Authors on the Air Global Radio Network

Todays featured story is from Robert Gwaltney. It's a special excerpt from his debut novel The Cicada Tree. Before the story, we talk about how powerful early childhood experiences can be, what advice his granny Louise gave him about where to sit, and what music influenced him while he was writing The Cicada Tree. After the story, hearing about his essential things will make you want to reach out and be friends! You can find him on Facebook, and I highly recommend you check out his website and blog.

Today's featured story is from Melissa Face and her collection of parenting essays called I Love You More Than Coffee. Her book celebrates early motherhood, but it's not just for new moms reaching for their coffee. It's also for moms looking back and remembering. Melissa is quick to smile and laugh, a joy to talk to. Listen to why she's glad she wrote these essays, how her daughter's confidence makes her say wow, and when she felt the cosmic shift of motherhood - that moment of no longer feeling like the center of her own universe. You can find her book and her schedule of coffee and library talks on her website. She also shared a great picture of her and her kids that we will put on the Desideratum Facebook page. Thanks for listening.

Our featured story comes from Alison Ragsdale, a proud Scot lass, who writes emotionally charged novels that often require tissues. I want you to listen to how her own personal resets - adapting to her life's unexpected events - shapes her characters and her storytelling. I love what she says about supporting characters grounding her stories and the gift her father gave her that shows up in her characters lives. She has lived a global life and walked a winding path...

The featured story this week is from Marylee Macdonald's collection of short stories Body Language: Twelve unforgettable portraits of heartbreak and desire. The story is brought to life by her talented audiobook narrator Adam Barr. Marylee's work in this collection is about the solace of touch and it's connection to well being. She also talks about place and how she uses it to put her characters in uncomfortable situations. Why she does this, turns out to be very personal for her. Her ideas about nature and nurture and love are rooted in her experiences with adoption. Listen for what she has to say about identity, motherhood and the physicality of creativity.

Our featured story Ignorance or Innocence is from Johnnie Bernhard. It will be included in an anthology of short stories about home, in September, 2021. Johnnie wrote this story awhile ago, before her successful novels. Unlike her novels, this story is autobiographical, set in a small Texas town where she moved in 8th grade. It's kind of a story about being an outsider, but Johnnie has this way of seeing the 'Gift' in things, even hard things like loneliness. You will hear why she starts every story with character and family and what part of writing she equates to a runner's high - it's fantastic. She's fantastic and she's clearly doing what she was meant to do.

Our featured story comes from Steve Wiegenstein's twelve story collection Scattered Lights. Like Steve, the characters in these stories are deeply rooted in the Ozarks. Yet through his storytelling, he unearths something more universal than regional in each human motivation and interaction. In Unexplained Aerial Phenomena the character Janine says, "Every story fills a need." I hope after you listen, you feel the need to read all of Steve's stories from this collection and from his series of historical novels. You can find them on his website where you can also read 'whatever he feels like writing about' on his blog. Congratulations to Steve on Scattered Lights being named a Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction 2021. Thanks for listening.

Desideratum Podcast Episode 3 features Alaska author Ann Parker and a story from her memoir Follow Me To Alaska. In this season of rebirth and renewal, when new beginnings are announced by every budding leaf and celebrated by every spectacular bloom; it is the perfect time to meet Ann Parker and hear her perspective on seasons, bravery, truth and essential things. Her featured story is called Thirteen Seconds. It's about a plane crash. It is just one of many stories in Ann's practical and deeply personal book Follow Me To Alaska.

The Desideratum Podcast Episode 2 features Irish author Daniel Wade and his spoken word story Aperture. A talk with Daniel Wade is a walk on a wandering path. Come along as he talks about the sea, about Ireland's long history of storytelling and about how we should all be looking for a lighthouse. The featured story is from Embers and Earth, Daniel's spoken word album. Aperture is about Daniel's grandmother and darkness. Daniel is a poet, a playwright, a debut novelist and like all of us, he's hard to put in one category. As he says, he's something in between.

Desideratum Podcast Episode 1 featuring author Mandy Haynes and her story Something More about a little girl named Jewell who sees beauty in small things and who is truly more precious than diamonds and rubies. Mandy Haynes is an author of literary fiction with a southern drawl. Her official tag line is "Hell, we cain't all be saints." You can find her books Walking the Wrong Way Home and Sharp as a Serpent's Tooth: Eva and Other Stories wherever you buy your books.

Ever wonder what it is like to create a theme park, or design a roller coaster?? Join Tracy for another episode of Books, Kids & Creations where she speaks with Owner and Founder of the International Theme Park Services, Dennis Speigel. Mr. Speigel's early beginnings in 1960 as a ticket taker / seasonal employee at Coney Island Amusement Park (Cincinnati, Ohio) were the impetus behind his decision to make the theme park business his career. He quickly worked his way to Assistant Park Manager of Coney Island and then Kings Island Theme Park (Cincinnati, Ohio), where, as Assistant General Manager, he supervised general park operations, including personnel, rides, food / beverage, merchandise, games and guest hospitality. In 1974, Mr. Speigel became the Vice President and General Manager of Kings Dominion / Lion Country Safari (Richmond, Virginia), which historically draws over 3 million in attendance per year. In addition to overseeing the planning and construction of the park, he administered a $60 million construction budget, utilized his creative marketing skills to establish and implement several long-range marketing / development plans. He was also responsible for managing the park for Taft Broadcasting and the Kroger Company, while generating 11 million in attendance and over $250 million in cumulative revenues from 1974-80. Mr. Speigel also successfully opened Lion Country Safari (a wild animal preserve), achieving an attendance record of 650,000 the first season. Formerly affiliated with the Taft Broadcasting Company (Cincinnati, Ohio), Mr. Speigel served as Vice President of Operations from 1980-81, during which time he developed a standardized safety and security program, monitored union activity and oversaw activities with the Hanna-Barbera Studios. As Vice President of International Operations from 1981-83, Mr. Speigel was directly responsible for overseeing and assessing potential leisure sites in foreign markets, including all negotiations, research and development, design, site selection and zoning, as well as securing investors. In these endeavors, he was instrumental in developing project negotiations in Singapore, Australia and Tokyo, and secured a management / design and planning / project development contract in London, England in March, 1983. Today, Mr. Speigel provides insight to many newspapers and publications around the world. He has been interviewed and quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Park World, Fun World Magazine, USA Today, Red Book Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Amusement Business and many other local and foreign publications. Dennis’ Podcast – I’m 4 Fun http://www.interthemepark.com/im4fun-podcast.html International Theme Park Services Website: http://www.interthemepark.com/index.html