Barry Eva's blog

A Book and a Chat with C.Y. Bourgeois

C.Y Bourgeois
(Carla)  has always been an avid reader, but it was not until the death
of her father that she decided to put pen to paper, or rather fingers
to keyboard to produce a book. Originally she was going to write
something dedicated to her father, but struggling with exactly what to
create she instead produced her debut mystery thriller “Visions of You”.

As
we heard through the show it did not end up quite as she set out
writing the novel, as the main character changed during the writing to
become “Shelby Leight is a wise-cracking, lighthearted teenager, looking
forward to a fun-filled senior year in high school”. Using her own own
knowledge of Alaska and the town of Palmer, Carla has created a debut
novel that as one reviewer put it…

“This
book was a wonderful read! You can picture the town and characters and
feel like you are there without the story getting bogged down with too
much detail. It is a quick read because the end of each chapter leaves
you with something that makes you want to keep going and find out what
will happen next. The writing style well-suited to young adult and adult
readers. This is an excellent freshman effort and I am happy to hear
that the sequel is already in the works!”

About “Visions of You”: (taken from books web site)

It’s
1975 in Palmer, a peaceful, sleepy little town in the heart of
Southcentral Alaska. Shelby Leight is finally a high school senior and
looking forward to having the time of her life. But, as Robert Burns
wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Instead of
having a fun-filled year of football games, parties, and the prom, one
of Shelby’s best friends is brutally murdered.

During the course
of the investigation Shelby falls in love for the first time only to
have her new boyfriend reveal a shocking family secret. She experiences a
spiritual awakening – visions of her dead friend, Larita – and warnings
from the other side that the terrifying serial killer is coming – for
another one of their friends. The police and FBI are searching for
clues, but the killer is still out there and he’s headed their way.

So far the book has received a great feedback…

This
book gives realistic details of the town and makes you feel like you
can see it. Just reading the details of the story made me want to read
it right away. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down! Bourgeois
did a great job of drawing the reader in and making you want to keep
reading until the end. I can't wait for the sequel!

Well reviewer, her follow up novel “Visions of Mortality”
is already underway, and as mentioned at the start of the blog, the
book dedicated to her father that started Carla down the writing path,
that also has now been produced in her story “The Concrete Nome”.

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining thirty minutes with my guest C.Y. Bourgeois
If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower of the show?Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with C.Y. Bourgeois

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"C.Y. Bourgeois"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"C.Y. Bourgeois - Visions of You"

My new E-Book is available to download, for all of 99 cents at
"The Bathroom Book of Romance - Book 1"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

 

A Book and a Chat with Rudy A Mazzocchi

My guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat” is Rudy A. Mazzocchi author of the medical thriller “Equity of Evil”.


Rudy is best known for being a medical device and biotechnology entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor, with a history of starting new technology ventures throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has authored more than 50 patents in the field of medical technology, including areas such as cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology and biomechanics.

He describes himself as more of a “start-up” entrepreneur who was fortunate to develop the skills to raise the necessary capital to fund the development of innovations from concept through market release.
With a background which includes insight into some of the newest innovations in healthcare and also enables him to work with some of the most brilliant researchers, scientists and physicians in the industry, you know any medical thriller will not only be entertaining but thought provoking. So it is with his debut book “Equity of Evil” the first of what promises to be a trilogy of such novels.

The book is based on his  first-hand experiences in reviewing and/or participating in the development of some of the most controversial and cutting-edge medical technologies. These include starting one of the first embryonic stem cell companies to designing the world’s only electronic, auto-focusing implantable lens for inside the eye; (similar to the one in the Terminator or the Six Million Dollar Man – depending upon your generation)!

