Podcasts about books and brews

Dona Masi is a writer and editor whose short fiction and articles are used in reading and writing assessments throughout the United States. Her articles on several subjects have appeared in several newspapers. She is also a playwright, and two of her plays were performed at the Provincetown Theater Company. In her writing she loves bringing relatable characters to life and depicting them in all their heroic and flawed humanity. Her debut novel, The Taking, was inspired by her interest in UFO folklore and reports of alien encounters. She lives with her husband in Dover, New Hampshire. 00:00 START 03:54 Drink 1: The Iron Stove 07:19 Reading 1: John is Late from Work as 7-Year-Old Vera Waits 13:45 What inspired Dona's interest in UFOs 14:20 Dona's personal experience 23:24 Physical evidence of UFO experiences 26:47 Drink 2: The Hockey Puck 29:53 Reading 2: RJ Playing Hockey on the Lake 32:26 ALL…THAT…SNOW! Reactions from other parts of the country? 39:38 Inspiration for the novel & psychology of alien abductees 41:13 Drink 3: The Artist's Shack 42:54 Reading 3: Peter's Choice 47:48 Endings with no clear answer 51:27 Different types of aliens   Visit our PATREON for AFTER HOURS with many of our authors www.donamasi.com www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net  ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika  Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN Books and Brews products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  Hiram Johnson tells the story of is grandmother, sentenced almost 100 years ago, for murdering another woman—why she did it, life in a women's prison in Mississippi, and the impact for generations to come. UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN.  See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet! Bill McCormick is an award-winning and critically acclaimed author of several novels, graphic novels, and comic book series, and has appeared in numerous anthologies. He began writing professionally in 1986 for the Chicago Rocker Magazine in conjunction with his radio show on Z-95 (ABC-FM) and went on to write for several other magazines and blogs. He wrote a twisted news & science blog at WorldNewsCenter.org. It provided source material for his weekly radio show on WBIG 1280 AM, FOX!, which aired for 12 years. We talked about domestic scenes in sci-fi, PTSD, creating chimeras (in fiction and in reality!) and much more. 00:00 START 05:32 Drink 1: Blighter Bob 7:41 Reading 1: Opening Up About War 15:05 Creating Chimeras 18:58 Talking about PTSD 22:31 Drink 2: The Lone Tree 25:48 Reading 2: Goptri of the Mists 31:08 Choosing Names in Sci-Fi 37:13 Living with No Regrets 42:32 Drink 3: The Bosom Caresser 45:19 Reading 3: The Writer's Stuff: Let's Get the Writer! 50:36 An exception to allow PG-13   Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Bill McSciFi McCormick Www.billmcscifi.com www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net  ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika  Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN Books and Brews products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  Dona Masi, fiction on UFO abduction UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet! Clay Gilbert has always believed in the power of the imagination to dissolve differences and forge connections between people. Since 2013, he has published thirteen novels, from science-fiction and horror to YA dystopia and urban fantasy. His works include the science-fiction series Children of Evohe, which began in 2013 with Annah and the Children of Evohe, as well as the horror novel Dark Road to Paradise and the dark fantasy novel Pearl: A Monster Story. Clay lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee, where his cat, Rosalind, insists on quality-checking each new book (and helped him with one of his readings on our show!) We talked about Appalachian legend & lore, making monsters sympathetic & more! Grab your favorite drink and join us! 00:00 START 07:33 Drink 1: Pearl Essence 10:29 Reading 1: Pearl in the Woods 16:55 Addressing Deeper Issues through Sci-fi & Fantasy 23:30 All About the Holler-Bairnies 27:03 Drink 2: Rabbit's Garden 29:53 Reading 2: Pearl Catches a Rabbit 33:44 Pearl's Wisdom: Seeing the Good Despite the Bad  35:34 The Monster Voice 37:55 Drink 3: The Appalachian Holler 41:18 Reading 3: Matt Reflects on Mama Leotie's Story of Holler-Bairnies 47:16 Why are we fascinated by the dark and mysterious?  51:29 Do You Believe….Sasquatch, the Flood    Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Clay Gilbert www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net Find Clay at amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00BS1N1W4/about?ccs_id=35e83ccd-6d34-40d1-a6a0-52139f34823  ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN Books and Brews products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  Bill McCormick, author of sci-fi, graphic novels, comic books, blogger & former radio host UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN  See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Bestselling author Beth Duke's Anywhen is the ultimate outsider story—a young woman yearning to belong across time itself. With universal themes of love, jealousy, sacrifice, friendship, joy, loss, and forgiveness, this genre-defying novel is a story like no other...one that will stay with you long after the final page.  Beth read from her latest book, Anywhen, that combines sci-fi, time travel, and historical fiction. We talked about Woodstock, the central event of Anywhen, about southern fiction, stereotypes, the good and bad of AI, and Utopias. Is Baezy's world a Utopia? Did living in peace result in naivety or bring her great disillusionment? 00:00 START 04:59 Drink 1: Algorithmic Amaretto Sour 07:28 Reading 1: Letter to a Many-Greats Grandmother 11:38 Southern fiction and stereotypes 19:48 Did Baezy's time achieve Utopia? 22:30 AI: good or bad? 25:38 Drink 2: The Peace Love and Music Cocktail 30:25 Reading 2: Baisy Meets Her Many-Greats Grandmother 34:06 There's something about Woodstock…why was it so unique? 41:24 The power of art and music? 43:58 Drink 3: Pina Colada Pi 37:42 Reading 3: Trying to Tell the Truth 52:33 A blurb from Alabama's lead singer! 54:31 Keys to success as an author   Visit our PATREON for AFTER HOURS with many of our authors www.bethduke.com www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net  ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. *Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika * Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) * Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  Michael Modzelewski, author of fiction and non-fiction, outdoorsman and Mr. November! UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN. See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

A lifelong Sherlockian, Richard T. Ryan is the author of nine Sherlock Holmes novels and currently working on his tenth.  He's also written a well-received murder mystery “Deadly Relations which has been produced twice off-Broadway. He pursued graduate studies at Notre Dame where he majored in medieval literature. Our talk ranged from Knights Templar finding Minnesota in the 1300s to the reasons Arthur Conan Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes to the inefficient bombers of the 1880s and the Scarlet Pimpernel and Mark Wahlberg. 00:00 START 06:20 Drink 1: Watson's Delight 07:20 Reading 1: The Traitorous Templar 11:20 From medieval literature and old English to Sherlock Holmes 16:13 Pastiches, purity, and creative license 18:54 Drink 2: The Baker Street Bramble 20:07 Reading 2: Three May Keep a Secret 21:45 Masters of disguise   25:52 What makes Sherlock Holmes so enduring 30:21 Arthur Conan Doyle's feelings about Sherlock Holmes 35:55 Drink 3: The Moriarty Martini 37:42 Reading 3: The Devil's Disciples 39:24 The importance of getting the details right  43:20 News and fiction    Visit our PATREON for AFTER HOURS with Richard T. Ryan Find Richard at www.mxpublishing.com www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net   HELP US KEEP BRINGING YOU GREAT AUTHORS! If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN Books and Brews products:  (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  Beth Duke, amazon bestselling author of southern fiction and time travel UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN. See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet! Michael Colon is a novelist and freelance writer, born and raised in New York City. His author's story is about hard work, perseverance, and believing in the power of imagination. His inspiration comes from various societal abnormalities, the beauty in cultural differences, and his  own life experiences. His debut novel, The Gift from Aelius, is about an artificial intelligence's growing awareness of purpose and life. There is not a science fiction tale as poetic and thought-provoking.  In the not-too distant future, A191, a Codex with artificial intelligence, feels like a misfit in Paradise, a walled city in the middle of an endless desert where humans imprisoned his race long ago. He's not like the others of his kind; he longs to meet humans and make peace with them so man and Codexes can be reunited in the world. These thoughts and feelings are not allowed in Paradise; he risks banishment to the desert by the Overseer A. I. who rules by fear and force. The journey reveals the truth about his existence, the Overseer's lies, and the consequences of mankind's untethered technology.  00:00 START 05:31 Drink 1: The Singularity 08:13 Reading 1: Codex 12:53 Will AI begin to think for itself? 15:30 Did AI already try to destroy humanity? 21:21 Drink 2: Paradise 23:28 Reading 2: Starry Desert Night 29:02 Free will and choices 31:10 Numbers, names, and fear of losing our humanity 35:03 Philosophy and Sci-fi 45:12 Drink 3: Bingo 47:06 Reading 3: At the Haven 48:04 Political divide 48:59 Finding your purpose   Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Michael Colon https://www.clippings.me/users/michaelcolon www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net  ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  Richard T. Ryan, Sherlockian tales! UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: CHILDREN  See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

