 Mary Curran Hackett is the mother of two children, Brigid Claire and Colm Francis, and is married to Greg Hackett. She received an MA in English Literature from the University of Nebraska and a BA from the University Honors Program at Catholic University in Washington, DC. Born and raised in Danbury, CT, she has traveled extensively and lived in various places throughout the U.S., but her favorite place in the world is home with her kids, husband, and her stacks of books. Like her character Colm Magee, Mary suffers various heart and neurological disorders, but thanks in part to her brother, a physician, as well as her own doctors, she now has a pacemaker and a heart that beats on its own at least most of the time. Every book begins with a spark. What first inspired you to write Proof of Heaven? I had collapsed several times growing up, but after I had my daughter my episodes were more severe and longer. One day while driving my daughter home from daycare, I felt sick and the next thing I knew I was in ambulance and being transported to the hospital. I totaled my car, but my daughter was safe (Thank God). The doctors took my episodes seriously now and discovered I was experiencing cardiac arrest—actual death—and put a pacemaker inside me. After my son was born, he had a single episode in my arms when I put him in the bath. It was brief, but terrifying. We never knew what happened to him (he never had any other episodes thereafter). Nevertheless, I was so afraid I would lose him without warning. So I did what I always do as a writer, I turned my feelings into words. And while doing so, it also sparked a number of other questions I was desperate to uncover myself. Your work explores the idea of the hereafter or where we go when we die. What truth or question were you hoping to uncover through it? When I was a child and collapsed, I never saw “heaven” (or at least the one described to me during my Catholic upbringing). When I was older I could better articulate the sensations and experience. The world seemed black at first, a great void, but there was an odd sensation, a dreamlike quality that was hard to put words around, it was a sense of unconditional love, an omniscient presence of love that permeated through me—drawing me up and out. I could feel everyone and everything and it was all love. It was in me when I returned and remained—forever. What message or feeling do you hope stays with readers after they turn the final page? I hope readers will be open to the idea that Heaven is all around, that love is heaven. It’s inside of us, it literally lives inside of us. We create our own heaven through the love we give and the love we receive. I also think that our religion can be a vehicle for heaven to be revealed to us, but it can also be a hindrance (as it was for Cathleen). I was raised Catholic but I am not practicing. My several experiences in the hereafter like the character Colm have shown me that, at the end of our lives here and the beginning of our lives “there,” no one asks you if went to church or you followed some dogma or prayed to a certain name for God. All we will know and feel is love. We’re here to do that. That is our purpose. I know a lot of people who would step over a fellow human to get to church on time. I think in some ways we’ve lost our way. Colm and Cathleen show us that there is so much to enjoy right here on earth. There is so much beauty and so much love right here, right now, in the present. What’s next for you—another book, a new direction, or simply rest and reflection? Since Proof of Heaven debuted almost fifteen years ago (celebrating it’s 15th year in print) I have written a follow-up, Proof of Angels, had two pacemakers replaced, and raised my children who have left the nest. I also have written some 45 books for others as a ghostwriter. I currently ghostwrite and actively coach and teach other writers, while working on a screenplay and a new novel about an artist at the turn of the 20th century (that I have been working on for the past 5 years). Every day I am so grateful I get to write for a living. I love it. I couldn’t imagine living any other way. It’s all proof of heaven to me! Website: https://www.marycurranhackett.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marycurranhackett/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryCurranHackett/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-curran-hackett Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Proof-Heaven-Mary-Curran-Hackett/dp/0062079980
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 N. E. Carlisle writes stories steeped in mystery, community, and a strong sense of place—from small-town bookshops to windswept coastal shores. She is the author of Hazelnuts and Homicide, the first in the Bonne Année Mystery Series, where food, friendship, and a dash of danger mix in the charming coastal town of Hazelton, Oregon. Carlisle is also the creator of the Mermaid Eclipse trilogy, a coastal fantasy inspired by myth and transformation, with the sequel Blue Moon Mermaid currently in development. When she’s not writing, she can often be found near the water, dreaming up new recipes, characters, and twists to the next story. Hazelnuts and Homicide blends food, fiction, and mystery. What inspired you to bring culinary culture into a cozy whodunit? I have always believed that food tells a story. Recipes, flavors, and shared meals build connection, and that sense of comfort pairs perfectly with a cozy mystery. When I began writing Hazelnuts and Homicide, I wanted a story where the sensory world mattered just as much as the plot. Année’s experiences with food help anchor her emotionally and guide her through the investigation, so blending culinary culture with a whodunit felt natural.. Hazelton, Oregon feels like a living, breathing place. What inspired this vivid coastal town? Hazelton is fictional, but its soul comes from communities throughout Tillamook County. There is a unique rhythm to that part of Oregon. The mist, the coastal forests, the local traditions, the feeling that everyone knows everyone else. I wanted Hazelton to have that same atmosphere, where the landscape and the people shape one another. Even though it is made up, it carries the pulse of the Oregon coast. Bonne Année hosts Food and Fiction supper clubs. If you could pair this book with one real dish, what would it be and why? The Macabre Brussel Sprouts, without hesitation. They are rich, a little decadent, and full of flavor, yet still surprisingly good for you. They reflect the story in a fun way. Cozy on the surface, but with a twist. They are the kind of dish that pairs well with a mystery you want to curl up with on a winter night. https://youtu.be/8CQDFEnSGpM?si=_0-sx89hWgoNqKgP Oscar the Bernedoodle has become a reader favorite. Is he inspired by a real dog? Yes. Oscar is based on one of my own dogs a Bernedoodle! Her expressive personality, intuition, and big-hearted presence all made their way directly onto the page. In the story, Oscar gives Année comfort and companionship, but he also nudges her in the right direction without even trying. He brings warmth and levity to the mystery, the same way he does in real life. Your books often highlight tight knit communities. Why is the theme of found family important in your storytelling? Found family is one of the most comforting themes in fiction, and it mirrors life in meaningful ways. Cozy mysteries are rooted in the idea that community can be a source of strength, healing, and humor, even when chaos is unfolding around you. Année is building a life from scratch in Hazelton, and the people she chooses to surround herself with become her support system. That sense of belonging is at the heart of the series. You also write coastal fantasy in the Mermaid Eclipse trilogy. How is writing cozy mystery different from building magical, myth inspired worlds? Writing cozy mysteries keeps me grounded in everyday emotion, while fantasy asks me to expand the world beyond its natural rules. Yet both genres rely on atmosphere, character, and place. In fantasy, the magic is literal. In a cozy mystery, the magic comes from community, comfort, and curiosity. Switching between the two lets me stretch different creative muscles, and each genre strengthens the other. Your settings feel very immersive, from bookshops to ocean cliffs. What draws you to writing stories rooted so strongly in place? Setting is an emotional force in storytelling. A cozy café, a foggy forest, or a quiet reading nook can influence a character as much as any plot point. I love writing environments where readers can step inside the world and immediately feel at home. Hazelton, with its bookstores, bakeries, and coastal beauty, is the kind of place I want to live inside too. What was the most surprising or quirky research discovery while writing Hazelnuts and Homicide? I became fascinated by the different varieties of hazelnut trees and shrubs, and how sensitive they are to shifts in weather. Some varieties thrive in specific microclimates, while others are more delicate. Learning about the relationship between hazelnut crops and the coastal environment gave me a deeper appreciation of Tillamook County and added a layer of authenticity to the book. Both the Bonne Année Mysteries and the Mermaid Eclipse trilogy explore transformation in different ways. What themes do you find yourself returning to as a writer? I return to themes of reinvention, belonging, and second chances. My characters are often standing at the edge of a new chapter, uncertain but hopeful. Whether it is a magical transformation or a personal one, I am drawn to stories about discovering who you are and who you choose to become. Readers love Année’s holiday themed world. Can you give us a hint about what comes next in the Bonne Année Mystery Series? The next book takes place during Easter and brings new people and celebrations to Hazelton. There will be more culinary delights, another mystery of course, and a little more romance. Année is growing into her new life, and her relationships are deepening right along with the next investigation. And yes, Oscar will be right by her side again. Website: https://necarlisle.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/necarlisle/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NECarlisleAuthor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NECarlisle Purchase the book here: Paperback: https://a.co/d/9YyCtzQ Kindle & Hardcover: https://a.co/d/4EmtzJJ  Martha Retallick is an award-winning documentary photographer and writer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Michigan and has done additional coursework in graphic design and building and construction technologies at Pima Community College. Martha’s eclectic life experiences include bicycling through all 50 of the United States, plus a bit of Mexico and Canada, and publishing two books about her adventures. While pedaling more than 15,000 miles, Martha met such on-the-road challenges as traversing the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains and the Southwestern deserts. She also experienced many off-the-bike adventures, including a visit to former President Jimmy Carter’s residence, a brief stint as a Kansas wheat farmer, and a night in an Arkansas jail; she was looking for a place to stay in a small town, and the police chief offered floor space in the visitors’ room. In addition, Martha has helped to produce two different magazines, volunteered to rebuild houses damaged during Hurricane Katrina, and created an urban water harvesting oasis. Martha’s publishing credits include articles in The Washington Post, Edible Baja Arizona, and Michigan Today. In addition to her workaday activities, Martha is:
