Teri M. Brown's Blog, page 30

Episode 6-13-24

​Her Latest Chapters: A 101-Year-Old's Historical Fiction Journey with Author Babette Rosen HughesMy guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Babette Rosen Hughes, a 101-year-old author of the book Lessons in Evil. Born in Cleveland Ohio, Babette grew up in the time of Prohibition and bootleggers. Her father was one of the first rum runners in the country and was murdered by the Mafia in a turf war at the age of 29. Babette was just two at the time. Writing has allowed her to draw from her unusual life experiences to create her characters and tell their stories (and sometimes cautionary tales) in vivid detail. Listen to Audio VersionWatch Video Version

Book Review: My Unexpected Life

My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis by Jennifer Gasner is a memoir that takes an honest look at her journey from diagnosis to embracing life with a disability. Jennifer has no qualms about showing the messy middle which includes denial and anger on her part, insensitivity on the part of family and friends, ableism culture in her school, community, and herself, and more.

As a reader, you will want to both shake Jennifer and those around her, as well as cheer her on. You will learn what it's like to get potentially devastating news and how such news can affect everything you believe about life. In the end, you will learn that a disability doesn't have to define you. In fact, for Jennifer, her disability is just a small fraction of who she has become.
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Reading this book will help you shed light on your own ableist ideas and offer new ways of seeing those navigating life with a disability. I highly recommend this memoir.

Episode 6-11-24

Digital Redemption: A Cybersecurity Tale of Second Chances with Author Janet RobertsMy guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Janet Roberts, author of the book What Lies We Keep. Janet Roberts is a global leader in cybersecurity education and awareness with over a decade of experience. She holds a BA in Journalism from Temple University, and MA in Communications from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of both the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and Pennwriters. Her first two novels won 1st Place in Fiction from Pittsburgh’s The Authors’ Zone. Her poetry has been published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and in San Fedele Press’ Art in the Time of COVID-19. She lives in Pittsburgh’s East End where Frick Park is her favorite place for a hike. She never met a library, bookstore, or ice cream shop she didn’t like. ​LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSIONWATCH THE VIDEO VERSIONI had the pleasure of chatting with Janet Roberts, author of the fascinating novel "What Lies We Keep" on my Online for Authors podcast. This book seamlessly weaves together cybersecurity with the lies we tell one another, creating a gripping tale of suspense and redemption.

Janet shared her own accidental journey into the world of cybersecurity awareness, where she spent 15 years training over 100,000 employees at multinational corporations. She never imagined she'd end up in this field, starting out with a journalism degree and working at small newspapers. But fate had other plans, and she fell in love with the challenge of making cybersecurity engaging for the average person.

Interestingly, the idea for "What Lies We Keep" also started out as an accident. Janet began writing the character of Ted as a one-dimensional vent for her frustrations with corporate ladder climbers. But her writing group pushed her to give him more depth and redemption. Through many revisions and working with a developmental editor, the story evolved into a multi-layered domestic suspense that asks: what happens when we embrace the life we think we should have rather than the life we have?

As a fellow "pantser" writer who loves to experiment with different genres, I could totally relate to Janet's creative process. We both agreed that even the most flawed characters need a hint of humanity to keep readers invested in their journeys. And leaving the ending a bit open allows readers to imagine their own satisfying conclusions.

One of my favorite bits of wisdom from Janet was about finding balance and staying true to yourself, even as you pursue career success. She learned the hard way that chasing titles and moving for jobs can lead to losing touch with the community and rootedness we all need. It's never too late to course correct though, as Janet did by moving back to Pittsburgh near family.

I left our conversation feeling like I'd made a new kindred spirit friend - we even bonded over our mutual love of chunky ice cream! I'm excited to follow Janet's future projects, including a book that sprinkles in some magical realism in the Welsh countryside.

To hear more of Janet's insights on her corporate experiences, character development, genre-blending and the power of place, check out the full podcast interview. And do let me know if any of her story resonated with you - I always love to hear your thoughts!
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P.S. You can find Janet online at booksbyjanetroberts.com, on Instagram @janetroberts77, or email her at janet@booksbyjanetroberts.com.

Book Review: Road to Elysium

Road to Elysium by Kay A Oliver is a wonderful contemporary fiction novel. We meet Ken in a darkened room and learn that he is a man filled with grief. Because of his loss, his life consists of working, eating, and sleeping - though he doesn't do the last two well. But a home invasion launched by two unruly teens from a nearby neighborhood changes everything.

Although a work of fiction, I'm told that this novel is based loosely on a true story. Kay does a great job getting you to understand Ken - where he begins the journey and where he eventually ends. She allows us to see that progress isn't always linear, and that moving through grief takes time, patience, and understanding.
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If you like a story that delves into love, friendship, family, loss and grief, and personal growth, then this is a story for you.

