In Other Words

On this episode of In Other Words Podcast, Pam, Jan, Val, and Karen sit down with Dawn Parks—an elementary teacher, marathon‑training runner, avid baker, and middle‑grade author who came out publicly as transgender in 2025, becoming one of the only openly trans elementary teachers in Iowa. With nearly 30 years in the classroom, Dawn has witnessed firsthand the challenges today’s kids face. That ex...

In this episode of In Other Words Podcast, Jan, Val, Karen, and Pam sit down with two extraordinary leaders from the Des Moines Pride Center: longtime LGBTQIA+ advocate Rick Miller and Pride Center President Sarah High. Rick has spent nearly 50 years shaping and preserving Iowa’s queer history. From his first Pride Week in 1976 to his leadership in organizations like the Gay Coalition of Des Moine...

Psychic medium Kristi Campbell of Tulsa, Oklahoma joins In Other Words for a powerful, grounded conversation about intuition, mediumship, and what it really means to live with psychic abilities in everyday life. Kristi shares how she first recognized her gifts, how she learned to trust them, and why her work centers compassion, clarity, and emotional healing. We explore the realities of connecting...

They call him the Rock n’ Roll Ghost Hunter — and for good reason. With nearly 50 years of paranormal investigation behind him, Keith Age has built a reputation as one of the field’s most grounded, evidence‑driven researchers. Known for cutting through myth and speculation, he approaches hauntings through history, environment, and verifiable evidence, earning respect from skeptics and believers al...

With the whole Crimson Crow Press team gathered around the table, we dive into what’s new at the press, what’s coming next, and how we’re shaping the future of our creative ecosystem. We talk through the latest updates to our website, share what we’re building for authors and clients, and walk step‑by‑step through how we chose the cover for our upcoming anthology. It’s a candid, laughter‑filled co...

Christine Frisina writes from a place where memory, legacy, and courage intersect. Her “Lost” series began as a gift to her granddaughters as a way to show them that the impossible is often just the beginning. But the deeper she wrote, the more she realized these stories weren’t only for them. They were for anyone standing at the edge of their own unknown. Encouraged by industry legends and guided...

In this episode of In Other Words, we decided to use the moment to check in with ourselves — as writers, editors, creators, and co-founders of Crimson Crow Press. Join us as we talk about: • What we’re building behind the scenes with Crimson Crow Press • How we’re navigating our individual writing journeys • The realities of creative careers in transition • What’s inspiring us, challenging us, and...

In this episode of In Other Words Podcast, we sit down with Jacaranda Summerfield, a woman whose life reads like an epic--born in South Africa, trained as a barrister, transformed into a bush pilot, farmer, explorer, and the first woman to pass the Zimbabwe Professional Hunter Guides License exam. Jacaranda shares her remarkable journey across continents and identities: • growing up under the lave...

Artist / author Sean Fitzgibbon explores unusual, real places and events through his work. He has an MFA in art and a passion for making art and visual storytelling. He is a 2021 Artists 360 recipient and a 2022 recipient of the Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship Award for his Kirkus starred, graphic nonfiction book What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel. He has exhibited work throug...

Hailing from White Plains, New York, Addison's roots ground her storytelling in authenticity and empathy. Now calling Clinton, Maryland home, she continues to weave narratives that inspire and provoke thought. Her first novel, Balloon Acres, is just the beginning of Addison's literary journey, promising readers an unforgettable ride through the landscapes of the human heart. A Production of Crimso...

In this episode of In Other Words Podcast, we sit down with Kansas author Michelle Lynn Ross, the creative mind behind the humorous, heartfelt small‑town romances set in the fictional community of Fawn Creek. Whether you’re a writer, a romance reader, or someone who loves a good laugh wrapped in a good story, this conversation is full of warmth, insight, and creative inspiration. Explore Michelle’...

Join Jan, Val, Karen and Pam as they get together to revisit some favorites from Season One. In spite of broken bones, loss of loved ones, and pilgrimages through Spain, we made it! Our first season of the podcast is complete, and we're here to talk about it. We're already planning a fantastic second season! A Production of Crimson Crow Press

The heart of Cat Loaf Studio lies in capturing the charm and comfort our feline companions bring. Their mission is to bring a touch of cat magic into everyday lives. Founded by Melanie Jacobs, Cat Loaf Studio transforms everyday kitty antics into delightful artwork and products. Every piece is hand-sketched and brought to life on her iPad with the Procreate app, blending artistry and puns to captu...