While his book deals with the controversial subjects of abortion and genetic engineering Rudy manages not to take either a Pro-Life or Pro-Choice position when using the abortion theme as a backdrop of this story. Neutrality on such a controversial topic is very difficult, but he believes that regardless of your political or moral position, the reader will find support in the words and actions of the book’s characters for whatever perspective they might have. The fact that, as he shared during the program he’s had encouraging emails from not only both side of the fence but the church as well shows how well he has managed his neutrality
.
About "Equity of Evil”:


In hopes of a quick and lucrative return during harsh economic times, a Venture Capital Fund makes a risky investment to start a challenging new business that appears capable of reaching profitability with modest capital requirements. The real challenge: optimizing one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the World — abortion — by replacing oftentimes seedy and life-threatening back room procedures with clean, safe and dignified alternatives.


An unfolding world of deceit, rape, human trafficking and assassination becomes deeply personal as Roman’s sole love interest secretly uses one of his new abortion services to end her own untimely pregnancy. When she disappears, his frantic search becomes a hellish nightmare that grows worse by the hour.


Based on true events, this bold novel involves some of the world’s oldest and most emotional—therefore controversial—issues, including abortion and human trafficking. At the core of each matter is man’s predisposition to control and take ownership of the human spirit for the sake of profit and personal gain. Such pursuit for the equity of evil is the force that drags Roman through a dark and brutal world that most people would deny exists.


This debut novel is a politically compelling, suspenseful and reality-cutting Medical Thriller that will challenge the reader’s personal views on capitalism, ethics, and the basic morality of his fellow man. It will drag you through a dark and brutal new world where human life becomes the actual equity of evil.

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining thirty minutes with my guest Rudy Mazzocchi.

If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower of the show?

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Rudy Mazzocchi

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Rudy Mazzocchi"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"Rudy Mazzocchi - Equity of Evil"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

 

A Book and a Chat with B.A. Chepaitis.

 

I am pleased to say we have another welcome returning guest for tonight’s “A Book and a Chat” in the form of author B.A. or Barbara Chepaitis.

Barbara is the author of numerous books, including The Fear Principle, the critically praised Feeding Christine and These Dreams. As well as her first nonfiction book, books Feathers of Hope, about Berkshire Bird Paradise and the human interaction with birds.

Barbara started by sharing with us the latest news about Mitch the eagle that was rescued by Navy Seals in Afghanistan and now brought back to the US and is now settled in at the same Berkshire Bird Paradise featured in “Feathers of Hope”. We also learned that a new book about Mitch and his long journey from the battle field t across the many miles to USA and the sanctuary. Something to me that would make a great film (Disney are you listening?).

Barbara has also been adding to her Sci-fi / Paranormal books about Jaguar Addams in the form of her new novel “The Green Memory of Fear”. This book as we heard during another really entertaining program is very close to Barbara’s heart, forcing her to revisit that real incident, a very painful one of loss and trauma.

Though the material is profoundly dark in some places, it always struggles to move toward light because Jaguar is a woman who knows both light and dark in equal measure, and is determined to move through shadow toward light. As Alex, her cohort and would-be lover says to her, she turns poison into medicine. That’s who she is. What she does.

About “The Green Memory of Fear”:

On Prison Planetoid Three, Jaguar Addams uses her empathic gifts to make criminals face the fears that drive their heinous acts. Very few escape the telepathic web she weaves around them . . . until now. When Jaguar takes on a home planet assignment, investigating a psychiatrist on trial for abuse of a little boy, she finds a killer unlike any she’s faced before.

Dr. Senci’s psi skills are a match for her own, and unless she consents to do as he wants, he’ll use them to kill everyone she loves. Once she realizes who and what he really is, she leaves the Planetoid to go after him.

But Supervisor Alex Dzarny isn’t about to let her go it alone, even if it means losing his own life to save hers.

As a reviewer stated about “The Green Memory of Fear”:
“...this is SF at its realistic best.”

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining thirty minutes with my guest B.A. Chepaitis.


If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower of the show?

