Tag Archives: Novelist

Episode #30: Christine Husom

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Christine Husom is a national best-selling author from Minnesota. She pens the suspenseful Winnebago County Mysteries and the cozy, but not too cozy, Snow Globe Shop Mysteries where bad guys demonstrate not everyone is “Minnesota Nice.” She also has stories in many anthologies. Husom served with the Wright County Sheriff, is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and is active with the Twin Cities chapter. She loves meeting readers at a variety of venues and events.
www.christinehusom.com

Christine’s Readings:

  • Death in Lionel’s Woods – 33:47
  • Secret in Whitetail Lake – 26:11
  • Frosty the Dead Man – 41:36

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Interview Highlights:

  • From Sheriff’s Office to Author – 16:21
  • Writing from things seen at the sheriff’s office – 18:23
  • Researching for a crime novel – 19:35
  • Character-driven vs plot driven – 34:29
  • Readers’ views of Minnesota – 36:12
  • Writing mysteries vs writing other fiction – 50:18

COMING NEXT MONTH: Sandy Hanna, Memoirs of military life

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

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #29: Nicole Burnham

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Nicole Burnham is the RITA Award-winning author of over twenty romance novels, including the popular Royal Scandals series. As an army brat, Nicole was raised moving around the world. She still travels abroad whenever she can score cheap airfare and loves that it feeds her writing. If Nicole isn’t at her keyboard, she is happiest spending time at Fenway Park or trail running.
www.nicoleburnham.com  

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Nicole’s Readings (read by Hollis McCarthy):

  • Scandal with a Prince (Megan Hears a Voice) – 12:32
  • Slow Tango with a Prince (Emily Finds Vittorio) – 26:02
  • To Kiss a King (Expert Advice) – 45:31

Michael’s Beer Pairings: 

Interview Highlights: 

  • Struck by a voice – 14:10
  • What drew you to royalty? – 18:48
  • A man’s point of view vs. a woman’s point of view in romance – 30:04
  • Identical twins – 33:28
  • Law degree and writing romance – 35:35
  • Emotional focus of romance novels – 50:25
  • Fictional kingdom vs. a real kingdom – 53:02
  • Growing up military and writing – 54:58

COMING NEXT MONTH: Christine Husom, mystery author

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

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #28: Jeff LaFerney

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Jeff LaFerney was a full-time language arts teacher in Davison, Michigan, for 30 years. After coaching basketball for most of his career, he decided to write books instead and took on his new hobby. Now he spends his free time reading, writing, and editing books. He and his beautiful wife have two adult children. His Clay and Tanner Thomas series focuses on a father and son team who use parapsychological abilities to solve mysteries. Jumper is a time-travel science fiction adventure. Lost and Found, is a unique mystery/treasure hunt with ties to World War II history. His latest, Planer, is the sequel to Jumper, his best-selling novel. He has a blog called The Red Pen where he usually infuses humor to share about himself or to give inspiration or writing tips.
jefflaferney.blogspot.com

Jeff’s Readings:

  • Loving the Rain – 13:28
  • Lost and Found – 30:22
  • Jumper – 43:35

Michael’s Beer Pairings: 

Interview Highlights: 

  • What led to the very strong disclaimer that your work is fiction! – 22:15
  • Mixing secular and faith – 23:52
  • What’s historical, what’s not – 38:19
  • Research on time travel – 49:11
  • Dropping crumbs that readers want to follow – 51:54
  • How to hook the reader – 54:30

COMING NEXT MONTH: Nicole Burnham, romance author

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

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode 21: Lauretta and Michael Kehoe

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Lauretta Kehoe is an avid reader of all types of books, but mostly science fiction and fantasy, seeking in these stories reflections of her Christian faith. Not finding many, she decided to write what she wanted to read. Michael Kehoe is a professional comedian, actor and screenwriter, who has appeared in several movies, including the latest Jason Bourne film, the upcoming Godzilla sequel, two television shows and two commercials.  Michael has also appeared as his Geriatric Elvis persona at five casinos in the Las Vegas area.
A Dream of Dragons is their debut urban fantasy novel, first published by Tate Enterprises in 2016.  They have also published stories in several anthologies, including Creative Writing Institute’s 2017 anthology Lost, Enchanted Anthologies: Once Upon a Cursed Time, Christmas Nightmares and Fractured Fairytales Volume II, and Black, Blue and Purple Pain.  In addition to writing their own books, they work with other authors to publish theirs, such as turning movie scripts into novellas for producer, director and actor, Ron Becks. They are members of the Jerry Jenkins Writer’s Guild.
laurettakehoe.com
mikekentertainment.com

Laurie’s Readings:

  • I am flying! – 13:02
  • Shopping with Anne – 26:10
  • Henry with the Bad Guys – 43:15

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • Dragon’s milk, New Holland Brewing – 10:37
  • Gray Duck Spirited Seltzer, Gray Duck Spirits – 23:01
  • Chaos Monger, Warpigs Brewing USA – 38:18

Interview Highlights:

  • Dreams in story-telling – 16:10
  • Mixing light and dark story elements – 19:22
  • Elvis impressions – 20:33
  • Pollyanna vs likable characters – 32:14
  • Saving Anne vs Saving Henry – 35:45
  • Fiction: Faith, Secular or 3-dimensional? – 53:48

COMING NEXT MONTH: Dr. Chris R. Powell, readings on love for February

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

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #18: Lisa Gurine

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Lisa Gurine has written newsletters and business communications professionally for more than twenty years. She comes from a long line of storytellers and for most of her life has channeled her creative energy into re-telling and embellishing her family’s history. Without Words grew from the seeds of her own ancestors’ lives as South Dakota immigrants.
Lisa Gurine resides in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, with her husband of more than thirty years. Her passion for cross-cultural understanding led her to volunteer with an international high school exchange program. She and her husband have hosted six foreign exchange students at their home and have engaged with many more. Her other favorite pastimes include international travel, volunteering with her church and honing her writing skills with her Night Writers critique partners.
Lisagurinebooks.com
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Lisa’s Readings:

  • Letter to Emma – 8:56
  • The Boy from the In Between – 27:11
  • Hulda and the White Cake – 44:43

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • Guinness Draught, Guinness Ltd. (paired to Letter to Emma) – 5:22
  • Mango Mango Mango, Dugges Bryggeri & Stillwater Artisanal Ales (Paired to The Boy from the In Between) – 23:32
  • Cake’d Up Celebration Cake, Mankato Brewery (Paired to Hulda and the White Cake) – 41:08

Interview Highlights:

  • The story behind Letter to Emma – 13:35
  • Turning fact into fiction – 15:42
  • Developing as a writer; exercises and writers groups – 21:40
  • Hosting exchange students – 34:20
  • Perceptions of the Land of Snow – 35:35
  • What’s the deal with cake! – 50:01
  • The importance of telling our family stories – 52:26

COMING NEXT MONTH:  Sandra Lynn Reed, author of The Drive in ’65

UPCOMING EVENTS:

  • Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology
  • Lisa Gurine will be one of three authors at a book signing, Maple Grove Lutheran Church, 9251 Elm Creek Blvd N, Maple Grove, MN, Sunday, November 8, 2020, 1 – 5 pm

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #17: Ozgur K. Sahin

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Ozgur K. Sahin is an award-winning historical novelist and life coach. True Colors, the second book in his Brethren of the Spanish Main series, was released in late 2019 as a sequel to The Wrath of Brotherhood. He is currently working as a life coach while hunkered down during the Covid-19 pandemic and working on a non-fiction book on narcissism. He grew up in Minneapolis and his studies range from astrophysics and history to meditation and development studies.
ozgurksahin.com

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Ozgur’s Readings:

  • Pieter at the Prison – 14:21
  • Coya with the Golden Staff – 31:06
  • Captain Roy Toppings at the Hucia – 46:51

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • Sidra Asturiana Mayador Natural Cider, Sidra Mayador (paired to Pieter at the Prison) – 9:56
  • Cowbell Cream Ale, Urban Growler Brewing Company (paired to Coya with the Golden Staff) – 26:30
  • Stout/Rum Cocktail with Obsidian Stout, Deschutes Brewery (paired to Captain Roy Toppings at the Hucia) – 44:29

Cocktail Recipe (from CB2):

1.5 oz Rum
1.5 oz Ginger-Jalapeño Syrup
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
5 oz Stout-Style Beer
Preparation:
Pour the rum, syrup, and lime juice into a shaker and fill it with ice. Shake and strain the liquid into a glass half-filled with fresh ice. Top with the beer and garnish with a lime wedge.

Interview Highlights:

  • Humor in a serious story – 21:38
  • Why 1660? Why pirates? – 22:56
  • Flawed and scarred heroines – 38:28
  • Research–history, fiction, and Ginger Plantation – 52:40
  • Writing vivid descriptions – 53:59
  • Writing on narcissism – 55:59

COMING NEXT MONTH: Lisa Gurine, Author of Without Words, the stories of South Dakota settlers

UPCOMING EVENTS: Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #16: Mike Faricy

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The Dirty Lowdown called Mike Faricy America’s hottest new mystery writer. Robert Carraher referred to him as Minnesota’s Master of the Bizarre. Crime Scene referred to him as the next Carl Hiaasen. Mike Faricy writes four crime fiction series; Dev Haskell mystery series, the Corridor Man series, Jack Dillon Dublin Tales series, and the Hotshot series. Faricy’s novels are filled with the sort of oddballs we’re all curious about, but wisely prefer to keep at a distance. His characters serve not so much as an example as they do a warning to us all. None of them will be saving the world from terrorism, international banking conspiracies, or coups to take over the government. Rather, Faricy’s characters inhabit a world just below the surface of polite society. The circumstances they find themselves in are usually due to their own bad decisions, but then bad decisions make for interesting stories. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Faricy still spends part of his time in the saintly city as well as in Dublin, Ireland.
mikefaricybooks.com

Mike’s Readings:

  • Bite Me – 11:30
  • Last Shot – 26:39
  • Mr. Swirlee – 43:19

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • Mas Agave, Founders Brewing Company (paired to Bite Me) – 8:35
  • Steel Reserve, Steel Brewing Company (paired to Last Shot) – 22:40
  • Dirty Bastard, Founders Brewing Company (paired to Mr. Swirlee) – 41:16

Interview Highlights:

  • Where does a womanizing private investigator like Dev Haskell come from? – 17:36
  • Mike’s history with St Paul, where most of his novels are set. – 20:57
  • Where does Mike find his characters? – 35:15
  • Why Ireland? What happened to Mike in a pub there! – 36:07
  • Why the decision to write under pen names–and why change that now? – 49:48
  • Mike’s amazing marketing–and why he can now write full time – 50:29

COMING NEXT MONTH:  Ozgur K. Sahin, author of Brethren of the Spanish Main series.

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

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #13: Judith Granahan

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Fiction Author, Judith Granahan of Minnesota writes books about strong, intelligent, inventive women who get in trouble. The question is who will survive, who won’t?
Women have always been described as super human to sniveling child, intelligent to incompetent, collaborator to cut throat; it goes on and on. With such varied attributes in mind, Granahan creates novels full of compelling characters dealing with mystery, danger, thrills, romance, horror, and difficult choices. Someday she may even write science fiction, fantasy or historical novels.
www.judithgranahanbooks.com

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Judy’s Readings:

  • Rose Teaches her Sons to Hate (See That House) – 10:48
  • Hailey Goes Off the Mountain (See That House) – 23:47
  • Anna Mae Shoots Her Husband’s Grave (Dancers of the Third Age) – 41:25

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • Obsidian Stout, Deschutes Brewery (paired to Rose Teaches her Sons to Hate) – 6:54
  • Zombie Dust, 3 Floyd’s Brewing Company (paired to Hailey Goes Off the Mountain) – 21:10
  • BOMB!, Prairie Artisan Ales (paired to Anna Mae Shoots Her Husband’s Grave) – 36:58

Interview Highlights:

  • Starting the Night Writers group – 12:23
  • What kind of research goes into writing about corporate financial shenanigans? – 19:16
  • How do you get inside the head of characters completely unlike yourself? – 25:26
  • Writing people who are despicable in many ways–but not two dimensional bad guys. – 31:37
  • Revenge is not the answer to evil–what is? – 34:02
  • Your characters do a lot of shooting! What’s your background with guns? – 45:46
  • What drew you to writing about an abused woman? – 47:40
  • Why do some people get the strength to leave abusive situations? – 50:54

COMING NEXT MONTH: Film maker and novelist John Gaspard.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.