The Storytellers

Landis is a recovering trial lawyer turned author turned host of the popular Charlotte Readers Podcast (where he has conducted more than 300 author interviews), whose third book—The Christmas Redemption—won the Holiday category of the 12th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards, and whose recent novel, Deadly Declarations, received praise by Kirkus Reviews, BookLife Reviews and Midwest Book Revie...

Lisa Williamson Rosenberg is an author and psychotherapist specializing in developmental trauma and racial identity. She is also a former ballet dancer with the Pacific Northwest and Pennsylvania Ballet companies. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Lisa’s short fiction has appeared in Literary Mama and The Piltdown Review; essays in Lithub, Longreads, Narrative.ly, The Common, Grok Nation, Oldster, and Mam...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE In this special episode of LAUNCH PAD we will explore memoir and memories; acting, singing, dancing and the spoken word; historical characters reimagined and what it means to create a life of meaning and purpose.  Tuck in psychology, abuse, fantasy, and family secrets and this episode promises to deliver entertainment, information, and a grow...

Anna Quinn is the author of The Night Child, (Blackstone) listed as #1 Best Real Psychological Fiction on Goodreads, and Ingram’s 2018 Best Book Club Book. Her second novel, Angeline, (Blackstone) will be released Feb 7th, 2023. Quinn’s writing has also appeared in Psychology Today, Writer’s Digest, Washington 129 Anthology, and Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19. She...

THIS SHOW WILL BE RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE These four authors and their unique novels invite us into India's family dynasties, carnival side shows and unspeakable acts, family living situations and old beaus, and female ex-cons and complicated friendship. This episode of LAUNCH PAD promises to be engaging, fun, and informative. Join these authors and learn about their unique tales and...

Michelle Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as  “Novel Notes of Local Lore,”  a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents.  She suspects she may have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there...

Georgia Court retired from teaching English Composition and Writing for HealthCare at the University of Cincinnati. Her career path included writing about healthcare for the Cincinnati Post (a daily newspaper), publishing a weekly newspaper for healthcare professionals, owning a PR-event management company and working as a systems engineer for IBM (go figure). She moved to Sarasota in 2009 and ope...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE These authors’ personal stories, trauma, experiences, narrative around racial identity, love of words and historical fiction unfolds in an episode that will enlighten, brighten, and build community. Join these authors and learn about their unique tales and lives just as you fall in love with these authors and think about your next great read. Find...

Leslie A. Rasmussen is the award-winning author of the novel, After Happily Ever After . She was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA. She went on to write television comedies for Gerald McRaney, Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, Drew Carey, as well as The Wild Thornberrys and Sweet Valley High. After leaving the business to raise her boys, she attained a master's degr...

Everything started in 5th grade when Hallie Balogh and Auttie Grace first met. They quickly became known for always being together. You never only saw one of them. That 5th grade school year didn’t only spark their friendship, but it set the foundation of the Auttie and Hallie writing power duo. From 5th grade and all through middle school, they spent their lunches, free time, etc. writing stories...

CAROL VAN DEN HENDE is an award-winning author who pens stories of resilience and hope. Her novels  Orchid Blooming  and  Goodbye, Orchid  series are inspired by wounded veterans and have won 20+ literary awards, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and 2020 Royal Dragonfly for Disability Awareness. Buzzfeed, Parade,  and Tr...

Debra Thomas is the author of Luz, winner of the 2020 Sarton Award for Contemporary Fiction and the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Multicultural Fiction. Originally from Binghamton, New York, she has lived in Southern California most of her adult life. A writer, teacher, and immigrant rights advocate, Debra is a former Los Angeles public high school literature and writing teacher and En...

Lisa Lucca is the author of the award-winning memoir, Ashes to Ink, released in October 2021, a story of forgiveness that shines a light on the challenges of living true to who we are. She was recently awarded the 2022 Literary Legacy Award from El Paso Community College and named an Outstanding Woman of Mesilla Valley for her contributions to the Borderland community in literature and media. Lisa...

