Tag Archives: World War II

A Pastor’s Secret Child: with Sharlene MacLaren, #48

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Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet

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.

She read from her book The Mercy Tree, the story of a pastor in 1955 who learns he fathered a child while stationed in Japan years earlier. We talked about the attitudes and racism of the 1950s, and much more.

A prolific writer, Sharlene has also written the Hearts of Honor, Forever Freedom, Tennessee Dreams, River of Hope, The Daughters of Jacob Kane, and Little Hickman Creek series!
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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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.
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    https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
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Croatia and World War with Jane Cable, Episode #46:

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Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet

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.

We talked about the complexities of alliances, Americans in Croatia, the wild coincidence that Michael, Laura, and Jane have all been to Dubrovnik, and much more.

Another fun Books and Brews episode!
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.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

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

Time Cops and History with Janet Raye Stevens, Episode #40

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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:

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

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

Forty Thieves with Cynthia Kraack and Joseph Tachovsky, Episode #23

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The Forty Thieves of Saipan is the true story of an elite team of very young men, barely out of their teens in many cases, who went behind enemy lines in World War II, led by Frank Tachovsky. It is told by Frank’s son Joseph Tachovsky and Cynthia Kraack.

Cynthia Kraack, co-author of Forty Thieves of Saipan

Cynthia Kraack is an author of fiction, short stories and nonfiction. 40 Thieves on Saipan was released by Regnery History in 2020 and received Best Book in Military History from the American Book Festival. The High Cost of Flowers won two 2014 Midwest Book Awards taking first in Literary Fiction and Contemporary Fiction. Her debut work, Minnesota Cold, won the 2009 Northeastern Minnesota Book Award for Fiction. She also wrote the Ashwood trilogy, a speculative fiction family saga. The Saturday Evening Post, Glimmer Train, Big Muddy Literary Journal and the Hal Prize competition have published or recognized her short stories. She has an MFA from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Program in Creative Writing. She is a founding board member of Write On, Door County.
Cynthiakraack.com
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Joseph Tachovsky, co-author of Forty Thieves of Saipan

Joseph Tachovsky is the son of Lieutenant Frank Tachovsky, commanding officer of the 40 Thieves. Tachovsky knew nothing of his father’s heroic past beyond that he was a Marine in the Pacific until his father’s funeral in 2011. A eulogy was given in which a man recounted a story a wherein Lieutenant Tachovsky “saved every man in our unit” from a Japanese tank. This set him on a journey to discover everything he could about his father and the 40 Thieves. Tachovsky is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and currently resides in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
40thievessaipan.com
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Cynthia and Joseph’s Readings:

  • Four Woodpeckers – 13:48
  • Arello and Duley – 29:48
  • Pacts & Premonitions – 41:59

Michael’s Beer Pairings: 

Interview Highlights: 

  • The hardest part of writing such a book – 23:09
  • Why does it matter to tell the story of the 40 Thieves? – 24:52
  • Origins of the name “40 Thieves” – 35:18
  • Rivalry and stereotypes among the branches – 36:30
  • The Thieves as old men – 38:00
  • Do you believe in premonitions? – 47:42
  • What gives a 21-year-old the courage to face death? – 50:27
  • Lingering impacts of war – 52:58

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Philip Watling: The car hit me….I died….

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

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