Your home has become a two-decade experiment in transforming urban space into a thriving desert oasis. When you first purchased the property in 2004, what was your vision—and how has the reality surprised or changed you over the years? When I first bought this property, it had no landscaping. The yard – if you can even call it that – consisted of a sun-baked expanse of crushed rock in the front yard and out-of-control Bermuda grass in the backyard. In this part of the world, Bermuda grass is considered to be an invasive species. You don’t want it in your yard. Shortly after my offer was accepted, I was showing my house-to-be to a friend. She saw my barren front yard and said, “That’s your palette!” To put it mildly, Martha was inspired. In essence, my vision for this place would to be to create a landscape that would integrate nature with the built environment. Two decades later, I’m still working on that vision. I’d say that my biggest success story has been the desert native trees in the front yard. I’m happy to say that three out of the four trees I planted have survived – and they’re thriving. That trio of desert native trees consists of two ironwoods and a mesquite – and here’s the best part: I don’t irrigate them. They can live off of rainwater, and that’s what they’ve been doing for two decades. However, my success with trees has not extended to another desert native: Cactus. They’ve proven to more disease-prone and insect-infested than I thought. So, I’ve had to remove a lot of what I had planted. Of the remaining cactus, the bunny ears cactus is still growing and expanding its territory. I think I’ll let it do just that. Many people think of the desert as a harsh environment where lushness is impossible without heavy irrigation. How has water harvesting – both passive and active – reshaped your understanding of what’s possible in arid landscapes? Here’s the thing about heavy irrigation: It leads to sky-high water bills. And those can really lighten your wallet. And, lucky for me, I went into home ownership on a shoestring. That made the irrigation decision easy. I simply couldn’t afford to install an irrigation system – or run water through it. So, what was this Pennsylvanian-turned-Arizonan to do? I made the most Pennsylvania decision ever: I decided to plant trees. My mesquite and ironwood trees – and the shrubbery beneath them – are drought-tolerant species that can live off rainwater. They also benefit from passive water harvesting earthworks – basins, berms, and swales – that help keep the rain here on my property. I’d like to add that there’s no lawn here – they take too much water to establish and maintain – and that’s why you don’t see many lawns in Tucson. I do have a small fruit forest in the backyard. The irrigation comes via active water harvesting. On wash day, my laundry-to-landscape greywater system keeps the wastewater out of the sewer. Instead, that wastewater gets recycled and it irrigates my two pomegranates and a Meyer lemon tree. I also have a dwarf fig tree that lives in a planter. It gets the good stuff – watering cans full of rainwater from my 1,500-gallon cistern. Your passive water-harvesting design uses basins, berms, and swales. Could you walk us through the early learning curve? What were the biggest lessons, mistakes, or “aha” moments as you sculpted your land to work with water rather than fight against scarcity? By the end of 2006, my DIY landscaped yard was looking pretty good. But there was one big problem. During Tucson’s summer monsoon season, sudden storms can dump several inches in a matter of hours. And I’d watch from inside my house while the front and back yards turned into flood zones. Would the water come into the house? A neighbor told me that a previous owner dealt with this very issue. I figured that the flooding problem related to the grade of the back-yard – it sloped toward the house. My solution: A rock-lined diversion swale that pulled water out of the back-yard and brought it into the already flooded front yard. I and a landscaping crew that I hired did the joint project of digging and installation. And, oh, did that swale look great. By using Catalina Granite rocks that I found in various locations near my home, I couldn’t have been more local in my choice of materials. Those bright white rocks had flecks of mica that sparkled in the sunshine. Unfortunately, my lovely swale didn’t work. In order to bring excess water out of my back-yard, the swale had to make a 90-degree turn at the northeast corner of my house. During heavy storms, water would accumulate in that corner and I was afraid that it would undermine my foundation. Even worse, very little water made it past the sharp turn and continued flowing downhill into my front yard. It was time to ask for help. And, lucky me, I found that there was plenty of low-cost, locally-based help. In 2007, I started volunteering with a local nonprofit that ran service learning projects around Tucson. Through those projects, I learned the basics of water harvesting. These include an important mental skill, and that is to think like water. Remember that, regardless of the terrain, it always flows downhill. Do you like where it’s going? Or do you need to send it elsewhere? My yard flooding problem told me that the rainwater needed to be guided away from the house. In addition to thinking like water, decide what you want your water to do. For my rainwater, the choice was clear: I didn’t want it in the house, not when I had a yard full of young plants that needed water to help them grow. The solution? Berms and basins that would encourage the rainwater to stay close to the plants. The addition of organic (wood chip) mulch would slow the evaporation of that water. As for my diversion swales, they’ve been fixed and now they work properly. Best practices? Here goes:
You’ve eliminated the need for traditional irrigation, which is remarkable in a region where 40 percent of household water is used outdoors. What would you say to skeptics who believe water harvesting is too complex, too costly, or too ineffective for the average homeowner? Quite often, people equate water harvesting with cisterns. And those things can cost serious money. (Don’t ask me how I know!) But take it from someone who went 16 years before I was able to afford a cistern: You can do water harvesting on the cheap. Here’s how: Focus your efforts on building passive water harvesting earthworks – basins, berms, and swales. These will enable your rainwater to slow down, spread out, and gradually sink into the ground. And bonus points if you build those earthworks before planting anything. In water harvesting parlance, this is called planting the rain first. In essence, you’re creating a huge water retention area below your earthworks. Much cheaper than a cistern, and all you need is a shovel. Your 1,500-gallon cistern and laundry-to-landscape greywater system are powerful examples of active water harvesting. How did you decide which technologies to invest in, and what advice do you have for people wanting to add similar systems to their own homes? For the first 13 years of living on this property, my slender budget said “passive water harvesting only.” So, that’s what I did. Then came 2017. At last, I was able to afford to get active with my water harvesting via a laundry-to-landscape greywater harvesting system. This system irrigates three fruit threes – a Meyer lemon and two pomegranates. In 2020, it was cistern installation time. The cistern stores 1,500 gallons of rainwater, which is harvested from 500 square feet of roof. During a one-inch storm, about 250 gallons goes into the cistern. Six inches of rain will fill it. Although 1,500 gallons seems like a lot, it really isn’t. That’s why I dedicate the cistern water to my backyard garden. There simply isn’t enough for the landscape. City Nature includes more than 60 of your color photographs, showcasing plant life, wildlife, and even your recycled-chandelier kinetic sculpture. How does photography help you tell the story of your landscape—and what do these images reveal that words alone cannot? I like to say that water harvesting encompasses three activities:
That’s why I show photos of my passive water harvesting earthworks during rainstorms. Activity #1 in action. My cistern? Also in the book as it’s engaging in Activity #2, storing rainwater for later use. Recycling “used” water, Activity #3? What better way to show that than soapy laundry water emerging from one of my fruit tree irrigation emitters. Over 20 years, your property has become a habitat not just for plants, but also for birds and other urban wildlife. What ecological changes have you observed as your landscape matured, and what has been most meaningful about sharing your space with these species? This once-barren lot is now one of the biggest bird hangouts in my neighborhood. Every spring, my front yard mesquite tree turns into an avian singles club. While few birds have successfully nested in the mesquite – they prefer the two ironwoods – they certainly enjoy using the mesquite for calling out, meeting, greeting, and, shall we say, other activities. My bird hangout has also proven to be quite motivational. Since 2020, I have been honing my wildlife photography skills with the neighborhood birds. I’d like to thank them for providing so many opportunities. In addition to their bird-attracting abilities, my trees provide much-needed shade, which helps to cool this property and our city. Many of your water-harvesting solutions are do-it-yourself projects. What has hands-on building taught you about sustainable living, and how has it influenced your relationship with your home and environment? Both my active and passive water harvesting projects have been group projects. Although I did much of the planting myself, I had help with berm, basin, and swale creation. I also had help with the active water harvesting features, specifically, the cistern and laundry-to-landscape greywater harvesting system. My creators and installers ranged from a local nonprofit that focuses on water and sustainability issues, that organization’s service learning volunteers, and commercial contractors. But, now that the installations are complete, it’s up to me to maintain what’s here. It’s a human-created environment, and, as such, it doesn’t maintain itself. Maintenance can include a DIY shrubbery trimming session or calling an arborist for professional tree care. With Southwestern water scarcity becoming increasingly urgent, City Nature arrives at a critical moment. How do you hope your book will influence conversations about personal responsibility, urban planning, and the future of water use in desert cities? I don’t want City Nature to be a doom and gloom book. Instead, I want the photos and the storytelling to inspire people, to show them what is possible through water harvesting. 