 Rosenberg grew up in the U.S. but has lived half his adult life in Australia. At the University of Texas, he started a literary and art magazine before setting off to work in London. He then travelled through Europe and Asia. Once in Sydney, he was accepted as a ‘Writer-in-Residence’ at the National Australian Film and TV School. It was here he began his screenwriting career. Rosenberg has written seven feature films, producing three. He’s worked with Miles Davis, Daniel Radcliffe and Jeremy Irons. An award-winning screenwriter, he’s taught in India, China, the U.S. as well as Australia. Always a writer, avid reader, and adventurer, writing novels has become a new passion. Neil Kyd walks a razor’s edge between moral ambiguity and fierce love. When you crafted him, did you see him first as a father or as an operative—and how do you imagine that duality would play out visually or emotionally on screen? I saw Kyd first as a father. He’s drawn back into the espionage ‘game’ because it’s a chance, a last chance, to save his daughter’s life. I have a daughter, so identifying with Kyd’s desperation and courage, even if it crosses moral boundaries, made it easier to imagine. A parent’s love for their child has no limits. I’ve been a screenwriter for many years and can’t help but see stories through my mind’s eye - cinematically. Economical character description, plot and pace come naturally to me. The father-daughter relationship feels like the heartbeat of the story. If this were ever adapted, do you see that emotional thread taking center stage, or staying subtly woven beneath the espionage tension—similar to slow-burn narratives like The Night Manager or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy? Hopefully, the motivation for Kyd to take the risks he does and return home to his daughter come through strongly enough that a reader won’t need to be reminded that it’s the beating heart of the story. The espionage plot stands on its own and adds the pace and intrigue every tale needs. As with le Carre or Jason Matthews’ “Red Sparrow”, there is always an emotional element that gives the character believable depth. Readers feel the constant pressure chasing Kyd. Was there a particular scene that, in your mind, crystallized the entire tone of the story—something you could picture as the defining moment, whether on the page or on a screen? A scene or moment that sticks out to me is when after all that he’s been through, the things he’s seen and done, Kyd wonders whether he is the same person he was a week earlier, when he left Kansas. He’s murdered someone and questions whether other people will recognize that he’s changed, he’s become someone else. Your description of Moscow reads like a character in itself. Did your travels and global perspective inform that cinematic sense of place, and do you envision a specific atmospheric style—gritty realism, elegant tension, or psychological intimacy—if this world expanded beyond the page? I see locations as a character; they add the context and metaphorical atmosphere that helps a reader (or viewer) to identify with the character’s circumstance. In KYD’S GAME, Moscow is a real city, a location where Kyd can assume certain things – familiar and strange at the same time. The grittiness has to do with my love of film noir movies and books. I wanted to create something as stark and evocative as an Edward Hopper painting. Kyd’s Game sits beautifully between literary espionage and psychological thriller. Were there writers or filmmakers who helped shape that tone for you—whether John le Carré, Patricia Highsmith, or perhaps influences from your own screenwriting career? I’ve always been an avid reader and admire so many authors, but my writing has been most influenced by Patricia Highsmith, Donald Westlake, Ross Thomas, Denis Lehane, Peter Blauner and of course le Carre. I like the sparseness and elegance of their books. I worked with Miles Davis, and I still feel his music and personality influence me. I very much enjoyed the espionage series “The Bureau”, the French production. Redemption versus survival is a powerful theme here. If Kyd’s journey continued, do you see him moving toward healing—or is he a character fated to exist in perpetual motion, always hunted by both enemies and his own past? If Kyd’s journey were to continue, I see him much like Walter White in “Breaking Bad”. He can’t turn back, he’s opened another side of himself that pushes him forward. The world you’ve created hints at deeper layers beyond this mission. Do you see potential for a larger narrative universe—sequels, character spin-outs, or deeper looks into the Agency and his past relationships? I have thought about a sequel for Kyd and have the opening and ending, but the middle is still being worked out. You’ve written for powerful screen talents like Miles Davis, Daniel Radcliffe, and Jeremy Irons. With that background, do you find yourself writing with an internal visual rhythm or structure—even when working purely in prose? One of the tricks I’ve learned through screenwriting is to cast characters in my head. It’s helpful to know how they walk, talk, breathe. All things being equal, I would cast Kyd as Cillian Murphy or Michael Fassbender. I understand enough about filmmaking to know the writer’s wishes are not a top priority. The line “Life and death shadow each other to the last page” feels almost like a thesis statement. What does that mean to you personally, and how would you want that haunting tone preserved in any future interpretation of Kyd’s story? “Life and death shadow each other to last page” was a gift from the author Peter Watt, but it sums up what I wanted the reader to feel. Once Kyd takes on the CIA’s mission, there is no turning back and he continues to become the man he needs to be regardless of the deadly risk. Now that you’ve stepped into the world of novels after a successful screenwriting career, what excites you most about the idea of Kyd as a character who could live in multiple forms—on the page, in readers’ imaginations, and possibly in a visual world one day? I’ve been very encouraged by the reviews I’ve received and most of them see a film or TV series in the book. Kyd is a cinematic character. He’s not someone who can turn a cell phone into a satellite dish, or a martial arts expert, but an everyman, someone a reader or viewer can relate to. The action is cinematic, but the emotional core is personal. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marc.rosenberg.539233/
