Tag

Writing

Fiction, History, Thriller, Writers on Writing

FEB 24: Steve Berry with The Kaiser’s Web

February 24, 2021

New York Times & #1 International Bestselling Author

Steve Berry returns to Conversations Live with his latest book, which happens to be #16 in the Cotton Malone Series, and Berry’s 20th novel — The Kaiser’s Web. When a secret dossier from a World War II-era Soviet spy is exposed, it could rewrite history and impact Germany’s upcoming national elections, forever changing the political landscape of Europe.

Since Steve is an avid historian and travels extensively for his research, how is he handling pandemic restrictions? How did this impact background material  for The Kaiser’s Web? And what is Steve’s most important piece of marketing advice for authors?

About Steve Berry

History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. His title’s include The Kaiser’s Web, The Warsaw Protocol, The Malta Exchange, and others. Berry’s books have been translated into 41 languages with 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times,USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. And in 2010, a NPR survey named The Templar Legacy one of the top 100 thrillers ever written.

Continue reading
Creativity, Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology

SEP 09: The Power of Daily Practice with Dr. Eric Maisel

September 9, 2020

Many people thought they’d have time to tackle their personal projects during the pandemic. But few have. If working at home, juggling childcare, joblessness, fear, or uncertainty has you on hold, Dr. Eric Maisel, is the perfect expert to help. He’s devoted his career to the psychology of creativity, living with purpose, and getting the important things done.

We discuss what Dr. Maisel means by daily practice, and it’s probably not what you think. We explore the psychological and practical benefits of daily practice; discuss some of the 20 elements he identifies to make your practice successful. And how to overcome challenges. Eric also shares his interpretation of what’s really going on with procrastination … and it’s linked to anxiety.

Eric Maisel, PhD, is the author of more than 50 books in the areas of critical psychology, writing, creativity, and the creative life. He’s a former psychotherapist and current creativity coach. His new book is The Power of Daily Practice: How Creative and Performing Artists (and Everyone Else) Can Finally Meet Their Goals. 

Continue reading
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.

Continue reading
Arts, History, Non Fiction, Women's Issues

JAN 29: Women in Film – Hollywood, Her Story

January 29, 2020

Women in film, Hollywood Her StoryWhen the 2020 Academy Award nominations were announced, many said women in film are finally breaking through. Today’s guests say “No, they’re making a comeback!”

Co-authors Barbara Bridges and Jill S. Tietjen discuss how women helped found the movie industry – a time when they ran silent movie studios and held positions of power. When a female director, and an actress, were paid more than any man in the business.

We explore when and why that changed. Why it’s important we have more female representation in the industry. How they collaborated during the writing process. And snippets from their beautiful book Hollywood, Her Story: An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies.

Jill S. Tietjen is an author, speaker, and electrical engineer. One of the top historians on women in the U.S., Jill is inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and her work has won many awards.  Entrepreneur Barbara Bridges cofounded Women+Film to bring audiences together with films by, and about, women. The Denver Post named her as one of Colorado’s Top Thinkers in Arts and Culture.

 

Continue reading
Fiction, Writers on Writing

JAN 08: NYT Bestselling Action Thriller Author Brad Taylor & Hunter Killer

January 8, 2020

 With 13 Pike Logan action thrillers hitting the New York Times Bestsellers list, author Brad Taylor says no one is more than surprised than him. He always wanted to write but never had time until his final military assignment at The Citadel.

Set in Brazil, Hunter Killer is the 14th in the hit series—hot off the presses January 7th.  Today Brad shares his POV on writing and why he broke the rules, developing strong protagonists, the scenes he loves to craft, and the challenges of writing.

Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment (Delta Force). He continues to consult with various agencies on asymmetric security threats.

Continue reading
Fiction, Writers on Writing

OCT 21: A.F. Brady’s Once A Liar & Robyn Carr’s The View From Alameda Island

October 18, 2019

Eleven times #1 New York Times bestselling author, Robyn Carr, joins us with The View from Alameda Island.  You’ll hear why, despite Robyn’s success as a writer, her daughter most admires Robyn’s humility. And from Robyn’s perspective, we’ll hear what it’s like writing sex scenes, knowing your daughter’s going to read them.  How she sets those scenes up, why they’re important to romance and women’s fiction. And what Robyn says to readers who wish she’d skip the sex scenes.

Dozens of millions of Robyn’s books have been sold around the world, and translated into more than 19 languages.  

Also joining us, A.F. Brady, New York State licensed mental health counselor and psychotherapist turned novelist.

Brady’s long career in mental healthcare provides her with an abundance of material for creating the perfect sociopathic character, in her second novel, Once A Liar.  When a character is so cold, distant, and dastardly, what makes the reader stick with him?  We’ll find out today!

Tune in at noon PT / 3 pm ET on Seattle’s KKNW am1150 and FM 98.9HD3. Or online, from anywhere in the world, at https://1150kknw.com/ … hope you’ll join us!

Continue reading
Career, Environment, Self-help

OCT 14: National Geographic’s Night Sky Guy, Keep Going with Austin Kleon, & Dr. Tammy Nelson’s When You’re the One Who Cheats

October 11, 2019

So when the going gets tough, what do the tough do?  They Keep Going!  Creativity expert Austin Kleon returns with his latest book to share ways to stay creative in good times and bad.

Find out why this “writer who draws” describes himself as a mongrel, and how that benefits his work. Why he says life is for art, and not other way around. How burnout can strike even if you love what you do. And, the big question, can you separate the art from the man, and the man from the art?

Austin Kleon’s New York Times bestselling books include Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work.

Are you a stargazer? Andrew Fazekas is. So much so, that his passion for stargazing developed into a star-studded career, earning him the alias “The Night Sky Guy”.

Today, he shares fun science facts, such as what causes the elusive “green flash” at sunset. And sheds light on his partnership with National Geographic to take the world’s first open-air, augmented-reality planetarium, to a global audience.  Exciting times in Backyard Guide to the Night Sky.

A science writer, speaker, and broadcaster Andrew Fazekas writes the StarStruck for National Geographic, and is the author of Star Trek: The Official Guide to Our Universe.

Ending today’s show, if you’ve ever been cheated on, you might find it confusing when the cheater claims they are also confused. You may not even believe them–but according to sex therapist Dr. Tammy Nelson, they’re probably telling the truth.

Dr. Nelson returns to Conversations Live to help unravel confusion on both sides of the cheating situation.  She’ll offer tips on how to stop cheating if you’re the guilty party, and ways to move forward in When You’re the One Who Cheats: 10 Things You Need to Know.

Tammy Nelson, PhD is a sex and relationship expert, international speaker, author, and licensed psychotherapist. She has 30 years of experience working with individuals and couples, and you can catch our earlier conversation on The New Monogamy here.

Continue reading
Fiction, Writers on Writing

AUG 26: Greg Iles’ Cemetery Road & Glen Hamilton’s Mercy River

August 20, 2019

Despite a car accident that left him in a coma for 8 days, #1 New York Times Bestseller Greg Iles, much like bandmate Stephen King, rejoined the legendary and notorious lit-rock band The Rock Bottom Remainders. Described as the William Faulkner of the Breaking Bad generation, the incident left Greg no stranger to adversity.  Today we’ll discuss how his body of work has helped put his homestate of Mississippi on the map.

Born in Germany in 1960, where his father ran the US Embassy Medical Clinic during the height of the Cold War, Greg spent his youth in Natchez, Mississippi, graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1983.  His novels have been made into films, translated into more than twenty languages, and published in more than thirty-five countries worldwide.  His latest is Cemetery Road.

Later, while Glen Hamilton’s novels always begin and end in rain-soaked Seattle, Mercy River never leaves the Pacific Northwest as the central plot sees our hero race on a mysterious journey to the arid high desert of central Oregon.  A Seattle native and award-winning author, Glen returns to Conversations Live to discuss the fourth installment in his popular Van Shaw series.

Glen is the current President of the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America.  He is a winner of the Anthony, Macavity, and Strand Magazine Critics Awards.  A resident of California, he frequently returns to Seattle to soak up the rain.

Continue reading
Fiction, Writers on Writing

APR 01: Greg Iles’ Cemetery Road & Glen Hamilton’s Mercy River

March 22, 2019

Described as the William Faulkner of the Breaking Bad generation, #1 New York Times Bestseller Greg Iles is no stranger to adversity in a career spanning nearly three decades as an author.  Following a car accident that left him in a coma for 8 days, Greg, much like bandmate Stephen King, rejoined the legendary and notorious lit-rock band The Rock Bottom Remainders.  Today we’ll discuss how his body of work has helped put his homestate of Mississippi on the map.

Born in Germany in 1960, where his father ran the US Embassy Medical Clinic during the height of the Cold War, Greg spent his youth in Natchez, Mississippi, graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1983.  His novels have been made into films, translated into more than twenty languages, and published in more than thirty-five countries worldwide.  His latest is Cemetery Road.

Later, while Glen Hamilton’s novels always begin and end in rain-soaked Seattle, Mercy River stays in the Pacific Northwest as the central plot sees our hero race on a mysterious quest to the arid high desert of central Oregon.  A Seattle native and award-winning author, Glen returns to Conversations Live to discuss the fourth installment in his popular Van Shaw series.

Glen is the current President of the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America.  He is a winner of the Anthony, Macavity, and Strand Magazine Critics Awards.  A resident of California, he frequently returns to Seattle to soak up the rain.

Continue reading
Fiction, Health & Wellness, Writers on Writing

JUL 09: Dan Millman’s Return of the Peaceful Warrior & Mary Simses’ The Rules of Love and Grammar

July 6, 2018

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.

Continue reading

  • Categories

  • Past Shows