The Storytellers

Rona Maynard found happiness at 65—a story she tells in her new memoir Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World. She first broke into print at 14 with a short story about bullying and still receives fan mail from teens who are reading it in class. Rona capped a stellar career in magazines with a decade at the helm of Chatelaine, Canada’s leading magazine for women. Her editor’s...

Sarahlyn Bruck writes contemporary, book club fiction and is the award-winning author of three novels: Light of the Fire (coming January 2024), Daytime Drama (2021), and Designer You (2018). When she’s not writing, Sarahlyn moonlights as a full-time writing and literature professor at a local community college. From Northern California, she now lives in Philadelphia with her family. The Storytelle...

Virginia Kantra is the New York Times bestselling author of almost thirty creative and cleverly imagined novels. She is married to her college sweetheart, a coffee shop owner who keeps her well supplied with caffeine and material. They make their home in North Carolina, where they raised three (mostly adult) children. She is a firm believer in the strength of family, the importance of storytelling...

Peter Spears is the Oscar-winning producer of NOMADLAND. Based on the book by Jessica Bruder, the film from Searchlight also won Academy Awards for director Chloé Zhao and star Frances McDormand, and won the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, BAFTA, PGA, Venice Golden Lion, and Independent Spirit Award for Best Picture. Spears produced Luca Guadagnino’s film CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, based on the boo...

Karen Allen is an award-winning American film, stage, and television actress. She made her film debut in Animal House (1978).  Her career-changing role was her portrayal of  Marion Ravenwood opposite Harrison Ford in the blockbuster movie Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), a role she reprised for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023...

Melissa Giberson is an author, occupational therapist, and a proud mama bear to two children. A storyteller, she captures moments by taking pictures and writing. Her essays have appeared in multiple publications, and she received an Honorable Mention in the Memoirs/Personal Essays category of the 91stAnnual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. Her essay, “Art is the Antidote,” appears in the 2022...

Deborah Klée is an award-winning author of page-turning, uplifting stories about friendship, community, and emotional courage. After a career in health and social care: an occupational therapist, health service manager, freelance journalist, and management consultant, she now enjoys writing happy endings for her protagonists.   Deborah lives on the Essex coast, where she loves to walk by the sea o...

From outer journeys to inner ones, this episode of Launch Pad has us traveling the globe, thinking about points of view, wondering about fortune tellers and bonds to nature, family, and blood.  THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE   Find out more about these authors at: Celine Keating - http://www.celinekeating.com   Elayne Klasson - http://elayneklasson.com   Lally Pia - https://lal...

Laura Morelli holds a Ph. D. in art history from Yale University and is an award-winning,  USA Today  bestselling historical novelist. Laura has taught college students in the U.S. and in Italy. She has covered art and authentic travel for TED-Ed,  National Geographic Traveler ,  Italy Magazine , CNN Radio, and other media. Laura is the author of the popular Authentic Arts guidebook series that in...

Carren Strock — equally at home with a pen and paper, a paintbrush and canvas, needle and thread,  or hammer and nails — is an all-around Renaissance woman. She is the author of the ground-breaking book on a previously undiscussed topic, Married Women Who Love Women , now in its third edition. She is also the author of A Writer’s Journey: What to Know Before, During, and After Writing a Book , In...

THIS SHOW WAS BERECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE From politically charged and turbulent times to finding your place in the world whether it be in your own backyard or as a global citizen this episode of LAUNCH PAD will take you around the world in some delicious and extraordinary ways.  Travel with us on this episode and meet four authors who will have you circling their book titles as must re...

Kyle Ann is a “fingers crossed, jump right in” kinda girl. Just sink your teeth into her years of journal entries and poetry for details. (Actually, please don’t!) Born in Japan, Kyle traveled around the world and east coast of the United States as a Navy brat. She mostly grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, traveled through Kentucky, Massachusetts, Georgia, and Florida before retiring  from the w...