John Graham shipped out on a freighter when he was 16, hitchhiked through the Algerian Revolution at 19 and was on the team that made the first ascent of Denali's North Wall at 20, a climb so dangerous it's never been repeated. He hitchhiked around the world at 22, working as a correspondent in every war he came across. A US Foreign Service Officer for 15 years, he was in the middle of the 1969 revolution in Libya and the war in Vietnam. As a global peace builder, post Foreign Service, he contributed to peace efforts in Israel and Palestine. For the last 42 years he's been a leader of the Giraffe Heroes Project, a global movement inspiring people to stick their necks out to solve public problems and giving them tools to succeed (giraffe.org). His speeches, blogs, podcasts and interviews have a global audience.  In our interview, we talked about John's adventures around the globe, being a thrill seeker, his realization of his need to change, and more. 00:00 START 03:43 Drink 1: The Shipwreck 05:13 Reading 1: Cruise Ship Down! 11:25 The Coast Guard's most important rescue ever--and John was there! 14:35 From selfish to selfless 19:15 Helping to end apartheid 22:46 Castro's man and plans on a napkin 33:20 Drink 3: Honey Lemon Spritz 36:19 Reading 3: A Healing Miracle 48:22 "Most significant risks challenge the soul." 49:52 Seeking meaning in our lives   Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with John Graham www.johngraham.org www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR BOOKS AND BREWS LIGHT:  www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews   ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika  Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  We have a surprise gest for January 2025 UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: CHILDREN. See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk: https://youtu.be/ZKdeLPPgdys?si=wqPHZsAxYqgzjKcV Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

J.P. Reedman lives in Wiltshire near to Stonehenge. Born in Canada, she has had a lifelong interest in ancient and medieval history, and is often found lurking around prehistoric sites, ruined castles and abbeys, and interesting churches with camera in hand. She became a full-time writer in 2018.  Series include: I, Richard Plantagenet, 5 books chronicling Richard's life from childhood to Bosworth, and Medieval Babes, a set of standalone novels about lesser-known medieval queens and noblewomen. Her most recent release is Princess in the Police Station, the tale of little Anne Mowbray, wife of the younger ‘Prince in the Tower' whose grave was unexpectedly found in the 1960's. The next book to be released will be The Melancholy of Winter, which is about Edmund of Rutland, Richard's tragic elder brother. In our interview, we talked about JP reading Beowulf as a young child, historical foods and records of the menus of great feasts, whether being a noble is over-romanticized, historical hoaxes, and more. 00:00 START 05:54 Drink 1: Medicine for Melancholy 08:51 Reading 1: The Young Nobles Want to Skate 14:01 Using obscure historical terms 15:37 From fantasy to historical fiction 19:43 Drink 2: Dilly Bean Dirty Martini 22:55 Reading 2: Finding the Bean on Twelfth Night 25:41 The hideous Henry Holland of history  31:15 England and Canada: the story of a war bride 38:39 Drink 3: The Blackberry Raven 42:59 Reading 3: Fighting with Fish 45:53 Boys and mischief! 51:55 Most interesting and important things learned from history   Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with JP Reedman www.x.com/@stonehenge2500 www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR BOOKS AND BREWS LIGHT:  www.youtube.com/@booksandbrews   ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika  Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  John Graham, adventurer extraordinaire! UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: CHILDREN. See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk: https://youtu.be/ZKdeLPPgdys?si=wqPHZsAxYqgzjKcV Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.  

About A Whisper in the Dark Sarah Parker thinks she has found the perfect place for a fresh start when she moves her family from the Midwest to a sleepy suburban neighborhood in an idyllic southern town. Leaving a position as a serious journalist to write fluff pieces for a local paper is a compromise she is willing to make to escape the past and rebuild her family. Ten years earlier, Ben and Mary moved to the same neighborhood in search of their own fresh start, leaving a trail of death and disfigurement in their wake. Now that cancer has taken Mary, a blossoming friendship with the Parker family offers Ben a glimpse of the things he missed out on and the child he and Mary were denied. As he questions the sacrifices he made to be with Mary and the evil he harbored to protect her, that evil has set its sights on Sarah's eleven-year-old son, Sam, putting the entire town in danger. About Elizabeth Devecchi Elizabeth Devecchi spent most of her formative years in the tiny state of Rhode Island, striking out after high school to gather degrees while exploring the world. This has resulted in an undergraduate degree in French from Wittenberg University, polished during a year abroad in Montpelier, France; an Italian Law Degree from the Università di Torino, Italy; an L.LM in International Law bestowed by The University of Iowa; and formal Mediation training. When she started her hobby blog, The Moon, The Sun, and Little Man (since incorporated into her author website), Elizabeth knew she wanted to get back to one of her earliest passions: writing. She officially began her career as an author in her in her early 50s with a short story titled “The Hunt,” which can still be found floating around the internet as part of the December 2021 issue of international literary journal, Ariel Chart. Elizabeth writes in a variety of genres and styles.   Elizabeth's debut horror novel, A Whisper in the Dark, was signed by Wicked House Publishing and released October 4th of 2024. _____________________________________________________________________    Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

ABOUT THE NAMASTE SLASHER  Meditating has never been this frightening. Think "Friday The 13th", but set in a modern day Mindfulness retreat. A deliciously camp yet gruesome slasher with nods to the classic 80s Slashers. When five people from all over Europe take part in an exclusive Mindfulness retreat on mountain Velebit in Croatia, they have no idea what's in store for them once a masked killer shows up. Let's hope their healing crystals can provide the necessary protection. Twists & Turns, Chase Scenes and Queer Representation. ABOUT ALAN SHIVERS   Alan Shivers is an indie horror author hailing from Belgium, and he's just been announced as an attending author for Books & Brews 2.0, taking place on August 2, 2025 in McCordsville, IN! You can find more details about the event on the Events page. He also just released his latest book, The Namaste Slasher, on October 1. In honor of the release and the announcement for Books & Brews 2.0, "The Heart of Indie Horror" blog is giving away TWO paperback copies of The Namaste Slasher. Here are the rules: In order to enter, you must either share their blog on your social media platform OR sign up for the email subscriptions. You must also agree to bump this book right up to the top of your TBR and review it on whatever platforms you normally use to review! Winners will be chosen on 10/8/24 at 4:00 PM EST. Here's the link to the blog where you can potentially win "The Namaste Slasher" theheartofindiehorror.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-namaste-slasher-by-alan-shivers.html _____________________________________________________________________    Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

Steve Downes is a contemporary Irish poet and novelist, currently living and working in Ireland. Educated in N.U.I. Maynooth, he holds a Degree in Classical History and a Masters in Cultural Anthropology. Steve has published poetry; science fiction, including Cosmogonic Marbles, Temporal Tome, Gadzooks Armageddon  and Botolf Tales (the Botolf Chronicles), Warworld: Shadows & Dominions (part 1), Murder on the Alpha Centauri Express and The Deaths of Guner Zoon; and four children's Books: The Upstairs Cat Series (3 books) & An Apprenticeship to Doctor Vantastic.  Steve continues to write and publish work in many genres. In 2017 & 2018 Steve exhibited from his collections of historical photographs, Lost Graveyards of Ireland (2017) and A Landscape For Yourself (2018). Among other things, we talked about his painting, the IRA, angsty poetry, and...the world's oldest maternity hospital! 00:00 START 05:26 Drink 1: Irish Coffee 12:28 Reading 1: chase & fight in Dublin 17:53 The Rotunda, world's oldest maternity hospital 23:55 Why the Irish give Dublin's statues...interesting...names 25:52 Tales of the IRA 33:01 Drink 2: The Love and Murder 38:21 Reading 2: Murder on the Alpha Centauri Express 42:07 On marketing 43:07 From high school dropout to a masters in classical history to sci-fi! 48:28 Drink 3: The Mission Impossible 51:57 Reading 3: Dr. Vantastic 55:43 Steve's many genres   Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with Stephen Downes https://writerstevedownes.wordpress.com www.lauravosika.com www.gabrielshornpress.com www.booksandbrews.net  ~ ~ If you enjoy our interviews or have benefitted from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We've been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews. Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do. A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode. Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika  Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN * Books and Brews products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come) Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com COMING NEXT MONTH:  Michael C. Keith, author of poetry, memoir, short stories, and novels UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH. Laura will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN on October 26 and 27  See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.            