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with B.A. Chepaitis

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"B.A. Chepaitis"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"B.A. Chepaitis - The Green Memory of Fear"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Joan Bird

 

Joan Bird comes from a family that is almost as interesting as her book, involving a cattle rancher/silver miner, an orphan that survived the 1906 earthquake, the secretary to the Governor and the Irish lad who lied about his age to join the military. Mix with that her own previous existence as a singer/songwriter with a rock band and a pretence of telling stories, which with being one of six children helped while growing up and you have all the making of somebody who is destined to write.

Joan s is legendary amongst her family and friends for her storytelling. For years she's been including short stories with her holiday greetings each December and for years her friends and family have been encouraging her to write a book

With a “push” from a writing group, this love of storytelling produced her debut novel “Tumbleweed Heights” even then the title of the book has a story of its own. Her father waking the six kids up on Saturday mornings, by playing The Sons of the Pioneers Album, with that great song, “Drifting along with the Tumbling Tumbleweeds”.

Her fun book, while full of romance and happy ever after, also includes amazing dog and a food fight, rats, guns, raging storms and a kidnapping. So there’s plenty for the reader to read and enjoy. As one reviewer put it…

Funny. Rich descriptions, classic hero/heroine troubled pasts. With horses, bad guys, and quirky characters it's easy to engage. The tension between the gutsy Gilly and her hero is part of the dynamic. Though some may wish for more explicit physical connections, this reader was tantalized enough by the HEAT between Gilly and Luke so as not to be disappointed. With the countryside supporting the action, including thunder, lightning, old trucks, and the equivalent of Rin Tin Tin, simply a fun read. Okay, it's romance, but if nothing else, you'll want berry pie a few times a day when you're done.

About “Tumbleweed Heights”:

Moving to Briarwood, Colorado had not been in Gilly Casey’s original life plan. Sure, she’d dreamed of owning a horse ranch, but as kind of a part-time gig, in Topanga Canyon maybe. But the best laid plans of this high-powered L.A. attorney turn to dust when more than her bar card is threatened. Fleeing to a life she had never imagined quickly becomes a cat and mouse game just to stay alive.
Luke Hudson’s road to Briarwood was no less bumpy. Hiding from his own demons, he’s no longer able to float below the radar when he recognizes the feisty Miz Casey is in more trouble than she’ll admit. Donning the hero mantle years after he’d shed that skin, Luke realizes that rescuing Gilly might just save him, too.
With so many secrets between them, does love stand a chance? When the past trains its loaded gun on them, truth may not be enough to safeguard Gilly and Luke

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining thirty minutes with my guest Joan Bird.


If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower of the show?

Barry
Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Joan Bird

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Joan Bird"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"Joan Bird - Tumbleweed Heights"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with J. Anderson Coats

 

Today’s “A Book and a Chat” was another one hour special being that my guest was another of the great group of debut YA authors from the Class of 2K12. J. Anderson Coats author of the brilliant historical fiction novel “The Wicked and the Just”.

Jillian grow up surrounded by books as her mother was a librarian, sharing with her daughter the joy of the written word, her father being a geologist added the enquiring mind that questioned some of these books, also being the reason she was later able to travel a mile underground.

She started writing almost as soon as she could hold a crayon, and encourage by her parents created several stories featuring nothing but ponies, some of these early creations I’m pleased to say she still has.

At the age of thirteen Jillian finished her first novel. It was pretty bad, but fortunately no one told her that. By the time she graduated from high school, she’d written six other novels, including one massive 500,000-word doorstop book with a sweeping, complicated plot and way too many characters. None of these books was very good, but she loved every single one and learned something new with each.
Her literary education mixed with her love of history has now brought forth her debut novel “The Wicked and the Just”

About “The Wicked and the Just” (taken from Class of 2K12):

1293. North Wales. Ten years into English rule.

Cecily would give anything to leave Caernarvon and go home. Gwenhwyfar would give anything to see all the English leave.