Amy Ferris is an author, a writer, a screenwriter, an editor and a playwright. Her memoir, Marrying George Clooney, Confessions From a Midlife Crisis  (Seal Press) was adapted into an Off-Broadway play in 2012. Amy has written for both the small screen (TV) and the big screen (Feature Films). As a screenwriter, she was nominated for a Best Screenplay Award (BET, Black Reel Award) for her adaptatio...

THIS SHOW WASRECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE   Two memoirs, two novels, mental health challenges, family secrets, the world of the supernatural, searching for family and so much more - all covered in this episode of LAUNCH PAD where you will find your next favorite author and fall in love with your next great read.   Find out more about these authors at: Terry Crylen - http://terrycrylen.com...

Edie Cay writes steamy feminist historical romance. Her debut, A LADY’S REVENGE won the Golden Leaf Best First Book (2020), as well as the Indie Next Generation Book Award (2020). The second in her series, THE BOXER AND THE BLACKSMITH won the Hearts Through History Legends Award, A Man for All Reason in 2019 as an unpublished manuscript, and then went on to win the Best Indie Book Award (2021). Th...

A terrifying diagnosis, a genetic defect, and a lifelong fascination with the history of medicine led Jane Rubin to put pen to paper. After an ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2009, Jane, then a healthcare executive, poured her energy into raising research dollars for ovarian cancer and learning more about her familial roots.  In the Hands of Women (Level Best Books) is now available at most online boo...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE   In this episode of LAUNCH PAD we explore damaged primal bonds and joy-seeking, longing for something you can’t quite put your finger on, and the freedom of letting go.  These four memoirists will take you on life-changing journeys that will have you looking at your own path to self-discovery.    Find out more about these authors at:  Jennifer Cr...

Marybeth Massett has worked as a story consultant, script editor and development executive both independently and for Harvester Road for 20 years.  She  produced the festival award winning short, THE SEER, with Thirteen Films.  In addition to producing Marybeth is also an actress.  She has appeared in films such as, The SOCIAL NETWORK and most recently in GOLD starring Mathew McConaughey.  Televis...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE   In this episode we explore memoir, contemporary women’s fiction, navigating the health care system, and a behind-the-scenes life of the rich and famous.  Join these authors, navigate through personal sagas and your own life, and explore what it might mean to be in just the right place in life.  In this episode of LAUNCH PAD you will undoubtedly...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE   From the funny and fantastical, to historical characters and their wives that come newly to light, to an epic adoption journey to find out who you really are, to picking up a long-lost love forty years later, join these four authors as we celebrate their book launches and you fall in love with your next great read.   Find out more about these au...

Tracy Barone is a storyteller who has honed her skills in her multi-faceted careers. She began her career in theatre as a playwright and director in New York City, her plays, including award winning “August Grace”, were performed Off-Broadway in venues including the Public Theatre, Playwrights Horizons and La Mama. Her desire to learn how to develop and produce the material she wrote propelled her...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE   On this episode of LAUNCH PAD delve into moving memoirs, poignant family sagas, powerful men that shaped history, cleverly imagined storytelling and more.  Join these four authors and celebrate the launch of their new books just as you fall in love with your next best read.   Find out more about these authors at: Corie Adjmi - http://corieadjmi....

Alka Joshi is a literary sensation, celebrated for her bestselling Jaipur Trilogy series, which includes The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris. With her debut novel, The Henna Artist, Joshi quickly gained widespread recognition, earning a coveted spot on the New York Times bestseller list and being chosen as a Reese Witherspoon Pick. The book has since been tran...

This episode celebrates the start of Season 3 of LAUNCH PAD the radio show and market support experience.  This experience was created to celebrate book releases and the authors that create them.  It delightfully expanded into the creation of a three-book series on writing, publishing, and marketing your book.  Join these authors and guest host to learn more about the LAUNCH PAD process.  Find out...

C. Evan Stewart is a senior partner in a New York City law firm.  Mr. Stewart is also a visiting professor at Cornell University and an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School.  In addition, he is a contributing columnist for the New York Law Journal, New York Business Law Journal, and the Federal Bar Council Quarterly; he has published approximately 300 articles on a variety of legal subjects. He...