Kathy Murray is a certified personal trainer with over thirty years' experience in the fitness industry. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University where she was a member of the 1983 National Cheerleading Championship Team. After college she competed in and won the United States Aerobic Championship in 1986 and spent the year traveling the world as a Fitness Ambassador and worked as a free-lance educator to teach fitness to European Instructors. While in Munich, she coached the Munich Cowboys (American Football) Cheerleaders to six national titles in cheerleading and was head trainer/translator for the German Gladiators during a pilot TV show for the International Gladiators. Kathy has owned her personal training business Fit Bodies for 25 years and in 2022 co-authored the Audible book, The Munich Cowboy Cheerleaders based upon her true story of her time coaching the squad. She has recently released it in both paperback and ebook formats.  In her spare time she is a competitive triathlete which she has been enjoying for 20 plus years now.  She lives in Atlanta with her husband Lutalo, dog Mingus and cat Sassy. We talked a lot about the impact of travel, experiencing other cultures, and learning languages, in addition to cheerleading and Kathy's time as a coach. Kathy's Readings:   00:00 Start 08:40 The Competition Starts! 29:40 Speeding Ticket--AGAIN! 48:45 Conflict with Dad (or...Following Our Dreams)   Chris's Cocktail Pairings:    06:35 The Cheerleader 26:35 The Speeding Ticket 46:12 Grumpy Old man   Interview Highlights:    20:15 Life Lessons from Cheerleading and Band 22:00 The Importance of Fitness and Other Thoughts on Exercise 35:50 Other Countries' Attitudes Toward Foreigners and Americans 41:11 Overcoming the Language Barrier 54:20 Doing What You Love 55:54 Friendship with a Celebrity and Traveling the World   Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with KATHY MURRAY   COMING NEXT MONTH:    Steve Downes, Irish author, poet, and children's writer   UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH. Laura will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN on October 26 and 27  See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.  

About MJ Mars MJ Mars is a geek, ghoul, and horror enthusiast living in Lancaster, UK. Her debut novel, The Suffering, was published by Wicked House in 2023. When she isn't writing, you'll find MJ playing pool, trying to skateboard (badly), or listening to rock music. She owes every success to her mis-spent youth. Short story collection, We've Already Gone Too Far out now! Coming in 2025: The Fovea Experiments, a second novel to be published by Wicked House. MJ is currently working on a sequel to The Suffering.   About We've Already Gone Too Far A father takes his son on a camping trip but isn't sure who he brings home. When passengers begin to disappear from her flight, a cabin crew member faces the childhood fears she thought she'd long overcome. At his mother's funeral, a magician contemplates a family curse. Two graduates listen to a retired soldier talking about his participation in a death-defying experiment, and a punk band trying to be polite at a high-brow art installation step up when monsters attack. These stories and more await you in We've Already Gone Too Far, 8 Nasty Little Tales by MJ Mars.   _____________________________________________________________________   Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

About Leigh Kenney Leigh was born and raised in the garden county of Wicklow, Ireland. She lives by the Irish Sea with the love of her life, two wonderful boys, a black Labrador, and a three-legged cat that hates people. You can find out more about Leigh's work and any upcoming releases on her social media: LeighKennyWrites   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

About Blaine Daiglw Having lived his entire life deep in the gut of Louisiana, Blaine Daigle grew up surrounded by ghost stories of haunted plantations and cursed woodlands. He still lives in Louisiana with his wife and two children and can't wait to pass on the nightmares to his kids..when they are old enough. During the day he teaches high school English. At night, he enjoys diving deep into the fears that shape and mold the world around him. Website: https://www.blainedaigle.com/   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

About Lisa Vasquez Lisa Vasquez, (known by her readers and fans as the Unsaintly Queen) creates vivid, twisted horror with the precision of a scalpel, and cuts into the reader's psyche with fleshed out characters. Vasquez is a mentor for the HWA, is head of Stitched Smile Publications, and retired editor-in-chief of the company's quarterly publication, House of Stitched Magazine. Vasquez now focuses on her own stories which range from slow and subtle gothic horror, to the more extreme sub-genres of horror. Her writing style has been compared to the works of Mary Shelley, Baz Luhrman, and the Grand Guignol (John Palisano, Bram Stoker-winning author of NERVES), and is hailed as, "A writer of nightmarish vision and a new, poetic voice in today's horror genre" (Peter Molnar, author of THE CLOCKWORK LAZARUS). A native Chicagoan who spent half her life on the city's south side, she now lives in Houston, Texas, fighting off mosquitos large enough to carry off small children, and avoiding direct sunlight. The Unsaintly Queen is rumored to only accept offerings of “sparklies.”   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

Rob interviews Tiffay Koplin, an admin for the Facebook group, Books of Horror.   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

Rob interviews horror author Lisa Breanne.   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

About Jeff Strand Jeff Strand's bio was funnier when he talked about losing the Bram Stoker Award four times, but he's now a Bram Stoker Award WINNER! His novels are usually classified as horror, but they're really all over the place, almost always with a great big dose of humor. He's written five young adult novels that all fall into the "really goofy comedy" category. Several of his books are in development as motion pictures, and he's mostly not allowed to blab any details, which he finds MADDENING. He currently lives in sunny, warm Duluth, Minnesota. For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

About Matthew Lutton Matthew Lutton is an up-and-coming author hailing from Newport Beach, California. Growing up in the sunny beach town, Matthew's imagination was sparked by the eerie and unexplainable happenings that would occur in the quiet corners of the city. He has always been fascinated with the horror genre, and began writing his own stories as a way to explore his dark and twisted thoughts. Matthew's debut anthology, "10 Drink Minimum" delves deep into the darkness of the human soul, exploring themes like fear, desperation, and madness. His tales are a unique blend of psychological horror, supernatural mystique, and visceral violence. Each story is crafted with precision, creating a world that is both hauntingly realistic and unforgettably surreal. When he's not writing, Matthew loves to explore the California coastline and mountains, soaking up inspiration for his next tale of terror. He is a self-proclaimed film buff, especially when it comes to horror, and has a knack for spotting creative storytelling techniques that others may miss. "10 Drink Minimum" has been met with critical acclaim, and has made its way onto many horror fans' must-read lists. Available now on Amazon, it showcases Matthew's unique storytelling voice and is a chilling journey into the depths of horror.   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

About Christopher Hawkins Born and raised near the shores of Lake Michigan, Christopher Hawkins has been writing and telling stories for as long as he can remember. A dyed-in-the-wool geek, he is an avid collector of books, roleplaying games and curiosities. When he's not writing, he spends his time exploring old cemeteries, lurking in museums, and searching for a decent cup of tea. Christopher is an award-winning author and the former editor of the One Buck Horror anthology series. His works of short fiction have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Cosmic Horror Monthly, Fusion Fragment, Underland Arcana and The Big Book of New Short Horror. He is a member of the Chicago Writers Association and the Chicagoland chapter of the Horror Writers Association. An expatriate Hoosier, Christopher currently lives in a suburb of Chicago with his wife and two sons. For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

About Christopher Bevard Christopher Bevard has been a writer of horror and crime fiction for the better part of three decades. He is also the creator of Sensory Eclipse Media, an independent production company and home to the podcasts ‘Fifteen Minutes in Hell' and ‘Cicatrix,' as well as the founder of Midnight Parlor Puzzles & Novelties, specializing in horror-themed, narrative puzzle games. Christopher can be contacted via his website at http://www.christopherbevard.com.   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   _____________________________________________________________________Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

About Edmund Stone Edmund Stone is a writer of horror and fantasy living in a quaint river town in the Ohio Valley. But mostly he lives in his head where he derives a wealth of characters and strange ideas. He writes at night, spinning tales of strange worlds and horrifying encounters with the unknown. He lives with his wife, three dogs, and a plethora of cats. Check out Edmund's website at edmundstonehorror.com   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   ________________________________________________________________________ Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