1Your resource guide includes books, websites, organizations, and businesses for readers interested in water conservation and desert gardening. If someone is starting from scratch—overwhelmed but inspired – what is the first practical step you would recommend they take after reading your book? First thing to do is decide why you want to get into water harvesting. And be aware that your reasons may well change over time. Mine sure have! For example, while I was still a renter, I was interested in water harvesting because I thought it would be a cool thing to do. And then I moved into a flood-prone house. Suddenly, that first activity of water harvesting became very important. I had to figure out how to redirect rainwater away from where I didn’t want it (inside my house) to where I do (out in the yard). Website: https://westernskycommunications.com/
Instagram: @marthanaturephotography LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martharetallick/ Purchase the book here: https://proaudiovoices.com/  Anna Olswanger lives in the Metro New York area where she heads Olswanger Literary, a boutique literary agency she founded in 2014. Her clients' books have won the Newbery Honor, Boston Globe Horn Book Nonfiction Honor, and been on The New York Times Bestseller list. Anna is the author of SHLEMIEL CROOKS, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book and PJ Library Book; GREENHORN, adapted to film and named an Audience Award Winner for Best Short Film Drama at the 2015 Memphis Jewish Film Festival; and A VISIT TO MOSCOW, a 2023 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominee. A Visit to Moscow is based on the true story of Rabbi Rafael Grossman’s secret journey into the heart of the Soviet Union. What drew you personally to this story, and how did you approach adapting such a harrowing yet hopeful historical moment for readers today? Rabbi Rafael Grossman and I began collaborating on writing projects in the early 1980s. One of our first projects was a Holocaust novel with a character based on his cousin, a leader of the Jewish resistance in the Bialystok ghetto. As we planned out the storyline, Rabbi Grossman told me about an incident during a trip he made in 1965 to the Soviet Union, where he met a young boy whose parents were Holocaust survivors. The boy had never been outside the room he was born in. We included the incident in the book and got about a hundred pages in before the rabbi had to focus on other obligations. We never finished the novel, and then in 2018 Rabbi Grossman died. I hadn’t thought about the manuscript for years until his daughter sent me a box of the writings he and I had once worked on. There, in the box, were the hundred pages of the novel. I was intrigued and dug out the notes from my own files. As I read through them, I realized that along the way I had lost the thread of what had really happened and what we had come up with for the storyline. I didn’t know if I was reading fact or fiction in my notes. But what was clear to me was the message of the rabbi’s story: Each of us can make this world a better place, even if only for a few people. I knew I wanted to get the story published, but because I couldn’t separate out the facts, it wasn’t possible to publish it as nonfiction. My editor suggested that I write it as historical fiction, and that is how we went forward with A Visit to Moscow—“Adapted by Anna Olswanger from a story told by Rabbi Rafael Grossman.” The book captures both the political tension of the 1960s and the spiritual endurance of the Jewish people. How did you balance historical accuracy with emotional storytelling in bringing that atmosphere to life? Developing the book as historical fiction was one way of achieving the balance, but I also added what I hoped was an element of timelessness by imagining the adult Zev in the opening and ending. The view of the world as an extraordinary place sustained Zev as a young boy, whether in the one room in Moscow where he could only peek out the window or later, when his family was able to leave the Soviet Union and go to Israel, in the openness of the land and cities of Israel. I think for him, being alive on this earth was like being in heaven. In the opening, I imagined the adult Zev, who has just died, looking down at the area in Lebanon where he had stepped on a land mine. He sees the lush landscape—a river, haze, the ruins of a rampart. He thinks he’s looking down from heaven. And then everything starts to disappear. He can’t remember his name or who he was. He hears a voice and follows it. He sees a man (later we realize it is the fictional version of Rabbi Grossman) at his Shabbat table with his family. The man is about to tell his family the story of his meeting a young boy named Zev during a visit to Moscow in 1965. At the end, the adult Zev remembers all the events in the book, realizes he has died, and remembers he has been alive. I wrote, “He remembers being alive was like being in heaven” as a way to capture the timelessness of his story. You collaborated with illustrator Yevgenia Nayberg, herself a former Soviet Jew. How did her visual interpretation shape or deepen the narrative you originally envisioned? I feel that Yevgenia had a clear vision of the atmosphere of the story because of her own experience in the Soviet Union. In an interview just after the book came out, she said that finding the right light to set the visual mood, which she did by combining luminosity and fog, was the most satisfying part of this project for her.. She included several textless panels throughout the book to alter the pace, and noted that while the main events of the novel happened in the summer, her winter panel of snowy Moscow showed the passage of time without words. In that same interview, Yevgenia talked about the challenge of keeping the composition dynamic because there isn't much physicality in the story. The scenes are mostly limited to two to three people. However, there is internal action throughout the text, and Yevgenia said she was able to both slow down and speed up the narrative through her images and vision of the atmosphere of the story. Much of your work—from Shlemiel Crooks to Greenhorn and now A Visit to Moscow—connects the Jewish experience across generations. What continues to draw you back to these stories of faith, resilience, and identity? I think that what all three books have in common, and what draws me to them, is the element of hiddenness. In Shlemiel Crooks, there is a talking horse that no one hears but who saves Reb Elias’ shipment of Passover wine from robbers. In Greenhorn there is the little box with its secret contents that the young Holocaust survivor won’t let out of his sight. And in A Visit to Moscow, there is the hidden child Zev. I asked Rabbi Grossman what Zev was like, and he told me that he never played, but he loved to imagine things. “What are shuls like in America?” he asked Rabbi Grossman. “What’s a Torah like? What do children do?” Rabbi Grossman said Zev showed no resentment at having never been outside his parents’ apartment. Rabbi Grossman thought it was because of the incredible love his parents showed him. He told me that it didn’t make what they did right, but it did make for an emotionally healthy child, one who had been hidden from the influence of the communist government. The book has been recognized by the Eisner Awards and praised for its haunting simplicity. What conversations do you hope A Visit to Moscow will spark among readers—especially those unfamiliar with the “spiritual Holocaust” faced by Soviet Jews? I hope that the book will raise discussions about the risks that Jews have taken throughout history to preserve their religious ideals. I would like readers to consider the ideals that would be important enough for them to take risks for. I would also like them to think about the meaning of the line, “He remembers being alive was like being in heaven,” and how they might conceive of this world, with all its pain and imperfections, as being like heaven. And, I would like them to consider the epigraph of A Visit to Moscow, “Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved the whole world” and ask themselves if they could imagine a time when they could apply that epigraph to their own life. Website: https://www.olswanger.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annaolswanger/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaOlswanger Twitter: https://x.com/annaolswanger Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/olswanger/anna-olswanger-literary-agentauthor/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olswanger Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Visit-Moscow-Anna-Olswanger/dp/1513141953/  Patricia Leavy, PhD is novelist, sociologist, and arts advocate (formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Founding Director of Gender Studies and Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology at Stonehill College). She is widely considered the world's most visible proponent of arts-based research, which merges the arts and sciences. Patricia has published over 50 books, nonfiction and fiction, and her work has been translated into numerous languages. She has received over 100 book awards. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the State University of New York at New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” In recent years, her passion has turned to penning romance novels. What inspired you to write The Artist Academic, and how does it reflect your own experiences as both a scholar and an artist? The question I’m most frequently asked is: “How did you do it?” The question can mean slightly different things. How did you go from academic to commercial novelist? How did you develop an audience in two worlds? How did you find success as a free agent? I tend to think people are really asking: How did you build the career and life you wanted, and how might I do the same? I wrote this book as an attempt to answer that question. In the book, I talk about my experiences as both an academic and as a novelist, reviewing the “messy gut checks” that led to “turning points” which ultimately enabled me to build the life I wanted to live. Were there pivotal moments in your academic career that made you realize the need to merge scholarship with creativity? I had what was considered an enviable academic career—early tenure, promotion, a long cv filled with publications—and yet I felt unfulfilled. It didn’t seem like my work mattered beyond my own job security. This persistent nagging feeling spurred many moments when I questioned the traditional system of producing academic scholarship. The reality is that most academic scholarship is completely inaccessible to the public. It circulates in expensive, jargon-filled, highly specialized academic journals which are housed in universities. Journal articles are poorly read within the academy too. For the most part, no one wants to read this stuff. Yet a lot of academic scholarship is centered on interesting topics that people care about. So I felt there had to be a different way to do and share this work for those of us who wish to speak to the many, not the few. I started dabbling with creative approaches to research, such as using poetry and literary writing. I never looked back. How did your early experiences in academia shape the perspective you share in this book? We live in a world in which we compare our insides to others’ outsides. For example, social media is generally people’s highlight reels. It’s not a reflection of the totality of their lives. Yet we can look at the good things happening to someone else or their pretty pictures and compare it to our own lives, often feeling badly, like we don’t measure up. The same thing can be true in our professional lives. Our careers may look enviable to the outside, but on the inside, we may be unfulfilled. So, I wanted to pull the curtain back. The truth is that in many ways I had a wonderful early career in academia and that’s certainly how it looked on paper. But it’s the difference between looking good and feeling good. I wanted to show people that even if something looks good to everyone else, if it doesn’t feel good to you, it’s okay to make a change. In the end, there’s nothing better than finding your true calling and living your purpose. Can you describe a moment when you felt tension between the expectations of academia and your artistic ambitions? When I first began writing novels, I was working with academic publishers. I positioned my work as “social fiction”—fiction grounded in scholarly concerns. The publishers I worked with wanted all kinds of supplemental material to accompany each novel. For example prefaces and afterwords where the process and citations were made clear, discussion questions linking the novel to social science themes, and so on. Some even wanted long subtitles listing the “academic” themes in the novels, although I successfully resisted that demand. There came a time when my novels started to be read more outside the academy. General readers hated the “extra” material. They did not want to be told what to think about a novel they were reading. I knew they were right. Academics are taught to detail every aspect of their research, including their process and how they’re influenced by others. Art doesn’t work the same way. Novels should not have footnotes. You need to let the art stand on its own and allow people to interpret it as they will. What were the biggest obstacles you faced in balancing your scholarly work with creative projects, and how did you overcome them? Often in life, we are our own biggest obstacle, and this was true for me. First, I needed to let go of fears about what people might think and the rejection and criticism I might face. The truth is if there’s no critique it doesn’t mean work was well received, it more likely means it wasn’t received at all. Any work that finds an audience beyond our immediate friends and peers will face some criticism. That’s part of the process. I needed to stop trying to please everyone. It’s a losing battle anyway. So I worked on my own mindset, got clear about the intentions behind my work, and stopped making compromises to make it more palatable to others. How have gender or institutional biases influenced your journey, and how do you address these challenges in your book? Like many, I’ve dealt with biases and other roadblocks in both the academy and the publishing industry. Learning to navigate those obstacles, and sometimes bad players, has been an important part of my story so I didn’t shy away from recounting a few examples. These weren’t fun experiences, and neither was writing about them, but I felt it would be a disservice to readers to exclude some of these harsh realities. My hope is that by sharing my experiences it prevents others from having to do the same, and at a minimum gives them some tools and strategies if they do face these challenges. It’s also important that people know they are not alone. I’ve had bad experiences and still found success and personal happiness. Others can do the same. Did writing The Artist Academic uncover any unexpected insights about yourself or your career path? Absolutely. Writing is always a great way to reflect and connect the dots. There are things we don’t really notice when they happen because they don’t seem that remarkable, but in hindsight we can see their significance. For example, I never really thought about how many people in my early life set me on a path. My maternal grandmother who made up magical stories, my high school friends who loved to talk about philosophy, the artists I met in graduate school. There are some people, books, and films I always remembered as major influences, but really, there were many more and they played a bigger role than I realized. I also noticed how many times in my career something that felt like a horrible setback led to something much better. During the lived experience, it didn’t always feel that way, but in writing the book I could see how each step back led to many forward. That was a happy surprise. For scholars who feel “stuck” in traditional academic roles, what first steps would you recommend to start embracing their creative side? Try experimenting, without expectations. Take interview research and try to write a poem. Take ethnographic research and write a short story. Just begin where you are with whatever you have. There are writing activities at the end of The Artist Academic that are a great place to start. One is to write a letter to yourself about your career as it is and as you wish it to be. Get honest. What do you really want your career to look and feel like? What would it take to get there? The suggestions at the end of the book are designed to help you identify “messy gut checks” in your own career, which inevitably put you on the path to turning points. How can academics create space for creativity while meeting institutional demands and deadlines? It’s always challenging balancing the demands on our time. I’m a huge believer in creating a writing discipline (or artistic discipline). Carve out specific time in your schedule for creativity—whether that’s daily, a couple times a week, or whatever works. No scrolling, emails, etc. during that time. Use every minute of it—even if that’s staring at a blank screen and thinking. Consider that time sacred. If you had a meeting with someone else you would show up. Show up for yourself. Don’t break promises to yourself. You discuss building a public creative voice—what strategies or practices do you suggest for those new to this process? Learning to write for or speak to different audiences is a great skill. I suggest starting by writing a blog or op-ed. You don’t need to publish it. It’s practice for learning how to take your ideas and share them with a public audience. I spent a lot of time on this, and it really paid off in more ways than I could have imagined. Doing a practice interview is another strategy. If you have a creative work such as a novel, play, or collection of visual art, or a literary nonfiction project such as a memoir, write down some interview questions someone might ask you about the work and answer them. It’s a great way to get comfortable speaking about your work in public, and again, there’s no pressure, it’s just for practice. Website: https://patricialeavy.com
Faceboook: www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite Instagram: www.instagram.com/patricialeavy X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/PatriciaLeavy Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Artist-Academic-Literary-Scholar/dp/1737862441/  Donna Dalton is an educator with 40 years of school experience. Donna currently lives in Manakin Sabot, Virginia, with her husband, Bob. She is a mother and grandmother who loves to travel. When retired, she wrote her first book, Two Mice at the Eiffel Tower, based on a visit to Paris over 25 years ago. Donna has built upon her travel experiences to write her second book in the Two Mice travel series, Two Mice in London. Since then, she has written her third book, Two Mice in New York: A Holiday Adventure, her fourth book, Two Mice on Safari, her fifth book, Two Mice in Ireland, and her sixth book, Two Mice in Italy. Her newest book, Two Mice in the Bahamas, was written during her 2024 travels to the Bahamas with her family, Robbie, Ellen, Tyler, and Kinsley. What inspired you to create Azura and Afrodille, two French mice, as the stars of this holiday adventure in New York City? I held onto an idea for a children’s book for over twenty-five years. It all started with a trip to Paris with my family. As my husband and I were taking a break from tours and visiting sights, we took a minute to sit on the bench by the Eiffel Tower to take in the magnificence of this structure. My eyes quickly caught something moving by my feet. After further investigation, I quickly realized tiny grey mice were in the greenery by our feet, nibbling on leftovers from tourists. I certainly was not expecting to see mice by the Eiffel Tower. This unexpected sight sparked inspiration, and I turned to my husband and enthusiastically claimed, “I’m going to write a book someday about the mice at the Eiffel Tower!” Keeping that idea in my head for decades, I could never abandon that silly thought. Once I retired, I started to write my first children’s book, Two Mice at the Eiffel Tower. Afrodille and Azura became my two inquisitive French mice looking for a way