June Line-Up
We kick off the month of June with North Carolina Hall of Fame Storyteller, Clyde Edgerton. Fourteen time New York bestselling author Brad Taylor joins us, too, along with USA Today bestselling author Pamela Fagan Hutchins. We also have other award-winning authors with a variety of stories. The month includes novels, biography and non-fiction, exploring themes of race, gender, philanthropy, military conflict, and more. Our authors take us from the boardroom to the back country. Settings include Wyoming, Afghanistan, Australia, Taiwan, the Appalachian mountains, Paris, and of course, North Carolina, including Charlotte.
June 1 Walking Through Writing with North Carolina Hall of Fame Storyteller, Clyde Edgerton
In this episode 214, guest hosted by award-winning novelist and teacher, George Hovis, we visit with Clyde Edgerton, the well-known and well-loved North Carolina author of ten novels, a book of advice, a memoir, short stories, and essays.
As well as being a New York Times bestselling author and member of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, among other prestigious writing awards, he is an accomplished artist, musician, pilot, and teacher of creative writing. And even more than that, he spins a good yarn and knows how to have a good laugh.
He says that funny and tragic family stories on both sides of his family, but especially on his mother’s, were gifts to his profession as a fiction writer—and thus helped him make a living on earth, a living that he has thus far enjoyed immensely.
Today, we amble among the writings and musings of one of North Carolina’s literary treasures, and have a laugh along the way.
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: On Writing with Clyde Edgerton
June 4 Howard E. Covington, Jr.’s Book is “Beyond the Bank: Hugh McColl’s Chapter 2”
In this episode 215, we visit with Howard Covington, Jr., author of “Beyond the Bank: Hugh McColl’s Chapter Two,” an in-depth look into the great legacy of Hugh McColl’s philanthropy after his retirement from Bank of America and some of the unique aspects of his character and philosophy that made him successful.
In his 80s, McColl remains a force for good in Charlotte, North Carolina, from his career at Bank of America to the capital he invests into his neighbors in order to better the community.
Paul Leonard, former CEO of Habitat for Humanity, had this to say about the book: “Hugh McColl has never stopped learning, listening, caring, investing, and sharing his remarkable resources and knowledge with people from all walks in life.”
Michael Marsicano, president and CEO of the Foundation For The Carolinas, says:
“Nothing motivates Hugh McColl more than leading collaborations of strong voices to spark innovative solutions for the challenges of our time.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Writing Biography With Howard Covington
June 8 Kevin McIlvoy Pens an Appalachian Ghost Story on Racial Justice in “One Kind Favor”
In this episode 216, we visit with Kevin McIlvoy, author of “One Kind Favor,” a haunting and nuanced look at past and present racial injustices in the Appalachian Mountains.
Ghosts haunt the small Appalachian community of Cord, North Carolina. After a lynching is discovered and covered up, the ghosts of Cord begin to unearth the past truths of racism and social injustice to confront the townspeople and get justice for Lincoln Lennox.
Karen E. Bender, a National Book Award finalist and author of “Refund,” had this to say about the book, “Kevin McIlvoy is a writer of incisive moral vision, and One Kind Favor looks at the brutality of racial injustice in a North Carolina town with a powerful sense of place and clarity and insight.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: How Age Can Make a Difference in Writing with Kevin McIlvoy
June 11 #BlackGirlMagic is a Triumph of Resilience in Julia Jordan-Zachery’s “Black Girl Magic Beyond the Hashtag”
In this episode 217, guest hosted by Michele Tracy Berger, a women’s and gender studies professor and an award-winning creative writer and creativity coach, we visit with award-winning author, Julia Jordan-Zachery, editor of and contributor to “Black Girl Magic Beyond the Hashtag: Twenty-First Century Acts of Self-Definition.”
Through a collection of essays and critical analyses, this text explores the offline lived experiences of Black femmes, girls, and women, and how they foster community, counters invisibility, engage in restorative acts, and create spaces for freedom.
From the Foreword, “Hashtag or trademark, personal or collective expression, #BlackGirlMagic is the articulation of the resolve and persistence of Black women and girls to triumph in the face of intersectional oppressions.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Writing and Editing Essays with Julia Jordan-Zachery
June 15 Katey Schultz Weaves Together the Lives of Three in War-Torn Afghanistan in “Still Come Home”
In this episode 218, we visit with Katey Schultz, multiple award-winning author of “Still Come Home,” a novel surrounding the lives of three characters in Afghanistan: an Afghan girl with dreams and ambitions beyond the confines of her misogynistic society, an American soldier about to embark on one last mission, and a man working for the Taliban—not for any specific hatred of Americans, but because the money is good and he wishes to provide to his young wife.