Like any good soldier's son, Frank Warner moved with his family from fort to fort, accepted each change, and was ready to move again. Then, in 1960, Frank's father was ordered to Fort Huachuca (WahCHOOka), Arizona. This was the fifth Army post of Frank's childhood, the first place he never wanted to leave. So when his father was ordered to Vietnam in 1963, sending Frank and the rest of the family to Pennsylvania, the uprooting wasn't easy. Frank's book, “Tumbleeweed Forts: Adventures of an Army Brat,” describes the joys of living in Fort Huachuca, and the heartache of leaving it behind.  Tune in for a fun conversation and great cocktails, including in red, white, and blue for July! Frank's Readings: 00:00 Start 10:02 A Bike Race on Base! 30:57 Atomic Dollars 47:01 Leaving Huachuca Chris's Cocktail Pairings:  06:11 Red, White, and Blue 25:40 The Atomic Cocktail 44:09 Goodbye Sunshine Interview Highlights:  19:10 This plane is on fii--ire! 23:29 Why Huachuaca? Why it was magical 35:02 Silver Dollars and Stories on Atomic Testing 38:34 Private Jones' Buried Treasure & the Scientist with Alien Technology 43:31 How Tombstone got its Name 50:15 Finding Old Friends 52:12 Dad going to Vietnam, Saving the Ashes Visit our PATREON for our extended AFTER HOURS with FRANK WARNER COMING NEXT MONTH:  Devrie Donalson, comedian and author UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer, herbs & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevard, Morristown, TN on July 5, starting at 5 pm. Laura will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN on October 26 and 27  See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

About Jay Bower Jay Bower is a horror author living outside St. Louis, MO in the forest of southern Illinois. He spends his time reading, writing, and convincing his wife the dark stories he writes do not involve her. He's the author of The Dark Sacrifice, the Dead Blood Series, and Hanging Corpses. Find out more and sign-up for his newsletter (and receive a FREE story) at jaybowerauthor.com.   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   ________________________________________________________________________ Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

Sharon Bennett Connolly is the best-selling British author of several non-fiction history books. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Sharon has studied history academically and just for fun – and has even worked as a tour guide at a castle. She also writes the popular history blog, www.historytheinteresngbits.com and co-hosts the podcast A Slice of Medieval, alongside historical novelist Derek Birks.  Sharon regularly gives talks on women's history, for historical groups, fesvals and in schools; her book Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest, is a recommended text for teaching the Norman Conquest in the Naonal Curriculum. She is a feature writer for All About History and Living Medieval magazines and her TV work includes Australian Television's Who Do You Think You Are? Tune in for a fun conversation and great beer!   Sharon's Readings: 00:00 Start 11:16 The Young Bride's First Duties 29:12 Stephen's Coronation 46:43 Matilda at the Helm   Chris's Cocktail Pairings:  08:01 The Nikolaschka from Germany 26: The Mourning Cocktail 43:39 Belgian Brownie   Interview Highlights:  15:21 The Wreck of the White Ship: a king's tragedy 21:33 How oppressed were women in medieval times? 24:06 How a British author ended up on Australian TV 31:33 Widows and abbeys: the real reason 38:17 Why history is important (and a real-life vampire!) 51:50 Women, Leadership, and Leading Warriors 54:43 Do we ever learn from history?   COMING NEXT MONTH:  Like any good soldier's son, Frank Warner moved with his family from fort to fort, accepted each change, and was ready to move again. Then, in 1960, Frank's father was ordered to Fort Huachuca (WahCHOOka), Arizona. This was the fifth Army post of Frank's childhood, the first place he never wanted to leave. So when his father was ordered to Vietnam in 1963, sending Frank and the rest of the family to Pennsylvania, the uprooting wasn't easy. Frank's book, “Tumbleeweed Forts: Adventures of an Army Brat,” describes the joys of living in Fort Huachuca, and the heartache of leaving it behind.  UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevar, Morristown, TN on July 5. Laura will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN on October 26 and 27  See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE   Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

ABOUT ANDREW NAJBERG   Andrew Najberg is the author of the best-selling (#1 US Horror Amazon) novels The Mobius Door (Wicked House Publishing, 2023), and Gollitok (Wicked House Publishing, 2023), as well as The Neverborn Thief (Olive-Ridley Press, 2024) and the forthcoming collection of short fiction In Those Fading Stars (Crystal Lake Publishing, 2024) and Extinction Dream (Wicked House Publishing, 2025). His short fiction has appeared in Fusion Fragment, Khoreo, Translunar Travelers Lounge, Utopia Science Fiction, Prose Online, Psychopomp Review, Solar Press Horror Anthology, and is forthcoming in Make Your Presence Known Anthology, and the Gods and Globes III Anthology.   Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CBNGGV9H?ingress=0&visitId=2bd5dea6-919f-4854-9e91-416867ba4588&ref_=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1    Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AndrewNajbergAuthor   Twitter https://twitter.com/AndrewNajberg   Insta https://www.instagram.com/andrewnajberg/   TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@andrew.najberg   Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/andrewnajberg.bsky.social   Threads https://www.threads.net/@andrewnajberg     For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   __________________________________________________________________________ Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

ABOUT DAEMON MANX Daemon Manx is a recovering addict who spent nearly a decade in the prison system where he focused on recovery and learned to write horror. Making the most of his second chance at life, Daemon recently celebrated eleven and a half years clean and sober and is celebrating that milestone with the release of his upcoming series The Ojanox. He is a Splatterpunk Award nominee, received the H.A.G. award for his story The Dead Girl in 2021, and was a bonus round winner on the gameshow Wheel of Fortune in 1999. But all that pales in comparison to what Daemon is infamously known for, sideswiping Ronald Reagan's limousine. Fortunately … or unfortunately, no presidents were harmed in the accident. Amazon.com: Daemon Manx: books, biography, latest update   (99+)Daemon Manx Horror Author (@daemonmanx) | TikTok   (2) Facebook   The Ojanox Series (4 book series) Kindle Edition (amazon.com)   Writer | Author (daemonmanx.com)   Daemon Manx (@daemonmanx) • Instagram photos and videos   For more information about Books & Brews, check out the event on Facebook right here  facebook.com/share/qbGdAEcvzp8En1q3/   __________________________________________________________________________ Our theme song is by Benny and the No Goods.   Check out their awesome music right HERE Bennyandthenogoods.bandcamp.com One easy way to support this show is to rate and review Alley Chats wherever you listen to our podcast.  Those ratings really help us and help others find our show. Alley Chats is produced and edited by Rob Southgate for Southgate Media Group.  Follow this show on Facebook @alleychats Follow our parent network on Twitter at @SMGPods Make sure to follow SMG on Facebook too at @SouthgateMediaGroup Learn more, subscribe, or contact Southgate Media Group at www.southgatemediagroup.com.   Check out our webpage at southgatemediagroup.com If you're an artist or writer or creative type that would have a table at in artist alley and would like to be on Alley Chats, message us through the Facebook page or email us directly at rob@alleychatspodcast.com

Robert Heath grew up in different places around the world, beginning in Japan in the late ‘40s. Robert and his eight siblings followed the assignments of their father, a sergeant in the U.S. Army.  He ultimately became an educator for 37 years, serving all grade levels from Pre-K through doctoral programs in South and North Carolina.  He now lives in the mountains of NC, where he loves writing and hiking. You can find him at face book at BratBob3of9 We talk about Bob's adventures growing up in Taiwan, Japan, Germany and the United States, with one sister and seven brothers, life as a military brat, the fun of large families and lots of boys and the antics kids get up to behind mom's back, U.S. history, bullying...and the day Bob was captured by Chiang Kai-Shek's soldiers and brought face with the military leader himself! Tune in for a fun conversation and great beer!   Bob's Readings: 00:00 Start 08:56 How About a Date? 25:54 Swinging 43:03 Captured by Enemy Soldiers!   Chris's Beer Pairings:  07:52 Bell's Smitten 23:29 Masthead's Tire Swing 39:54 Great Leap's The Hidden General   Interview Highlights:  12:36 How Bob's mother asked out his future mother-in-law 14:47 The stories mom never knew about--and how they led to a book 18:49 US history through personal experience 33:27 Americans in Japan two years after Hiroshima 36:26 Culture shock on returning to your own country 48:40 Do military parents make a point of not talking politics with brats? 51:16 Wild and free: military life or the times?   COMING NEXT MONTH:  Sharon Bennett Connolly has been fascinated by history for over 40 years and was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, ‘in recognition of your contribution to historical scholarship.' She's studied history academically and just for fun and even worked as a tour guide at historical sites.  One Christmas her husband gave her…a blog – and she hasn't looked back. The blog has given her the chance to share the history she loves – the stories themselves, and the places they happened. And in 2017 she completed her first non-fiction book, Heroines of the Medieval World. UPCOMING EVENTS: ·        Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH ·       Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevar, Morristown, TN on May 10, June 7, and July 5. ·       See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk ·       See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE   Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