Twitter: https://x.com/RosenbergM5201 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/244face/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-rosenberg-75086864/ Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Kyds-Game-Marc-Rosenberg-ebook/dp/B0CXLSZBC2
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 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. Cinematic Destinies closes out a sweeping trilogy. How did your background as a sociologist and academic shape the way you approached writing such deeply layered characters and themes? To me, the Red Carpet Romance trilogy is about what it means to live a life and to do so well. It’s about the moments that string together ultimately creating the tapestry of our lives and how beauty hides in those seemingly small moments. It’s also very much about love, friendship, family, art, and becoming who we’re meant to be. So there are big themes and yet each book is very character driven. As a sociologist, I’m predisposed to look at both the big picture and the small parts. I think that helped me balance my desire to tell a romantic, sweeping love story and also address the bigger questions of life, hopefully in a poetic way. You’ve often spoken about the intersection of art and research—how do you see this trilogy in regard to your broader creative exploration? My goal has always been to create a philosophy of love and a philosophy of art through my nonfiction and fiction books. The big difference to me is that nonfiction is literal and fiction is poetic. This trilogy is very much a part of my larger desire to explore both love and art. All three novels in the series explore what love is, what it means to love, and what love brings to our lives. We often talk about love as something we say or feel, but it’s something we do. Love is a verb. The characters in this series do love well. The arts are also woven throughout the series. The trilogy begins and ends with film shoots. There’s a narrative about life imitating art and art imitating life. There’s also a narrative about the role of art in our lives, what we need from artists to make sense of our own lives, and what it means to create art. So while at the end of the day the Red Carpet Romance series is very much a romantic and whimsical trilogy with beach read vibes, it’s also a deeper exploration of love and art and that’s at the core of all my writing. Hollywood fairy tales and intellectual life meet in the Forrester family—did you draw on your own experiences balancing scholarship and storytelling when crafting Finn and Ella’s world? Finn and Ella were very much drawn from my imagination. That said, I’ve always enjoyed talking about art and ideas with my friends and colleagues. That started in earnest when I was in high school and never stopped. I think it’s natural for me to put characters together and have them explore creativity and ideas. The Red Carpet Romance trilogy begins with The Location Shoot. In that novel a group is living together in Sweden for three months while they make a film about the meaning of life. They form deep friendships, with Ella and Finn falling in love. Throughout the book they sit around talking about art, philosophy, and life. So these discussions were a part of the series from the start and it’s a natural extension to see more of that in Cinematic Destinies in which we meet Ella and Finn’s three adult children. I must say, writing the family scenes was great fun. I just love the smart and playful way they all talk with one another. And of course, more of those conversations happen in the film set in Iceland and in all the Forrester kids’ relationships. The Forrester children grapple with identity, ambition, and vulnerability in ways that mirror broader social questions. How did you approach their stories? The beauty of having three characters is that each has a different personality and thus different strengths and struggles. They each grapple with things we all deal with in some way. It’s difficult to figure out who we are and to become who we’re meant to be. Identity, career, love—these things are all challenging. I tried to write each of the Forrester kids authentically. My hope was to create resonant storylines for readers who may see bits of themselves in the characters. Between the Forrester children and the other characters in the novel there were so many different personalities. As a writer, that was great fun and I could identify with each of them in some way. Georgia’s story of artistry and self-discovery echoes both her mother’s path and, in some ways, your own. Was she the character who felt closest to your heart? I adore Georgia and in some ways she’s the character I admire the most because of her free spirit and desire to make life a grand adventure. She definitely lives out loud. In truth, I’m very different from Georgia. I’m a planner and I’m shy. I think the character closest to my heart in some ways is the least likely, Jean Mercier, the filmmaker. While we are wildly different in some obvious ways, he has devoted his life to his art and the search for beauty. He tackles tough topics because he believes that artists must sometimes go dark to help