November Lineup
The month of November is a mix of five books and four craft talks. On the book front, we have a novel inspired by a 1937 true crime murder in the Appalachian mountains, a poignant and humorous memoir about teaching in the Jurassic, a literary mystery set in the 1920s on Ellis Island, a historical thriller focused on racial injustice in the post-Reconstruction South, and an American conspiracy set in the nation’s capital. On the craft side, we have four talented authors discussing (i) the elements of a good story, (ii) setting, (iii) writing stories from start to finish, and (iv) writing memoir.
Here’s the line-up:
November 2 Stacy Hawk’s “Dividing Ridge” is True Crime in 1937 on the Blue Ridge Parkway
In this episode 258, we visit with Stacy Hawks, author of “Dividing Ridge, The Unsolved Murder of Elva Brannock,” based on a true story of an unsolved crime that took place along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Alleghany, N.C. in 1937.
After a young woman goes missing on her way to school a community is left on edge. With news spreading quickly of her disappearance and gossip swirling, it is up to local law enforcement to restore a sense of safety and one determined Sheriff to bring justice to her family.
Author Alison Klackowicz had this to say about the book: “In the era of “true crime” fanaticism, Dividing Ridge is the PERFECT read. The author takes the reader on a poignant, well-studied and researched journey of a historic non-fiction mystery. All the while, providing a respectful re-account of a decades long loss to a family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Hawks masterfully keeps the memory of the victim, Elva Brannock, alive. Excellent read.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Book Promotion with Stacy Hawks
November 5 Craft Talk with Mark de Castrique: Elements of a Good Story
In this episode 259, host Landis Wade has a craft talk with Mark de Castrique, author of 21 novels, most of them mysteries, where Mark discusses the elements of a good story and how to write a good mystery. Mark also reads from and discusses his book, “Murder in Rat Alley,” a mystery set in the Asheville, North Carolina area.
November 9 Martin Settle “Teaching During the Jurassic” is Wit, Wisdom and Humor in the Classroom
In this episode 260, we visit with Martin Settle, author of “Teaching During the Jurassic,” an introspective, poignant and often humorous take on what it means to be a teacher.
Martin calls himself an “Old Hippie Teacher. His memoir is in the vein of Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods,” but instead of the Appalachian Trail, we follow the twists and turns of Martin Settle’s teaching career from his first approach to teaching as a hippie subversive to his eventual triumph as a self-actualized person.
Part memoir, part teaching guide, this book charts the “Jurassic” period of teaching – no personal computers, no cell phones, no internet, and the introduction of new social movements in the classroom (women’s rights, civil rights, and gay rights). Settle addresses some of the universals of the profession – how to deal with administrators, behavioral problems in the classroom, the outsider student, the psychologically dangerous student, and more.
Taylor Bowler, lifestyle editor at Charlotte magazine, had this to say about the book: “In a year that’s shown us just how essential good teachers are, Martin Settle’s book Teaching During the Jurassic will leave you with a newfound respect for this noble profession.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Seven Writing Strategies to Complete a Book with Martin Settle
November 12 Craft Talk with George Hovis: Setting, the Birthplace for a Novel
In this episode 261, host Landis Wade has a craft talk with George Hovis, an award-winning author and professor about strategies for finding the mysterious, the surreal, and the sublime available in everyday landscapes and explores how setting gives birth to characters and plots–and how, in turn, the actions of characters define a place.
November 16 Terry Roberts’s “My Mistress Eyes Are Raven Black” is a 1920’s Ellis Island Mystery
In this episode 262, In this episode 262, we visit with Terry Roberts, author of “My Mistress Eyes are Raven Black,” a literary mystery that explores the disturbing lengths some people will go to protect racial purity and condemn those that are different, the ones they fear.
The book is set on Ellis Island. The year is 1920. New York Harbor’s immigration and public health authorities are slowly recovering from the war years when a young, pregnant Irish woman disappears from the Isolation Hospital on Ellis Island. Stephen Robbins, a specialist in finding missing persons, is assigned the case. Yet when he arrives at the isolation hospital, he discovers an inexplicable string of deaths and disappearances among immigrant patients…and a staff that seems to be hiding a chilling secret.
Silas House, author of “Southernmost,” has this to say about the book: “Terry Roberts’ new novel is a literary thriller of the highest order: lyrical and suspenseful, with characters you will long remember. This is a heart-pounding, timely, and completely immersive read. It’s also Roberts’ finest hour.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: On Creativity and Novel Writing with Terry Roberts
November 19 Craft Talk with Carrie Knowles: Writing Stories From Start to Finish
In this episode 263, host Landis Wade has a craft talk with Carrie Knowles, an award-winning author about ten of her nineteen tips on how to write stories from start to finish, drawing on her book published by Owl Canyon Press: “A Self-Guided Workbook – And – A Gentle Tour on Learning How to Write Stories from Start-to-Finish.”
November 23 Michael Almond’s “The Tannery” is Racial Injustice in the post-Reconstruction South
In this episode 264, we visit with Michael Almond, author of “The Tannery,” a story that rings true about racial injustice in 1900 in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
The Tannery transports readers to the turbulent world of the post-Reconstruction South. Reflecting issues prominent in today’s headlines, themes of Black voter suppression and intimidation, the violence and depravity of vigilante “justice,” and the rise of Jim Crow drive the narrative to its dramatic and surprising conclusion.
Frye Gaillard, civil rights historian, author of “A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s,” says this about the book: “Riveting…. In his debut novel, Michael Almond has given us a page-turner. Far more than a legal thriller, though it is that, The Tannery is historical fiction at its finest – a story set near the turn of the 20th Century in North Carolina. Some of this tale will sound disturbingly familiar to readers in the 21st Century, all the more reason to consider its lessons. History can come alive in a great work of fiction. This is one of those times.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: Challenges and Excitement for the First Time Novelist with Michael Almond
November 26 Craft Talk with Judy Goldman: Writing Memoir
In this episode 265, host Landis Wade has a craft talk with Judy Goldman, an award-winning author about writing memoir. Judy talks at length about memoir writing, including the differences between autobiography and memoir, the narrative and the reflection, the importance of reflection in memoir writing, the balance between narrative and analysis and memoir structure. To illustrate some of her advice, Judy also reads several passages from her recent book: “Together, A Memoir of a Marriage and a Medical Mishap.”
November 30 Michael Polelle
In this episode 266, we visit with Michael Polelle, author of “American Conspiracy,” a thriller set in Chicago following the assassination of a presidential candidate and the disappearance of city gangbangers.
Detective Jim Murphy of the Chicago PD pursues leads that take him to Sebastian Senex, an aging pharmaceutical tycoon determined to rig elections and cheat death with secret blood research at Promethean Pharma to restore his youth.
Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author had this to say about the book: “A stellar novel of action, adventure, and intrigue. The twists of betrayal unravel at a perfect pace, and Polelle nails the details of this high caliber political drama.”
Plus, exclusive Patreon episode: From Law Professor to Novelist with Michael Polelle