J.S. Absher is a poet, memoirist, and independent scholar. As a teetotaler—he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—he can't add much insight into brews, but he can hold his own when it comes to books. Stan's first full-length book of poetry, Mouth Work (St. Andrews University Press) won the 2015 Lena Shull Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society. Stan's second full-length book of poetry, Skating Rough Ground, was published in 2022 by Kelsay Press. Poems have recently been published or accepted by The McNeese Review, Mormon Lit Blitz, Triggerfish Critical Review, Irreantum, and Tar River Review and have won awards from BYU Studies Quarterly and the journal Dialogue. His poems have been nominated four times for the Pushcart Prize and twice for Best of the Net. He has also published an annotated editions of two memoirs written in the late 19th century by Ida Crumpler Beard. Stan has two prose projects under way. His father killed himself in December 1977. Earlier that year he was a whistleblower in a government investigation of the bank where he worked. The confidential information he handed on widened the scope of the investigation and led to the arrest and conviction of the bank's CEO and two other executives and the firing of several other employees. This turmoil, on top of his already unstable mental state, contributed to his death. Stan's account of these events is based on his father's memoirs and letters, more than a hundred newspaper articles, his own journal, and the memoirs of another participant. Outside those directly concerned, it is now a minor story, but it connects in interesting ways with the Watergate scandal and other major events. Stan's memoir of these events will include poems he's written and published over many years. Stan is also currently researching and writing about the history of North Carolina immediately before the imposition of Jim Crow, focusing on fifty African American men who were arrested in 1895 for their efforts to stop a lynching in Winston-Salem, a lynching that thankfully did not occur. Stan is trying to understand who they were—their jobs and professions, their backgrounds, their kinship and social networks (to the extent they can be determined), and what happened to them afterwards. Stan's interest in this event was sparked by the one-sided account in Ida Beard's memoir mentioned above.   Absher lives in Raleigh, NC, with his wife Patti. His work in poetry and prose can be followed on www.jsabsherpoetry.com.   Stan's Readings: 00:00 Start 08:12 The Pear Tree and Remembering Clara 23:06 What I Knew and When 43:09 Building a Wall   Chris's Cocktail Pairings:  04:21 Brazilian Lime Aid 20:53 The Marigold 40:40 White Peach Interview Highlights:  16:35 The business of being a poet 19:07 Travels to France, Belize, and Taiwan 30:36 Blowing the Whistle: family issues and corporate greed 35:11 Links to the Nixon scandal 40:46 How ancient Rome influenced a poem 50:01 From The Deserted Wife to a thwarted lynching and Jim Crow   COMING NEXT MONTH: Manswell T. Peterson has endured many challenges in his life. He decided to put those experiences to good use by writing novels as an adult. He is founder of OmegaMan Publishing & Manswell Peterson Studios. He has written at least fourteen books since 2012. Escape to the Locrottum Universe – a modern fantasy world where royal drama, tyranny, and misunderstandings run rampant! www.locrottumuniverse.com    UPCOMING EVENTS: ·        Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH ·       Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevar, Morristown, TN on April 13, June 7, and July 5, noon to 5 pm ·       See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk ·       See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE   Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Theresa Halvorsen has a “don't tell me I can't do that,” attitude about life and is an author, publisher, editor, and YouTuber. She's ‌overly-caffeinated and at times, wine-soaked. The author of multiple cross-genre works, including Warehouse Dreams, Lost Aboard and River City Widows, Theresa wonders what sleep is. She's the owner of No Bad Books Press and one of the hosts of the popular YouTube channel, the Semi-Sages of the Pages. In whatever free time is left, (ha!) Theresa enjoys board games, concerts, geeky conventions, and reading. Her life goal is to give "Oh-My-Gosh-This-Book-Is-So-Good!" happiness to her readers. She lives in Temecula with her husband, her adult children, their partners (she has no idea who actually lives in her house and who's just visiting) and many pets. Find her at  www.theresaHauthor.com and on Tiktok and Facebook.  Theresa's Readings: ·       Wonderland's Mad Queen – 8:57 ·       River City Widows, Chapter 1 – 23:52 ·       Riding the El – 42:55 Chris's Cocktail Pairings:  ·       Queen of Hearts (paired to Wonderlands' Mad Queen) – 7:20 ·       River City (paired to River City Widows, Chapter 1) – 21:41 ·       The El (paired to Riding the El) – 40:21 Interview Highlights:  ·       Building a career as an indie author – 15:08 ·       The Dad's Playbook to Labor and Delivery – 16:09 ·       The ghost at Lochranza Castle – 31:36 ·       PTSD: victimization, responsibility, blame and trauma – 36:07 ·       Stories of portals: are we seeking escape? – 48:40 ·       Houses as inspiration – 52:00   COMING NEXT MONTH: J.S. Absher is a poet, memoirist, and independent scholar. As a teetotaler—he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—he can't add much insight into brews, but he can hold his own when it comes to books. Stan's first full-length book of poetry, Mouth Work (St. Andrews University Press) won the 2015 Lena Shull Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society. Stan's second full-length book of poetry, Skating Rough Ground, was published in 2022 by Kelsay Press. Poems have recently been published or accepted by The McNeese Review, Mormon Lit Blitz, Triggerfish Critical Review, Irreantum, and Tar River Review and have won awards from BYU Studies Quarterly and the journal Dialogue. His poems have been nominated four times for the Pushcart Prize and twice for Best of the Net. He has also published an annotated editions of two memoirs written in the late 19th century by Ida Crumpler Beard.  He currently has two more projects underway. UPCOMING EVENTS: ·        Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEMES: MUSIC; FAITH ·       Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & more at the Morristown Farmer's Market, 130 W Morris Boulevar, Morristown, TN on April 13, June 7, and July 5 ·       See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk ·       See Laura's interview with Rob & Joan Carter at INDIE NOVEL SOURCE ·       Theresa will be at Wondercon in Anaheim: March 29-31 ·       LA Festival of Books: April 20-21 ·       Comic-Con Revolution in Ontario: May 18-19 ·       Comic-Con San Diego: July 25-28   Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Peter is the Author of 30 books, fiction and non-fiction and published on 4 continents. He is a resident expert and regular of Top 50 USA radio and TV markets including Fox, CBS, ABC, ESPN, Coast to Coast, iHeart and over 100 major radio and TV networks. Peter is a multi-award-winning, director, cinematographer, actor and producer on 7 continents Peter has written more than 800 articles (self-help and fiction) appearing in major news media world- wide He has been a university professor for 28 years, as well as being a psychologist, specializing in criminal psychology, sports psychology and addiction studies. www.peterandrewsacco.com Peter's Readings: ·       Gummer, the World's Last Toothless Vampire – 8:20 ·       Meeting a Vampire Actor – 27:43 ·       A Haunted Air BnB – 42:33 Chris's Cocktail Pairings:  ·       Bloody Maru (paired to Gummer) – 5:57 ·       Love Bite (paired to Meeting a Vampire Actor) – 26:00 ·       The Haunted Mansion (paired to A Haunted Air BnB) – 39:45 Interview Highlights:  ·       Jack the Ripper/criminal profiling – 15:40 ·       Music or criminal psychology? – 22:09 ·       Adventuring in Antarctica!? – 31:53 ·       Why are we drawn to vampires & zombies? – 34:03 ·       From author to TV show host – 47:17 ·       Scariest things seen--and why Peter quit the TV show – 48:29   COMING NEXT MONTH: Theresa Halvorsen is the author to the Dad's Playbook to Labor and Delivery and Warehouse Dreams and countless articles on pregnancy, birth and parenting. But her true love is speculative fiction. Theresa enjoys interacting with other writers and helps to produce a writing Podcast called the Semi Sages of the Pages She co-runs a writer's group in Temecula that meets once a month, and belongs to various critique groups.  UPCOMING EVENTS: ·        Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC ·       Laura will be selling her books, premium rabbit fertilizer & knit goods at Overhome Trading Post in ThornHill Tennessee, February 10, 2024 ·       See Laura's interview at Central Valley Talk Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Stephanie Sanders-Jacob is an author and artist from Sandusky, Ohio. Her alien abduction novel, Singing All the Way Up, debuted with No Bad Books Press in July 2023. Her short fiction has been featured by Books of Horror, Hearth & Coffin, Mixer, Mosaic, and Ether Arts. You can find her online at www.sandersjacob.com and her artwork at www.rabbitandrain.com  Stephanie's Readings: Things were better before I killed my dad – 8:28 Airship, 1897 – 28:51 Running from the fighting – 44:50   Chris's Cocktail Pairings: Freak Show (paired to Things were better before I killed my dad)– 6:18 Aviation (paired to Airship, 1897) – 25:35 International Incident (paired to Running from the fighting) – 42:32 Interview Highlights: Was Laura really abducted? Seeking truth in our own lives – 14:19 A story about UFOs — with universal themes – 15:36 Watershed years: coincidence...or more? – 31:26 Scientific theories on UFOs: Jung vs Vallee – 33:36 Stephanie's alien/UFO inspired jewelry – 39:25 Family, relationships, kindness, truth – 49:31 COMING NEXT MONTH: Peter Sacco, award-winning film producer, director, writer on 7 continents! UPCOMING EVENTS:  Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC. See www.gabrielshornpress.com/poetry-anthology  Laura —  Overhome Trading Post, February 10, 2024. See author page for details. www.facebook.com/laura.vosika.author  Books by multiple authors for sale Stephanie —  Punk Rock Flea Market Lorain: 4/28 at the soccer sportsplex in North Olmsted Punk Rock Flea Market Akron: 5/4 at the summit county fairgrounds Norwalk Public Library: date to be announced Find us at — www.booksandbrews.net www.lauravosika.com www.aperfectpint.net Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

