Fiction

MAY 26: Joani Elliott with The Audacity of Sara Grayson

May 26, 2021

“Do that thing that makes you feel alive.”

JOANI ELLIOTT believes in the magic of stories, a good cup of tea, and the power of living a creative life. So maybe it’s no surprise that her debut novel is about a writer who’s just landed the toughest assignment of her life.

Joani shares great insight into her creative journey, and some of the challenges she faced, while writing her debut novel. Like her willingness as a writer to step into the unknown. Why this former academic had to learn to tap into her own emotions, to gain the truth of her emotional scenes. How she came to terms with the messy process of writing…and more.

About Joani Elliott

Joani Elliott taught writing at the University of Maryland and Brigham Young University. The Audacity of Sara Grayson is her first novel. Find book club resources, virtual author chats, and more at joanielliott.com.

Fiction, Writers on Writing

JUL 01: The Lost and Found Bookshop with Susan Wiggs

July 1, 2020

If you had to start over, what would you do, and who would you be? Returning guest Susan Wiggs explores that question along with the meaning of happiness, trust, and faith in oneself in The Lost and Found Bookshop.

Susan shares her thoughts on artistic expression, how she develops her stories and characters, and the responsibility she feels an author has in portraying characters outside their own ethnic background. She also reveals how she persevered through an incredibly tough period early in her career.

Susan Wigg’s novels have appeared in the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, and have been translated into more than 20 languages and 30 countries. Her recent novel, The Apple Orchard, is currently being made into a film, and The Lakeshore Chronicles has been optioned for adaptation into a series.

Fiction, Writers on Writing

MAY 13: Love, Death, and Rare Books by Robert Hellenga

May 13, 2020

Award winning writer, Robert Hellenga, joins us with his eighth novel, Love, Death, and Rare Books. BOOKLIST describes the story as “... an ode to physical books, their smell and feel, but also to the idea of both living life and reading about it, not choosing one over the other.”

Robert’s been writing for 40 years about love and loss, so what does he know now that he wishes he’d known when he first began his writing journey? How did the Italian men who worked for his father influence him as a child? And what did he learn about the rare book business during his story research? He’ll answer these questions and more today.

Robert Helenga’s many accolades range from The Pen Syndicated Fiction Award, to the Washington Post “Best Novels of 2010″, and the Society of Midland Authors 2015 fiction award. Hellenga is professor emeritus at Knox College in Galesburg, where he taught for many years.

Fiction, Personal Development, Self-help, Writers on Writing

DEC 25: Merry Christmas! Victoria Helen Stone aka Victoria Dahl & Unlock Your Subconscious Power with Kimberly Friedmutter

December 25, 2019

What if everything you need to achieve your goals and deepest desires is already inside you? What if all you really need, is the key to unlock your inner power? Today we demystify how to tap into that hidden power and live the life you dream of. Celebrities, business leaders, and political power brokers have used the techniques in Subconscious Power: Use Your Inner Mind to Create the Life You’ve Always Wanted.

Kimberly Friedmutter is a UCLA Health Systems Board Member, Certified Master Hypnotist, Spiritual Counselor Specialist and is board-certified on the American Board of Hypnotherapy. She’s appeared on Entertainment Tonight, The Doctors, TLC, CNN, and more.

“Love stories and scary stories are flip sides of the same coin. They each tap into the most basic human drives: to survive and to mate.” From high in the Wasach Mountains of Utah we talk with thriller author Victoria Helen Stone, aka Victoria Dahl. Why change genres and why the pseudonym? We share that and more as she discusses her latest novel False Step.

Victoria Helen Stone, formerly writing as USA Today bestselling romance novelist Victoria Dahl, stepped away from the lighter side of fiction writing and into the world of dark suspense.

Fiction, Writers on Writing

Aug 07: Award Winning Summer Reads

August 5, 2017

The dog days of summer are upon us, and the cool evening breezes bring about the perfect time to settle on the back porch with a glass of wine and a good book.

Our first guest today delivers a compelling exploration of family, politics, and the fight for racial equality in her debut novel, The Talented Ribkins. Author Ladee Hubbard won both the 2016 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award and the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition in the Short Story category.