The lives of Aaseya, Nathan Miller, and Rahim (Aaseya’s husband) are forever intertwined as the Taliban hatch a dangerous plot, and a simple mission for humanitarian aid turns deadly.
Abigail DeWitt, author of “News of Our Loved Ones,” had this to say about the book, “Schultz’s ability to enter into these radically different lives is nothing short of breathtaking. There is tragedy here, but also humor, moral blindness, along with deep courage. And the desert holds it all.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: The Art of Revision with Katey Schultz
June 18 #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Brad Taylor Takes Readers to Australia and Taiwan to Save the World in “American Traitor”
In this episode 219, we visit with #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Taylor to talk about his newest Pike Logan novel “American Traitor,” in which Pike Logan and his new bride Jennifer Cahill must put their carefree vacation in Australia behind to prevent a military confrontation between China and Taiwan.
Brad Taylor expertly guides reader on a thrill-ride through the world of Special Ops, Cyber Ops, and political intrigue, in which Pike Logan must do his best to adhere to the legal and moral rules that govern their conduct in the murky and deadly world they inhabit.
#1 New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart had this to say about the Logan Pike books, “Pike ranks right up there with Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, and Jack Bauer.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Writing with New York Times Bestseller Brad Taylor
June 22 Alex George’s “The Paris Hours” Weaves Four Desperate Characters Together in One 24 Hour Post WWI Day
In this episode 220, guest hosted by award winning author David Collins, we visit with award-winning author Alex George, author of “The Paris Hours.”
The book is set in one day in the City of Light and one night in search of lost time. Paris between the wars teems with artists, writers, and musicians, a glittering crucible of genius. But amidst the dazzling creativity of the city’s most famous citizens, four regular people are each searching for something they’ve lost.
Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of “City of Light” and and “After the Fire” and recipient of the National Jewish Book Award, says this about the book: “Unfolding over the course of one day in 1927, in a city whose citizens remain traumatized by the devastation of World War I, ‘The Paris Hours’ is a thrilling, irresistible marvel. In lyrical prose, author Alex George weaves together memory, loss, and yearning, portraying his characters with such vivid immediacy that I could imagine myself walking beside them along the winding streets of Paris, sharing their stories. Riveting, heartbreaking, and compassionate, ‘The Paris Hours’ continues to haunt me.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Independent Book Stores and Book Festivals with Alex George
June 25 Marc Jampole Explores the Effects of Childhood Trauma in “The Brothers Silver”
In this episode 221, we visit with Marc Jampole, author of “The Brothers Silver,” a sweeping novel exploring the shame, guilt, anger and fear of betrayal which distort the relationship that survivors of childhood trauma have with other people and their past.
The story begins with brothers Jules and Leon Silver sitting helpless as their mother tries and fails to complete suicide. This act is the catalyst for the book’s tightly woven timeline of Jules and Leon’s lives.
The poet Sparrow X had this to say about the book, “The Brothers Silver employs a fevered, poetry-laced prose to careen through the nine dimensions of American dysfunction. Like that of a Jewish Jack Kerouac, Jampole’s writing has ‘gyrating vibrato folds, wonderfully dissonant cliffs and dips, notes expanding, subsiding and colliding, waning and waxing…’”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Book Marketing From the Perspective of An Author Who Owns a PR Agency with Marc Jampole
June 29 Mystery Hero Patrick Flint Investigates Plane Crash that Leads to Mayhem in Pamela Fagan Hutchins’ newest, “Snaggletooth”
In this episode 222, we visit with Pamela Fagan Hutchins, author of “Snaggletooth,” the latest in the Patrick Flint mystery series, a spin-off from the What Doesn’t Kill You Saga.
While on a trail ride with his family, Patrick witnesses a plane crash in the Bighorn Mountains. Guided by his moral compass, Patrick embarks on a journey to find the downed plane and any survivors. What he finds is not what it seems, and he learns that not everyone is worth saving.
USA Today bestselling author Danielle Girard had this to say about the book, “Transports the reader deep into the mountains of Wyoming for a thriller that has it all–wild animals, criminals, and one family willing to do whatever is necessary to protect its own. Pamela Fagan Hutchins writes with the authority of a woman who knows this world. She weaves the story with both nail-biting suspense and a healthy dose of humor. You won’t want to miss it.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Book Selling and Marketing with Indie Bestselling Author Pamela Fagan Hutchins