Neither one is going to get her wish.

Behind the city walls, English burgesses govern with impunity. Outside the walls, the Welsh are confined by custom and bear the burden of taxation, and the burgesses plan to keep it that way.

Cecily can’t be bothered with boring things like the steep new tax or the military draft that requires Welshmen to serve in the king’s army overseas. She has her hands full trying to fit in with the town’s privileged elite, and they don’t want company.
Gwenhwyfar can’t avoid these things. She counts herself lucky to get through one more day, and service in Cecily’s house is just salt in the wound.

But the Welsh are not as conquered as they seem, and the suffering in the countryside is rapidly turning to discontent. The murmurs of revolt may be Gwenhwyfar’s only hope for survival – and the last thing Cecily ever hears.

During the show we learned much about the Welsh history and that is Wales the country, not that swims in the sea as one person we heard thought the book was about, including the reason for the mention of Caernarvon, rather than it being called Caernarfon.
The book has already received many rave reviews before its launch date in April.

As one blogger put it…

This book was filled with excellent characters, tons of actions, heaps of emotion and kept me up until way past my bed time. I’m really looking forward to see what Ms Coats writes next.

I for one agree with that statement, especially as we learned there is at least another if not two books in the pipeline about that period of Welsh history.

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining thirty minutes with my guest J. Anderson Coats .

If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower?

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with J. Anderson Coats

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"J. Anderson Coats

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"J. Anderson Coats - The Wicked and the Just"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Kristina McMorris

 

The last time today’s guest Kristina McMorris was on the show we found out much about this talented author, how she had been host of weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program. We also learned the facts behind her debut novel “Letters from Home” which has since become a huge hit for her, bringing well deserved rave reviews.

We learned, how while interviewing her grandmother for a cookery book she was writing, she learned of her grandparents war time romance, sharing within “Letters From Home” not only some of what was in her Grandparents letters but also some of the recipes from war time America. The book was critically praised and was declared a must-read by Woman's Day magazine and achieved additional acclaim as a Reader's Digest Select Editions feature, a Doubleday/Literary Guild selection, and a 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Historical Fiction.

Kristina’s new "Bridge of Scarlet Leaves" (March 2012) has already received glowing reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, among many others.

About “Bridge of Scarlet Leaves” (Taken from Celticlady’s blog)

Los Angeles, 1941. Violinist Maddie Kern's life seemed destined to unfold with the predictable elegance of a Bach concerto. Then she fell in love with Lane Moritomo. Her brother's best friend, Lane is the handsome, ambitious son of Japanese immigrants. Maddie was prepared for disapproval from their families, but when Pearl Harbor is bombed the day after she and Lane elope, the full force of their decision becomes apparent. In the eyes of a fearful nation, Lane is no longer just an outsider, but an enemy.

When her husband is interned at a war relocation camp, Maddie follows, sacrificing her Juilliard ambitions. Behind barbed wire, tension simmers and the line between patriot and traitor blurs. As Maddie strives for the hard-won acceptance of her new family, Lane risks everything to prove his allegiance to America, at tremendous cost.

During the show Krisitna shared how her research for the book included visiting Manzanar relocation camp, talking to several Japanese American WWII vets who bravely served in a secret branch of the U.S. Army and a flight on a B-17 bomber. Also that the book included some more culinary details this time about Asian Fusion cooking. Mix this together and you get a book I highly recommend.

With comments such as those listed below already received, I am sure that with “Bridge of Scarlet Leaves” Kristina has another huge hit on her hands.