to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower with their friend Madame Bella. While writing this fictional story, I aimed to educate children about Paris, France, and the Eiffel Tower while they enjoyed the narrative. The plot for the two mice to reach the top of the tower involves 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and cultural awareness. My website features various activities that align with the skills of teachers and their students as they explore this title and a series of Two Mice children’s books. My two French mice have continued to travel to London, New York (during the holidays), Africa, Ireland, Italy, and the Bahamas. The story beautifully weaves in major holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve. Why was it important for you to highlight multiple celebrations in one children’s book? I want readers to learn all about the cities where my two French mice visit - the geography, major tourist attractions, food, and the culture. New York, for me, was also a celebration of the holidays from Thanksgiving to Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's Eve. I wanted children to experience the Macy's Day Parade, the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, the nativity scene near Central Park, the world's largest Menorah in Central Park, and the ball dropping at New Year's. in Times Square. As a former educator, how did your teaching experience influence the way you shaped this story for young readers? Retiring after 40 years as an educator left a void in my heart, a longing to stay connected with students. Born and raised in Richmond, my career in Henrico County and Chesterfield County was always about local students and their successes. But what next after retirement? The answer was a childhood dream to become a children’s writer, a new way to connect with young minds and continue the joy of teaching in a different form. New York City itself becomes a character in the book, with landmarks like Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and Central Park. How did you decide which places the mice would visit in their search for the missing star? As an author, I wanted to highlight places that I visited in New York City to share with readers. My husband surprised me one year with a trip to New York, where we witnessed the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. It was a dream come true to see this happen in real time after watching it yearly on television. As I wrote the story of the two mice visiting New York, I wanted to highlight the crucial attractions for students. One reader's grandmother told me that her granddaughter was thrilled to visit New York and experience all the attractions mentioned in the book. Two Mice in New York brings the holidays and attractions to life for students who are lucky enough to visit this magnificent city. And, for students who have not traveled yet, it gives them a taste of the extraordinary events and places that I hope they might experience one day. The book also introduces Frankie the subway rat and his “rat pack.” What role do these characters play in teaching children about friendship, teamwork, or problem-solving? Frankie is a new character who helps the two mice find a way to reach the top of the Empire State Building. Using collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills, Frankie and his team of rats help the two mice reach an open window in the Empire State Building. As a result of this teamwork, Frankie and the two mice become friends, joining together to light the Rockefeller Christmas Tree with its new star (spoiler alert). Website: https://www.2-mice.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/donnadalton2mice Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donnadaltontwomice Twitter: https://x.com/DonnaMcDalton Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Two-Mice-New-York-Adventure/dp/0578651467  Mary Vassallo Slinkard’s journey from the courtroom to the literary world is as compelling as the mysteries she writes. With over two decades as a successful commercial litigator, Mary honed her analytical skills and deep understanding of human nature – the perfect ingredients for crafting edge-of-your-seat suspense novels. Her debut, Her Final Gamble, is a masterful tale of death and deception, unraveling the hidden secrets of a high-society family in the Philadelphia suburbs. Spanning three decades of lies, betrayal, and intrigue, this riveting story keeps readers guessing until the very last page. But the story doesn’t end there. Fans won’t have to wait long for the sequel, as Mary’s captivating protagonist, Jacqueline Stone, returns for another thrilling adventure that promises even more danger, drama, and intrigue. Mary Vassallo Slinkard is a fresh and fearless voice in the mystery genre, delivering stories that linger long after the final chapter. Your career as a commercial litigator spanned more than two decades. How did your experiences in real courtrooms inform the creation of Jacqueline Stone, and where did you allow fiction to take over? My twenty-plus years in the courtroom shaped Jacqueline Stone in every way. I’ve been in real courtrooms, in real pressure, facing real stakes, and that experience gave me a deep understanding of how people behave when truth is on the line — the confidence, the fear, the strategy, and the emotional undercurrent you don’t always see from the outside. As a litigator, I learned something that became the heart of Jacqueline’s character: women can command a room every bit as powerfully as men, but often in completely different ways. Authenticity, intuition, empathy — those were strengths I leaned on, not weaknesses. That blend of professionalism, poise, and unapologetic femininity very much comes from my own life. Where fiction takes over is the scale — the secrets, the danger, the twists that would never fit neatly into any courtroom I’ve ever practiced in. In real life, cases unfold slowly and quietly; in fiction, I was able to amplify the drama, raise the stakes, and build a world where every character has something to hide. But Jacqueline herself? Her instincts, her flaws, her grit, and her grace — those are rooted in very real courtroom lessons. The fiction is the plot. Jacqueline Stone is both a brilliant attorney and a woman grappling with profound personal loss. How did you balance her strength and vulnerability to create a protagonist readers could root for? Jacqueline’s strength comes from the same place her vulnerability lives — her humanity. I wanted her to be a woman who could walk into a courtroom and own it with intelligence, intuition, and authenticity, but who also carries real wounds and real grief. To me, those qualities aren’t opposites; they’re inseparable. After decades as an attorney, I learned that the strongest people are often the ones who are willing to acknowledge their fears, their doubts, and their heartbreak — and still move forward. That’s who Jacqueline is. She’s brilliant and capable, but she’s also rebuilding herself after unimaginable loss. I let her be confident and competent, but also messy, scared, unsure at times — because that’s what makes her relatable. You root for her not just because she’s strong, but because she’s strong in spite of everything she’s been through. Her grit and her grace work together, and that balance is what makes her journey feel authentic and inspiring. The novel begins with Jacqueline surviving the accident that kills her husband and son. Why did you choose to begin her journey in such a devastating place, and how does that loss drive her search for redemption? I started Jacqueline’s story at the moment of her greatest heartbreak because loss has a way of stripping life down to its bare truth. When everything familiar is taken from her — her husband, her child, her sense of safety, even her belief in herself — she’s forced to confront who she is without the roles she used to hide behind. I didn’t want a protagonist who simply stepped into her power; I wanted one who earned it. Someone who had to crawl through grief, self-doubt, and guilt before she could stand again. Beginning in that devastating place gives every victory, every moment of courage, so much more weight. That loss becomes the engine behind her redemption. It drives her to find answers she once ran from. It forces her to trust instincts she stopped believing in. And it transforms her — not into a perfect person, but into a stronger, wiser, more fearless version of herself. Her journey isn’t just about solving a case. It’s about reclaiming her life. Mystery writers often rely on twists and red herrings. How does your legal background—where parsing evidence and questioning motive is paramount— shape the way you construct suspense? My legal background shapes everything about the way I build suspense. As a litigator, you learn quickly that every story has layers, every witness has an agenda, and every piece of evidence has a story it’s trying to tell — or a truth it’s trying to hide. That mindset naturally translates into how I write twists and red herrings. In a courtroom, you’re constantly asking: What makes sense? What doesn’t? Who benefits? Who’s lying by omission rather than outright? That’s exactly how I approach suspense. I construct the story the way I would build a case — placing clues in plain sight, letting motives unfold slowly, and allowing the reader to question everyone, even the people they trust. And honestly, my love of suspense thrillers is what fuels the rest. I grew up devouring books where the answers were always just out of reach, where the smallest overlooked detail turned out to be the key to everything. I wanted to bring that same sense of tension and discovery to my writing. So the twists in my novels are a mix of two worlds: the disciplined logic of a lawyer trained to dismantle a story, and the instinctive curiosity of a lifelong mystery reader who loves being surprised. A traumatized child is central to this story. What drew you to exploring justice through the eyes of someone so young and vulnerable, and what challenges did that pose for your writing? As a mother of four, I know firsthand how fierce and instinctive the drive is to protect your children. I had complicated pregnancies and serious medical scares, and we came close to losing both of my sons. That kind of fear — that raw, primal pain — stays with you. It changes you. It teaches you what it means to fight for a child with everything you have. So when I created a traumatized child in this story, I knew I was tapping into a wound I understood deeply: the terror of almost losing a child, and the lingering fear of what could happen if you do. That personal experience made the tragedy at the heart of the book feel real and powerful to me, because I’ve lived versions