BookSpeak Network

The author of the multi-volume "Beagle Tales" series, Bob Ford returns with a new collection, "Bramble Rambles." Reflections made while exercising his hounds in the fields of Northern Pennsylvania, Pastor Ford has put these into a form of conversation starters for faith-based dialogue, but are not meant to achieve dogmatic answers. These rambles originally appeared in social me...

Irene Fermi was a very different child, all her life. Her quest for normalcy involves a somewhat-dysfunctional family, in which each moment of calm appears to be a victory. Now facing down death, Irene's re-examination of her relationship with her mother shows she might well have been wrong about everything. "In a world impossible to navigate, the true north of The Physics of Things is t...

Dorothea is an ordinary girl from the land of Iammarus whose life and destiny are upended in "Dragon's Pick." The annual hunt for dragon eggs brings residents from all over to Thea's hometown of Villa Ovo--the hatchlings choose their riders, and of the four, a rare male picks Thea! Whisked away to Castle Draco, Thea and her fellow trainees, Colt, Tye and Thomas undergo rigorous...

For their second foray into "Random Randomness," Novel Guys Brian Koscienski, Jeff Young and Brian's wife Christine Czachur delve into still more random (natch) themes and subjects. The gang discuss Fortress Publishing's latest creation, "Mayhem Menagerie," Book 2 of the Satan's Petting Zoo series. Then for the first time on the BookSpeak Network--a beer tasting!...

A question: "What if an author of graphically violent horror stories also drew cartoons?"That is answered by Thomas Malafarina, who has created Yes, I Smelled it, Too, a series of single panel cartoons that would make The Far Side and Bizarro appear sane! Thomas' drawings are influenced by Peanuts, but also the artists of MAD Magazine and others, and, like in his other works, he pus...

Author Juliette Godot debuts on Sunbury Press Books with From the Drop of Heaven, an historical work of love, books, faith and survival. In 1582, an accused seditionist named Martin escapes execution, and finds refuge with the family of Nicolas. Despite the ban on his books, Nicolas is fascinated by them, and later reads them to Catherine, a young woman he is teaching and later falls for. When cau...

Thrice Burned. Thrice Reborn. The dark elven families of Svartalfheim were butchered by a mysterious, powerful creature long ago. Of the few survivors, one family escapes to Midgard. Thyra is one who lives with her adopted human father on and island; in hand is her Bifrost key, left by her relatives. Following a battle against Valkyries, Thyra must go on a journey to save Svartalfheim, and in so d...

Catherine Jordan joins Lawrence Knorr on the Sunbury Press Books Show to discuss her writing, and a new anthology she has edited, That Darkened Doorstep. What lies behind that unopened door? Several authors imagine the answer, including Jacque Day, Carol and Fred Lauver, Amanda Headlee, Thomas Malafarina, and Jordan herself! A native of the Pocono in Northeast Pennsylvania, Jordan has appeared in...

"Don't Play with Dead Things."When Anna Dingel finds a boyfriend in her classmate Timmy, their summer after high school is anything but fun. Attacked by those unimpressed, Anna and her best friend Naomi resort to an ancient Abrhamic ritual in revenge, but the eldritch power goes out of control. Anna must decide who she really is. John James Minster's love of horror goes back to...

When Vivien Kindler answers an ad to take over the midday talk show spot on WNWT Radio, an AM station in Frost Pond, Maine, she finds out how much there is to learn about this little town, the people in it, and herself. Considered "From Away" by most natives, Vivien has lost her husband, and without realizing it, has found a new vocation. In today's corporate radio world, it would b...

For years, the little seaside town of San Cicaro has held its secrets, but with time, those secrets, and the stories behind them tend to get out. "Decades of San Cicaro," the fourth volume in the series by Thunderbird Studios, follows the path of a young researcher, Olivia who is gathering information on the town. Her innocent search, however, begins to dredge up yet more mysterious, mac...

Dan Van Tassel joins Lawrence Knorr on the Sunbury Press Books Show, to discuss travel from a unique perspective: by examination of classic narratives, stories and road trips in "Journey by the Book - A Guide to Tales of Travel."Journeys, real and imagined are looked upon here, including Homer's "Odyssey," "Gulliver's Travels," and "The Rime of the Anci...