M. B. (Michael) Zucker has been interested in storytelling for as long as he can remember. He devoted himself to historical fiction at fifteen and earned his B.A. at Occidental College and his J.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He lives in Virginia with his family. He is the author of four novels: The Eisenhower Chronicles, A Great Soldier in the Last Great War, Theodore Roosevelt and the Hunt for the Liopleurodon, and The Middle Generation: A Novel of John Quincy Adams and the Monroe Doctrine. Among his honors is the Best Fictional Biography Award at the 2023 BookFest. www.mbzucker.com Michael's Readings: Meeting the Elder Adams – 8:53 The Holy Alliance – 27:53 JQA Helps an Enslaved Woman – 42:46 Chris's Cocktail Pairings: Old Gimlet Eye (paired to Meeting the Elder Adams)– 6:03 Hot Ale Flip (paired to The Holy Alliance) – 23:56 Mint Julep – 38:29 Interview Highlights: Parents and pressure to be president – 17:17 Can our country unite? – 21:50 Writing and publishing from age 14 – 20:05 Summing up the Monroe Doctrine – 33:03 Founding Fathers' intentions regarding slavery – 47:21 How JQA spent a night in the snow to find his brilliant idea – 52:06 COMING NEXT MONTH: Theresa Halvorsen, paranormal and pregnancy! UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Welcome to our water cooler conversations! This minisode was such a fun way to chat with some of the incredible participants of our recent adult book fair: Tipsy Books and Brews. A huge thank you to every one who came out We love meeting new books friends! A big shout out to Writer's Block Bookstore and Three Odd Guys Brewing for your partnership with this event. Be sure to check out: @writersblockbookstore Author: @paigelavoiauthor Romantasy Bookcon: @fabledfantasyevents also check out the other awesome authors in attendance: @terrlet @sarahallenbooks As well as @threeoddguysbrewing Stay tipsy!

RALPH JARRELLS became an author after retirement from more than four decades in marketing, advertising, and publishing, much of it in senior executive positions. He writes mostly historical fiction with religious themes. His first book was published August 4, 2017 when he was 75—a great example that you're never too old to start a new chapter in your life.  His firth book, The Essential Last Supper debuted this month. Ralph's Readings:   ·       Three Kings – 11:55   ·      A Lady and a Pirate – 41:05   ·       Fighting Like a Little Girl – 46:55 Chris's Pairings:    ·      Goliath (paired to Three Kings) – 9:06   ·      Sweet Tea and Vodka (paired to A Lady and a Pirate) – 31:35   ·       Rum and Grog (paired to Fighting Like a Little Girl) – 46:55    Interview Highlights:    ·       Did Jesus & Judas know each other in Egypt? – 18:10   ·       Did he really do it for the money? – 21:48   ·       Lady vs Pirate – 41:05   ·       From the Bible to piracy – 42:31 COMING NEXT MONTH: MJ Williams, the sister-in-law mystery-writing team UPCOMING EVENTS:   ·        Gabriel's Horn is  accepting submissions for its anthology. This year's theme is: MUSIC  Our theme music is from www.bensound.com 

DAN COONAN has worn many hats through the years – Conference Commissioner, Athletic Director, CEO, Attorney, Novelist, Senior Congressional Campaign Advisor, Fundraiser, Nonprofit Chairman of the Board, College Adjunct Professor, Political Essayist, Youth Sports Coach, Bartender, Batting Practice Pitcher, Wedding Officiant, Dock Talk Facilitator, devoted husband and father.   His books are Presidential Spirits: Part history lesson, part magical realism these well-researched books imagine conversations of all 45 presidents in a saloon stocked with any drink you want, located above the private quarters of the White House and accessible only to presidents - and a few colorful wait staff- through a secret portal. Dan's Readings:   ·       First Night in the Secret Saloon – 9:58   ·      Teddy Roosevelt: a soft easy life is not worth living – 28:20   ·       FDR on Churchill – 48:13 Chris's Pairings:    ·      Manhattan (paired to First Night in the Secret Saloon) – 6:40   ·      Old Fashioned (paired to Teddy Roosevelt) – 25:29   ·       Bohemian (paired to FDR on Churchill) – 43:25    Interview Highlights:    ·       Beyond the basic plots – 14:50   ·       Author as main character – 21:49   ·       What would you ask presidents? – 23:58   ·       Carrie Nation axing the bars – 32:03   ·       CAN we come together? – 34:35   ·       Finding the positive in others – 53:07 COMING NEXT MONTH: Ralph Jarrels, religious-based fiction, Jesus and Judas, Best Friends Forever  UPCOMING EVENTS:   ·        Gabriel's Horn is  accepting submissions for its anthology. This year's theme is: MUSIC  Our theme music is from www.bensound.com 

KAREN ESSEX is an award winning, bestselling author of six books including Leonardo's Swans & Stealing Athena. She has recently co-written a pilot based on her two-volume novel, Kleopatra, for Netflix, which Lauren Hissrich, creator of The Witcher franchise, will executive produce. She adapted Anne Rice's The Mummy for James Cameron and Fox Studios and collaborated on adapting her novel Dracula in Love as a series for A&E Studios & Lifetime. She just completed a historical novel about the fabulous Gabor sisters, the first global fashion and glamour influencers, and she's determined to enjoy her summer. Karen's Readings:   ·       The Great Egyptian Parade –   ·       Seeking the Cat Killer –   ·       The Gabors in Desperate Times – Chris's Pairings:    ·      Winter Wine (paired to The Great Egyptian Parade) –   ·       Honey Mint Whiskey Smash (paired to Seeking the Cat Killer) –   ·       Forget Me Not (paired to The Gabors in Desperate Times) –    Interview Highlights:    ·       The importance of research –   ·       Cleopatra (Kleopatra) vs Liz Taylor –   ·       From costume design to VP of production! –   ·       Evil in the world–or evil in us? –   ·       The many marriages of the Gabor sisters –   ·       Alexandria in the Bay – COMING NEXT MONTH: Dan Coonan, Presidential Spirits in which our 45th president  UPCOMING EVENTS:   ·        Gabriel's Horn is  accepting submissions for its anthology. This year's theme is: MUSIC   ·       Check out Karen's upcoming trip with readers to the Italian sites in Leonardo's Swans  Our theme music is from www.bensound.com 

Military brat, voracious reader, and now writing books in her favorite genre, Patty Perrin who writes as PTL Perrin grew up in Europe and speaks several languages. A misfit by any account, Patty shares her love for people, Native cultures, our amazing world, alien encounters, astounding mysteries, and the Creator of it all in her writing. Author of Reflections of a Misfit, an inspirational collection of faith journey snippets, and the four-book TetraPhere series, Patty is working on another YA Scifi/Fantasy series. She enjoys living in Florida and loves her husband and her large and diverse family. Patty's Readings:   ·       The Warning – 9:30   ·       Terra's Call: Jewel – 25:10   ·       Reflections of a Misfit – 39:56 Chris's Pairings:    ·      Mind Eraser (paired to The Warning) – 6:49   ·       Chocolate Raspberry Martini (paired to Terra's Call: Jewel) – 22:20   ·       Summer on Corfu (paired to Reflections of a Misfit) – 38:18    Interview Highlights:    ·       Tetrachromats – 12:00   ·       Atlantis – 15:13   ·       A Night at Frankenstein's Castle – 31:46   ·       Best Marketing Practices – 34:35   ·       Mutli-lingual and...a new island? – 44:45   ·       Advice to Misfits – 48:19 COMING NEXT MONTH: Karen Essex, international best-selling author of historical fiction and more  UPCOMING EVENTS:   ·        Gabriel's Horn is  accepting submissions for its anthology. This year's theme is: MUSIC   ·       Laura will be giving a Pub Talk at the Kitchi-Gammi Club in Duluth  Our theme music is from www.bensound.com 