of that heartbreak. At the same time, I did a lot of research into trauma, especially how violence impacts children. And honestly, I could only imagine the emotional devastation of witnessing something as horrifying as your mother’s murder. It made me write with more care, more restraint, and more responsibility. The challenge was balancing authenticity with sensitivity. I wanted the child’s pain to be real, not sensationalized. I wanted readers to feel his fear and confusion, but also to see his strength and resilience. And I wanted Jacqueline — who knows grief intimately — to see herself in him, to recognize that protecting this child isn’t just her job, it’s part of her own healing. Exploring justice through the eyes of someone so young forces every adult character to confront what truly matters. It raises the stakes, heightens the emotion, and reminds us that behind every legal battle is a human life — often the most vulnerable one in the room. The book’s title, The Final Gamble, suggests high stakes both professionally and personally. What does “gamble” mean to Jacqueline—and to you as the author— within the context of this story? For Jacqueline, the “gamble” is about more than a legal strategy or a risky case. It’s about trusting herself again after her entire world has collapsed. She’s lost her husband, her child, her confidence, and at moments, even her identity. Taking on this case forces her to bet on the one thing she’s not sure she can rely on anymore—her own instincts. It’s the gamble of stepping back into the courtroom when she’s terrified she no longer belongs there. It’s the gamble of believing she can still protect someone when she couldn’t save the people she loved most. And it’s the gamble of letting herself feel again, knowing how devastating loss can be. For me, the “gamble” lives on a completely different level—but a real one. I took a gamble on a second career. Writing a book after spending decades in the legal world is terrifying. A novel feels like a child you send out into the world—you hope people love it, understand it, connect with it. And I took an even bigger gamble by weaving epilepsy into my protagonist’s story. Sharing something so personal, something I’ve struggled with privately, required a level of vulnerability I’d never shown publicly before. But it mattered to me. It was always my dream to write a book with a heroine who wasn’t perfect—who had flaws, fear, and a very real condition—and still rose. I wanted to take a gamble on myself. And I wanted my four children to see their mother do something brave, something completely new, something that scared her—but something she believed in anyway. If they learn anything from this book, I hope it’s that dreams don’t expire, and courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s moving forward in spite of it. You set your work in and around the Philadelphia suburbs. How does place function in your novels—do you see the city itself as a kind of character in the story? Absolutely. Philadelphia is very much a character in my stories. It’s a place with layers — old money and new money, tradition and reinvention, grit and elegance — and those contrasts create a natural tension that’s perfect for a suspense novel. The Main Line still carries that quiet, blue-blood history, but it sits right next to neighborhoods driven by ambition, passion, and resilience. That blend is uniquely Philadelphia. I’ve lived here my entire life, except for the years I left for school in Boston, and I love this city. Its personality is loud, loyal, raw, and honest — and those qualities inevitably shape my characters. Jacqueline Stone doesn’t just live near Philadelphia; she belongs to it. Her toughness, her heart, her flaws, and her fire all come from the same place that raised me. So yes, the city itself becomes a character — one with attitude, charm, history, and an intensity that matches the emotional weight of the story. Philadelphia isn’t just the backdrop. It’s the heartbeat. Women attorneys often navigate reputational scrutiny differently than men. How much of Jacqueline’s exile from her firm echoes the real challenges you observed—or experienced—in your legal career? Thankfully, I was never exiled from my firm — Jacqueline’s exit is pure fiction in that sense — but the underlying truth is still very real. Women in the legal profession do navigate scrutiny differently. There are biases, spoken and unspoken, that shape how we’re seen, how we’re judged, and how quickly mistakes or setbacks stick to us compared to our male counterparts. What I gave Jacqueline was the emotional reality of what many women feel, even if we don’t experience it as dramatically as she does: that sense of being watched a little more closely, expected to justify our decisions a little more carefully, and having to prove ourselves in ways men often don’t. In my own career, I’ve seen women walk a much narrower tightrope — balancing authority with likability, strength with approachability, and confidence with humility. It’s an exhausting dance at times, and it absolutely informed how I wrote Jacqueline’s professional downfall and her rise back into her own power. So while I wasn’t pushed out of a firm, I understand the terrain she’s walking. Women lawyers have to navigate differently — not because we’re less capable, but because the world still evaluates us through a different lens. And giving that struggle to Jacqueline allowed me to explore both the frustration and the fierce resilience that so many women lawyers embody. Your books delve into decades of hidden betrayals and lies. What fascinates you about secrets, and why do you think readers are drawn to stories where the past refuses to stay buried? I’ve always been fascinated by human motivation. My bachelor’s degree is in psychology for a reason — I love figuring out what makes people tick. Most of us, deep down, are good people. But we all have insecurities, fears, and moments where emotion overrides logic. We make choices we would never make in a calm, rational moment. And we hide those moments, because we want the world to see the version of ourselves we’re proud of — not the one we’re afraid of. That’s what secrets are: the parts of us we’d rather never have exposed. And that tension — between who we are and who we pretend to be — is endlessly compelling. It’s messy, it’s human, and it’s relatable, even if the circumstances are extreme in a thriller. Readers are drawn to stories where the past won’t stay buried because, on some level, we all know what that feels like. We all carry memories, regrets, or choices that linger. Watching characters confront those secrets on the page gives us a safe way to explore the darker corners of human behavior — the why behind the lie, the fear behind the betrayal, and the hope that even the truth we run from can set us free. To me, that’s the heart of suspense: not just what happened, but why someone did it. And once you start pulling at that thread, you can’t stop. Jacqueline Stone returns in your next book. Without giving too much away, what can readers expect from her evolution, and how do you envision her role in shaping a series that blends legal drama with psychological suspense? Jacqueline is a different woman in the next book. In Her Final Gamble, I hinted that the car accident that killed her husband and son might not have been a simple tragedy — and in the new story, she’s forced to confront pieces of her past she’s tried very hard to avoid. Readers will learn more about her backstory, her marriage, and the emotional scars she carries. Not everything — I like unfolding her history slowly — but enough to show that grief and truth are more complicated than she ever realized. She’s still the smart, capable attorney readers rooted for, but now she’s navigating a deeper internal conflict: Does she let the possibility of revenge pull her into a darkness she may not come back from? That moral struggle is central to her evolution. She’s learning that the line between justice and vengeance isn’t always clear — and that sometimes the answers you seek come at a price. As the series grows, I see Jacqueline as the anchor for a world that blends legal drama with psychological suspense. She’s the kind of protagonist who can operate in both spaces — unraveling evidence in the courtroom while wrestling with the emotional truths that people spend years trying to bury. Her instincts, her empathy, and her own unresolved trauma make her uniquely suited to stories where the law intersects with the human psyche. So readers can expect a woman who’s tougher, more self-aware, and more willing to confront the ghosts in her life — even when doing so pushes her into dangerous territory. You’ve mentioned your love of wearing high heels—not just as a fashion choice but almost as part of your identity. How do high heels influence the way you carry yourself in the courtroom or at the writing desk, and do they symbolize something more profound for you? I’ve always genuinely loved wearing high heels. People sometimes think it’s about fashion, but for me it’s much more personal than that. When I put on heels—whether I’m walking into a courtroom, into a meeting, or even sitting at my writing desk—I feel a little stronger, a little more grounded, and honestly, a little more ready to take on the world. It isn’t the height, it’s the mindset. Heels make me feel like the most confident version of myself. They remind me to stand tall, literally and figuratively. They help me embody the woman I want to show up as—capable, poised, prepared, and unapologetically feminine. But the deeper truth is this: it’s not really about the shoes. It’s about finding that thing— whatever it is—that makes you feel unstoppable. For me, it happens to be heels. For someone else, it might be a favorite jacket, a song, a mantra, or a morning ritual. We all deserve to feel powerful in our own skin, and high heels just happen to be the little spark that helps me step fully into my strength. So yes, they’re shoes—but they’re also a reminder that confidence is something we create for ourselves. Website: https://maryvslinkard.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryvslinkard/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryvslinkard/ Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Her-Final-Gamble-Mary-Slinkard/dp/1684428475 
Katherine Scherer was trained in counseling at Family Service and the Women's Crisis Line. Having been an active community volunteer facilitating self-improvement and parent education groups, she also served as an elementary and high school religious education teacher. She is a past protege of authors Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen. Katherine is retired as a partner in a 30-year-old family business in Milwaukee, WI.