Zibby Owens is an author, podcaster, publisher, CEO, and mother of four.  She is the founder of Zibby Owens Media , a privately-held media company designed to help busy people live their best lives by connecting to books and each other. The three divisions include Zibby Books , a publishing house for fiction and memoir, Zcast , a podcast network powered by Acast including Zibby’s award-winnin...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE Harrowing tales, life crises, coming of age, and a quest for freedom fill this episode.  Told through the genres of memoir, women’s fiction, saga, and historical fiction, join these authors and learn about their unique tales and lives just as you fall in love with these authors and think about your next great read. Find out more about these a...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE Join this award-winning group of authors as they share their new releases! Historical fiction, double lives, unexpected twists and turns, life decisions, and romance and gothic fiction fill this episode!  Journey back in time, meet murderous disembodied spirits, and dive into a world of research - all while falling in love with your next auth...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE Join this award-winning group of authors as they share their new releases! Historical fiction, double lives, unexpected twists and turns, life decisions, and romance and gothic fiction fill this episode!  Journey back in time, meet murderous disembodied spirits, and dive into a world of research - all while falling in love with your next auth...

Suzanne Simonetti is a USA Today bestselling author who grew up in the New York suburbs just outside of the city. After earning a BS in marketing, she spent several years writing press releases, until she left her corporate job to focus on her passion for crafting fiction. She lives on Cape May Harbor with her husband. When not on her paddle board or yoga mat, she can be found at the beach tr...

Meg Nocero is the award-winning author of the Butterflies & Bliss Trilogy: The Magical Guide to Bliss: Daily Keys to Unlock Your Dreams , Spirit & Inner Bliss is the book of insights that empowered and paved the way for her inspirational journey in Butterfly Awakens: A Memoir of Transformation Through Grief. Her book of affirmations Sparkle & Shine: 108 M.A.N.T.R.A.s to Brighten Your D...

Alexa Bigwarfe is a USA Today best-selling author, publisher, and founder and CEO of Write|Publish|Sell, a company dedicated to helping authors professionally self-publish and market their books. Her courses and training focus on author platform growth and fun, creative ways to market books. The membership program she created for authors, WIP School, focuses on mentoring and training authors throu...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE Buckle up for an episode filled with secrets and assassins; dentists, doctors and doctor’s wives; trips through Asia on a shoe-string budget; reckless choices and past decisions; and, sagas and serials. This diverse group of authors will have you deeply engaged as you discover their newest works and, hopefully, have you finding you next great read...

THIS SHOW WAS RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE Join these award-winning, fascinating and diverse authors as they celebrate their memoir, humorous women’s fiction, literary fiction, and novel series.  On this episode of LAUNCH PAD, we focus on stories that will inspire, challenge your thinking, delight you, rattle you, and hopefully, have you finding you next great read. Find out more abou...

Claire Douglas has worked as a journalist for fifteen years, writing features for women’s magazines and national newspapers. But she wanted to be a novelist since the age of seven, a dream that came true with the publication of her first novel,  The Sisters,  which won the  Marie Claire  Debut Novel Award. She lives in Bath, England with her husband and two children. The Storyt...

Debra Landwehr Engle is the bestselling author of The Only Little Prayer You Need , Let Your Spirit Guides Speak , Be the Light that You Are and her debut novel Twenty . Her work has been endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and other notable authors and leaders. She also is the recipient of two Nautilus Awards, which honor “better books for a better world.” De...

Barbara Linn Probst is an award-winning, Amazon best-selling author of contemporary women’s fiction. She lives on an historic dirt road in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her acclaimed novels Queen of the Owls (2020) and The Sound Between the Notes (2021) were gold and silver medalists for prestigious national awards, including the Sarton Award for Women’s Fiction and the Nautilus Book Award. The Sound...