Author

David Vandver

Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Mar 20: Why Brad Taylor Took Risks with A Dead Man’s Hand

March 15, 2024

Pike Logan Goes Head-to-head with Putin’s Henchman

Dead Man’s Hand with author Brad Taylor

Brad Taylor calls his latest thriller his riskiest project yet because, as he wrote, real-life events were unfolding around the world that could have obliterated his story — think Russia, Ukraine, Nato, and nuclear weapons.

Fortunately, this former special forces officer, managed to write ahead of the curve to create his 18th novel in the Pike Logan series. In Dead Man’s Hand special-ops officer Pike Logan attempts to avert nuclear war by facing down Putin’s right-hand man.

Brad shares the three big risk factors in telling this story. We discuss his travels to Sweden and Finland for ‘boots on the ground’ research. And learn where he found inspiration for the story concept, and where he took creative license with some little known historical facts.

Meet Brad Taylor

Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, includ­ing eight years with Delta Force. Taylor retired in 2010 after serving more than two decades and participating in Oper­ation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has written seventeen New York Times bestsellers and is a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies.

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Fiction, History, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Mar 06: Bestselling Thriller Author Steve Berry with The Atlas Maneuver

March 6, 2024

A Cotton Malone Novel

The Atlas Maneuver with author Steve Berry

Steve Berry joins us with his latest thriller that begins in the Philippines, then takes us from Switzerland to the Atlas Mountains, Morocco, and Luxembourg.

Today we unpack some of the little known historical facts included in the The Atlas Maneuver versus where and how Steve took creative liberties. We also discuss some of the international locations in the book, how neighbors at a charity event helped determine names for some of his characters – including his amoral sociopathic female protagonist.  How and why Steve learned about cryptocurrency and falconry. And what he’s working on now.

Meet Steve Berry

New York Times and #1 Internationally bestselling author Steve Berry has over 26 million books in print, translated into 41 languages. The Atlas Maneuver is Steve’s 23rd novel. Steve’s devotion to historic preservation was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve its spokesperson for National Preservation Week. Among his other honors are the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award; the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award given by Poets & Writers; the Anne Frank Human Writes Award; and the Silver Bullet, bestowed by International Thriller. Together with his wife, Steve Berry founded History Matters.

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Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Relationships, Self-help

Feb 28: Love Hacks for The 15 Most Common Relationship Issues with Kelli Miller

February 28, 2024

Bite-size nuggets of wisdom to quickly regain connection & love long-term

Love Hacks with author Kelli Miller

Based on her in-depth experience working with couples and individuals, Kelli Miller joins us to discuss her latest book, Love Hacks: Simple Solutions to Your Most Common Relationship Issues.

We discuss some of the most common issues among couples – from My Partner Doesn’t Listen to Me, There’s Too Much Anger Between Us, to Overcoming Cultural Differences, Developing Trust After Infidelity, Social Media Interference, Relationship Cornerstones, and When to Call It Quits.

Meet Kelli Miller

Kelli Miller, LCSW, MSW is a psychotherapist, TV/radio host, and the award-winning author of Thriving with ADHD: A Workbook for Kids. She is a writer and relationship host for wikiHow.com, and a relationship host for Balance By Nature TV. Kelli was a co-host on LA Talk Radio, and an expert radio personality for SIRIUS/XM Radio. She’s been featured on many local and national media channels, and in numerous publications. Her latest book is Love Hacks: Simple Solutions to Your Most Common Relationship Issues.

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Health & Wellness, Psychology, Science, Self-help

Feb 07: The Busy Brain Cure with Dr Romie Mushtaq

February 7, 2024

Stuck on the work, sleep, work cycle? Dr Romie’s 8 week plan to find focus, tame anxiety, & sleep again.

The Busy Brain Cure with author Dr. Romie Mushtaq

Many of us wear stress as a badge of honor, but the reality is that chronic stress kills. Just ask Dr. Romie Mushtaq who suffered major career burnout, while simultaneously undergoing life-saving surgery.

As a brain doctor, she says she should have known better. But her wake-up call set Dr. Romie on a global journey to research and heal the negative impacts of stress responses on our brains, bodies, and teams. The Busy Brain Cure: The Eight Week Plan to Find Focus, Tame Anxiety, & Sleep Again takes an integrated approach to reduce stress, avoid burnout, and live with zest.

Learn why you should ditch diets, forget cleanses, and occasionally embrace certain comfort foods to combat stress. We discuss how to overcome the stimulant-sedative cycle, reduce dependence on caffeine by day and sleep aids at night. And Dr. Romie shares how to heal the root cause of ADHD, anxiety, and insomnia without addictive medications.

About Dr. Romie Mushtaq

Dr. Romie is a board-certified physician, award-winning wellness speaker, and the founder of brainSHIFT. She combines over 20 years of authority in neurology, integrative medicine, and mindfulness to deliver programs and create cultural change. Dr. Romie currently speaks and consults for Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes, & global associations. She is also the Chief Wellness Officer (CWO) for Great Wolf Lodge. And was formerly the CWO for Evolution Hospitality, where she scaled a mindfulness & wellness program for over 7,000 employees. Her expertise is featured in the national media, such as NPR, NBC, TED talks, and Forbes. Find the cure for your busy brain at

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Memoir, Non Fiction, Self-help, Social Issues

Jan 31: You’re Doing Great (And Other Lies Alcohol Told Me) with Dustin Dunbar

February 1, 2024

From the pain of alcohol addiction to the joy of living

You’re Doing Great (And Other Lies Alcohol Told Me) with author Dustin Dunbar

Dustin Dunbar had it all. A beautiful wife, two adorable baby girls, a doctorate in psychology, and property around the world. He drank socially for 20 years, happily believing every lie alcohol advertisements tell us … how whisky beer and doing shots are an integral part of being a real man … how drink eases pain … makes you freer, more fun, more popular. But eventually, and despite of being a TV ‘shrink’ and ‘coach’ to others, he too became addicted to alcohol.

Today Dustin shares his journey, challenges, recovery, and most importantly, solutions to overcoming alcohol addiction for good, and living an empowered, fulfilling, joyous life.

About Dustin Dunbar

Dustin Dunbar overcame his addiction to alcohol at the age of 48 and has since been helping others overcome theirs. He is a coach at WeAretheAFR.org, a non-profit online community helping others with alcohol addiction and raising consciousness. Dunbar’s true passions are spending time with his two young daughters, writing, and sports. His new book is You’re Doing Great! (And Other Lies Alcohol Told Me). 

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Children's Fiction, Fiction, Social Issues, Writers on Writing

Jan 24: Award Winning Author Veera Hiranandani with Amil & The After

January 24, 2024

Companion novel to Newbery Honor winning The Night Diary

Following the phenomenal success of The Night Diary, Veera Hiranandani returns to Conversations Live to discuss the much anticipated sequel, Amil and The After.

We discuss how Veera’s upbringing influences the kind of stories and subjects she chooses, and the multidimensional characters she writes about. She shares how she incorporates social issues like the partition of India, refugee life, loss of a parent, feelings of not belonging and seeking connection, relationships, and love into her storytelling. And we learn how she approaches the writing of such difficult topics to keep them accessible and entertaining for young readers. (8 – 12 years old)

Amil and the After with author Veera Hiranandani

About Veera Hiranandani

​Veera Hiranandani is the award-winning author of several books for young people. Her most recent middle-grade novel, How to Find What You’re Not Looking For, received the 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award, the 2022 Jane Addams Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2022 National Jewish Book Award. It was also named a Best Children’s Book of the Year by Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, Bank Street College, and Brightly. Veera’s Newbery Honor winning, The Night Diary, also received the 2019 Walter Dean Myers Honor Award, the 2018 Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature, and several other honors and state reading list awards. The Night Diary was chosen as a 2018 Best Children’s Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Amazon, School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews.

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Health & Wellness, Inspirational, Memoir

Dec 20: Accepting Alzheimer’s Without Losing Yourself

December 20, 2023

Rebecca Chopp’s career was derailed but her life took on a new direction empowering others

Activist, Author, Scholar Rebecca Chopp on Alzheimer’s Disease

As chancellor at the University of Denver, Rebecca Chopp had no plans to retire. She still had many things she wanted to accomplish. But in 2019, a routine visit to her doctor derailed those plans when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Rebecca now spends her days empowering others through her work with Voices of Alzheimer’s. Today she shares how she coped with the devastating news. Why she kept her diagnosis private for several months. How and why she went public, and why she cofounded Voices of Alzheimer’s. And how she managed to write her upcoming book, Still Me.