Eileen Bodoh is involved with various Austrian cultural events in Milwaukee, WI and received the Decoration of Merit from the Republic of Austria. Eileen created a successful holistic health conference, and served as a hospice volunteer, influenced by her studies with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Both Katherine and Eileen participated in "The "Twilight Brigade/Compassion in Action" training, founded by Dannion Brinkley. Eileen is a retired Professional Legal Secretary. Katherine and Eileen are authors of "Gratitude Works: Open Your Heart to Love," a day-by-day recap of gratitude. Their past projects promoting gratitude include donating books to The I AM FOUNDATION''S MILLION BOOKS FOR KIDS CAMPAIGN in San Diego, and to women prisoners in Texas to inspire and motivate them. Together with 100 others, including Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Julian Whitaker, Katherine and Eileen were contributing authors in "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health" published by Self Growth. As guest authors in publications, newsletters, and radio broadcasts, their articles were featured in Florida, California, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Canada. In 2025 they authored "Blessings Abound: Awaken to the Gifts at Hand," a tour guide through the land of blessings and the different forms they take. Through their writings, Katherine and Eileen hope to inspire a new appreciation for life's everyday blessings. Your book beautifully encourages readers to “awaken to the gifts at hand. What inspired you both to focus on recognizing blessings in the ordinary moments of life, and how did that awareness change your own day-to-day experiences? Katherine and Eileen were involved with a church committee and assisted with creating a holistic health conference. From the variety of the vendors who presented, they were inspired to create something positive which led to the writing of their book "Gratitude Works: Open Your Heart to Love." The writing of their book raised their awareness as to how many good things constantly flow into our lives. Blessings Abound draws from Native American wisdom, Christian teachings, and the works of great thinkers like Thoreau and Tagore. How did you weave together such diverse spiritual and philosophical influences into a unified message for readers? Katherine and Eileen both are readers of a variety of authors and have listened to many motivational and spiritual speakers. Eileen's love of inspirational quotes led to a collection she cherished and was able to draw from for their work. As they were writing, they realized great teachings and great thinkers do weave together a powerful and meaningful message for readers. Having previously written Gratitude Works, how do you see gratitude and blessings as connected yet distinct themes? What deeper dimension does this new book explore beyond gratitude? Having written Gratitude Works which is a collection of five things a day to be grateful for, for an entire year, they began to see that all of life is a blessing to be thankful for because so many adversities turn out to create good lessons to be learned. It is hard not to see that life itself is a blessing. The deeper dimension the book explores is this: what we think is what we are, and we do have choice about what we think. When we think of goodness and are thankful, goodness continues to come to us, and our lives feel better. . Both of you have devoted much of your lives to service--through counseling, hospice work, and community education. How have those experiences shaped your understanding of what true blessings are? The experience of service opens one up to the fact that all life has adversity in it. At the same time all life has the ability to handle that adversity. Sometimes we handle adversity with help and sometimes by ourselves. Our service experiences helped us realize how people can and do better themselves in spite of their adversity. Women who participated in our prison book program developed a greater sense of appreciation after practicing gratitude for a very short amount of time. Two of many comments received were: “...your book has opened my eyes to the beauty that's in our world instead of all the ugliness I've seen." "It helps me open my heart to love others and to love myself." If a reader were to take just one practice or mindset from Blessings Abound to transform their outlook on life, what would you want that to be-and why? By setting aside time each and every day to recognize our blessings, readers realize that life itself is a privilege and a blessing. In the short amount of time it takes to recognize our blessings and to give blessings to others, we can create a powerful energy that extends far beyond ourselves. This powerful energy is nothing short of love. Blessings given even in silence, have an effect in creating the peace and harmony we all want to enjoy in our lives. How can your book help someone enjoy the spirit of the Holidays? Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to focus on positive thoughts. Having gratitude for our blessings moves our enjoyment to a deeper level because we are privy to peace and harmony through gratitude. The Christmas magic of giving gifts to others carries into the new year and stays with us when we simply remember the joy we received from it. By seeing happiness in another, we enjoy more happiness in ourselves, and we and world are better off for it.
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KISS - Keep It Simple Sweetheart The Two Most Beautiful Words The Power of Counting Blessings 1001 Top Words: New Attitudes – New Possibilities Spiritual Media Blog Media & Reviews NEWSnet Likely Story Book Viral Reader Views Book Reviews Book Marketing Success Podcast with John Kremer Literary Titan Literary Titan Author Interview Awards Literary Titan Book Award: Nonfiction Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Blessings-Abound-Awaken-Gifts-Hand/dp/0974855014  Debbie Forcier-Lynn is the founder of Cultural Alignment Solutions and creator of the Expansion Leadership Academy. A Professional Certified Coach, speaker, author, and energy disruptor, Debbie has spent two decades helping leaders break unconscious patterns and lead with power, presence, and purpose. She’s known for her unapologetic style and bold approach to leadership transformation—infusing neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and energetic alignment into everything she teaches. Her first book, The Expansion Factor: Living, Leading, and Loving from the Inside Out, challenges readers to stop performing and start expanding with intention. It’s not a self-help book—it’s a mirror. Debbie has coached thousands of leaders—from first-time managers to the C-suite—who value her rare integration of neuroscience and soul work. She’s a trusted partner for organizations seeking real culture change, not just better metrics. Her signature question, “What are you expanding?” has become a mantra for leaders ready to grow from the inside out. She co-hosts The Expansion Factor podcast, lives life fully with her husband, Jason, and their big, blended family, and spends her days expanding joy, making memories, and living with intention. In The Expansion Factor, you discuss the concept of "Breakthrough Communications." Could you elaborate on what this entails and how it facilitates organizational alignment? Breakthrough Communication is what happens when surface-level conversations give way to real, honest, truth-telling moments that create alignment, not just agreement. It’s about cutting through the noise, performing effective communication, politeness that avoids conflict, vague feedback, and replacing it with courageous clarity. When leaders communicate with full presence, aligned energy, and emotional accountability, they stop managing perception and start moving people. That’s where trust is built. That’s where alignment sticks. Communication becomes a vehicle for culture, not just a tool for compliance. Your book emphasizes the importance of "Action-Based Leadership." How does this approach differ from traditional leadership models, and what advantages does it offer in today's corporate environment? Action-Based Leadership is not a performance. It’s not “managing people.” It’s how leaders live their values in real-time, how they own their impact, and how they follow through. Unlike traditional models that reward titles or task delegation, Action-Based Leaders take radical responsibility for their energy, their decisions, and their people. This model is built around one core idea: “I am accountable to you for your success.” In today’s fast-paced, burnout-heavy culture, that kind of presence, ownership, and follow-up isn’t just powerful, it’s magnetic. It creates cultures that retain talent, build trust, and actually grow. You mention that "everyone has blocks that cause blind spots." What strategies do you recommend for leaders to identify and overcome these obstacles to unlock their full potential? First, stop pretending you don’t have any. That alone is a block. We all do. The real work is self-awareness that goes beyond surface-level reflection. In The Expansion Factor, I show leaders how to recognize their patterns, decode their energetic responses, and get comfortable with their triggers, because those triggers are gold. They point to the beliefs and blind spots running the show. From there, we use tools like the Expansion Audit, breathwork, Thought Shifters and a framework I call “Recognize, Redefine, Release, Replace.” This work doesn’t just shift how leaders think, it changes how they lead. Because when you stop running unconscious scripts, you stop sabotaging connection, follow-through, and confidence. And that’s where expansion actually begins. As the founder of Cultural Alignment Solutions, how do the principles outlined in The Expansion Factor integrate with your organization's mission to enhance team performance and retention? At Cultural Alignment Solutions, we don’t just train leaders, we shift cultures. The Expansion Factor is our foundation. It’s how we help organizations align behavior, mindset, and energy from the top down. We teach Whole-Self Leadership, which means we focus not just on competencies, but on emotional intelligence, nervous system awareness, and energy accountability. That’s the secret to performance that’s actually sustainable. Our clients don’t just check boxes, they build leadership legacies. And that’s what drives retention: leaders who show up fully, consistently, and with clarity. For readers