Glen Erik Hamilton’s debut novel, Past Crimes, was wildly successful, and he returns today to discuss the third novel in the lauded Van Shaw series, Every Day Above Ground.

Glen will also share his approach to living up to the lofty expectations set by his first two books, and what it takes to develop a realistic character who grows with the series.

Fiction, Writers on Writing

Jul 31: The Essex Serpent & Tropic of Kansas

July 27, 2017

Today’s guest authors both created believable fictional universes — one gothic, one of a dystopian future. We’ll discuss what it takes to bring realism into fiction to help readers suspend their disbelief.

Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent delivers us into 1893 London, where an intrepid amateur naturalist sets out to prove a mythical, murderous beast, is actually an undiscovered species. Sarah has turned her PhD in creative writing into a burgeoning career as a novelist, with The Essex Serpent, her second novel, winning the British Book Awards Book of the Year.

Our second author, Christopher Brown, takes us into a haunting future where the United States has broken into warring territories and the center of the landmass is a ravaged wasteland known as the Tropic of Kansas. Christopher is a lawyer and renowned short story writer whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies.

Fiction, Personal Development, Writers on Writing

Jul 10: Lies and Other Acts of Love & Smarter Faster Better

July 8, 2017

Returning guest Kristy Woodson Harvey’s new book Lies and Other Acts of Love is a moving examination of the lies we tell to protect our loved ones — and the life-altering consequences of a hidden truth revealed.

It’s not about doing more — it’s about understanding human behavior and creating space to enjoy more. Pulitzer-Prize Winner, New York Times investigative journalist, and author Charles Duhigg joins us for the 3rd time — this time with his new book: Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business.

Fiction, Health & Wellness, Writers on Writing

Jun 12: Dan Millman’s Return of the Peaceful Warrior & Mary Simses’ The Rules of Love and Grammar

June 3, 2017

Dan Millman provides a calm harbor in the storm of today’s ever-changing daily news cycles and stresses in his new book, The Hidden School: Return of the Peaceful Warrior. He intertwines fiction and autobiography, and shows how to stay centered, focused, and present.

Dan Millman is a former world champion gymnast, coach, martial arts teacher, and college professor, and has authored 17 books.

Later, Mary Simses gives a valuable lesson in the futility of striving for perfection in her second novel, The Rules of Love and Grammar. Bestselling author James Patterson calls it a “… smart, well-told story about memory, family, and of course, love.”

Mary Simses enrolled in a fiction writing course while working as a corporate attorney, and her experiences getting short stories published led her to write her first novel, which was adapted into a Hallmark movie.

Fiction

Jun 05: Spring Fiction Kicks Off with NYT Bestie Heather Gudenkauf

May 27, 2017

With the arrival of early June weather and late sunsets, it’s time to end each day with a page turner and a cool drink on the back porch.

First, New York Times and USA Today bestseller Heather Gudenkauf returns to Conversations Live with her latest work, Not A Sound, in which a shocking discovery combines with chilling secrets to create an emotional thrillride.

We’ll end today’s show introducing two debut novelists. Benjamin Ludwig “was inspired to write Ginny Moon in part because of (his) own experience adopting a [young] lady with Autism.”

And, if you believe Kraft macaroni and cheese with hot dog pieces and a side of store brand ketchup deserves a spot on the food pyramid, Bunmi Laditan’s Confessions of a Domestic Failure is for you.

MAY 26: Joani Elliott with The Audacity of Sara Grayson

“Do that thing that makes you feel alive.”

About Joani Elliott

JUL 01: The Lost and Found Bookshop with Susan Wiggs

MAY 13: Love, Death, and Rare Books by Robert Hellenga

DEC 25: Merry Christmas! Victoria Helen Stone aka Victoria Dahl & Unlock Your Subconscious Power with Kimberly Friedmutter

Aug 07: Award Winning Summer Reads

Jul 31: The Essex Serpent & Tropic of Kansas

Jul 10: Lies and Other Acts of Love & Smarter Faster Better

Jun 12: Dan Millman’s Return of the Peaceful Warrior & Mary Simses’ The Rules of Love and Grammar

Jun 05: Spring Fiction Kicks Off with NYT Bestie Heather Gudenkauf

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