This month at Books & Brews, with Michael on sabbatical, Laura and Dr. Chris Powell visit Hoops Brewery in Duluth, MN. We talked with Bjorn Erickson, one of the brewers about brewing...and books. Bjorn had a great story about how he got from earning a degree in German to brewing beer. We talked about the blending of science and artistry, the hard parts of being a brewer, and the reasons Bjorn loves his job, and the numerous books and genres Bjorn reads. If you're in Duluth, we highly recommend stopping at Hoops Brewery, a family friendly place with lots of games for families and kids. You can bring your own food or get pretzels from Hoops with lots of great sauces. Hoops Brewery The Beer We Drank:  Laura -- 88 Stout Chris -- 5050 Hefeweizen Bjorn -- 889 Cream Ale Interview Highlights: Lake Superior, granite, and brewing -- 4:07 The road from a degree in German to brewing -- 8:45 On becoming a brewer -- 10:00 Telling a story with beer -- 14:08 Reading in High Middle German -- 27:34 The tour begins -- 41:42   COMING NEXT MONTH:  PTL Perrin is a military brat, voracious reader, and now writes books under the name PTL Perrin in her favorite genre, YA sci-fi/ fantasy. P.T.L. Perrin, grew up in Europe and speaks several languages.   UPCOMING EVENTS:  Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC DTBD: Laura will be giving a Pub Talk at the Kitchi-Gami Club in Duluth, MN Kitchi Gammi Club | Duluth's Premier Social Club Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

I grew up in Scotland, graduating from Edinburgh University with a degree in genetics. Back then, genetics was all about statistics and probability. So, I became a statistician until I took up the more chancy career of writing children's books. Exploring the Insect World was published nearly 50 years ago. I then switched to time-slip fantasies and historical fiction. I've written nature-activity books, biographies, and more books about insects, which I now look on as my true calling. I married an entomologist. When you share your home, and sometimes your refrigerator, with insects you realize they need an advocate in our world!  Margaret J. Anderson - Homepage (peak.org)  Margaret's Readings: ·        Dung Beetle/Scarab Beetle – 12:16 ·        Ollie Falls into Another Time – 26:52 ·        Saving the Duck or Destroying Books? – 42:12 Michael's Beer Pairings:  ·        Egyptian Process Brew, British Museum and Alpha Beta Brewery ([paired to Dung Beetle] – 8:27 ·        Belhaven Scottish Ale, Belhaven Brewery Company Ltd. (paired to Ollie Falls into Another Time) – 24:42 ·        Skull Splitter, Orkney Brewery (paired to Saving the Duck) – 40:37 Interview Highlights:  ·        Making the study of dung beetles INTERESTING! – 15:48 ·        Where did those character's names come from!? – 20:20 ·        Thoughts on Smailholm being restored since In the Keep of Time was written. – 31:07 ·        Why are we drawn to switching identities? – 35:21 ·        What really happened to Danny Duck? – 45:35 ·        Taking things in stride as an adult...good or bad? – 47:17 COMING NEXT MONTH: While Michael takes a hiatus, Laura and Chris will visit a local brewery. UPCOMING EVENTS:  ·        Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC ·        DTBD: Laura will be giving a Pub Talk at the Kitchi-Gami Club in Duluth, MN Kitchi Gammi Club | Duluth's Premier Social Club Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.  

Born and raised in west Michigan, Sharlene MacLaren attended Spring Arbor University. Upon graduating with an education degree, she taught second grade for two years then accepted an invitation to travel internationally for a year with a singing ensemble. In1975, she returned to teaching and married her childhood sweetheart. They've raised two lovely daughters, both of whom are now happily married and enjoying their own families. Retired since 2003 after 31 years of teaching, “Shar” loves to read, sing, travel, and spend time with her family, in particular her wonderful, adorable grandchildren.sharlenecaclaren.com Sharlene's Readings: ·       Dear Mr. Griffin – 9:30 ·       Calm Down! – 25:10 ·       Vandalism at the Church – 39:56 Michael's Beer Pairings:  ·       Sapporo Black Beer, Sapporo Breweries Ltd. (paired to Dear Mr. Griffin) – 6:49 ·       Hitachino Nest White Ale, Kiuchi Brewery (paired to Calm Down!) – 22:20 ·       Graffiti IPA, Dry County Brewing Company (paired to Vandalism at the Church) – 38:18 Interview Highlights:  ·       Can secrets ever really be kept? – 15:46 ·       The decision never to write historical fiction--how did it go! – 17:40 ·       From passing stories in high school to writing professionally. – 19:27 ·       Differing experiences with anti-Japanese prejudice after WWII – 30:39 ·       International singing tour! – 36:22 ·       Do we step down for all our mistakes? – 44:30 COMING NEXT MONTH: Margaret J. Anderson author of children's novels, the time travel that inspired Laura's own books, and non-fiction about bugs  UPCOMING EVENTS: ·        Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC ·       Laura will be selling her books AND chicken eggs (some so big the cartons can't shut) at Hoops Brewing for the first four Saturdays of April.  ·       Laura will be giving a Pub Talk at the Kitchi-Gammi Club in Duluth Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Elizabeth Tucker is a Distinguished Service Professor of English at Binghamton University who specializes in children's and adolescents' folklore, folklore of the supernatural, and legends. Her books include Campus Legends: A Handbook, Haunted Halls: Ghostlore of American College Campuses, Children's Folklore: A Handbook; Haunted Southern Tier; and New York State Folklife Reader: Diverse Voices, co-edited with Ellen McHale (2013). She is co-author of Legend Trips: A Contemporary Legend Handbook (2018). She has edited Children's Folklore Review and served as president of the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research and the Children's Folklore Section of the American Folklore Society; she is also a Fellow of the American Folklore Society. For several years she has written a column on play for the International Journal of Play. She loves to travel and go on legend trips. https://tinyurl.com/LibbyTucker   Elizabeth's Readings: ·        The Wedding Cake House – 11:14 ·        Minnehaha's Ghost – 25:49 ·        The Ghost in the Machine – 42:13 Michael's Beer Pairings: ·        Phantom Bride, Belching Beaver Brewery – 9:53 ·        Minnehaha, Iron Goat Brewing Company – 24:12 ·        Ghost in the Machine Double IPA, Parish Brewing Company – 40:39 Interview Highlights: ·        Suzie the ghostly bride—benevolent or malicious? – 14:00 ·        Why are stories of shadow creatures increasing? – 16:45 ·        Do campus ghost stories serve a function? ·        College increases belief in ghosts?! – 38:00 ·        Why call for the ghost of an angry woman? – 30:11 ·        Tina...the mischievous doll joins the program! – 49:03 COMING NEXT MONTH: Sharlene MacLaren UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.  