others see the light. I relate to all of that. Albert’s search for identity is particularly poignant. As an academic who has studied human complexity, what do you hope readers take from his journey? It’s okay to be who we are. We are each enough. The best thing we can do for ourselves, and others is to live authentically. Albert is a comic artist and loves creating superheroes. To become the hero in his own life though, he needs to be free to be himself. That’s very hard to do in a world that is often cruel. I hope Albert’s journey with his parents serves as a model to others for how those hard conversations can be made much easier if we lead with love. Ella and Finn are exceptional parents. This trilogy explores the nature of love, fame, and legacy. Looking back, what surprised you most as the story unfolded? I didn’t know it was going to be a trilogy, let alone that it would span over thirty years. I wrote The Location Shoot during the lockdown. Like so many others, I was bored at home, binge watching movies, double fisting potato chips, and filled with existential doom. I wanted to escape to someplace joyful, romantic, and creative. Someplace affectionate where you could hug and kiss people without fear of killing them. Due to the pandemic, I was thinking about the big questions of life, and so I decided to write a novel following a group making a film about the meaning of life and living together in seclusion. Given the topic of the film, Ella was a philosopher. When I finished the book, the vaccine was out and life was returning to something more normal, but I loved the characters so much that I wanted to continue with them. Each book in the trilogy organically inspired the next. The second book, After the Red Carpet, sees Ella and Finn building a life together and starting a family in the shadow of Hollywood. After that, I wanted to explore the lives of those three children when they were grown up. How would the public fascination with their parents’ love story affect them each and their love stories? And whatever happened to Jean Mercier, the filmmaker who started it all? Those questions became the basis for Cinematic Destinies. Your work consistently bridges academia and popular fiction. Do you feel your novels are part of a larger movement toward making scholarship accessible through storytelling? I hope so. At the end of the day, what’s most important to me is that my novels are beautiful works of literature. They are art. Yet there’s nothing that says art can’t also inspire, illuminate, provoke, evoke, and educate. In fact, I think the best art helps us to reflect on our own lives and the larger world in which we live. Literature is accessible to people in a way that traditional scholarship is not. There’s a long line of scholars who espouse their ideas through fiction, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Zora Neal Hurston, each of whom wrote plays, short stories, novellas, and novels as well as their traditional scholarly work. I hope to continue that tradition. After closing the door on the Forrester family’s saga, where do you see your creative and academic energies moving next? I have a nonfiction book, part memoir part guidebook, called The Artist Academic coming out in October. It’s the first book I’ve written of this kind, and I’m excited to share it. For years people have asked me how I merged academic and artistic interests and moved from being an academic author to a commercial novelist. This book is my answer. I held nothing back and loaded it with tips in the hope of making it useful to others. My next novel comes out March 24 and it’s called Twinkle of Doubt. It’s the second book in a big series I’ve written called The Celestial Bodies Romances which follows the healing love story of a novelist and federal agent. For people interested in the series, the lead title Shooting Stars Above is available everywhere books are sold. Beyond this, I’m fully immersed in writing fiction and have many romance and women’s fiction novels coming out in upcoming years. Many explore social themes such as identity in the age of social media, violence, and mortality. What role do you believe contemporary romance can play in not only entertaining readers but also in illuminating the complexities of human experience—something you’ve long studied as an academic? Romance novels espouse the hopes, dreams, fantasies, and emotional life of their readers and writers. They take seriously women’s feelings, experiences, and sexuality. Regarding sexuality, bear in mind the sex depicted in romance novels is often written from the perspective of women, something we rarely see in the culture. Moreover, romance novels are about love. Without love, there is no compassion, no humanity. It is at the heart of who we are as human beings. So I can think of no better way to make my contribution to culture and explore what it means to be human. Storytelling is very powerful. It can change the way we see and think. The more immersed we are in the stories, the greater the impact, and there’s actually neuroscience to support that. So being swept away in the whimsy and escapism of romance novels is a tool we can use to communicate powerful ideas. 