aiming to implement the strategies from your book, what initial steps would you suggest to begin fostering a culture of accountability and growth within their teams? Start with presence. Leadership isn’t about your next move—it’s about how you show up right now. Because how you show up in this moment is how you show up everywhere. Then, make this your new mantra: Action. Accountability. Follow-up. Begin with consistent 1:1s that aren’t just about tasks—they’re about energy, ownership, and alignment. Teach your team to own their choices. And most importantly, model it yourself. Don’t say “I support you”—show it by doing what you say you’ll do. Culture doesn’t shift through policy. It shifts through lived example. One decision, one conversation, one leader at a time. There’s a saying you’ll hear me repeat often: “If you’re not seeing accountability in your team, where are you not being accountable?” Or, if you’re ready for the unfiltered version: “If your team sucks, you suck as a leader.” That’s not judgment—it’s empowerment. Because the moment you own it, you can shift it. Website: https://www.culturalalignmentsolutions.com/meet-debbie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultural_alignment_solutions/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CulturalAlignmentSolutions LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbieforcierlynn/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXkZy_jnPRDyHg8lN0LaGHA Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Expansion-Factor-Living-Leading-Loving-ebook/dp/B0FSNZ3R96  Sherry Yellin, PhD, PCC, BCC Sherry is recognized professionally as an expert in leadership, learning solutions, and executive development. She specializes in applying cognitive and neuroscience-based approaches dedicated to equipping leaders to be extraordinary through brain-based, innovative learning and coaching solutions. For more than 22 years, Sherry has been custom designing and delivering comprehensive leadership development programs and executive coaching services for Fortune 500 organizations, nationally-ranked hospital systems, university systems, commercial clients, international clients, and clients in the public sector. She has served mid- and large-sized organizations across multiple categories, including healthcare, packaged goods, aerospace, construction, food service, semiconductors, technology, and more. Sherry is the author of Unforgettable Leadership: 7 Principles for Leading, Learning, and Living and is the founder and facilitator of The LEADing Lab Mastermind Group, an international group of multi-disciplined leaders from across various industries that meets monthly to discuss challenges and share best practices. She is also the creator of The CRANIUM Campus, an online learning platform that hosts micro-trainings on focused leadership topics. Sherry is a brainiac and word nerd – if it involves learning about the brain or the origin of words, she’s all about it. She loves to travel, see new places, and meet new people. She has a passport full of stamps and a suitcase full of souvenirs. Sherry is married with two grown children and lives outside Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Lance, and her miniature donkey, Jasper. In her free time, Sherry enjoys volunteering at North Texas Food Bank, Redeeming Zoe in Cebu, Philippines, and Los Cabos Missions for Christ. High-Level Overview and Neuroscience Foundation The Science of High-Performance Leadership introduces the CRANIUM methodology—seven brain-based strategies designed to align leadership practices with how the brain learns, decides, creates, and connects best. Grounded in decades of neuroscience, this model integrates the science of learning with the art of leadership, transforming how leaders engage teams, make decisions, and cultivate cultures that thrive. The brain is the most valuable resource in our workplaces. It is the compass that points the way. The brain drives every choice we make, so it makes sense to let it guide how we lead. These seven brain-based strategies provide the map for being a leader people want to follow and creating a culture people want to be loyal to. Competent vs. Inspiring Leadership Competence gets the job done. Inspiration gets others to want to do it. A competent leader knows what to do. A leader worth following knows how to unlock potential, reduce threat, ignite purpose, and build a culture where people feel safe, seen, and stretched. The word “inspire” means “to give life.” Leaders worth following give life to those around them by building trust, providing a clear vision, leveraging strengths and involving other to deliver a better outcome and foster greater ownership and accountability. It’s the difference between managing tasks and moving hearts. Inspiration Behind Merging Brain Science with Leadership My journey began not in a boardroom but in a cubicle, helping create a workplace education program. A scared manufacturing worker with 25 years of service boldly stepped into my office and shared her struggles with learning and her fears of losing her job That encounter sparked a quest to answer one question: “How does the brain learn?” That search led to neuroscience, just as the "Decade of the Brain" exploded into the mainstream. What I discovered changed everything: how the brain learns is how leaders must lead. What started in the classroom moved to the conference room and reshaped how I would teach and coach leaders forever. One Brain-Based Strategy That Shifts Tomorrow The Challenge Strategy. The greatest intentional act leaders can take is to transform threat into challenge. Threat steals, kills, and destroys. When the brain is under threat, we lose the abilities to plan, collaborate, appreciate the perspective of others, and see options. We become defensive, closed-minded, and overly committed to being right. When leaders intentionally reduce psychological threat and replace it with trust, the brain’s executive functions light up—creativity, empathy, problem-solving, and adaptability surge. A simple shift like replacing judgment with curiosity or providing the why behind a decision can unleash higher engagement and performance and drastically reduce unnecessary resistance and drama. Addressing Cognitive Overload and Burnout CRANIUM honors the brain's need for clarity, purpose, respect, and inclusion. Recent studies reveal the increase in overwhelm, burnout, and stress, and the decrease in engagement and trust impacting our workplaces. The Action Strategy speaks to brain health awareness and accepting the brain has limitations we must work with and not against. It debunks the myth that more is better and emphasizes that the cheaper, better, faster philosophy rarely applies to the human brain. Optimal performance comes not from pushing harder, but from aligning with the brain’s natural rhythms—protecting against multitasking, chronic stress, and sleep deprivation. CRANIUM cultures turn productivity from a grind into a flow. Real-World Example of Measurable Change At a major defense manufacturing organization, CRANIUM strategies transformed a low-trust, high-threat culture into a collaborative, high-performing one. Employees were empowered to learn and lead at all levels—on company time. Trust replaced fear. Innovation soared. The move to self-directed work teams succeeded, employee retention improved, and the organization became an industry benchmark for progressive leadership. Challenging Traditional Leadership Models Traditional leadership models rely on checklists, org charts, and control. CRANIUM replaces that with chemistry—literally. It’s built on neuroscience, not nostalgia. Instead of forcing behaviors and relying on authority, it shifts beliefs and leverages behaviors that build trust and influence. CRANIUM is about shaping environments that activate the brain’s best self. Traditional models tell people what to do using reasoning first. CRANIUM equips leaders with the why and how to foster relating. Traditional models focus on results; CRANIUM focuses on relationships, knowing its relationships that drive results. Where to Start for Emotional Intelligence & Self-Awareness Emotions run the show. CRANIUM leaders know we aren’t thinking individuals who happen to have emotion; we are emotional individuals who happen to think. Leaders aren’t thinking beings who happen to feel—they are emotional beings who happen to think. This strategy teaches leaders how to engage emotions intentionally, regulate reactions, and connect in ways that elevate performance and loyalty. Emotional intelligence is not soft—it’s strategic. It builds from self-awareness and self-management to social awareness and relationship management. Emotionally intelligent leaders know that the quality of their relationship management depends on the depth of their self-awareness. Insights on Leading Remote or Hybrid Teams Neuroscience reveals that connection, not proximity, drives performance. CRANIUM equips remote leaders to actively build and extend trust (Challenge), reduce ambiguity and give clarity (Relevance), increase interaction (Interaction), and evoke emotional engagement (Using Emotion). Virtual environments demand greater intentionality to create belonging, psychological safety, and novelty. Brain-friendly leadership transcends location. Most Surprising Discovery for Leaders Leaders are often shocked to discover how often they inadvertently create threat. They realize through CRANIUM that what they say is not what people hear and what they intend is not what other people experience. Once a leader develops greater self-awareness and brain-based strategies to reduce threat, they realize how much untapped potential naturally exists. When leaders align with the brain, they achieve better results with less effort and inspire loyalty. That changes everything. Website: https://yellingroup.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unforgettabledesign.group/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yellin-group YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yellingroup Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/SCIENCE-High-Performance-Leadership-Brain-Based-Strategies-ebook/dp/B0FTTQ8F8W |
AuthorJane Ubell-Meyer founded Bedside Reading in 2017. Prior to that she was a TV and Film producer. She has spent the last five years promoting, marketing and talking to authors and others who are experts in the field. Archives
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For more information contact: [email protected] 917 848 3353
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