"This gripping story...hits all the right chords."
-- Publishers Weekly
.
"A sweeping yet intimate novel that will please both romantics and lovers of American history."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"An unputdownable love story...[McMorris'] attention to detail is meticulous, the East meets West clash between cultures--revelatory."
-- Lesley Kagen, New York Times bestselling author of Good Graces

"Readers of World War II fiction will devour [this] poignant, authentic story..."
-- Jenna Blum, international bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
.
"Impeccably researched and beautifully written...I highly recommend this book!"
-- Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of The Beach Trees

"Fascinating and moving...an absolute pleasure to read."
-- Whitney Otto, author of How to Make an American Quilt

"A beautiful, timeless love story...McMorris' words reach right of the page and grab at your heart."
-- Sarah Jio, author of The Violets of March

"An epic romance...I followed Maddie and Lane's fast-paced journey to unexpected places with my breath held and fingers crossed."
-- Margaret Dilloway, author of How to Be an American Housewife

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining thirty minutes with my guest Kristina McMorris.

If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower?

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Kristina McMorris

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Kristina McMorris"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"Kristina McMorris - Bridge of Scarlet Leaves"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Megan Bostic

 

My guest on today’s Book and a Chat is one of this year’s debut YA authors, a member of the Class of 2K12 Megan Bostic. Let’s first get the name right it’s Megan with a long “e” so it’s more like “Me gan”, now that’s out the way let’s chat about this great new author. Megan is the author of “Never 18” a YA book that has received great reviews from teens and adults alike.

Megan lives over on the west coast, but not the sunny climes location that one thinks of, the rainy and gray northwest weather that makes her extremely “angsty” (one of her favorite words). Megan loves the color black, monkeys (has a collection of sock monkeys), and is a notorious Facebook addict. She migrated from early writing of poems and songs, though the poetry is making somewhat of a comeback to writing her first novel which she completed in 2008. That novel still has to see the light of day and in 2009 she produced “Never 18”.

She writes in the “seat of your pants” style, typing away with reckless abandon to get, with the aid of numerous sticky notes, the story that is bursting out of her head typed out. Once written, then starts the editing and smoothing out process.

While “Never 18” is only 200 pages long it is filled with emotional scenes, though some the language and topics are perhaps not for the younger end of the YA market, “Never 18” is a book for all ages, and can and should be shared by adults as well as children as it relates to real life situations.

About “Never 18”

Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life.

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go.

But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life.

While Never 18 is Megan’s debut novel there are already several others either completed or in the pipeline, including another contemporary YA tentatively titled, Sad. I call it a story of loss, loathing and lacerations. It’s about a girl suffering from depression who ends up being a cutter, and her healing process.

As one reviewer put it…

New author Megan Bostic makes writing look easy. Her new novel, NEVER EIGHTEEN, is so clear, so smooth, so effortless, that the reader is completely immersed in the story, living it along with the characters. This story is so moving, so touching that I could not put it down. I read NEVER EIGHTEEN from cover to cover in a matter of hours. And normally, I would never look at this kind of book. It just isn't my normal genre. But I knew of Ms Bostic, and I had heard a lot about this book, so I leaped at the chance to give it a try. And, OH MY, I feel honored and privileged to have read NEVER EIGHTEEN. Megan Bostic it a true talent, and NEVER EIGHTEEN is a brilliant debut.

I for one, totally agree with that!

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining sixty minutes with my guest Megan Bostic

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Megan Bostic

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Megan Bostic"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Megan Bostic - Never 18"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book andf a Chat with Debra Winegarten

 

You can always tell how good and interesting a show is, by how quickly the time goes by when your hosting one, normally I am fairly lucky and the thirty minutes just seems to fly by, today was one of those shows. It seems I had just started chatting with my guest Debra Winegarten, when I checked the clock to find there were just a few minutes left.

Debra is one of those writers who was creating written work almost as soon as she could hold a crayon, the fact that her mother Ruthe Winegarten was a writer of note in Texas, meant that instead of Debra been put to sleep buy the noise of their mother's sewing machine, Debra was often comforted by the sound of her mother typing on her IBM Selectric.