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/Cinematic-Destinies-Novel-Carpet-Romance-ebook/dp/B0DWNGNM1Z  What moment or experience first gave you the idea for OPULIS? Was there a specific story or woman that inspired you to start this project? It began with a question that kept me up one night: How will history remember the women who built Microsoft’s future? As the company’s 50th anniversary approached, I realized we had an opportunity and an obligation to contribute something meaningful. Microsoft wasn’t just another corporate partner to us; it was the foundation sponsor that helped give birth to Women in Cloud, the platform that allowed us to dream in billions: billions in access, innovation, in possibility. They had given us the tools to build, and now it was our turn to give something back. So we approached Microsoft’s leadership with a simple idea: “What if we honored the past, celebrated the present, and ignited the AI future?” The idea resonated instantly. Because this was not just about recognition; it was about continuation and contribution. During those early conversations, I learned something that stopped me cold: so many of the women who shaped Microsoft’s most defining transformations, the engineers, strategists, and program leaders, were missing from the official archives. Their work powered billion-dollar breakthroughs, yet their names rarely appeared in the record. The realization crystallized my vision. I knew we needed to create something lasting, a book that captured the untold stories of women and allies behind Microsoft’s moments. The people who built, supported, and believed in progress when there was no blueprint to follow. What makes OPULIS extraordinary, at least to me, is that it doesn’t just celebrate women, it honors the allies, mentors, and champions who stood beside us. Their belief, advocacy, and partnership were essential in shaping the inclusive innovation movement we see today. True progress has always been a shared endeavor, and I wanted that truth at the heart of OPULIS. I often call the stories within OPULIS the “leadership codes of innovation.” Because in so many cases, there wasn’t a manual, these women and allies wrote the playbook. They reshaped systems, designed first-of-their-kind solutions, and redefined what leadership looked like before anyone else dared to try. That’s what gives OPULIS its deeper meaning. It’s not just a book; it’s a leadership accelerator, a living framework that helps our community lead with courage, collaboration, and allyship. Everyone who contributes to or engages with OPULIS grows as a leader because they’re learning how inclusion, innovation, and impact intersect in real time. You’ve probably read about Microsoft’s transformation in business school case studies or Harvard Business Review articles. But OPULIS tells the human story, the lived experiences, the risks, and the relationships that made those transformations possible. I still remember one conversation that left a mark on me. A woman who had led global transformation initiatives at Microsoft once told me, “We contributed to Microsoft’s future, but history won’t remember our names.” That sentence changed everything. It reminded me that OPULIS had to be more than a tribute; it had to be a gift. A gift from the Women in Cloud ecosystem to Microsoft, the company that empowered us to build, belong, and believe in the power of democratized access. To me, OPULIS is a celebration of significance, scholarship, and shared leadership, a blueprint for how we honor the past, celebrate the present, and ignite the AI-powered future together. We created OPULIS to:
“When we think of artifacts preserved in museums, most of us picture ancient manuscripts, fine art, or political documents. Rarely do we think of the stories of women in technology. Yet these stories are every bit as foundational to understanding our world today.” That’s exactly what OPULIS represents to me: a landmark publication chronicling the lives of 50 pioneering women whose ideas, innovations, and advocacy guided Microsoft through the cloud and AI revolutions. This project isn’t just about memory; it’s about legacy. And more than that, it’s about ensuring that when the next generation looks back, they’ll know exactly who built the future they’re now living in. As you curated these stories, which one hit home for you personally — made you stop and think, this is why I’m doing this? When people ask which story in OPULIS hit me the hardest, I think back to why I began this journey in the first place. I’ve always been captivated by history. I can lose hours watching documentaries or wandering through archaeological sites, imagining the lives of those who came before us. I’ve long admired leaders like Cleopatra and others who shaped civilizations centuries before our time. And I often find myself wondering: What did it take for them to create the conditions that allow me, generations later, to sit here and do this work? That’s what OPULIS represents to me, a continuation of that legacy. The women in this book are the modern architects of progress. Their courage, intellect, and resilience built the foundation that allows us to imagine and innovate in this new era of AI. So when I think about the work we do at Women in Cloud, it’s never just about designing programs that democratize access or foster economic mobility. It’s also about preserving the stories of those who made such progress possible. Because someday, when women 20 or 50 years from now go searching for history, I want them to find truth, not just data. We live in an age where AI is democratizing intelligence, but with that comes a risk: truth can be diluted, reinterpreted, or lost entirely. Capturing these lived experiences now is essential. These stories are more than inspiration; they’re cheat codes for navigating systems that weren’t always built for us. They are blueprints of resilience, courage, and strategy. It’s our responsibility to preserve these frameworks so that future generations can not only see themselves in history but also have the confidence and clarity to shape what comes next. That’s when it clicked for me, this is why I’m doing this. To honor the past. To empower the present. And to safeguard the wisdom that will guide the future. Did anything surprise you while gathering these stories — something about women’s leadership you hadn’t seen so clearly before? Absolutely — and it began the moment I started reaching out to tell the women