Eva Glyn writes emotional women's fiction inspired by beautiful places and the stories they hide. She loves to travel and her last trip before the covid lockdowns was to Croatia, where she met a man with an incredible story of growing up during the country's Homeland War in in 1990s. It inspired The Olive Grove, set on the island of Korcula. Two more Croatian novels have followed, both taking their inspiration from the Second World War. An Island of Secrets was published in 2022 and The Collaborator's Daughter will follow in 2023. Her books are published by Harper Collins imprint One More Chapter. Eva lives in Cornwall, although she considers herself Welsh, and has been lucky enough to have been married to the love of her life for more than twenty-five years. She also writes as Jane Cable www.janecable.com Jane's Readings: The Olive Grove – 14:24 An Island of Secrets – 27:51 The Collaborator's Daughter – 42:10 Michael's Beer Pairings: Saison Dekot, Vunetovo Craft Beer – 12:52 The Abyss, Deschutes Brewery – 25:59 Dark to the Core Imperial Stout, Collaboration of Abyss Brewery and Burning Sky Brewery – 40:46 Interview Highlights: How a tour guide led to a book – 21:32 Why use two author names? – 24:53 Tito and alliances in WWII – 33:37 Why some eras draw us more than others – 37:08 "The past isn't always what it seems." – 50:05 "Men are not one thing; they are many things." – 52:43 COMING NEXT MONTH: Elizabeth 'Libby' Tucker, folklore UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Jen Gilroy writes women's fiction for Orion Dash and sweet western romance for Harlequin Heartwarming—uplifting stories about women finding home, family and new beginnings–and finding themselves too. She's a Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Joan Hessayon award. A dual British-Canadian citizen, Jen lived in England for many years and earned a doctorate in geography, focusing on British cultural studies and social history, from University College London. She worked in higher education and marketing before becoming a full-time writer. She now lives in small-town Ontario, Canada with her husband, teenage daughter and floppy-eared rescue hound. When not writing, she enjoys reading, ballet and paddling her purple kayak. www.jengilroy.com Jen's Readings: Tearing up the Ticket – 12:53 ..Surprise! – 27:11 From Canadian Schoolgirl to French spy – 42:07 Michael's Beer Pairings: Ominous, Bad Weather Brewing Company (paired to Tearing up the Ticket) – 11:03 Fuller's London Pride, Fuller, Smith & Turner (paired to DNA…Surprise!) – 25:02 KEREL Bière de Garde, Verbeeck-Back-De Cock Brewery (paired to From Canadian Schoolgirl to French Spy) – 39:01 Interview Highlights: How an elderly aunt's “What if?” led to a book – 19:03 RAF 'Sweetheart Jewelry' – 22:56 How often do DNA tests shock people? – 31:18 Ballet! -- Does Jen dance or watch? – 37:23 Researching the French Resistance – 47:01 Coming back to writing – 51:15 COMING NEXT MONTH: Eva Glyn, romance and relationships UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK's Romantic Novelists' Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes.  Hidden in the Mists (timeslip/dual time romance published by Headline Review 18th August 2022) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety). Christina Courtenay Christina's Readings: Battle at Orkneyjar, 883 AD – 15:04 Skye Sees a Ghost, present day – 28:40 Ottarr Catches Asta Burying Treasures, 880 AD – 45:10 Michael's Beer Pairings:  Camelot Mead, Oliver Winery & Vineyards (paired to Battle at Orkneyjar) – 11:52 First Call, Modist Brewing Company (paired to Skye Sees a Ghost) – 25:29 Empty Rowboat, Lake Monster Brewing Company (paired to Ottarr Catches Asta Burying Treasures) – 41:47 Interview Highlights:  Genealogy and wonky family lines! – 9:55 The appeal of time travel and dual time stories – 21:17 Vikings and Old Norse – 24:30 Life on a farm – 32:32 Sheep and trombones?! – 33:47 Our judgments on others – 49:17 COMING NEXT MONTH: Jen Gilroy, author of romance and women's fiction UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Connie Kinsey is a former military brat who has put down deep roots in a converted barn on a dirt road at the top of a hill in West Virginia. She lives with two dogs and a cat, and is pursuing happiness, one cup of coffee at a time. Primarily a memoirist, the events of her life permeate her work. Her fiction is sometimes described as autofiction because it incorporates autobiography in a fictionalized form with endings far from the truth of what really happened. In January of 2021, Connie was thrilled to be selected as one of two Writers-in-Residence for the Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center. She works full-time with a children's nonprofit.  wvfurandroot.com Facebook wvfurandroot.com Connie's Readings: Redemption – 13:05 Being a Brat – 28:30 Chapter 5 from Black Fishnets and Combat Boots – 43:36 Michael's Beer Pairings: Grapefruit Supreme, Surly Brewing Company (paired to Redemption) – 10:38 Crunkle Sam Barleywine, Clown Shoes (paired to Being a Brat) – 25:32 Budweiser, ABInBev (paired to Chapter 5 from Black Fishnets and Combat Boots) – 40:55 Interview Highlights: Faulkner chicks and Tennessee Williams chicks! – 16:52 And what about Appalachian chicks? – 19:11 Why West Virginia? – 23:17 The effects of growing up military – 36:08 The Museum of the American Military Family – 36:48 The story behind Black Fishnets – 48:24 Writing dark comedy—humor with a serious message – 53:55 COMING NEXT MONTH:  Christina Courtenay, author of historical fiction, time slip, and time travel UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Robert Bidinotto is author of the bestselling Dylan Hunter vigilante thriller series. Robert's debut novel, HUNTER, soared to the top of the Kindle bestseller list and was a Wall Street Journal “Top 10 Fiction Ebook.” Its sequel, BAD DEEDS, became a #1 Audible thriller. The third installment in the series is the gripping political suspense novel WINNER TAKES ALL. Before turning to fiction, Robert produced decades of award-winning nonfiction journalism. He earned a national reputation as an authority on crime while writing investigative articles for Reader's Digest. One of those was named a finalist for a National Magazine Award, by the American Society of Magazine Editors. Robert also wrote two acclaimed nonfiction books about criminal justice. As editor of The New Individualist magazine, he won the prestigious Folio gold “Eddie” Award, for editorial excellence. Robert lives on the Chesapeake Bay, where he is writing the further adventures of Dylan Hunter. www.bidinotto.com Robert's Readings: The Funeral – 12:02 from Bad Deeds – 29:05 from Winner Takes All – 46:08 Michael's Beer Pairings: Dead Guy Ale, Rogue Ales (paired to The Funeral) – 9:47 A Little Crazy, Revolution Brewing (paired to Bad Deeds) – 26:14 Bomb!, Prairie Artisan Ales (paired to Winner Takes All) – 42:48 Interview Highlights: Why Robert didn't narrate! – 16:33 Good people, bad deeds, and enablers – 18:48 The vigilante character in history – 35:02 Dylan Hunter--a different sort of vigilante – 37:30 The genesis of Dylan Hunter – 50:09 On justice – 54:13 COMING NEXT MONTH:  Connie Kinsey, memoirist and Writers-in-Residence for the Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center. UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Nancie Laird Young grew up as an Army BRAT and traveled with her family across the United States, Europe and the Far East. Eventually she grew up, married (twice), had three great daughters, and various careers in human services, academic administration, advocacy for people with disabilities. These led to contributions to books and magazine articles about the Internet, which eventually led to positions in Community/Social Media Management, Content Development, and Strategy at WashingtonPost.com, Edmunds.com, LifetimeTV.com, and AOL/Time Warner among others. After leaving the corporate world she moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, presumably to care for her aging father. The story of how she reconnected with her father and rediscovered herself is the topic of her memoir Tea with Dad, Finding Myself in My Father's Life (Green Writers Press/Green Place Books, June 2021). Young is principle among others in the formation of a new small, independent press expected to open for submissions in late 2023. www.nancielairdyoung.com Nancie's Readings: Moving Home from the Prologue – 11:54 No More Baseball – 27:37 About the Heart – 42:01 Michael's Beer Pairings: Free the Bib, Lift Bridge Brewery (paired to Moving Home) – 9:22 Twins Pils, Summit Brewing Company (paired to No More Baseball) – 25:16 Shock Top, ABInBev, (Paired to About the Heat) – 40:47 Interview Highlights: Compromising—again – 18:35 Thinking about death – 33:05 A good life--being satisfied – 47:05 Getting to know our parents – 51:08 COMING NEXT MONTH: Robert Bidinotto, Vigilante Author UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology Release of Saint in the Cellar by Laura Vosika and Chris R. Powell, available in print, ebook, and hard cover. Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Meet award-winning author Janet Raye Stevens – mom, reader, tea-drinker (okay, tea guzzler), and weaver of smart, stealthily romantic tales. A Derringer Award finalist, Janet's work has been recognized multiple times, including winning the Daphne du Maurier award for the WWII-set paranormal A Moment After Dark and RWA's Golden Heart® award for the fun and flirty holiday romance Cole for Christmas. Janet writes mystery, time travel, paranormal, and the occasional Christmas romance with humor, heart, and a dash of suspense. She lives in New England with her husband, who's practically perfect in every way, and their various family members, all geniuses and good-looking to boot. janetrayestevens.com Readings: To the Rooming House from Beryl Blue, Time Cop – 14:04 At the Nightclub with the Soldiers from Beryl Blue, Time Cop – 27:18 A Moment After Dark – 44:18 Michael's Beer Pairings: Northern Standard, Fulton Beer (paired to To the Rooming House) – 11:41 Coors Banquet, Coors Brewing Company (paired to At the Nightclub with the Soldiers) – 24:40 Saporro Premium Beer, Sapporo (paired to A Moment After Dark) – 41:30 Interview Highlights: A childhood immersed in WWII – 18:52 What was good about the 1940s? – 19:39 The Day My Teacher Wore a Miniskirt to School – 32:18 Why do some wars get more fictional attention than others? – 38:22 Why a mortician with paranormal gifts? – 49:43 Getting into the minds of others – 53:35 COMING NEXT MONTH: Nancie Laird Young, Author of Tea with Dad: Finding Myself in My Father's Life UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel's Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology Release of Saint in the Cellar by Laura Vosika and Chris R. Powell, available in print, ebook, and hard cover. Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.