Professional book reviewer and blogger Lloyd Russell aka "The Book Sage" explores all things literature with insightful author interviews.
Join Lloyd as he interviews Jessica Rosenberg! Jessica Rosenberg is the author of 8 books. Butter, Sugar, Magic is book 1 of 4 in her Baking Up a Magical Midlife series. Jessica has become a force in Paranormal Women's Fiction.
Join Lloyd as he interviews Henry Michalski. Henry Michalski is the author of Torn Lilacs, the true story of how his parents not only survived the holocaust, but also found each other after two years apart! It's a story about love, bravery, and perseverance.
Melissa Maglio is a senior librarian for the San Jose Library. She oversees a very extensive series of community programs for the 2 libraries she manages
Join Lloyd as he interviews Ellie Alexander. Ellie Alexander is not only the author of over 25 books, but she's also a book coach, speaker, and blogger!
Join Lloyd as he interviews Marina Adair! Marina Adair is the #1 Bestselling Author of 30 novels, all romances. Three of her books from the St. Helena Vineyard series have been made into movies by the Hallmark network, with options for several more.
H. James Harrington is an icon in the business world. He has written over 60 books and was even Bill Clinton's Ambassador of Good Will when Clinton was the governor of Arkansas. It is said of Harrington that "He writes the books that other consultants use."
Join Lloyd as he interviews Fred Wiehe! Fred Wiehe is a horror writer and a member of the Horror Writers Association. Although his books are primarily centered on horror, he also crosses over into fantasy, mystery, suspense, and crime thrillers.
Join Lloyd as he interviews Linda Gunther! Linda Gunther is a very versatile author. She has written romantic suspense novels and children's books, along with short stories, poems, and memoirs. Go to her website - lindasgunther.com - and pick from a wide variety of offerings."
Join Lloyd as he interviews Laleh Khoshkbariie! Laleh Khoshkbariie is the author of 2 cookbooks, called Laleh's Table, with a 3rd one on its way. She not only gives us great recipes, but she introduces us to foods from around the world.
Join Lloyd as he interviews Karen Joy Fowler! Karen Joy Fowler is the author of 7 novels and 3 short story collections. Her 2014 book - We are all completely beside ourselves - won the PEN/Faulkner award for fiction!
Join Lloyd as he interviews Sal Pizarro! Sal Pizarro is a Bay Area News Group columnist who has written the Around Town column for The Mercury News since 2005. His column covers the people and events surrounding the cultural scene in Silicon Valley. In addition, he writes Cocktail Chronicles, a feature column on Silicon Valley bars and nightclubs. He attended San Jose State University and is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a BA in political science.
Join Lloyd as he interviews Eva Moore! Eva Moore is the author of over a dozen romance novels, including Worst Holiday Ever and Worst Valentine's Day Ever! The interview takes a fascinating turn when Lloyd asks her how her 2nd child was the inspiration for her becoming a novelist. It's quite a story!
Join Lloyd as he interviews Laila Ibrahim! Laila is the author of 6 books, Including Scarlet Carnation, which came out last April. It's the 4th book of her companion series about a multi-generational family. Add her two standalones, Paper Wife and Living Right, and you've got an author at the peak of her career.
Join Lloyd as he interviews Gail Carriger! Gail is New York Times Bestselling Author of 30 books, which have been translated into dozens of languages. Gail will also be the guest of honor at the book convention Westercon this summer in Anaheim, CA
Join Lloyd as he interviews author Alessandra Harris. Alessandra Harris is the author of 3 novels and an upcoming non-fiction book in 2023. She also writes articles for several publications. Besides writing, she is a speaker and spends much of her time advocating for racial justice and mental health. -----------
Join Lloyd as he interviews author Michael David Lukas! Michael David Lukas is a best-selling author of 2 books. His 1st book, Oracle of Stamboul, has been translated into 12 languages! His second book, The Last watchman of Old Cairo, has won several awards. Michael teaches creative writing at San Francisco State. We are all waiting for book #3! ------------
Join Lloyd Russell as he interviews author Paul DiMarco! This interview is filled with fascinating stories and enlightening conversation regarding Paul's book, "As the Twig is Bent" ***
Betty Auchard is a Bay Area renowned speaker and author. She has written several memoirs, one of which received an IPPY award! She has authored, Living with Twelve Men: a mother in training, Dancing in my Nightgown: The Rhythms of Widowhood, and The Home for the Friendless You can check out her website using this link: https://bettyauchard.com -----------
Martha Conway is the author of several novels including The Underground River, which was a New York Times Book Editor's Choice (titled The Floating Theatre in the U.K. and Europe). Her novel Thieving Forest won the North American Book Award for Best Historical Fiction. Martha's short fiction has appeared in the Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, The Quarterly, Carolina Quarterly, and other publications. She has reviewed fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Iowa Review, and is a recipient of a California Arts Council fellowship in Creative Writing. In addition to writing, Martha is an instructor of creative writing at Stanford University's Continuing Studies Program. She received her BA from Vassar College in History and English, and her MA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Born and raised in Ohio, she now lives in San Francisco with her family, where the fog reminds her of lake-effect cloud cover in Cleveland. You can follow her posts about writing and reading on Twitter at @marthamconway. ***
Jim Ciardella is an author, storyteller, Ferrari enthusiast, and native Californian. He's the author of The Dealer: How One California Dealership Fueled the Rise of Ferrari Cars in America, as well as The FLG Story blog, which recounts the history of the legendary Ferrari of Los Gatos dealership. Capturing hundreds of hours of interviews from the people who lived the story, and sifting through documents from the period, The Dealer recounts the true story of the rise and fall of Ferrari of Los Gatos. Learn more about Jim at https://jimciardella.com. ***
Killian McRae writes across many genres, including science fiction, fantasy, romance, and historical fiction. She once dreamed of being the female Indiana Jones, and to that end she earned a degree in Middle Eastern History from the University of Michigan. However, when she learned that real archaeologists spend more time lovingly removing dust with toothbrushes from shards of pottery than outrunning intriguing villains with exotic accents, she decided to become a writer instead. Find out more about Killian and buy her books at https://lloyd.show/killian-amazon.
Like her protagonist Mud, D. M. Rowell comes from a long line of Kiowa Storytellers within a culture that treasures oral traditions. She's an award-winning and nominated producer/writer on several documentaries, including Vanishing Link: My Spiritual Return to the Kiowa Way, seen on PBS and winner of TrailDance 2007 Best Oklahoma Documentary. As a child, Rowell was heavily influenced by her traditional Kiowa Grandfather, C. E. Rowell. He was an artist, master storyteller, recognized Tribal Elder and one of the last readers of the Sai-guats, winter count deerskin calendars that chronicled a hundred years of Kiowa history. Her Grandfather's stories, memories, and art instilled a deep respect and love for her Kiowa culture and traditions within Rowell. After a three-decade career spinning stories for Silicon Valley startups and corporations with a few escapes creating independent documentaries, Rowell started a new chapter writing a mystery series that features a Silicon Valley professional Kiowa woman and her Plains Indian tribe. The first in the series is "Never Name the Dead," Crooked Lane Books, November 8, 2022. Find out more about D.M. at http://www.dmrowell.com/. ******
Author Lucy Leonelli joins us in the studio today to talk about her book, her writing process, and the inspiration behind it. In her book, A Year in the Life, Lucy writes about twelve months where she lived with battle re-enactors, circus performers, hill baggers, Morris dancers, naturists, trainspotters, yogis, zeitgeist political activists and more, experiencing first-hand their social rituals and customs in the hope that, somewhere along the way, she might just uncover the most authentic version of herself. Find out more about Lucy at https://lucyfeltham.com/.
Mary Jo Ignoffo is an author and historian interested in exploring truth as verifiable by evidence, whether the century-long tangle of misinformation about the widow Winchester, or the more intensely serious story of a poor housekeeper who risked her life by speaking truth to the Salvadoran government and the F.B.I. Find out more about Mary Jo at https://www.maryjoignoffo.com/. 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT LIT WITH LLOYD 1) Become a patron on Patreon: http://lloyd.show/patreon 2) Like, subscribe, and comment on this podcast! 3) Subscribe, rate, & review on Apple Podcasts: http://lloyd.show/apple
Jack Rasmussen is author of "Fine Dining: The Secrets Behind the Restaurant" which spotlights the restaurant industry as you have never seen before by focusing on top-tier chefs, local restaurants, and the history of an industry that has revolutionized the way we live today. He is a co-founder of Good Samaritans of Silicon Valley, the Business Lead for Screen360.tv, and a co-founder for Scholars of Finance. At graduation, he was distinguished as a Warren Bennis Scholar, Renaissance Scholar, Discovery Scholar, and Fulbright Scholar. Find out more about Jack at https://www.jackrazz.com/.