they had been selected as one of the Top 50 to be featured in OPULIS. When I called or emailed them to share the news, their first reaction almost always surprised me. Many of them simply didn’t believe it. They’d ask, “Are you sure? Why me? I wasn’t an executive.” Some even asked if I had reached out to the wrong person. That humility hit me deeply. These were women whose fingerprints were all over Microsoft’s most defining transformations from building the cloud to scaling global markets to advancing accessibility and inclusion, yet they didn’t see themselves as “chosen.” They didn’t have lofty titles or public visibility, but they had built the very foundation that powered Microsoft’s trillion-dollar shift. It reminded me how easy it is for history to overlook those who do the real building. Most people know names like Satya Nadella, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Steve Ballmer, visible figures who led the company from the front. But behind that visibility were hundreds of others: brilliant, humble, determined individuals who were quietly shaping strategy, executing vision, and creating the scaffolding of success. Then another, more unexpected layer emerged. Once word spread about the book, I began hearing from others who were disappointed not to be included. And I understood that emotion deeply, because the desire to be seen, to have your contribution recognized, is profoundly human. But I reminded them this was a nomination-driven process. If someone wasn’t in the book, it wasn’t because they didn’t deserve it; it was because one had nominated them. It became a powerful reminder for all of us: recognition doesn’t happen in silence; it happens when we advocate for each other. For me personally, being part of this group was an incredible honor because it validated something I’ve always believed: you don’t need a corporate vice president title to make a lasting impact. Leadership isn’t defined by hierarchy; it’s defined by contribution. Some of the women in OPULIS were deep technical experts, the ones who literally built the infrastructure that powers Microsoft. Others, like me, came from the product management and licensing side, designing infrastructures, platforms, public-private partnerships, and funding models that turned innovation into impact. Together, these diverse contributions became the engines of Microsoft’s strength. But what truly stood out across every story was a constancy of generosity. These women weren’t just building products; they were building bridges. They mentored, they sponsored, they shared their playbooks freely so others could rise faster. And that generosity, that open-handed leadership, reaffirmed my belief that democratizing access always begins with generosity, with the willingness to share knowledge, time, and visibility. That’s the essence of inclusive leadership. It’s what transforms companies into communities and innovation into belonging. After interviewing and researching these women, what qualities or habits do you think helped them break barriers at Microsoft and beyond? As I listened to their stories, one truth became undeniable: these women were not simply succeeding within the system; they were architecting the system to make it more inclusive and accessible for everyone. They were creating blueprints to democratize computing access long before it became a mainstream conversation. What I saw reflected across every story was the essence of ICONIC Leadership™, a model rooted in Intention, Courage, Optimism, Nurture, Innovation, and Connection. These women didn’t wait for permission; they built pathways that others could walk through. They understood that leadership wasn’t about holding power; it was about sharing it. It’s about democratizing access so that opportunity isn’t a privilege, but a practice.. Underneath their leadership behaviors were six powerful activations — a living blueprint for how democratization truly happens inside a complex global ecosystem like Microsoft:
That’s what helped them break barriers at Microsoft and beyond; they didn’t just lead within systems; they reimagined them. They turned leadership into architecture, one built not for exclusivity, but for access, inclusion, and shared impact. Was there a moment of bravery or risk-taking in one of the stories that really inspired you? Yes, one moment that stands out vividly for me was a conversation I had with Karen Fassio. Her vision stretched far beyond quarterly metrics or business outcomes. She wanted to address societal-level challenges like sustainability and inclusion. That conversation became the spark that eventually led to the creation of BUILD for 2030, an initiative that invited partners and innovators to align their work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For me, that was a defining moment of bravery, not the kind that comes from taking a personal risk, but the kind that comes from daring to think systemically. Karen wasn’t just asking, “How do we grow revenue?” She was asking, “How do we use this global platform to change the world?” One concrete example that still inspires me: we wanted to elevate innovators contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but there was no internal mechanism to recognize or amplify their work. So, we Built one. We connected the macro system, which is Microsoft’s vast global ecosystem, and the micro system, these are the individuals and partners on the ground doing the hard work of change. That bridge transformed everything. It gave these innovators visibility, credibility, and long-term sustainability. It reminded me that bravery in leadership isn’t always about taking a leap, sometimes, it’s about seeing the system differently and having the courage to rewire it for the collective good. How has this journey changed how you see yourself as a leader and a woman