Baseball's "Deadball Era" lasted from 1900 to 1919, so noted as Major League Baseball used a softer ball. In addition, the teams often played in stadiums with larger field surfaces, so games were won by timely hitting, bunting and strategy. Home runs were a rarity. During that period, a number of individual, single-season records were established, that are unlikely to be broken as t...

The second annual Books Books Books event comes to Lancaster, Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 17th. Organizers Mary Walsh and Amy Garnet join Tory Gates on the BPP Show to discuss the wherefor and why--Mary and Amy discuss their love of books and writing, and what inspired them to do their own. Mary Walsh is the author of twelve books (working on number thirteen) in various genres. Her works i...

Charles Lindbergh was not the first to fly across the Atlantic, non-stop--two British officers, largely lost to history did it eight years before. Robert Harder tells the story of Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown, who made it from St.  Johns, Newfoundland to Cliveden, Ireland on June 14-15, 1919. At a time when aviation was beginning to capture the public's imagination,...

Rule #1 of the Underground Railroad: If someone doesn’t need to know something, don’t tell them. Rian Krieger is an 11-year-old girl living in a time and place of great change, Philadelphia, 1835. Kicked out of three schools for fighting, the tomboy Rian is brought into her father Otto's carraige-making business, Around Rian, the city is a hotbed of industrialization, and the winds of change...

Francesco Da Vinci's life and activities have spanned the most turbulent times of US history. A journalist, nonviolent activist, public speaker and documentary filmmaker, DaVinci is the author of "I Refuse to Kill: My Path to Nonviolent Action in the 1960s," on Sunbury Press Books. Speaking with Lawrence Knorr, Da Vinci discusses his transition from bystander to activist in the Sixt...

Reginald F. Davis is a pastor, scholar and author of several books in the fields of theology and religion. "God's Truth to Youth in a World Full of Lies and Deception" is the title of his latest work, and he sits down with Sunbury Press Books founder and host, Lawrence Knorr. Davis says this book is like a GPS, or spiritual atlas to help navigate life and be successful, but also joy...

A prolific author of short stories and poetry, Joseph ("Joe") Farley brings gritty, rough-hewn and intriguing characters to life in "Farts and Daydreams," his latest collection of tales, courtesy of Dumpster Fire Press. Drawing on elements of his personal life and native Philadelphia. At times humorous, also dark, spiritual and strange, Farley brings the reader along on a serie...

American history is full of larger-than-life characters, many of whom made a difference that went unnoticed and unrecognized. One of those was William Gould (W.G.) Raymond. His descendants, brother and sister William and Donna Burtch have rectified this, in "W.G. - The Opium-Addicted, Pistol-Toting Preacher Who Raised the First Federal African-American Union Troops," on Sunbury Press Boo...

What happens when three authors, of like (and unlike) minds come together? For years, Brian Koscienski, Chris Pisano and Jeff Young have written separately and collaborated on projects that take readers inside their imaginations. The results of this remain debateable, but they are worth visiting time and again. The BookSpeak Network has placed microphones inside the secret lair of the trio, odd fa...

Kasey and Kevin Coolidge, owners of From My Shelf Books & Gifts in Wellsboro, PA sit down with Brown Posey Press Show author and host Tory Gates for a completely unscripted, "shoot-style" interview. Located in Tioga County in Northern Pennsylvania, Wellsboro is like any small town, and for many years, From My Shelf has been part of that community. The Coolidges talk about their love...

Pennsylvania's historical record does not include merely the likes of William Penn and the Founding Fathers. It is also home to folk tales and lore, of ghosts, strange disappearances, dreadful crimes and things that just cannot be explained. Marlin Bressi has chronicled many of these in "Pennsylvania Oddities," Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Among the stories elaborated on with host Lawrence...

A self-described "genre-promiscuous" author, Ichabod Ebenezer does just that, with short stories and novels of suspense, mystery and horror, and these appear in standalone works and collections. Joining Tory Gates on the Brown Posey Press Show, Ebenezer discusses the stories in his collection, "Beyond the Rail and Other Nightmares." Among these, "Singalong" tells of t...

Author Merrill Shaffer joins SPB host Lawrence Knorr to discuss his sports-related works. "Roaring Tigers: The History of Southern Columbia Football" chronicles one of the most successful high school football programs in the nation, and its enduring influence on Northern Pennsylvania. Shaffer talks about the coaches, players and the special fondness the people of the region have for the...