Davina Morgan-Witts, BookBrowse's founder and publisher, is a recognized authority on book clubs and a popular speaker and writer on the topic of book groups in general. She has talked about book clubs at many library, publisher, and bookseller conferences, as well as on the media and private groups. Davina has been interviewed by radio stations including the BBC, and has been published in magazines such as Publishers Weekly and The American Library Association. BookBrowse has been featured in many media including The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, Family Circle and Shelf Awareness. Find out more about Davina and BookBrowse at http://https://www.bookbrowse.com/.
Tim Myers has been writing mysteries since 1992. He is the New York Times Bestselling and Agatha Award-nominated author of over 75 novels with Penguin/Berkley/Prime Crime, Penguin/NAL/Signet, St Martin's Press/Minotaur, Kensington, and more. Ten of his novels have been IMBA National Bestsellers, landing as high as #2. Tim has written under his own name, as well as Elizabeth Bright, Chris Cavender, Casey Mayes, and others. Find out more about Tim at https://timmyersfiction.com. **3 WAYS TO SUPPORT LIT WITH LLOYD** 1) Become a patron on Patreon. 2) Like, subscribe, and comment on this video! 3) Subscribe, rate, & review on Apple Podcasts
Eric Johnson is owner of Recycle Bookstore, a San Jose institution since 1967. Lloyd talks to Eric about his journey to being a book store owner and why used book stores are more important now than ever. Check out Recycle Bookstore at http://recyclebookstore.com **3 WAYS TO SUPPORT LIT WITH LLOYD** 1) Become a patron on Patreon. 2) Like, subscribe, and comment on this video! 3) Subscribe, rate, & review on Apple Podcasts
Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA's Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan Judo Institute along the way. Eisler's award-winning thrillers have been included in numerous “Best Of” lists, have been translated into nearly twenty languages, and include the #1 bestsellers The Detachment, Livia Lone, The Night Trade, and The Killer Collective. Eisler lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and, when he's not writing novels, blogs about national security and the media. Find out more about Barry at https://www.barryeisler.com. 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT LIT WITH LLOYD: 1) Become a patron on Patreon: http://lloyd.show/patreon 2) Like, subscribe, and comment on this video! 3) Subscribe, rate, & review on Apple Podcasts: http://lloyd.show/apple
Join Lloyd as he talks to author, speaker, and business coach Jeffrey Nott about his experiences in the business world that drove him to write his book on business management, 1 Week 1 Thing. Learn about Jeffrey at http://www.1week1thing.com. **3 WAYS TO SUPPORT LIT WITH LLOYD** 1) Like, subscribe, and comment on this video! 2) Become a patron on Patreon: http://lloyd.show/patreon 3) Subscribe, rate, & review on Apple Podcasts: http://lloyd.show/apple
Silicon Valley author Ann Bridges' career spanned operations, finance, and marketing executive positions in the exploding convergence of the technology, communications, and entertainment industries. A graduate of Stanford University, her experiences form the foundation of her acclaimed fiction and non-fiction about the impact of technology worldwide on freedom, and the role of China in America's past, present, and future. Find out more about Ann at https://authorannbridges.wordpress.com.
Sheldon Siegel is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author of the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez series of critically acclaimed courtroom dramas featuring San Francisco criminal defense attorneys Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez. He is also the author of the thriller novel The Terrorist Next Door featuring Chicago homicide detectives David Gold and A.C. Battle. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into a dozen languages. Find out more about Sheldon at https://www.sheldonsiegel.com.