in tech? This project fundamentally changed how I define leadership. When we started OPULIS, there was no budget, no blueprint, and certainly no roadmap. It was an idea born out of conviction that we needed to honor Microsoft’s 50-year legacy and the women who helped shape its trillion-dollar transformation. We quite literally tin-cupped our way through the early stages, reaching out to our networks, asking for support, and unlocking whatever resources, infrastructure, and talent we collectively had. What amazed me was how much we could accomplish when we stopped waiting for permission and simply started building. That’s when I truly understood the power of collective access that innovation doesn’t always need massive funding; it needs shared belief, trust, and alignment. On a personal level, I learned to lead with courage and clarity, especially when navigating ambiguity. There were moments when not everyone was engaged or aligned, and that’s normal in any ambitious project. But I realized that if the vision is clear and the goals are transparent, people will find their way into the journey. Leadership, I discovered, isn’t about forcing participation. It’s about creating reasons for people to want to contribute to help them see how their piece fits into something much bigger. Through OPULIS, I became a more grounded and systems-minded leader. I learned that courage doesn’t mean having all the answers; it means being willing to ask the hard questions, to hold the vision when others can’t see it yet, and to keep moving forward even when the path isn’t paved. As a woman in tech, this journey reminded me that access is our greatest equalizer. When we combine courage, clarity, and community, we can create transformation out of thin air and build legacies that will outlast us all. The book’s message is “You belong. You have an impact.” Why was that message so important to put out into the world now? We are living through one of the most profound transformations in human history the age of democratized intelligence. Artificial Intelligence and technology are reshaping how we work, connect, and create value faster than in any era before. Institutions are being tested, power structures are shifting, and the very definition of leadership is being rewritten in real time. In moments like this, it’s easy for people, especially women, emerging leaders, and those outside traditional circles of influence, to feel small or unseen. To question if they still belong in this next chapter. That’s why this message matters now more than ever. When we say, “You belong. You have an impact,” we’re not just offering encouragement; we’re making a declaration. We believe that every individual has a role in shaping the systems of tomorrow. Whether you’re a coder, creator, policymaker, or parent, you are part of this story of change. As the OPULIS manifesto says, “Intelligence was being democratized. Technology has become a powerful tool for access. For the first time, individuals everywhere could learn, build, lead, and unlock their potential at scale.” That’s what this moment is about: realizing that access and agency are no longer privileges for the few. They are possibilities for everyone. The women in OPULIS embody this truth. They didn’t wait to be chosen; they chose themselves. They didn’t wait for permission; they built pathways for others to walk through. Their courage, generosity, and innovation are living proof that you can make impact from any seat, at any level, in any system. So this message, “You belong. You have an impact,” is a reminder and a call to action. Because belonging is the foundation of innovation, and impact is the measure of purpose. This is our invitation to everyone reading: Step into your ICONIC Leadership zone. Use your access. Share your knowledge. Build with courage. Because the world doesn’t just need technology, it needs you in it. The book funds AI certification scholarships for women. What does that mean to you personally — and what impact do you hope it creates? My vision is for every woman who touches, plays, or creates with AI to have a copy of OPULIS in her hands to read these stories, connect with them, and design her own blueprint for leadership. Imagine a world where every woman, no matter where she begins, has the chance to thrive in the age of AI. That’s the purpose behind our Book-to-Scholarship model. For every ten copies of OPULIS sold, we fund a Microsoft AI Innovator Certification Scholarship, giving women gain the skills, mentorship, and community they need to build economically stable, purpose-driven careers. We’re not just launching a book; we’re igniting a movement to ignite 1,000 AI careers and bring more women into the AI workforce. Because AI isn’t just about automation, it’s about amplification. It mirrors what great teams already do: detect patterns, forecast possibilities, and innovate for impact. When women gain access to AI skills, we don’t just build smarter workplaces; we build a more inclusive economy, one that’s ethical, equitable, and empathetic. Every scholarship is a bridge. Every book is a spark. Together, we’re writing a new chapter where women don’t just adapt to the AI era, they lead it. Since launching #empowHER50, have you heard any stories or feedback from readers that moved you or validated the mission? Yes, and honestly, the response has been overwhelming. Even in our early pre-launch phase, we received over forty messages of early praise from leaders across industries who said OPULIS made them feel seen, inspired, and reconnected to their purpose. Many readers shared that seeing their peers’ stories reminded them that impact doesn’t always wear a title, and that belonging is built through contribution. The feedback validated that OPULIS isn’t just a book; it’s a platform for connection, recognition, and empowerment.
