Category Archives: Uncategorized

Episode #55: MJ Williams Murder on the Road

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Books and Brews meets the writing duo, MJ Williams. They are Peggy Joque Williams and Mary Joy Johnson. Peggy is a freelance writer and book editor. 
 
A retired elementary school teacher, Peggy has taught creative writing classes and workshops for Madison College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Continuing Studies. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and the Wisconsin Writers Association.

She will be debuting her first solo historical novel, Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles, next May (2024), to be published by Black Rose Writing.

Mary Joy is a retired professor of writing. 

Together they co-wrote and independently published two mystery novels centering on Emily and Stan Remington who travel the country in their RV — On the Road to Death’s Door, a Wisconsin Library Association award winner, and On the Road to Where the Bells Toll.

MJ’s Readings:

  • Surprise in the Rug – 11:29
  • An Explosive Fourth of July – 27:26
  • Calamity at Storrow Bridge – 43:10

Chris’s Cocktail Pairings:

  • When the Kids are Away (paired to Surprise in the Rug) – 8:39
  • Blue Independence (paired to An Explosive Fourth of July) – 24:10
  • The Boston (paired to Calamity at Storrow Bridge) – 39:43

Interview Highlights:

  • How Non-RVers came to write about RVing – 16:45
  • Writing as a team – 19:50
  • Is Pelltier based on…? – 23:10
  • Using a historic event in fiction – 34:02
  • RV horror stories – 50:30
  • Daughters of the King – 53:10

COMING NEXT MONTH: MB Zucker, author of political and historical fiction

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology NEW THEME: MUSIC

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this interview, you might also like:

Episode #54: Ancient times and cursed coins to pirates with Ralph E. Jarrells

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Books and Brews checks in with author Ralph Jarrells. 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 

If you liked this episode you might also like:

Episode #53: Dan Coonan

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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 

Episode #52: Karen Essex

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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 

Episode #51: PTL Perrin

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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.

www.ptlperrin.org

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

  ·       Dragons and 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 

Episode #50: Bjorn Erickson, Brewer

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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: 

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #49: Margaret Anderson

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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: 

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: 

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #48: Sharlene MacLaren

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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: 

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:

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

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Episode #47: Elizabeth Tucker

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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:

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.

Episode #46: Jane Cable

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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:

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.