Marie Sutro is an award-winning and bestselling crime fiction author. In 2018, she won the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for the Best New Voice in Fiction, for her debut novel, Dark Associations. Her second novel, Dark Obsessions, was released in April of 2022. Marie's stories are inspired by three generations of family who served in the San Francisco Police Department. She resides in Northern California and is currently at work on the next Kate Barnes story. Find out more about Marie at https://www.mariesutro.com/.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling, award winning author of fiction and non-fiction books about the Old Order Amish for Revell Books, host of the radio-show-turned-blog Amish Wisdom, a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazine. Suzanne can be found online at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
Stephen Houser was educated at Dartmouth College where he won awards for Drama and English, including the Grimes Prize for Poems. He was selected for the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, and won the Keplers Bookstore Crime Fiction Prize for The Wickett Sisters in Hell. He has published poetry and essays. Find Stephen's books on Amazon at https://lloyd.show/stephen-books.
Sam Kabert is a successful serial entrepreneur turned spiritual seeker and author. He is on a mission to help spread awareness around positive practices to tackle depression, sitting with discomfort and exploring your shadow for healing, as well as sharing standard tactics to practice mindful living which can be found in his #1 Bestselling book, SOUL/Life Balance: A Guide to Igniting & Integrating Spiritual Awakenings. Find out more about Sam at https://samkabert.com/.
Paulette Boudreaux, is a Mississippi native living in California. Her debut novel, Mulberry, set in an imaginary town in her native state, is the winner of the Lee Smith Novel Prize, a finalist for the Crook's Corner Book Prize 2017, a Silver Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) for Best Southern Fiction 2016, and a Bronze IPPY for Best Cover Design. Find out more about Paulette on her website: www.pauletteboudreaux.com
Children's book author Joshua Russell joins Lloyd to talk about his journey of getting Little Boy Soup published, the special memories with his son that inspired the book, and tells us what it's like being the son of The Book Sage. A very touching episode! Find Josh's book on Amazon at https://lloyd.show/josh-russell.
Dr. Ellen Kirschman, PhD is an author and clinical police and public safety clinical psychologist who has spent her career working with first responder professionals. She's also the author of many non-fiction and fiction works, including her most recent mystery novel, Burying Ben, from her Dot Meyerhoff Mysteries series. Find out more about Dr. Kirschman on her website: https://ellenkirschman.com/
Christina Britton developed a passion for writing romance novels shortly after buying her first at the tender age of thirteen. Though for several years she put brush instead of pen to paper, she has returned to her first love and is now writing full time. She spends her days dreaming of corsets and cravats and noblemen with tortured souls. Find out more about Christina at http://christinabritton.com.
Author Trami Nguyen Cron is the founder of Chopsticks Alley, a multi-media publication seeking to unite and empower Vietnamese Americans. In her book, VietnamEazy, she tells the story of Kieu, a Vietnamese-American woman and her quest for success on a TV cooking show. The book introduces the intoxicating allure of Vietnamese food to a general audience, interwoven with the haunting, sorrowful tale of her family and upbringing. This is a universal tale of redemption that mothers and daughters can read together and discuss, preferably over a steaming bowl of pho. Watch the video of this interview here: https://lloyd.show/trami-interview Buy her book VietnamEazy here: https://lloyd.show/vietnameazy
A must-list for anyone interested in global politics and human rights! Listen to author Chandra Lee Ingram's true stories of sneaking into hidden factories, remote quarries, and agriculture farms across India to research modern-day slavery for her coming-of-age Azadi novel series. In her series, Chandra weaves a narrative from the stories of over 65 current and former slaves she personally interviewed during her harrowing trips to India, all while educating readers about India's current corruption, poverty, caste and bondage systems. Chandra also tells Lloyd about the horrors of slavery that are still occurring in our so-called “modern” society closer to home. Find Chandra's Azadi series on Amazon: https://lloyd.show/chandra-ingram-amazon. WATCH THE VIDEO OF THIS INTERVIEW: http://lloyd.show/youtube. FIND ALL THE WAYS TO WATCH & LISTEN: http://lloyd.show.
How can reading historical fiction help us in today's world? Listen and find out! In this episode, Lloyd chats with USA Today Best-Selling Bay Area Author Meredith Jaeger about why historical fiction is important, their favorite authors, and Meredith's journey of writing her newest historical novel - The Pilot's Daughter. Meredith was born and raised in Berkeley, California, the daughter of a Swiss father and an American mother. She spent many summers with her extended family in Switzerland and is strongly drawn to themes of immigration. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, Meredith worked in the field of International Education before becoming a writer. Her love of words began at an early age. She wrote and illustrated many stories as a child, including one titled “The Midnight Journey” about a missing mouse named Angelina Whiskers. Meredith began writing seriously in 2013, while working for a San Francisco startup. She wrote her debut novel, The Dressmaker's Dowry to explore the impact of the tech boom on the San Francisco Bay Area, and its deep-seated issues of income inequality. She has lived abroad in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Australia, but her heart will always be at home in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives with her husband, their young daughter and neurotic rescue terrier mix. Find out more about Meredith: https://meredithjaegerauthor.com Purchase her newest novel, The Pilot's Daughter: lloyd.show/pilots-daughter Explore all of Meredith Jaeger's books on Amazon: lloyd.show/mj-amazon
Mary writes memoir, poetry and literary criticism, and is an avid photographer. A Chicago native, she is a longtime resident of California's Silicon Valley where she ran an award winning PR and branding firm. Mary's work is anthologized in Havik, The Los Positas Literary Review, The Widow's Handbook and The Times They Were A'Changin (available on Amazon here), and can be found in numerous literary magazines including recent issues of Catamaran, and the Naugatuck River Review. Between Rooms was published in 2016 and The White Tree Quartet was released in 2018. Find out more about Mary Pacifico Curtis on Facebook, and explore all of her books on Amazon.
Lloyd sits down with Bay Area author C. Lee McKenzie to discuss her flourishing writing career after retiring from teaching at San Jose State. Lloyd also confesses favorite YA book (hint: she wrote it)! Her book, Double Negative, was named by Ezvid Wiki in their "Top 10 of Stunning YA Books That Chronicles The Tough Realities of Growing Up". Order her newest book, Shattered, on Amazon. Learn more about C. Lee McKenzie on her website, www.cleemckenziebooks.com.
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Skully is a lover of contemporary romance, bringing you poignant tales peopled with hilarious characters that will make you laugh and make you cry. Look for Jennifer's series written with Bella Andre, starting with Breathless in Love, The Maverick Billionaires Book 1. Writing as Jasmine Haynes, Jennifer authors classy, sensual romance tales about real issues such as growing older, facing divorce, starting over. Learn more about Jennifer and Jasmine on www.jenniferskully.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter. Join Jennifer's newsletter at http://bit.ly/SkullyNews for exclusive freebies and contests!
Kerry Lonsdale is the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon Charts & #1 Kindle bestselling author of standalone and series-based emotionally charged domestic drama. Check out Kerry's books on Amazon and find out more at http://kerrylonsdale.com.
Shelley Adina is the author of 24 novels published by Harlequin, Warner, and Hachette, and more than a dozen more published by Moonshell Books, Inc., her own independent press. She writes steampunk and contemporary romance as Shelley Adina; as Charlotte Henry, writes classic Regency romance; and as Adina Senft, writes Amish women's fiction. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, and is currently at work on a PhD in Creative Writing with Lancaster University in the UK. She won RWA's RITA Award® in 2005, and was a finalist in 2006. She appeared in the 2016 documentary film Love Between the Covers, is a popular speaker and convention panelist, and has been a guest on many podcasts, including Worldshapers and Realm of Books. When she's not writing, Shelley is usually quilting, sewing historical costumes, or enjoying the garden with her flock of rescued chickens. Find out more about Shelley on her website, https://shelleyadina.com.
Cara Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 19 books in the Private Investigator Aimée Leduc series, which is set in Paris. Cara has received multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, a Washington Post Book World Book of the Year citation, the Médaille de la Ville de Paris—the Paris City Medal, which is awarded in recognition of contribution to international culture—and invitations to be the Guest of Honor at conferences such as the Paris Polar Crime Festival and Left Coast Crime. With more than 400,000 books in print, the Aimée Leduc series has been translated into German, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew. Follow Cara on Facebook, Instagram, and check out her website, http://carablack.com.
Before turning to writing full-time, Keith had a somewhat eclectic career. He founded a successful Internet software company, served as counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, taught writing at Harvard, ran for Congress, supported himself gambling at the racetrack, and ran commercial operations at a DNA sequencing company. Most mornings and afternoons nowadays, he can be found drinking caffeinated beverages and tapping his laptop's keys at a café near his home in Palo Alto, California. Check what Keith's up to now at www.keithraffel.com.