If a young woman in tech picks up OPULIS 20 years from now, what do you hope she feels — and what do you hope she does next? I hope she feels inspired, seen, and empowered. More than that, I hope she takes action: mentors others, drives inclusion, builds responsibly, and shapes technology in ways that open doors for the next generation, just as the women in OPULIS did. I hope she feels seen, capable, and limitless. I hope she realizes that she belongs in every room where technology, leadership, and innovation are being shaped not as a guest, but as a builder. I want her to see OPULIS not just as a collection of stories, but as a playbook for ICONIC Leadership™, a guide to embodying intention, courage, optimism, nurture, innovation, and connection in her own journey. Each story in OPULIS is a mirror, showing her what’s possible when women lead with purpose and design access for others. My wish is that she doesn’t just admire these women, she activates what they started. She creates her own blueprints for democratizing access, whether it’s in AI, policy, entrepreneurship, or education, and uses her platform to open doors for others. I hope she leads with awareness, takes responsibility for lifting others, and measures her success by the contributions she makes. Because real leadership isn’t about being the first or the loudest; it’s about building pathways so others can rise faster. If she can embody that courage, clarity, and community, then OPULIS will have done its job. I hope that, 20 years from now, she doesn’t just read about history, she writes the next chapter of it. Website: https://womenincloud.com/opulis/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womenincloud Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalwic/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/wic-empowerment-chronicles LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaitrav YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@womenincloud Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/OPULIS-Powering-Microsofts-Trillion-Dollar-Shift-Collectors-ebook/dp/B0FXTYNYVJ  After writing hundreds of government reports, Lorelei Brush has stepped into the glorious freedom of fiction. She loves to occupy a comfy coffee house chair and imagine her characters acting out each scene. Her first novel, “Uncovering,” came from her experience managing a large USAID-funded education project in the northwestern part of Pakistan. She was inspired by the strength and resilience of the women on her staff and invented a group of characters working to improve the health of pregnant women and their children as they confronted the severe restrictions of fundamentalist Islam. “Chasing the American Dream” rolled from her pen following a six-month stint in the National Archives researching the role of her father in the Office of Strategic Services in World War II. He’d told his children exciting stories of his feats as a spy behind enemy lines, all of which turned out to be lies. She had to write about his quest to be a hero and how, when the war had not provided the opportunity, he might have used the 1950’s to achieve his goal. Along with two gentle cats, she lives outside of Washington, D.C. in a community of good neighbors, friends, and fellow writers. In her spare time she reads novels, sings with a community chorus, hikes, and works out at the gym. Your father’s tales of wartime heroism turned out to be inventions, something you uncovered only after deep research. When you realized those stories were fabricated, how did that discovery reshape your understanding of him—not just as a soldier, but as your father? And how did it reverberate through your own sense of identity and family history? My father was a very angry man and aimed his strong feelings toward everyone in his orbit. He had few friends. Even television commentators in the 1950s earned a shaking of the fist and harsh words. He claimed to have wanted to be a doctor but was unable to afford it, yearned to be an entrepreneur but couldn’t bring a small engine company out of near-bankruptcy, and had sworn never to have children. I did my best to avoid him as I grew up, and it took a long time for me to feel confident, especially in arguments. The discovery that he was not the hero he had described elicited from me several curses at him and then laughter. He wasn’t this perfect god who must be obeyed but a very human man whose goals were unfulfilled. I was freed to be the person I wanted to be and could forgive him, one adult human to another. Chasing the American Dream was born out of months spent in the National Archives. What was the most startling document or revelation you uncovered while digging into that history? According to my mother, my parents argued about my being named Lorelei. She was against giving me a German name right after World War II; he argued the name “Lorelei” had kept him safe as a spy behind German lines and would also keep me safe. After checking his personnel file for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which contained only two pieces of paper, I dove into the list of code names OSS had given its spies. It was a “startling revelation” to discover no listing for “Lorelei.” My subsequent months of research seconded the idea that he wasn’t a spy with a code name, and he wasn’t ever behind enemy lines. Did he have a training exercise for which he had chosen this code name? Was it a secret wish? I will never know. The book’s 1955 setting is steeped in Cold War tensions and post-war disillusionment. How did you capture that uniquely American mix of optimism and paranoia? The choice of the 1950s time period seemed perfect to show off David’s optimism in his mix of avid patriotism, a hatred of communism, a firm belief he could achieve the American dream through hard work, and an absolute conviction that the Allies against fascism constituted a righteous war. Having missed his chance to be a war hero, David was sure that finding justice for a Nazi war criminal was the chance for him to be a true hero. The paranoia came from the accusation that David was a communist. The Red Scare of the 1950s in which many teachers were accused of being communists supplied an excellent situation to force David to recognize that his country had flaws, and he could not be the superhero of myth. Rather, he had to accept that his quiet successes as an “everyday” man could make him a different but satisfying hero. David goes from serving justice abroad to questioning it at home. What does his story say about the fragility—or resilience—of the American dream itself? The