Book Review: Not a Real Enemy

Not A Real Enemy: The True Story of a Hungarian Jewish Man’s Fight for Freedom by Robert Wolf is an amazing family Holocaust memoir that reads more like a novel. I was brought into the story through the main character, Ervin Wolf, the father of the author - and I turned the pages as quickly as I could until I reached the end.

Ervin begins life as a doctor's son and ends life as a doctor in the United States. Everything in between shows the reader the brutalities of the Nazi regime and then the Soviet communists who came after. The story left me wondering if I would have survived? If I would have had the gumption to escape not once, not twice, but three times? It showed me that freedom is something we should value beyond almost everything else.
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History wants to bury the ugliness that was the Holocaust. Thankfully, memoirs like this and the bravery of authors like Robert make that impossible. Well done.

Book Review: Feisty Deeds

​Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women is an anthology of historical fiction short stories written by 23 authors. According to the editors, "Even when time periods and geographical locations vary greatly, women’s struggles as they confront adversity are often remarkably universal. The stories in this collection follow ordinary women from the 1470s to the 1960s as they rise to meet life’s challenges."

To me, Feisty Deeds is like a box of chocolates - but without the calories. It gives readers a sampling of stories from a wide range of authors - those new to their career and those far more seasoned. If you love historical fiction - you'll love this anthology. The same is true if you love women's fiction.

For those who aren't sure that historical fiction is their genre, then this is the perfect way to read a wide variety of stories across six centuries and a variety of circumstances such as storms, murder, and war. Plus, you'll get the chance to discover these 23 authors: Debra Borchert, Teri M. Brown, Julie Mayerson Brown, Elisabeth Carson-Williams, Valerie Chalker, Joan Fernandez, Kim Gottlieb-Walker, Beth Anne Hill, Dawn W. Hogan, Carolyn Korsmeyer, Della Leavitt, Raquel Y. Levitt, Christy Matheson, Barbara Buckley Ristine, Suzanne Samuels, Julia María Schiavone Camacho, Elaine Aucoin Schroller, Kay Smith-Blum, Kimberly Sullivan, Ashley E. Sweeney, Nina Wachsman, Patty W. Warren, and Marie W. Watts
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Finally, all proceeds of this book go to a WFWA scholarship to help women fulfill their dreams to become authors. Definitely put this on your TBR shelf!

Book Review: Sage Among the Pines

Sage Beneath the Pines by Mark Anderson is in the last phase of publishing, but it now have a cover and will soon be available for preview on Goodreads. I was lucky enough to get to read it early!

Tom and Cynthia, along with their daughter, Lexi, have a great life. Until. Tom makes a mistake. Cynthia can't forgive him. No one tells Lexi what is going on. And then, without warning, Tom dies in a military training exercise. As Cynthia spirals into depression, her daughter spirals into adolescent rage. Only a sage among the pines, in the form of a grandfather-grandmother duo , can save them.
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This is a healing journey - healing from loss and betrayal - as well as a forgiveness journey. It shows how complicated life can become, even when people truly love one another. I enjoyed Mark's book because his characters are real. If you enjoy character-driven fiction, then this one is for you.

Book Review: To Play the Game

To Play the Game by John Guiver is the story of Flight 571. You may remember hearing about the plane that went down full of rugby players. The plane crashed, and it took ten weeks before they were found. A famous book, Alive, talks in detail about those ten weeks, but John's story does even more.
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First, he doesn't focus only on the survivors. Instead, he also tells the story of every person on the plane, so we understand why they were on the plane and what their life was like before the crash. Additionally, John spends a lot of time setting up the world view of the passengers, including their hometowns, occupations, education, and even love lives. Finally, John looks at the many possible causes of the accident. Each of these pieces makes this book a very comprehensive look at Flight 571 and all who were affected by the tragedy.

Book Review: One Wrong Move

One Wrong Move by Dani Pettrey is a Christian Mystery and Suspense with a great side of romance. Andi is ex-FBI because of what the higher-ups called a botched job. She now works as an investigator for an insurance company. After a gallery heist, she meets Christian, a security expert and private investigator who installed the gallery's security system.

Immediately, the two find themselves in the middle of some strange game with the thief or thieves who leaves riddles for them to find. Unfortunately, the object of the "game" seems to include the demise of both Christian and Andi.

As they dodge one attempt on their life after another, Andi and Christian have to face their feelings for one another as well as the mistakes in their past. Will Andi be vindicated? Can Christian convince Andi that he is on the up and up? Or will those intent on killing them win before they know?

Book Review: The Forgotten Home

The Forgotten Home by V.S. Gardner has a great plotline, starting the book off with a hospital kidnapping and midnight transfer of the infant in a canoe! Soon, we find ourselves immersed in a lovely home for children, the horrible aches of a mother and father grieving for their lost child, a foster child who grows up to be a pediatrician, and a book club attended by none other than Vonda. We even get to interact with Leanza again, as she agrees to help the family look into the 20+ year cold case of their missing daughter.
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This is another great storyline, so if you enjoy Christian cozy mysteries, you should put this on your shelf.