Most importantly, Rebecca Chopp shares how she held on to her identity and finds ways to live well with friends and family.

About Rebecca Chopp

Rebecca Chopp, PhD, is an Alzheimer’s activist and educator. Chopp co-founded Voices of Alzheimer’s and serves as a member of the  Board of the National Alzheimer’s Association, and is a member of the board of the Colorado Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. She is a frequent speaker and writer on timely diagnosis, research for a cure, access and affordability of drugs, and lifestyle interventions for those with Alzheimer’s. Chopp’s book, Still Me, will be published in 2024. Before Chopp’s diagnosis with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s in 2019, she was a widely published author, editor, and renowned academic in the fields of education, philosophy, religion, and feminism. 

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Health & Wellness, Memoir, Non Fiction

Roll Back The World: A Sister’s Memoir with Deborah Kasdan

November 8, 2023

A Family Living with an Eldest Child’s Mental Illness, Searching for Answers and Forgiveness

Roll Back the World with author Deborah Kasdan

When her eldest sister Rachel was hospitalized for the first time, young Deborah Kasdan had no idea what was happening. While her parents didn’t discuss Rachel’s problems, or why they occurred, Deborah certainly felt the stigma, shame, trauma, and depression around the diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Today Deborah Kasdan discusses her search for the truth, examining how each family member reacted and coped as family dynamics were impacted. What Deborah learned after Rachel died. Family dynamics and how her perspective on her own relationship with her mother changed while writing Roll Back The World. And what Deborah wishes she’d known when her sister was first “sent away”.

About Deborah Kasdan

Deborah Kasdan had a 35-year career writing about business and technology before retiring and joining Westport Writer’s Workshop to make her personal stories come alive. She served on the board of directors of Under One Roof, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for Southwest CT.

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Essays, Non Fiction, Personal Development

What Can Dogs Teach Us? Plenty Says Hersch Wilson

October 11, 2023

Dog Lessons: Learning the Important Stuff from Our Best Friends

Podcast with Hersch Wilson author of Dog Lessons

Firefighter, writer, and speaker Hersh Wilson joins us today with his latest delight — Dog Lessons: Learning the Important Stuff from our Best Friends.

It’s not a training book for dogs; it’s about what we can learn from them. In fact, while researching Dog Lessons, Hersch found himself changing his mind on a couple of things he thought he already understood.

Part memoir, part humor, with a lot of love, Dog Lessons is packed full of insight into the powerful presence of dogs in our lives and the transformative lessons they can teach us about love, loyalty, zoomies, grief, and more.

Hersch Wilson

Hersch Wilson‘s diverse background includes paid jobs as a corn pollinator, a Ferris wheel operator, a short-order cook, ballet dancer, outdoor educator, soccer coach, leadership consultant, pilot, and writer. He says his job as a Ferris wheel operator was by far the strangest — lots of physics involved in that. Hersch was a volunteer firefighter-EMT for 33 years which culminated in the awarding winning book, “Firefighter Zen, A Field Guide for Thriving in Tough Times. He sees his most important roles as that of partner/husband, father, and dog guardian. 

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Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

PJ McIlvaine Introduces The Good Man

October 2, 2023

New Psychological Mystery Thriller – He Wants to Remember, He’ll Wish He Could Forget

A Good Man with author PJ McIlvaine

PJ McIlvaine has successfully jumped genres more than once — from screenplay to children’s books, young adult, and now her debut thriller A Good Man.

How did this author do what many say you can’t or shouldn’t? Today we discuss her writing journey and PJ’s publishing experiences. She also shares personal details of how her brother’s death helped inspire her protagonist.

We discuss character development, some of PJ’s research. The types of scenes that thrill and challenge her as a writer. And how PJ juggles multiple projects, since she just had two books published within two months!

About PJ McIlvaine

PJ McILVAINE is the author of A GOOD MAN and THE CONUNDRUM OF CHARLEMAGNE CROSSE. Her Showtime original movie My Horrible Year was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Newsday, and elsewhere. She lives on Eastern Long Island with her family and Luna, a pampered French Bulldog. Find PJ online at pjmacwriter.com.

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