idea of the American dream has evolved over time. In the early 20th century, the dream encompassed a sense of pride in being a part of a country that believed in freedom, justice for all, and that hard work brings rewards. David was a disciple of this version. By the 1950s, the American dream had become more concrete, a sense of a chicken in every pot and a house and a car for each family. I believe this second version is where we are now, and I’m afraid it has led us to anger about not having everything on our list. We would be more resilient as a country if we returned to a debate on how best to realize “freedom and justice for all,” rather than argue that we’ve been deprived of what we are somehow owed by being citizens. In writing about a Nazi war criminal hiding in plain sight, how did you navigate portraying evil without sensationalizing it? I designed Dr. Gerhardt Adler as a man who followed orders, was a well-trained chemist, and was entranced with the idea of being at the forefront of rocketry. These professional qualities have a very positive side, balanced against the facts that the rockets he designed were built by men in a concentration camp and destined to kill large swaths of people. Adler also had a family, which gave him a chance to show off the parenting skills of discipline and love. By seeing the good side of a “villain” as well as the evil, readers can understand the character’s motives although still not agreeing with his actions. David longs to be a hero but is confronted with moral gray zones. Did you struggle personally with how far he should go in his pursuit of justice? Though David is only roughly drawn from my father, this characteristic of taking a belief to an extreme was definitely one of my father’s flaws. He was a man committed to patriotism, who thought he had the correct versions of right and wrong and expected others to agree and live by that code. He didn’t see gray zones. I was sure my character, David, would not give up his quest for justice easily. It took what he viewed as the failure of the justice system and the potential loss of family to stop him! How did your background writing hundreds of government reports shape your approach to David’s “spycraft”—both technically and emotionally? I wrote three sorts of government reports: (1) proposals in which I had to sell my company (and sometimes myself) as the perfect group to carry out a project; (2) reports of data that had to stick to the numbers, no interpretation; and (3) drafts of policies that would improve program structure and performance. I’m happy dealing with statistics but love to dream up multiple scenarios of what data might mean and what policies would encourage the best results. Selling one’s company or oneself also benefits from creative framing. In inventing David’s spycraft, I let my imagination flow, choosing which facts would constrain his behavior and where I’d let him go wild. Having read a good deal about spies in WW II—and watched a slew of movies—I stuck largely to historical events and let David’s risk-taking personality shine. You describe fiction writing as “glorious freedom.” After decades of structured, factual work, what surprised you most about unleashing your imagination? I wrote a good deal of this book long-hand at a coffeehouse, sitting in a club chair in front of a fireplace. I had a clear picture of my characters playing out scenes in my mind—the setting, the emotion, the movement, the language. And sometimes I’d erase the scene and start again, if it didn’t feel right. I’ve enjoyed storytelling like making up adventures for my son, but this writing enterprise unleashed three-dimensional movies in my head each morning. Pretty incredible stuff. Was there a scene or moment in Chasing the American Dream that changed dramatically from your first draft to the final manuscript—and why? I wrote at least four drafts of the ending for the book. For a while, I had David becoming a great lawyer and orator and showed him arguing an important case and winning. I was uncomfortable with that, as I didn’t think it showed nearly enough personal, emotional growth in the character. In the end, I made him a family lawyer, close to beloved by his community. That was the father I would rather have had. Your work intertwines personal family history with collective memory. What do you hope readers reflect on about truth, myth-making, and the stories we tell ourselves as Americans? I listened recently to a webinar by a genealogist who argued that everyone who researched their own family history found elements of mythology in the stories they’d been told. Family stories can be helpful as we work to define who we are, but they can also be harmful as they may set unrealistic expectations of what we should be like, given such a heritage. How much better it can be to understand the reality of who these people were and in their context the story occurred! In describing the context of my father’s war stories and reading reports from others of his experiences, I felt a great release of the anger I had harbored toward him. It was a forgiveness for his lies and a developing respect for who he was and why he felt lying was essential. I hope that readers will take the time to examine their own family stories, including the dreams of their forebears, the challenges they faced, the actions they took and failed to take, and the repercussions. Interviews with family members, use of websites such as ancestry.com, and genealogical research can provide a different framework for our thinking and allow us to clear out myths and come to terms with the truth. All of us also have gleaned myths about ourselves as Americans, with information from our families, the history we learned in school, and what we see and hear from traditional and social media. These bear examination as well. Is the U.S. a “land of opportunity?” For everyone? Is the ideal American a “rugged individualist?” What dream for our country do we all want to live into? Website: https://loreleibrush.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063715616610 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorelei-brush-657743a Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-American-Dream-Lorelei-Brush-ebook/dp/B08VQDSL2F |
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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Bedside Reading, LLC , 700 Canal Street, Stamford CT 06902
For more information contact: [email protected] 917 848 3353
Media
Privacy Policy
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Bedside Reading® is a Registered Trademark
