Uncorking a Story

Alta Ifland was born in Transylvania (Romania), took part in the overthrow of Romania's communist dictatorship, and experienced two years of post-communism before emigrating to the United States in 1991. 

After a PhD in French language and literature, and several years in academia, she now works as a full-time writer, book reviewer, and translator (from French, Italian, and Romanian). She is the author of two books of short stories―Elegy for a Fabulous World (2010 finalist for the Northern California Book Award in Fiction) and Death-in-a-Box (2011 Subito Press Fiction Prize)―and two collections of prose poems―Voix de Glace/Voice of Ice (bilingual, French-English, winner of the French prize Louis Guillaume) and The Snail’s Song

Listen in as we discuss why she had to leave Romania, what it was like moving to the united states to seek asylum, and the journey she took to make a career in writing and publishing. Along the way, we of course had to talk about Romania’s either most infamous or heroic figure depending on your point of view, count Dracula himself.

Her novel, The Wife who Wasn’t, is available for sale as of Tuesday, May 18th and can be purchased wherever books are sold.

Thanks for listening.

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Laura Hankin is the author of Happy & You Know It and A Special Place for Women. Her musical comedy has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more. She splits her time between NYC, where she has performed off-Broadway, and Washington, D.C., where she once fell off a treadmill twice in one day.

Listen in as we talk about her path to success as a performer, why her days working as a children’s musician were instrumental in her getting a two book deal, and the spark that ignited the idea for her forthcoming book A Special Place for Women, which will be released on Tuesday, May 11th.

As a kid, Laura was drawn to funny and spunky characters and those two adjectives can also be used to describe her personality. You can buy her novels wherever books are sold, but please consider supporting your local independently owned bookstore. If you must buy online, consider purchasing at Bookshop.org. 

Follow Laura on Instagram and Twitter @LauraHankin and feel free to follow me @uncorkingastory.

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Christina Sweeney-Baird lives in London where she works full-time as a corporate litigation lawyer. Listen in as we discuss her debut novel, The End of Men, which will be available wherever books are sold on April 27.

Listen in as we discuss her journey from litigator to author, what inspired her to come up with the idea for The End of Men, and why, at its core, this is a book about hope (and not a fantasy).

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Joshua M Greene is a popular lecturer on Holocaust History and an author whose biographies have sold more than half a million copies worldwide. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his books and films. He sits on the board of Yale University Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies and has served as director of strategic planning for the United Nations Summit of Religious and Spiritual leaders. 

This all begs the question, why is such a decorated individual talking to me?

Well, I interviewed him about his new book entitled Unstoppable. It’s the story of Siggi Wilzig and his astonishing journey from Auschwitz survivor and penniless immigrant to Wall Street legend.

Before we get to the book, though, I had to uncork Joshua’s story a bit and learn how he went from being a hippie who got to jam with George Harrison to becoming a Holocaust scholar. Along the way I learned that he and the subject of his latest book share a few things in common, but you will have to listen in to find out what they are

I found it fascinating that after being approached to write this book by one of Siggi’s sons, Joshua’s first instinct was to turn him down saying he’s written too much about darkness and it was time to focus on something that brought more light. That was, of course, before he knew Siggi’s story which is at its core a celebration of human ingenuity, a testament to the power of faith, and a tale of triumph in the face of adversity.

I know you will enjoy this interview and urge you to pick up Unstoppable, which can be purchased wherever books are sold, though Joshua would urge you to consider buying it at your local bookstore. If you must buy it online, please consider buying it here, at Bookshop.org where a portion of every sale goes to support local bookstores.

You can learn more about Unstoppable at https://unstoppablesiggi.com/

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An interview I did this week got me to thinking about how little things can make a big difference.

This one Uncorks a story about U2 and a Bodega owner I met this week whose business is being threatened by the pandemic. Listen in to see the connection between them. Trust me, it will be one to grow on.

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While interviewing author Christina Sweeney-Baird about her debut novel The End of Men, I started thinking about how most authors, and other creators in the arts including comics and actors, have to work additional jobs long before they can earn a living off of their art. Christina herself is a lawyer (but I don't think she'll have to practice law for long as she's quite a gifted writer).

Her full story will be shared in April closer in to her book's publication date. For now, though, her story got me thinking about the importance of living a dual life when you are just starting to explore your passion in the arts. It also reminded me of a character I created—Kelly Carson—who was leading a secret life but just didn't know it. You see, he had a secret identity hiding just beneath the surface and it took a fiery red headed actress on the run to bring it out his inner Superman. His name is Kelly Carson and he’s the protagonist in All the F*ucks I Cannot Give. 

The audio book recently came out and I wanted to share the first few chapters with you here. If you like what you hear, please consider buying it on either Amazon or Audible. Mike Dawson did a great job with the narration and really brought the story to life.

Happy Listening

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Julie Ryan McGue was born in Chicago, Illinois. She and her identical twin sister were adopted together. Her debut memoir, Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging is about the search for birth relatives.

Listen in as we discuss what prompted her to find her birth parents, the emotions she experienced along the way, and what this experience has taught her about herself. This conversation also prompted me to share the adoption story within my own family of origin. It’s a very powerful conversation and when I know you will enjoy.

In her other writing, Julie focuses on about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it. Her weekly blogs focus on identity, family, and life's quirky moments. If she's not at her computer writing, she's out exploring with her camera, or on the tennis court. She is the mother of four adult children and splits her time between NW Indiana and Sarasota. You can follow her at https://www.juliemcgueauthor.com.

Her book will be released on May 11th and is available for pre-order now. While you can pre-order it wherever books are sold online, we’d like you to consider supporting your local independent bookstore and preordering through Bookshop.org where every purchase helps support local, independently owned bookstores.

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This past weekend, my sister gave me one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received—a stack of letters I had written to my grandparents back in the 1980s. This inspired me to record and share this episode with you. 

Reaching out and touching someone used to mean picking up the phone and calling them. Today, it means Facetiming them or maybe just sending them a text. How about this, instead of doing that, why not write an old-fashioned letter? Fold it in an envelope, slap a stamp on it, and send it by mail. Sure it will take a lot longer to get to the recipient than an email or text, but some things are worth waiting for.

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This week I sat in on the first of hopefully many episodes of Comedy Roads, an online show featuring interviews with established stand up comedians reflecting on their path to success. It's hosted by the one and only Bob DiBuono.

A-Lister Eddie Brill told a story about performing in front of 12 people that I'll never forget and it inspired me to reflect on the importance of always giving 100% whenever you make a commitment to something.

Find more about Comedy Roads by clicking here. 

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Today we are going to switch gears a bit as I'd like to share with you the first chapter of my latest book The Ruin of Souls.

Now look, I'm not a professional voiceover artist nor am I an audio engineer, so keep both in mind as you listen in.

If you like what you hear and want to listen to more, let me know by emailing [email protected]. if there's enough interest, I'll release the second and third chapters.

As always, thanks for listening.

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