Heather Gudenkauf takes a break from her busy schedule to share four of her summer reading recommendations with us — from laugh-out-loud funny to darker suspense, crime, and mystery.
And to complete the list we’re adding Heather’s most recent thriller, This is How I Lied.
Grab a pen and notepad, and listen up!
About Heather Gudenkauf
Heather Gudenkauf is the Edgar Award nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden,Not A Sound, and This is How I Lied. Heather has worked with students of all ages during her career and continues to work in education as a Title I Reading Coordinator.
One novelist. One poet. A whole lot of good reading!
“Even sitting closed on a shelf, a book had a life of its own.”
― Susan Wiggs
Today #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs shares some of her favorite books for summer reading, authors to follow, and her best summer cocktail recipe.
Susan joined us last year with her latest novel, The Lost and Found Bookshop. Now she celebrates the premium edition, which includes special features, including book club resources. But Susan’s favorite feature of the new edition is the recipe in the back of the book. It’s ” … the best banana bread in the world!” she says. Find earlier conversations with Susan Wiggs here.
Long-celebrated in the poetry community for her lyricism and style, Pushcart Prizewinning poet Maggie Smith gained star status in 2016 with her viral poem Good Bones.
Today, Maggie shares her latest collection, Goldenrod. Celebrating “the contours of daily life”, Goldenrod explores the space between thought and experience – reminding us that we decide what is beautiful. Maggie reads and discusses a couple of her poems with us. And shares her writing journey, and why poetry is her chosen form.
About Susan Wiggs
Susan Wiggs’ novels have appeared in the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, and have been translated into more than 20 languages, and read in over 30 countries. A former Harvard graduate, Susan Wiggs has been featured in the national media, including NPR, PRI, and USA Today.
Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith is the bestselling author of Good Bones, The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison, Lamp of the Body, and the national bestseller Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change. A 2011 recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Smith has received several awards including a Pushcart Prize.
“The universe gives and…takes away, but the taking is sudden, while the giving is slow.”
When Marc Porter Zasada wrote The Impossible Shore, he set out with two intentions: “To explore the way in which we don’t so much move through time, as become different people, in different times. But more importantly, to understand how each person’s longing for ‘the infinite’… pulls us relentlessly forward.”
Marc’s new book is a story cycle of 14 related tales exploring cultural perspectives, belief systems, and connections. Today we discuss some of his inspirations, challenges, and thoughts on storytelling and life. He also reads passages from The Impossible Shore.
About Marc Porter Zasada
Marc Porter Zasadais best known for his six years of commentaries as The Urban Man on NPR, KCRW, Los Angeles. His many careers range from newspaper editor to high-tech marketer, podcaster, and author. As a book reviewer, he was one of the founders of the Bay Area Book Awards. The Impossible Shore is Marc’s first book.
Set in India, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur is a tale of loyalty, ambition, and love that plunges readers back into the world of The Henna Artist – a world of power, money, and secrets.
Today, returning guest ALKA JOSHI shares detailed insight into the culture and traditions of India, that richly permeate her novels. We discuss creativity and how she approaches her work. Why, unlike many authors, she doesn’t consider a writing routine important. And – as a marketing and PR expert – Alka shares her best advice to authors and creatives about getting your work into the world.
About Alka Joshi
Born in Jodhpur, India, ALKA JOSHI has lived in the U.S. since she was nine-years-old. A Stanford University graduate, Alka worked in advertising and PR before starting her own marketing consultancy. In 2011, she earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the California College of Arts in San Francisco, California. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur is Alka Joshi’s second novel.
How The World’s Oldest Virgin inspired Hungry Hill
Degrees in finance, marketing, and design can go a long way to helping you independently publish your work. Today Eileen Patricia Curran discusses her journey from inspiration, to writing, and publishing her debut novel Hungry Hill.
Eileen shares some of the challenges of writing her first novel — including being a slow writer. We also explore why she chose to publish independently. How she plays with humor in a story of love, loss, and healing. And why, sometimes, we have to lose ourselves to find ourselves.
About Eileen Patricia Curran
EILEEN PATRICIA CURRAN was born in Massachusetts and spent much of her childhood in Connecticut. She has degrees in Economics and Finance, Marketing, and Interior Design. Hungry Hill is her first book.
Mindfulness and Somatic Practices to Heal from Trauma
The WHO says more than 70% of us experience trauma; and 78% of those who’ve had a traumatic experience will develop post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, the average American spends 87% of their time indoors. It’s little wonder many of us spend most of our days with shoulders hunched around our ears.
Psychologist Dr. Rochelle Calvert shares how somatic healing, combined with mindfulness, and nature-based therapy, can help heal trauma and PTSD. We look at the science behind this therapy – and the research that shows the benefits of spending time in nature. We also share how to incorporate Dr. Calvert’s practices into everyday life.
About Dr. Rochelle Calvert
Rochelle Calvert, PhD is a clinical psychologist in private practice in San Diego, and the founder of New Mindful Life. She specializes in mindfulness, nature-based therapy, and somatic experiencing. Dr. Calvert works with individuals struggling with life transitions, depression, anxiety, PTSD, pain conditions, and eating disorders. She also works with families of developmentally delayed children and adults. Healing with Nature: Mindfulness and Somatic Practices to Heal from Trauma is her first book.
Unleash Everything You Are and Become Everything You Want
Leslie Ehm has a powerful message for anyone who’s ever felt that exposing their messy, vulnerable, truehumanself would sabotage their success.
We discuss Leslie Ehm’s definition of Swagger(it’s not in the dictionary) and what she means by authentic and the real you. Why we should focus less on ambition, and more on being in our place of excellence. Why intention is everything. Swagger blockers – including pain, fear, insecurity – and how we can work around them. And if you want to calculate your own Swagger, download a free Swagger Assessment.
About Leslie Ehm
Former TV host and advertising creative director turned training guru, Leslie Ehm, is the author of Swagger: Unleash Everything You Are and Become Everything You Want – a #1 Amazon Bestseller. For more than a decade, she’s traveled the globe working with executives and teams from F100 companies including Google, Disney, and Pepsico. Ehm has turned technologists into creative forces, bankers into storytellers, and brings a serious dose of Swagger to boardrooms everywhere.
If you’re living in the worlds of stuck, should, fear – or any other limiting belief – Dave Jennings says “Stop right now! Everything you need to break this pattern and move forward is learnable.”
We explore some of the concepts from The Pit of Success, which work equally as well in our personal and family lives, as they do in business – from how to navigate The Pit and imposter syndrome, to trading up, and slowing down to speed up.
About Dave Jennings
Coauthored with Amy Leishman, The Pit of Success: How Leaders Adapt, Succeed, & Repeat is Dave Jennings latest book. A leadership and organizational change consultant and speaker, with a PhD in sports psychology, Jenkins has guided leaders from across the globe to navigate The Pit for themselves. He’s worked with organizations including Microsoft, Alaska Airlines, and the FBI. And has been published or featured in the Washington Post, Forbes, and more.
How Scammers, Grifters, & Con Artists are Taking Over the Internet – & Why We’re Following
Gabrielle Bluestone says we are at “the natural end of a society primed to trust their own emotions over objective, verifiable facts.” She joins us to share insight into why scammers do it, and why – despite the availability of myriad resources – we blindly believe what we’re told without verifying facts.
From celebrities to politicians, and the little-known, we discuss why we get sucked into their spiel. The role of influencers and social media. How messaging and soundbites create images that can make or break reputations and campaigns. Why Fyre was the greatest festival that never happened. Where greed plays a role. And why you shouldn’t trust cosmetic surgery photos because even they are often digitally altered.
About Gabrielle Bluestone
Gabrielle Bluestone is a journalist and licensed attorney from New York whose writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, New York Observer, Sunday Times Magazine, and more. She’s the Emmy-nominated producer of Netflix’s documentary Fyre. And the associate producer of Different Flowers, winner of the 2017 Kansas City FilmFest Festival Prize.
A 10-Step System to Shed Your Self-Doubt, Strengthen Your Spiritual Core, & Create a Fun & Fulfilling Life
In The Full Spirit WorkoutKate Eckman shares practices that saved and transformed her life. Rooted in neuroscience, positive psychology, and whole-person coaching techniques, Kate’s results-driven plan is designed as an ongoing resource.
We discuss her 5-minute daily check in. A better way to look at perfectionism. Surrender and resistance. And how to make sure you’ve not fallen asleep to the truth of who you are.
5 books to read & authors to look out for
