novel, “Mick & Moira & Brad,” inspired this conversation.

This interview is filled with real-life anecdotes, curious details, and plenty of insights about life, love, and the art of storytelling.

#romcom #litfic

Mystery author Gerald Everett Jones discusses the near-death-experience episode from his new novel Preacher Raises the Dead (Evan Wycliff #3) with radio host Cynthia Brian. Courtesy StarStyle Radio - Be the Star You Are.

Gerald Everett Jones reads an excerpt from the third novel in the award-winning Evan Wycliff Mystery series.

The Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) presented this informal chat with award-winning author Gerald Everett Jones. Gerald and host Steven Sanchez discuss the inner life of the "close observer" and how those feelings inform an author's work.

Our show host Gerald Everett Jones reads from his multiple-award-winning novel Harry Harambee's Kenyan Sundowner. Intrigue on the white sands of the Indian Ocean. Is corruption a fact of life? Is all love transactional? #booklovers #bookstagrammers #litfic

Here's Gerald's book review of An Unlikely Truth, a political drama by novelist John Rachel. Are the politics of hope dated? #litfic #bookstagram #booklovers #bookreview

Here's Gerald's book review of The Gravity Well: America's Next Greatest Mission by Steven Sanford.

Steven Sanford was trained as a research engineer and spent almost three decades as a NASA employee when he left the agency recently to work for a contract engineering firm. He was director for Space Technology and exploration at NASA's Langley Research Center. The gravity well refers to the huge physical effort required to overcome the Earth's pole and climb into space. It is the first and most significant challenge of space travel. #booklovers #bookstagram