Debra’s first completed book was a memoir she was ked to write "Strong Family Ties: The Tiny Hawkins Story", however this was not the first book she had started and after a break of some years that first book saw the light of day when she published “ an S inspiring biography about female aviator Katherine Stinson in her book , Katherine Stinson : The Flying Schoolgirl.

As I have said in the past one of the things I love about hosting my radio show is that you never stop learning, and today was no exception.

Debra shares in her book that Katherine Stinson was the fourth woman in the United States to receive her pilot’s license in July 1912. Besides that, she was the first pilot in the U. S. to carry pioneer airmail, the first woman to fly alone at night, the first woman in the world to perform the loop-the-loop, and the first pilot to perform skywriting in 1915. Add to that the story Debra shared with us about how she ended up flying in the first place and how she was credited with instituting pre-flight checks you know this is a book about one great lady.

Now Debra has returned to her roots as a young Jewish girl being raised in Texas with her award winning book “There’s Jews in Texas?” a small, but packed book of poems that was winner of the Poetica Magazine, Contemporary Jewish Writing 2011 Chapbook Contest.

Winning that award is of no surprise when you read the book, as the title would indicate, there is some humor in Debra’s poetry. And coming out of Texas one would expect to find some anti-Semitism as well and the author does not let the reader down, often combining humor and anti-Semitism appropriately in a manner that Jews and non-Jews can both appreciate. An example is from when she was in second grade…

A grown man stops me on the sidewalk
Eyeing my Star of David necklace and asking if I’m Jewish.

When I nod yes, (I’m not supposed to talk to strangers),
He tells me that’s really too bad for me,
Because didn’t I know that
Jews burn in Hell when they die?

Tears falling so hard I could barely see,
I dropped my weekly treasure and ran home
To Mom so fast I thought
I might keel over before I got to her
And be snatched right down to Hell.

When I told Mom what happened,
She put both hands on my shoulders,
Knelt to my height where she could look square in my eyes,
And in that Dallas drawl of hers, said,

“That’s okay, honey, don’t worry.
We’re Jewish.
We don’t believe in hell.”

As one reviewer put it…

"Debra L. Winegarten writes frank, funny, poignant, punchy poems. This collection shines with radiant spirit."

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining thrity minutes with my guest Debra Winegarten

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Debra Winegarten

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Debra Winegarten"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Debra Winegarten - There's Jews in Texas?"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Deby Eisenberg

 

Deby Eisenberg, is my guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat”. She is the leader of an established Chicago area Book Club, a former English teacher and journalist, loves literary research, art, architecture, Jewish history, and travel in the United States and Europe. You mix all of those together and you can why her debut book “Pictures of the Past” is such a formidable and “must read” novel.

Using her vision of a multi-generational love story that would inform as well as entertain, that would broaden the mind and open the heart. And with many authors, lead by her characters, Deby has with this book created something that will touch the hearts and keep the pages turning for many a reader.

About ”Pictures of the Past”
(Taken from “The Girl Who Stole the Eifel Towwer” Blog)

The novel takes us through generations of hardships, each unique to their era, beginning in modern-day Chicago where an Impressionist painting on display at the Art Institute, a treasure donated by celebrated philanthropist Taylor Woodmere, is charged as a Nazi theft. The claim takes us back to 1930s Paris, where the story of Taylor Woodmere truly begins. As he journeys to Europe on his first independent venture for the business of his forefathers we learn of the would-be fiancé he left behind, of his instantaneous connection with the city of Paris, of the Impressionist painting that captivates him and finally of his meeting with the German Sarah Berger.

Their blissful romance is beautifully depicted amid the simple treasures of the German country whilst the shroud of the Nazi regime lingers threateningly in the background, inevitably proceeding to wreak havoc on Taylor and Sarah’s dream world. Together – and apart – they face the garish realities of an unjust war and Sarah takes a centric role in the center of her terrorizing quandary as a Jewish woman alone in a perilous place. Woven betwixt their tale is the story of Rachel Gold, a young girl left pregnant and abandoned by Taylor’s son, Court, in the 1960s. In her quest to secure a better life for herself and her son, Jason (aka Rusty), she travels from Chicago to New York where she pursues a life of normalcy with Aunt Ida, a Holocaust survivor and great friend.