Nia Chiaramonte, co-author of 'Embracing Queer Family: Learning to Live Authentically in our Families and Communities,' brings a powerful blend of professional expertise and her lived experience as a transgender woman to her writing. Nia and her wife Katie encourage us to embrace the Queerness of our family, take ownership of our journey, and use our voice to bring light to our communities. If you...

Manya Perkins is a lesbian artist, writer, and licensed mental health counselor based in Western Washington. Her work—whether on the page, the canvas, or in the therapy room—is deeply rooted in advocacy, authenticity, and care for marginalized voices. As an artist, Manya’s primary mediums are ink and charcoal, often centering the lived experiences of the queer and trans community. Her writing span...

Tara is a self diagnosed Romantasy addict and loves diving into lush worlds with complex characters and messy interpersonal relationships that teach us about our own lives. Prior to joining D4EO, she had a decade-long career as a $60M+ real estate agent, investor and coach. Interest in querying her debut novel introduced her to the world of publishing as soon as she found out about Literary Agents...

M. E. Corey is a guitar player, high school teacher, and adolescence-trauma survivor. Writing has always been his outlet to cope with feeling like an outsider. OUT OF BLUE COMES GREEN draws on his own teenage experiences of suffering bullies, falling in love, and playing in a rock band while navigating being trans. When he isn’t teaching or writing, he travels, walks his rescue dogs, and hangs out...

2025 Kansas Notable Authors Award Recipient, A. D. Childers lives in Kansas where she enjoys a life full of teaching and writing. It helps pass the time while she waits for the next Tana French novel to come out. When not at work, she can be found hiking the local trails or hanging out at the library. She lives with her wonderful and bearded husband, a grumpy cat, and her sweet Kodi-beast-dog, who...

Robert Prevo is an Anamologist, a podcaster, author, artist and all around great guy. You can connect with Robert at the following: Facebook: Monstrous Podcast YouTube: Monstrous The Podcast TikTok: @monstrousthepodcast www.monstrouspodcast.com You can purchase his book, Monstrous Arkansas on Amazon. A Production of Crimson Crow Press

S.Z. Estavillo is a biracial feminist thriller author known for her compelling stories that delve into ethnic and social commentary with strong female leads. Her professional background in literary agencies and TV studios has sharpened her editorial acumen and market trend insights, contributing to her success in securing book deals and greenlighting screenplays that became Lifetime movies. She ha...

Val Gale was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. He served in The US Army from 1991 to 1996, stationed in New York and Seoul, Korea. He completed a B.A. in 1999 from Grandview University in Des Moines after his honorable discharge. He identifies as a trans. man. Val focuses full time on his writing since an industrial accident amputated his hand and ended his work in a tire facility, creating an...

Katelyn A. Brown is a genre-hopping fiction author with an overactive imagination and far too many ideas. She writes Christian holiday romance with a sprinkling of fantasy in her Christmastime Trilogy series. Her alter ego, Kate Annie Brown, writes culinary cozy mysteries in the Emerald Bay Mysteries series. The first book is Harvest Fest Homicide, while a second book is in the works. When Kate is...

Marsh writes under two pen names—Reck Well for Fantasy and LitRPG, and MJ Douglas for Sci-Fi and Dystopian fiction. They’ve been writing their whole life, but after finishing their first full-length novel in 2017, they’ve published three books in the last two years: Augmented and Echo as MJ Douglas, and Potions and Perils as Reck Well. Marsh excels at crafting characters who feel real in lived-in,...

Pamela Ernest has been an artist in one form or another her whole life, learning early on from both of her parents. In 2003 she began sculpting figures in polymer clay and two-part epoxy and spent many years working in those mediums. In addition to art, Pam is a paranormal researcher and investigator and cohosts on 3 paranormal podcasts. She joined the In Other Words Podcast, initially as producer...

Jan C. Thorpe, PhD, a storyteller from childhood, has been a psychotherapist in private practice for 30 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally from Pennsylvania she grew up in Southern California where she swam in the ocean, rode horses and shocked her friends, brother and parents with scary stories as much as she could. Her first book, Ancestors, has received four- and five-star reviews....