Through Ida’s connection to the life and times of Sarah Berger, and Rachel’s connection to the heroic Taylor Woodmere a bond is forged through the eras, weaving the history of one family and illuminating the tragedy of the Holocaust, a tragedy that still resonates through time and space to our world today.

As one reviewer put it…

Deby Eisenberg has combined a compelling story of love and loss during the Holocaust with a modern love story that is a must read for anyone who enjoys well-written fiction. Her command of the subject matter brings believability to her characters & makes you want to keep reading.

To me this is a must read, it covers all your emotions and wants in a good book. Deby’s challenge to herself was to write a novel that her avid readers could not put down and would love to discuss. With “Pictures of the Past” she has done that and so much more.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Deby Eisenberg

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Deby Eisenberg

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Deby Eisenberg"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Deby Eisenberg - Pictures Off The Past"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

A Book and a Chat with Rick Lenz

 

Rick Lenz is a star of stage, and screen from his staring roll in “Cactus Flower” along sides the likes of Goldie Hawn and Walter Matthau, to appearing in John Wayne’s last file “The Shootist” He has played rolls ranging from gunslingers to patient husbands, intellectuals, to a wimpy murder-mystery fanatic. Along the road he has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Al Pacino to Peter Sellers and Ingrid Bergman to Lucille Ball. However Rick Lenz is not just an actor/director, he is also a talented artist and now author of a great book “North of Hollywood”

While “North of Hollywood” is full of anecdotes about many of the people Rick has come into contact with along his career, it also shares with the reader some of the darker moments in his family and life, touching on drug addiction and cancer.His book reveals real-life experiences of heartbreak, suspense, discovery and joy.

As Writer/editor Kevin Cook said…

“North of Hollywood is “fall-on-the floor funny and graveyard-serious, a page-turner with a brain. This is an excitingly original book overflowing with lyrical power that I can’t compare to anything else I’ve ever read.”


About North of Hollywood (taken from Goodreads)

Take a roller coaster ride through the life of a real Hollywood actor.

Rick Lenz is an actor who has made it in New York and Hollywood. You have seen him countless times on TV and in the movies. He has been a popular leading man as well as a character actor, consistently avoiding repetition in the roles he chooses. Lenz has played leads opposite some of entertainment’s biggest names, and has had recurring or guest starring roles on many of your favorite TV shows.

Yet his book is more than just an ordinary Hollywood insider story. Lenz is a terrific writer with a wicked sense of humor. Also a gifted artist and widely produced playwright, he uses his extraordinary storytelling skills to take you into his personal experiences with actors and entertainers we normally only hear about through the rumor mills, and to reveal real-life experiences of heartbreak, suspense, discovery and joy.

His memoir is fascinating. He doesn’t pull any punches. Along with plenty of showbiz anecdotes, he tells us about his marriages (especially his “final” one) and his journey from summer stock through New York, then to Hollywood. He offers us deep insights into an actor’s life and living in general. Feeling the shock waves of his stormy family background, including the emotional tremors of nearly losing his daughter who struggled for years with drugs, Rick Lenz is a real life husband and dad—and the absorbing reality of that shines through his words.

Spending time with Rick Lenz is fun, enlightening and authentic. If this weren’t a true story it would make a mesmerizing fictional adventure.
Bottom line: North of Hollywood is edgy, way out of the ordinary, and, as a bonus, funny.

It is a book that all will enjoy, one I highly recommend, it is due for release on February 15th, and if I were you I’d get my order in now for “North of Hollywood” as I’m sure it will be a very popular read.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Rick Lenz

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Rick Lenz

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Rick Lenz"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Rick Lenz - North of Holywood"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry