Inside the Book Fair with Several Amazing Authors

Wendy & Rich 0:01
Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios, Hartford County Living presents Conversations with Rich Bennett. 

I love this guy. You're not that show up. You're not that show up. 

It's good work. It's kind of a two-second arch. It's good work, it's good work. No, no, no, it's good work. Truth is...

Rich Bennett 0:26
President Kennedy Living had the honor of being a sponsor for the Book Fair, the Bel Air recently. And actually, the podcast, we were one of the featured podcasts. So, I was able to sit down with some authors that were there and then me tell you. That place was packed. It was amazing how many authors were there. Luckily, I was on the upper concourse. Because if I was... And you'll hear the crowd in the background. But if I was on the floor with all the authors, there's no way you would have been able to hear anything. So, I had the opportunity to sit down with these authors and just short little interviews, one-on-one interviews. And I wanted to do that because I wanted the authors be able to get their names out there more. And then you're going to be hearing them on this podcast again, hopefully, as well as the author-pitch. So, go ahead and enjoy and listen to these authors. And then, of course, you know what I'm going to say. Afterwards, purchase their books and make sure you leave a review of them everywhere you can leave a review. Take pictures of the books, of you holding the book, and post them on social media and tag them and me in it as well. Alright, let's get this going. They started at the...they did at the Belair Armory, which is smaller. 

Patrick R. Field 1:56
Oh, okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:57
And when Sam told me that she was going to do it here at the arena, I said, "You think you have it?" I said, "I know there are a ton of authors out there." 

Patrick R. Field 2:04
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 2:05
You 

Patrick R. Field 2:05
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:05
think you'll be able to fill up. She goes, "Oh, absolutely." The amount of authors here would not have fit in the armory. 

Patrick R. Field 2:12
Yeah? 

Rich Bennett 2:12
Oh, it's 

Patrick R. Field 2:14
Well, it was funny because when I applied for this, I was put on the waiting list. 

Rich Bennett 2:17
amazing. 

Patrick R. Field 2:18
And 

Rich Bennett 2:18
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 2:18
she told me that last year, people dropped out and we were able to move people into the waiting list. And I was like, "Oh, okay." But, you know, I mean, you never know. I don't know this organization. I know I learned about this through another author friend of mine, but she's not here this year. So, I was like, "Wh 

Rich Bennett 2:34
that?" 

Patrick R. Field 2:35
Nicole Wolverton. 

Rich Bennett 2:36
Okay. 

Patrick R. Field 2:36
And I was born and have it a grace. 

Rich Bennett 2:41
Oh, okay. 

Patrick R. Field 2:42
My parents moved us from there. My father was in the army with the proving grounds. My mom was working there as a civilian. They 

Rich Bennett 2:50
academy 

Patrick R. Field 2:50
moved to a naval to work for the Naval Academy. So, I was raised in anapolis. But now I live in Northeast Pennsylvania. It's a long story how I got up there. I love it there. 

Rich Bennett 3:00
Hell, yeah. 

How long have a drive was it to here? 

Patrick R. Field 3:04
Four hours and 18 

Rich Bennett 3:06
Oh 

Patrick R. Field 3:06
minutes. 

Rich Bennett 3:06
my god, that isn't Northeast Pennsylvania. Holy 

Patrick R. Field 3:10
I 

Rich Bennett 3:10
cow. 

Patrick R. Field 3:11
have a lot of friends from Baltimore because I went to school. I went to University of Maryland, Baltimore. 

Rich Bennett 3:15
Okay. 

Patrick R. Field 3:16
That's where I got my doctorate. And so, yeah, I'm... This whole writing thing is all new. 

Rich Bennett 3:22
Wow, so do you write under your own name, Patrick Field? How long ago did you start writing? 

Patrick R. Field 3:29
I started my first novel back just before the pandemic, around 2018. 

Rich Bennett 3:35
Before the 

Patrick R. Field 3:36
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 3:36
pandemic. 

Patrick R. Field 3:36
I tried to publish it in 2019. And then the pandemic happened. And I was at all that time at home. And I'm a professor, so I was teaching remotely. Yeah. I 

Rich Bennett 3:47
Wow. 

Patrick R. Field 3:47
had a lot of hats. And I was teaching remotely. And I didn't have to travel back and forth, so I had more time. So, since they finished the first novel, I was like, "Okay, that was fun. I wrote it. I wrote a book." 

Rich Bennett 4:00
Right. 

Patrick R. Field 4:01
I was like, "Okay." And then I'm not exaggerating. Two days later, another idea 

Rich Bennett 4:08
up. 

Patrick R. Field 4:08
popped 

Rich Bennett 4:08
That's the way it usually works. 

Patrick R. Field 4:10
And that's the way it is. And now I have three books 

Rich Bennett 4:14
published. Okay. 

Patrick R. Field 4:15
Fourth coming out in 2027, and I'm shopping the fifth one right 

Rich Bennett 4:18
Now, 

Patrick R. Field 4:18
now. 

Rich Bennett 4:19
what's your genre? 

Patrick R. Field 4:20
Paranormal fantasy. 

Rich Bennett 4:22
No way, come on. 

Patrick R. Field 4:23
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 4:25
Oh! 

Oh! All right. Because I mean, I've had a ton of authors on. I think, um, I forget it's a brandy stoker. It hers is I forget what she calls it. Like grim, dark, grim romance or whatever. 

Patrick R. Field 4:45
dark 

Rich Bennett 4:46
But Paranormal fantasy. 

Patrick R. Field 4:48
romance. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 4:49
That's got to be a- What led you to that? 

Patrick R. Field 4:52
So, okay, so my prior life was a professor, I'm a neuroscientist by trade, that's why my PhD 

Rich Bennett 5:00
Wow. 

Patrick R. Field 5:00
is neuroscience. So, for 25 years when I was in the academic profession, I had to write papers and I had to, you know, I know it's like, it's all based on scientific facts 

Rich Bennett 5:09
Right. 

Patrick R. Field 5:09
and everything has to be, you know, based on statistics, based on, you know, actual research, which was, I mean, that was my bread and butter, 

Rich Bennett 5:18
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 5:18
so I was like, okay, but when I started writing, towards the end of my career I got involved in something called case 

Rich Bennett 5:24
studies, mm-hmm. 

Patrick R. Field 5:26
And case studies don't have to be based on something that's actually happened, they just have factual information. 

Rich Bennett 5:30
Right. 

Patrick R. Field 5:31
So, I started writing fictional scenarios, in narratives, and I wrote this one called Game Changer, it was about this football player all the way from Pony League, all the way to where he was a professional in terms of all the hits that he got in his head all the--, 

Rich Bennett 5:44
there, 

Patrick R. Field 5:45
injuries, so I was able to go each stage of his life during his career, he had like a different kind of brain injury, like concussions, he had CTE, he had all these, you know, and so I published it, and the magazine, the Journal of College Science Teaching that published it, picked it as the top five of the year, and put it in a special edition, and I was like, huh, look at that, 

Rich Bennett 6:08
wow! 

Patrick R. Field 6:09
So, that was kind like the first time I ever did like role fictional writing, like a-, we got like some attention. 

Rich Bennett 6:14
Right. 

Patrick R. Field 6:15
So, I think that was kind of the bug, I think that 

Rich Bennett 6:17
bug. 

Patrick R. Field 6:17
was the 

Rich Bennett 6:18
Wow. 

Patrick R. Field 6:18
For me. 

Rich Bennett 6:19
But 

Patrick R. Field 6:19
And 

Rich Bennett 6:19
you're-, 

Patrick R. Field 6:19
then, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 6:20
are you still a professor? 

Patrick R. Field 6:22
I am not, I retired in 

Rich Bennett 6:23
So, you're 

Patrick R. Field 6:23
2022. 

Rich Bennett 6:24
retired, 

Patrick R. Field 6:25
I did. 

Rich Bennett 6:25
you're too young to retire. 

Patrick R. Field 6:28
That's the great thing about the higher education, is that you can put your 25 years in, and then you're done. 

Rich Bennett 6:33
Like the military. 

Patrick R. Field 6:34
Kind of exactly. 

Rich Bennett 6:35
Yeah, I kicked myself into TAIL a lot for getting-. 

Patrick R. Field 6:37
Exactly. Well, and I was, I know we wanted to go in the circumstances, but I moved to North East Pennsylvania full-time. My university was outside of New York, New Jersey. 

Rich Bennett 6:49
Okay. 

Patrick R. Field 6:49
It was a two hour and fifteen minute commute one way. And, you know, I didn't do it every single day, but it was like, I got-, I did it for six years. And I was like, all right, then that 25th year comes up. And when I can get my benefits, I'm done. 

Rich Bennett 7:03
Right. 

Patrick R. Field 7:04
I'm done. But it was, um, yeah. So, the whole-, going back the whole thing was-. So, when I started writing-. The-, my book, I was like, you know what? I write anything I want because-. 

Rich Bennett 7:17
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 7:17
Now, I don't have to worry about the factual information, and I love it. But so, I will say this, though. My human characters in paranormal fantasy is speculative? You have the real world being invented by this supernatural as opposed to making your own world like 

Rich Bennett 7:34
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 7:34
with high fantasy and things like that. That's more interesting than me. Like, I a lot of ghost stories, I like ghosts. 

Rich Bennett 7:41
Yeah, me too. 

Patrick R. Field 7:42
Spirits, I think that whole thing is as fascinating. 

Rich Bennett 7:44
Uh-huh. 

Patrick R. Field 7:45
So, when I'm writing that, the supernatural world, I can make up all the rules, but the human characters, like the interaction between the human characters, 

Rich Bennett 7:56
yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 7:57
That is always grounded in fact, and natural law, always. Unless they have a supernatural, like I had-. I wrote a book about a warlock who has like supernatural powers. That's different. That's a little different, 

Rich Bennett 8:10
Alright. 

Patrick R. Field 8:10
but-. 

Rich Bennett 8:11
Okay. See, 

Patrick R. Field 8:13
[laughs] 

Rich Bennett 8:13
I definitely got to get down there and get your-. Alright, s you written three novels. 

Patrick R. Field 8:16
I have. 

Rich Bennett 8:17
What are the names of the-. 

Patrick R. Field 8:18
The first book that I published was called Servant. And that is, yeah. That's Servant. And that's based on the hauntings that actually happened in my own home in the Northern-. In the Northern Poe canoes. 

Rich Bennett 8:29
Oh, 

Patrick R. Field 8:30
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 8:30
come on. 

Patrick R. Field 8:30
Yeah, no. It's true. Not just myself and my husband, but also people that have come to stay with us 

Rich Bennett 8:37
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 8:37
have reported strange things. We've had some very interesting breakfast conversations. man! 

Rich Bennett 8:41
Oh, 

Patrick R. Field 8:43
[laughs] So that was-. So that was the very first book I got published. That was the third book I wrote though. The other two I couldn't get-. I couldn't get anybody interested in them. 

Rich Bennett 8:52
Really? 

Patrick R. Field 8:53
So this one, hit a nerve with my current editor that I work with at the Wild Rose Press. That's what I'm published through. And she was like-. She told me literally she said-. You said like, you know, like three chapters or 50 pages when you do a query. She said, well, send me the man you script, I'll let you know by the end of the month. And a week later she contacted me, says, I'm ready to give you a contract. She loved it. 

Rich Bennett 9:16
Sweet. 

Patrick R. Field 9:16
I know. And this is after, like, the first and the second one completely. Unstoned deaf ears. Nobody was interested at all in the first two. So since then, so Servant got published. That's my big seller. I have close to 400 copies of that being sold. So that was-. That was pretty cool. 

Rich Bennett 9:32
Good. 

Patrick R. Field 9:33
Uh, my second one is called the Bedfordshire Warlock and that takes place in the Cape Cod and it's based on the Salem Witch Tiles. 

Rich Bennett 9:40
Ohohohohohoho. 

Patrick R. Field 9:41
[laughs] 

Rich Bennett 9:42
Oooooooohh. 

Patrick R. Field 9:43
So the germa that was, you know, and I did a lot of research on the Salem Witch Tiles and how horrible it, I think it's one of the most shameful parts of American 

Rich Bennett 9:52
Yeah, 

Patrick R. Field 9:52
history. 

Rich Bennett 9:52
it is. 

Patrick R. Field 9:53
'Cause people, there was no witches, there was no warlocks, it was all about property. 

Rich Bennett 9:57
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 9:57
Um, but I thought, "Wouldn't it be interesting?" That there really was a real witch or warlock that was actually, that got caught up in the whole thing but, you know, so what happens in this book is that 300 years later, a young man moves into his house and realizes that he's the reincarnation of him. And now he's going to get all these powers if he does this, this, this kind of journey. So yeah, and that was based on, 'cause I've always had a fascination with the Salem Witch Tiles, and Salem Massachusetts. And then the third one is actually my first book that I ever wrote, and did you ever see Dark Shadows? 

Rich Bennett 10:32
Oh, oh my god. I 

Patrick R. Field 10:33
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 10:34
used to love that show. 

Patrick R. Field 10:35
It's 

Rich Bennett 10:35
The 

Patrick R. Field 10:35
in-- 

Rich Bennett 10:35
remake wasn't as good. 

Patrick R. Field 10:36
Yeah, it's in Spire Note. Oh, no, no, no. The-- 

Rich Bennett 10:38
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 10:39
These new ones with Johnny Depp, I mean, I'll give it to them, you know, and even the series they tried to do, like, I think it was, like, in the 2000s. 

Rich Bennett 10:46
Yes. That's what I 

Patrick R. Field 10:47
original-- 

Rich Bennett 10:47
saw, but 

Patrick R. Field 10:47
Yeah. It was, you know, trying to re-- you 

Rich Bennett 10:50
yeah, 

Patrick R. Field 10:50
know, 

Rich Bennett 10:50
the 

Patrick R. Field 10:50
but the music, 

Rich Bennett 10:51
you can't beat. 

Patrick R. Field 10:52
The music from it, they were just-- that was the only thing that was, you know, consistent, was they used the same music. But-- So that was my first book, and I was like, OK, so that one, because they loved the first one, you know, servants, so they published the other two. But the first one that the malevolent is the third book that was professionally published, but I self-published that one. Because I got so frustrated, 

Rich Bennett 11:15
Right. 

Patrick R. Field 11:15
and I used a pen name because I was an academic at the time that I published it. In my university, it was like, 

Rich Bennett 11:23
OK, I do it under your name. So what's the pen name for 

Patrick R. Field 11:26
it? So let's see if you can pick this up. PF, which is Patrick Field. 

Rich Bennett 11:30
Right. 

Patrick R. Field 11:31
PF, Roku-lar. Does Roku-lar sound familiar to you? 

Rich Bennett 11:35
Who, 

Patrick R. Field 11:36
who, who, who, who are? 

Rich Bennett 11:37
It does sound familiar for some reason. 

Patrick R. Field 11:39
RO, Q-U-E-L-A-U-R-E. 

And Rice. And Rice wrote under A-N-Roku-lar when she was writing her other, her, her kind of, her sexy sort of. So I was like, all right, if I got a, if I have to pick a pen name, I'm going to honor my very favorite author. 

Rich Bennett 12:06
But the, the cool thing about that is too, could even, you could write more books on that, because I think you got the book now, the book bitch you. 

Patrick R. Field 12:15
you 

Rich Bennett 12:15
How many books are you working on now? 

Patrick R. Field 12:17
I have one coming out in 2027, 

Rich Bennett 12:19
OK, 

Patrick R. Field 12:20
and that's my first real like Romantic. Romance has always been sort of a secondary plot, think, plot for me. 

Rich Bennett 12:27
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 12:28
This one, the main, the main story is the romance. So this is new for me. So I've got that coming out. That's called Blood Crystal, and that's coming out in 2027. And now I'm shopping around another book. 

Rich Bennett 12:40
OK, 

Patrick R. Field 12:40
And I'm doing that on my own. So I'm, that's the first time I've done that a long time. I had an agent for a while, 

Rich Bennett 12:47
yeah, 

Patrick R. Field 12:47
didn't work out. She was awesome, she tried the best she could, trying to try and break into the traditional world is so, 

Rich Bennett 12:55
it's hard. 

Patrick R. Field 12:56
so difficult. It's almost like you've got to know somebody in order to be able to, or be a creative writing sort of, you know, or program, or whatever it may be, but you know, my, my biggest thing, like, you know, before I have to leave the biggest thing I would say, like if I was saying, like in terms of what I would give advice to writers, is that understand the promotion is your responsibility. 

Rich Bennett 13:18
Yes, it is. 

Patrick R. Field 13:20
And nobody says that to 

Rich Bennett 13:21
say, 

Patrick R. Field 13:21
you when you 

Rich Bennett 13:22
no, t don't. I'll be finding that out. 

Patrick R. Field 13:24
Yeah. And that is, if someone had told me that I think I still would have done it, but it would have been nice to be prepared for it. You just think about the old model where the publisher will take care of everything for it. That doesn't happen 

Rich Bennett 13:34
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 13:35
anymore. 

Rich Bennett 13:36
So where 

Patrick R. Field 13:36
So. 

Rich Bennett 13:36
can everybody find your books? 

Patrick R. Field 13:38
Um, I am on bookshop. org. 

Rich Bennett 13:41
Okay. 

Patrick R. Field 13:42
I am on Amazon, like a lot of folks, Barnes and Noble. I'm also on the Wild Rose press is the name of the actual, but the thing is, if you order from them, the shipping is really crazy 

Rich Bennett 13:54
Right. 

Patrick R. Field 13:55
expensive. So if I had to say, it would be bookshop. org. I would have, I have all my books. And with that, you get to pick an independent bookstore that you can donate part of the proceedings to. 

Rich Bennett 14:07
Really? 

Patrick R. Field 14:08
Yes. And 

Rich Bennett 14:09
we need more than 

Patrick R. Field 14:10
we do. There's 

Rich Bennett 14:12
a, and there's not enough of them. You're starting to see more pop up, but still not enough. 

Patrick R. Field 14:17
I think there's a little bit of a backlash now against like Amazon and about some of the other ones so they so they people are going back to independent bookstores because they have book events 

Rich Bennett 14:26
Damn. 

Patrick R. Field 14:26
like they have book clubs and they have special nights and they have certain discounts and and it's just that human human contact. 

Rich Bennett 14:33
Yeah. 

Patrick R. Field 14:34
I mean, so yeah. plans 

Rich Bennett 14:36
all coming back here next year. 

Patrick R. Field 14:37
I will see how this goes today. You know, I mean, this was like I I came here from this area. I have a lot of folks coming to visit me today, so it's sort of like a reunion type thing, but we'll see, you know, I mean, this was a lot of work. 

Rich Bennett 14:50
You do have somebody down there working your table now. 

Patrick R. Field 14:52
Oh, no, no, I just have somebody 

Rich Bennett 14:54
for 

Patrick R. Field 14:54
watching it 

Rich Bennett 14:55
Patrick. I want a thank you for coming on, but you better get down 

Patrick R. Field 14:57
All 

Rich Bennett 14:57
there. 

Patrick R. Field 14:58
right. Well, 

Rich Bennett 14:58
No offense. say people are going to be buying. I want

Callie Thomas 15:03
to 

Rich Bennett 15:06
use a pen name or is calli Thomas your action. 

Callie Thomas 15:11
It is my 

Rich Bennett 15:11
name. 

Callie Thomas 15:12
pen 

Rich Bennett 15:12
That is your pen name, Calli 

Callie Thomas 15:13
It's 

Rich Bennett 15:13
Thomas. 

Callie Thomas 15:14
my 

Rich Bennett 15:14
Okay, 

Callie Thomas 15:14
pen name. I when I first started writing, I was, I started actually in serial fiction, where that's where your set really books. It's online, mostly, and you're releasing like an episode instead of a chapter. It's an episode like weekly by weekly. It's a great way to like get your feet into writing without 

Rich Bennett 15:33
that's interesting. 

Callie Thomas 15:34
the stress 

Rich Bennett 15:35
Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 15:35
of like I need to do a book. I need to do all these things. And so, Amazon actually came out with a platform called Kindovella. It's unfortunately shut down. It did not go as well as hope. But in our defense, they just, I don't think they promoted it very well. Nobody knew. As you see, nobody knew about it. And I was releasing a lot of episodes. I was doing like one a week. Sometimes I would do bonus chapters. Like if I had a lot of people come in. I would do like incentives and stuff. But yeah, it was great way for me to get my feet wet 

Rich Bennett 16:08
so 

Callie Thomas 16:08
into writing that way. And so I was unsure if like I would do well. You know how it is your first book. It's gonna be great. 

Rich Bennett 16:16
Well, no, I haven't written my yet. I'm still working on my. 

Callie Thomas 16:20
Well, that's a great way. And it's a great. It's also like having that feedback from like readers is like author fuel to keep going. And so when, you know, first your writing is like only my mom's reading this. Yeah, you know, and then you start to see like somebody come in. And they're like liking an episode or 

Rich Bennett 16:36
Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 16:36
like commenting. They're like, oh, I can't wait to see where this is going to go. Then I got to like the end words like, I've been waiting for this episode to upload. What's taking so long and I'm like, okay. So. 

Rich Bennett 16:47
Yeah, did you take all those episodes to turn it into a natural 

Callie Thomas 16:50
Yes, so that's what I took because everybody was like I want to read it, but I don't want to read it. I don't want to piece meal like, you know, one episode a week. I want to just binge 

Rich Bennett 16:59
book? 

Callie Thomas 16:59
it. 

Rich Bennett 16:59
Right. 

Callie Thomas 17:00
I don't want to just like do a hard stop. And so I took it and I put it the book and I had to fix it a little bit because it's a little bit like when you watch a TV show, where it's like previously on last episode, you know, like has been a week. And nobody wait. Who's that guy again? He was from like two months ago. You know what I mean. So I had to go through and kind of flush it out a little bit. And so but I did that. I both of my books that I wrote on there are, you know, I have them down there that actually have collectors editions now with fancy artwork. 

Rich Bennett 17:28
Women, who do what? 

Callie Thomas 17:30
Yeah, so 

Rich Bennett 17:31
there's a mission. 

Callie Thomas 17:32
Yep, so I have it's hard backs with a dust jackets and on the hard back. It has artwork done by some talent really talented artists that I found on Instagram. Her name is Lolli bought and it just come down and I'll show you all the goodies. 

Rich Bennett 17:47
So I take you go through publisher then. 

Callie Thomas 17:50
I do not. I'm 

Rich Bennett 17:51
yourself published. 

Callie Thomas 17:52
I am self published. You can do all this on your own and you don't have to split the pie at all. Actually, I think it's easier because you have way more control. So I feel 

Rich Bennett 18:01
well. Yeah, 

Callie Thomas 18:02
when I see something and I know I like it, I can just buy it. Doesn't mean that I haven't considered trad. I just. It's like, I don't know. I like I do like the control. So, 

Rich Bennett 18:11
how'd you come up the pen name? 

Callie Thomas 18:14
So, my pen name is when I was in high school long, long time ago. I had my friend, I used to pass notes, which I'm sure this generation is like, I don't understand what that means. But yeah, we used to pass notes and we used to use like, secret work like, yes. Cali was my like so like if the teacher had read the note aloud, there was nobody by that name. So nobody knew who that was. And so, yeah, I'm. And so in Thomas is actually my maiden name, so. 

Rich Bennett 18:46
Yeah, 

Callie Thomas 18:47
so. My husband's like, 

Rich Bennett 18:50
it could be a story there. I learned. 

Callie Thomas 18:52
So it wasn't completely, I know some people are like, I just like the way that sounds, but yeah, it made sense to me. 

Rich Bennett 18:59
So, what's the genre that you write? 

Callie Thomas 19:01
I do why fantasy and I 

Rich Bennett 19:03
kind of fantasy. 

Callie Thomas 19:04
YA so 

Rich Bennett 19:05
young adult. Oh okay. 

Callie Thomas 19:06
Yeah so. Just 

Rich Bennett 19:07
why it. 

Callie Thomas 19:08
No. 

Rich Bennett 19:09
YA okay. 

Callie Thomas 19:10
So young adult and um it's like 15, 16 and up. 

Rich Bennett 19:14
Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 19:14
It all depends on some kids you know what their preference is and so my no spice just kisses and um so 

Rich Bennett 19:23
one chili pepper. 

Callie Thomas 19:24
Yeah it's like I don't 

Rich Bennett 19:25
Not 

Callie Thomas 19:25
even want to say 

Rich Bennett 19:26
even a 

Callie Thomas 19:26
that. 

Rich Bennett 19:26
chili pepper. 

Callie Thomas 19:27
because in the clean world they're like whoa Nelly 

Rich Bennett 19:30
Yeah 

Callie Thomas 19:30
like you know clutch your pearls. I can't believe that that was a variation like emotionally like feeling kiss and then in the spicy world they're like girl get out of here like that was nothing and so I'm like I don't I never know how to like put where I'm exactly and so. 

Rich Bennett 19:47
Right. You got two books out. 

Callie Thomas 19:49
I actually have I think six. I have your 

Rich Bennett 19:52
six books out. 

Callie Thomas 19:53
Yeah so I'll have two from my cereal that the cereal story that I converted and then I have um It was a two multi-author claps and that's when a group of authors get 

Rich Bennett 20:06
yeah. 

Callie Thomas 20:06
together yes and they um they do one book of like a themed book series together so um I have two two more YA fantasies from that and then I have two rom coms that I wrote as well so that's new adult for like 20-year-olds but it's still no spice available for like 

Rich Bennett 20:23
right. 

Callie Thomas 20:23
Steaming up you know. 

Rich Bennett 20:24
I so we did the first book come out. 

Callie Thomas 20:28
Oh I didn't know I was going to need dates um 

Rich Bennett 20:32
I 

Callie Thomas 20:33
want to say 

when it when it released cereal or when it came out 

Rich Bennett 20:39
in paperback 

Callie Thomas 20:40
in paperback. I want to say 2000 and 24. So I'm yes I'm still kind of noise so I'm maybe brighter like 

Rich Bennett 20:48
years. 

Callie Thomas 20:48
four 

Rich Bennett 20:48
So for two years and you already have six books out. 

Callie Thomas 20:51
Yeah I do about a book sometimes two books a year depending on I'm actually pretty fat once you get it the first book's always the hardest. It's kind of like you know learning to ride a bike and then once you figure out what works for you what doesn't. 

Rich Bennett 21:04
Right 

Callie Thomas 21:05
And um I can probably do it in about three months like ride it edit like my editor is amazing having like I wouldn't get that with a trad like because I would have to go through their house through there 

Rich Bennett 21:16
yeah. 

Callie Thomas 21:17
and you know they get to it when they can get to it and um having an editor that like works with me and I'm like it's like one in the morning and I'm like I don't understand what you meant what this what you're trying to say here and she's like a night owl so it's great so I know some people are like I get up at like five in the morning with the sun and I'm like no no no I'm the opposite like I 

Rich Bennett 21:38
yeah 

Callie Thomas 21:38
get most of my work done at night so 

Rich Bennett 21:39
I say what are the names of your books? 

Callie Thomas 21:41
Okay so my book one my deology is a forest of stolen memories and then the second book the deology is a sea of golden chains and um yeah it's those are the they're my backwards fair retail series so that's where the end of the story is only the beginning 

Rich Bennett 21:59
oh 

Callie Thomas 22:00
yeah 

Rich Bennett 22:02
okay 

Callie Thomas 22:02
so um yeah I have book one is Rapunzel and Allison Wonderland inspired and then book two is um Beauty and the and the Little Mermaid but with the Merman instead of a mermaid I know a 

Rich Bennett 22:15
little twist there I 

Callie Thomas 22:16
like that little switch switchy up so 

Rich Bennett 22:19
wow and where can people find your books 

Callie Thomas 22:22
uh I have I'm on Amazon you can definitely Amazon loves me so you'll you can find me on there 

Rich Bennett 22:28
oh the books are under cali Thomas 

Callie Thomas 22:30
yes all everything's under cali 

Rich Bennett 22:31
okay 

Callie Thomas 22:31
because I anything and more would make my head spin um I'm already running to social media like one for my rom con and one for my fantasy and I'm like this might have been a mistake this is too much for 

Rich Bennett 22:42
the 

Callie Thomas 22:43
juggle um so I have they're on Amazon or you can get them on my author website so 

Rich Bennett 22:51
oh wait my I'm sorry you have a 

Callie Thomas 22:53
I 

Rich Bennett 22:53
website 

Callie Thomas 22:53
do I have 

Rich Bennett 22:54
really 

Callie Thomas 22:55
yes I have a author cali Thomas.com and they have a shop link from there and you can go and you can purchase and those are usually like my collectors editions that are if you want or if you want them signed um I also put swag and all sorts of fun stuff in it and 

Rich Bennett 23:10
all right so I have 

Callie Thomas 23:10
ask 

Rich Bennett 23:11
to because I think it's I think it's pretty cool when your first time that somebody came up and asked if you would sign your book what went through your head 

Callie Thomas 23:24
it's 

it's one of those surreal experience 

Rich Bennett 23:29
uh-huh 

Callie Thomas 23:29
where it's just because you know you write your name all the 

Rich Bennett 23:34
like 

Callie Thomas 23:34
time 

Rich Bennett 23:34
right 

Callie Thomas 23:35
and you don't even and you know I have to also as a pen name be like don't write the wrong 

Rich Bennett 23:39
yeah 

Callie Thomas 23:39
name 

Rich Bennett 23:39
I've 

Callie Thomas 23:40
um 

actually signed a permission slip for my child and went whoops wrong name um yeah But that might be worse than money. Um, so- but, yeah, it's- and I'm so honored. Like, that people, like, cause I still- like, even though it's been a couple years, how many books I released, I can still remember being serial fiction. 

Writer show up that she met me on through Instagram, she found me, she follows me, and all that stuff, and she was so excited to see me, and it just absolutely made my day. Like, she came all the way to see me, so-

Rich Bennett 24:27
Wow. 

Callie Thomas 24:27
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 24:28
Here it is, Udrowvour is again here, and 

Callie Thomas 24:31
(laughs) 

Rich Bennett 24:32
she- now she local from- 

Callie Thomas 24:34
I think she said she was- she's not too far, so she- I don't know, like, how- I- unfortunately, I don't know the area that well, 

Rich Bennett 24:40
Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 24:40
but- I don't think it was too far for her drive, but still, just- it's a 

Rich Bennett 24:43
That's- 

Callie Thomas 24:43
Saturday, it's great- yeah. 

But, so I'm just really thankful, and I mean, it's such a great turn out today, 

Rich Bennett 24:50
Parking. 

Callie Thomas 24:50
too, it's just-

Rich Bennett 24:51
And this is our first year here. 

Callie Thomas 24:52
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 24:53
It's amazing, it- I took a photo earlier, when the authors were setting up, 

Callie Thomas 24:59
Oh gosh, 

Rich Bennett 25:00
and I- 

Callie Thomas 25:00
delete that one! 

Rich Bennett 25:01
They're like- 

Callie Thomas 25:02
(laughs) 

Rich Bennett 25:03
That's a good turn, I said, this is just the authors. 

Callie Thomas 25:05
Mm. 

Rich Bennett 25:06
And now I'll have to take another one of everybody down there, because it- yeah. It's amazing, 

Callie Thomas 25:12
You'll have- you'll have to set me the one, because I- I meant- I forgot to bring my camera up here, but that is such a cool, like- I mean, it is packed to the 

Rich Bennett 25:18
and 

Callie Thomas 25:19
brim, with, 

Rich Bennett 25:19
yeah. 

Callie Thomas 25:19
like, people. 

Rich Bennett 25:20
Yeah, we're- we're only, what, an hour in? Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 25:23
I was saying- 

Rich Bennett 25:24
Okay, 10, here it is, a little after 11. 

Callie Thomas 25:27
Okay. And it goes until two, right? 

Rich Bennett 25:28
Yeah, 10- until two. So, so, what are you working on now as an author? 

Callie Thomas 25:34
I'm back in the fantasy, so I did the four YA fantasy, and then I did two rom-com, and then my readers, like, yelled at me, and they were like, "Where's the fantasy?" Not that we don't, like, the fantasy readers are very vocal, and so- 'cause that's where it started, so 

Rich Bennett 25:50
Yeah, 

Callie Thomas 25:50
I think that's where a lot of them came from. And so I was like, "Okay, they've been asking for a certain character, and so I'm giving it to 'em." So I'm writing it- I guess I'm easily swayed by peer pressure. So I did the same thing when my rom-com, I was just gonna write the one book, and then they're like, "No, the sister needs a story." And I was like, "Okay, well, I won't write the YA. I'll do the sister, because my mindset's still in contemporary." It's a different POV. I do dual POV for that, and present tense, and 

Rich Bennett 26:17
yeah. 

Callie Thomas 26:17
when I do my fantasy, it's single POV, past tense. So my brain has to, like, shift gears to, like, different writing style. 

Rich Bennett 26:25
So now you got the writing down. All through 

Callie Thomas 26:30
Down. 

Rich Bennett 26:30
what's the hardest part, is it the 

Callie Thomas 26:32
Going 

Rich Bennett 26:32
marketing? 

Callie Thomas 26:32
down and writing, like- 

Rich Bennett 26:34
No, after the writing, after the book's published, what's the hardest part afterwards? 

Callie Thomas 26:38
So I'm a- I'm kind of shy, so actually coming to things like this, is, I know, I'm okay sometimes, like, but like, my friend who came with me that's helping, I'm like, okay, pump me up, get me ready because I've got to be, like, because I'm a quite person, I like being like we did the spine and wine yesterday, that was another event through this. And I opened up the back door and went outside, and I'm like, "Oh, it's so quiet out here." And I'm like, "I know I should be mingle-ing, but." I like the- yeah, it's- because you really have to put yourself out there, like, especially like, I see people walking by and they're like, "I don't want to talk to you," and I'm like, "Okay, here we go." 

Rich Bennett 27:16
Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 27:17
Hey there, and they're like, "Ah, and then they run away." Because we're all introverts, really, right? 

Rich Bennett 27:23
I was the same way. I mean, when I started this, I was a DJ on radio, I was just playing music, I didn't have to talk to anybody. 

Callie Thomas 27:32
because 

Rich Bennett 27:32
Good thing, I didn't want to. 

Callie Thomas 27:33
And 

Rich Bennett 27:35
then when I started this, it was like, I was a nervous wreck. 

Callie Thomas 27:38
You're doing great! 

Rich Bennett 27:39
Well, thank you, well, after you're doing it for 11 years, you get used to it, you know, so, but if I go to like a networking event... 

Callie Thomas 27:48
Wolf! 

Rich Bennett 27:48
Hey, I'ma- 

Callie Thomas 27:49
Your out of here, comforts, uh, 

Rich Bennett 27:50
yeah. Yeah, 

Callie Thomas 27:51
And I feel like the same way. Once I know 'em behind the booth, and I'm all set up, like, 

Rich Bennett 27:56
it's different. 

Callie Thomas 27:56
yeah, because I get super stressed just thinking, like, this, I only had an hour to set up, which... I have a lot of stuff. You 

Rich Bennett 28:03
Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 28:03
just stop by on my booth. I got a lot of stuff going on, and so we were like, trying to get everything in, and set everything up, and it's boiling out, like, it is, 

Rich Bennett 28:10
I know. 

Callie Thomas 28:11
I know, and I'm like, I still feel like, "How 

Rich Bennett 28:14
many events do you think you do a year?" 

Callie Thomas 28:17
Uh, I think I have three scheduled this year, which is not--it's--I noticed that some authors tend to be, like, in person, or they write a lot of books. Like, it's like they split, and I'm in that weird, like, middle ground where I'm trying to do both, and I probably should pick one. 

Rich Bennett 28:34
Okay, so when it comes to the marketing part, how often do you get on another podcast? 

Callie Thomas 28:42
When I first started, I did seek it out a lot, 

Rich Bennett 28:45
Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 28:45
like, because I like talking about it, and I like having something to share. 

Rich Bennett 28:49
And you're not in a group setting? 

Callie Thomas 28:51
Yeah, and I mean, a lot of times it was not, in person. It was 

Rich Bennett 28:58
like 

Callie Thomas 28:59
always online. So it was like, hey, and I was always like, hey, can we have like five minutes to talk? So I don't beat some not weird. Like, I just need like to, because I know I am, I'm I'm kind of weird. 

Rich Bennett 29:11
I'm excited because you said when you do it online, 

Callie Thomas 29:16
yeah, 

Rich Bennett 29:16
so you have the equipment to record online. 

Callie Thomas 29:19
No, I just, I usually just call them and they record it through, like I don't want where I did it through discord. I did one where where I've done it through like YouTube where we we did like a video and then 

Rich Bennett 29:30
yeah, but you have a microphone. 

Callie Thomas 29:31
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 29:32
pewter at all. Okay, 

Callie Thomas 29:32
I don't have anything. I'm not like what 

Rich Bennett 29:34
you're not 

Callie Thomas 29:34
you got 

Rich Bennett 29:34
like 

Callie Thomas 29:35
going 

Rich Bennett 29:35
this. 

Callie Thomas 29:35
on right now. I do not have. 

Rich Bennett 29:36
Well,no , because that's something I always tell authors is I get on podcast. It's free marketing. And you're getting your book known around the world. It's it's not hard to do. 

Callie Thomas 29:48
It's mostly just tracking them down and finding like ones that do like your genre as well. Like I feel like a lot of times for like my genre, it's more like books just book scramers. Like so they're like the Instagram version of like book promoters. 

Rich Bennett 30:05
Yeah, 

Callie Thomas 30:06
those are what's like sending them books, talking to them, doing interviews with them has been like the new popular. 

Rich Bennett 30:13
Oh, Kalle, I'll help you out 

Callie Thomas 30:14
there. 

Rich Bennett 30:15
We'll get you. 

Callie Thomas 30:17
What do I know? Oh, well, 

Rich Bennett 30:18
No, 

Callie Thomas 30:18
thank you. 

Rich Bennett 30:19
because I mean like I I talked to authors a lot. Actually, my other podcast is strictly for authors. 

Callie Thomas 30:25
Oh, okay. 

Rich Bennett 30:27
But I've met other podcasters that focus on talking to authors as well. 

Callie Thomas 30:33
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 30:34
And there's one new books network new books network.com, which they have. I forget how many podcast. But they have all the different genres. So you can go to their website and look for your genre and then pitch that show 

Callie Thomas 30:50
called. 

Rich Bennett 30:51
or 

Callie Thomas 30:51
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 30:51
shows to 

Callie Thomas 30:52
okay. 

Rich Bennett 30:52
come on and talk about your books. That's just wine. 

Callie Thomas 30:56
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 30:56
There's other 

Callie Thomas 30:56
stori. Send me the yeah, 

Rich Bennett 30:58
I will. I'll get you hooked. 

Callie Thomas 31:00
because I never think about like because being like Indie, you are juggling like all 

Rich Bennett 31:04
Yeah, 

Callie Thomas 31:05
of the things. And so sometimes I never think to myself, like, wow, what do I need? You know, what else do I need when I'm all full to the Braille? 

Rich Bennett 31:13
Yeah. All right. So for aspiring authors, what's the one piece of advice you would like to give them? 

Callie Thomas 31:19
I feel like it's the cliche of just right 

Rich Bennett 31:22
Yeah. 

Callie Thomas 31:23
because a lot of times I have new authors and they're like, I want to ride. I want to do this. I want to do a book and they don't think about they think about the future. I want to cover. I want to market. I want to see down in burns and nobles on a shelf. But they don't like you, you you got to do the first part. You got to ride it. You got to finish it. And then and then start dreaming of like, I didn't like have a website until like, wait later on, 

Rich Bennett 31:49
right, 

Callie Thomas 31:49
like having all that, you know, 

Rich Bennett 31:51
and tell everybody the website again. 

Callie Thomas 31:53
It's, um, www authorcalytomas.com 

Rich Bennett 31:57
C-A-L-L-L-I-E. 

Callie Thomas 31:59
Correct. 

Rich Bennett 31:59
Because some people, I know some people were trying to spell it with a K, and 

Callie Thomas 32:02
I 

Rich Bennett 32:02
I, 

Callie Thomas 32:02
did. I, I heard someone, someone did come up and they were like, I can't find you in your K. And I'm like, no, no. E-A-L-L-L. 

Rich Bennett 32:10
Well, Cali, I want to thank you so much. Now get that in there and sell some more books. 

Callie Thomas 32:14
I will try. 

Rich Bennett 32:15
You can't. You can't sell books if you're up here chatting. 

Geez, I tell 

Melissa Roos 32:21
you 

Rich Bennett 32:22
now is, 

Melissa Roos 32:24
is really good. 

Rich Bennett 32:25
Yeah, amazing. 

Melissa Roos 32:26
It is 

Rich Bennett 32:27
first year. Now, were you going last year? 

Melissa Roos 32:29
I was at the armory. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 32:31
Okay. 

Melissa Roos 32:31
Last year was my first year. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 32:34
Ain't no way all that these authors would have fit in the armory. 

Melissa Roos 32:37
No, 

Rich Bennett 32:38
and I have 

Melissa Roos 32:38
funny 

Rich Bennett 32:39
a come next year. I could see Sam having authors set up up here on the 

Melissa Roos 32:45
It 

Rich Bennett 32:45
upper 

Melissa Roos 32:46
could. Yep. 

Rich Bennett 32:47
I mean that, hmm. So if you didn't recognize the voice, I have Melissa Rousseau, who was on before, by women, 

Melissa Roos 32:56
were on my 

Rich Bennett 32:57
I knew 

Melissa Roos 32:57
new 

Rich Bennett 32:57
when you 

Melissa Roos 32:57
one. 

Rich Bennett 32:58
To worry, no, 

Melissa Roos 32:58
I 

Rich Bennett 32:58
you 

Melissa Roos 32:59
was. 

Rich Bennett 32:59
were. 

Melissa Roos 32:59
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 33:00
You were at ain't conversations with Rich Bennett. 

Melissa Roos 33:02
Yep. 

Rich Bennett 33:03
So you're you're a professional now. 

Melissa Roos 33:05
So, oh, sure. I'm a professional. 

Rich Bennett 33:07
All right. Done I'll just let you. So since the last time we talked, what have you been doing? What books have you been working on? Another new book now? 

Melissa Roos 33:19
Yes, so I just finished counting stars. It's at the editor right now. And so I'm hoping to have that out in October. So 

Rich Bennett 33:29
October, 

Melissa Roos 33:29
yep. 

Rich Bennett 33:30
which means you're going to on the author pitch 

Melissa Roos 33:32
Sure, I'd love 

Rich Bennett 33:34
again. 

Melissa Roos 33:34
to. 

Rich Bennett 33:35
For those that don't 

Melissa Roos 33:36
a 

Rich Bennett 33:36
have to the other episode. How many books have you written so far? 

Melissa Roos 33:40
So I currently have six out. 

Rich Bennett 33:42
Six books. 

Melissa Roos 33:43
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 33:44
Six books. You hear that people? Six books and she came on the author pitch and she's only done one so far. So she's five short. 

Melissa Roos 33:54
Yeah, I guess so. 

Rich Bennett 33:56
Was easy. 

Melissa Roos 33:56
It was. 

Rich Bennett 33:57
I mean it. Well, I so be honest with me. Was it easier doing the author pitch or conversations with Rich Bennett? I know conversations was longer. 

Melissa Roos 34:06
Conversations was longer. I think the only thing about the author's pitch was reading an excerpt. I didn't know what to pick. And then I guess I don't I don't think I have the best reading voice. So. 

Rich Bennett 34:19
You did awesome. you did good. And the thing is, and I think I told you this when we were recording too. When I heard it from you, it, it sold me 

Melissa Roos 34:29
Okay, 

Rich Bennett 34:30
because I think when it comes from the author, it does make a 

Melissa Roos 34:32
difference. 

Rich Bennett 34:33
big 

Melissa Roos 34:33
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 34:34
I don't have a reading voice. 

Melissa Roos 34:36
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 34:37
Come on. 

Melissa Roos 34:38
I don't like to listen to me, so I'm not sure. 

Rich Bennett 34:42
What is it with that? I never understood that.Not  for authors, but like well, no, even with some authors, if they do an audio version and they recorded themselves, they don't like to invoices. 

Melissa Roos 34:55
Well, it doesn't sound the same. You know, you hear it inside your head as opposed to like hearing you speak, like it's different. You sound different to yourself. If that makes sense, you're used to it. You hear 

Rich Bennett 35:07
Oh, yeah. 

Melissa Roos 35:07
yourself all the time. 

Rich Bennett 35:09
Yeah, I got to make it is when I first started in radio. I didn't like. 

Melissa Roos 35:13
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 35:13
Here in myself either. And now I just so used to it. It's funny because people would tell me I have such a strong Baltimore accent. I wasn't hearing 

Melissa Roos 35:23
it. 

Rich Bennett 35:24
Now I hear it. And I can't get rid of it. So the book fair last year compared to this year. 

Melissa Roos 35:35
Oh, it is phenomenal. I mean, last year was really good too. It was, so last 

Rich Bennett 35:39
Right. 

Melissa Roos 35:39
year was my first year doing it. But and we were at the armory and that was a great turnout. So 

Rich Bennett 35:45
Yeah. 

Melissa Roos 35:45
I was so excited to come back. But this is even even better than last year. 

Rich Bennett 35:51
Now, how many, yeah, here we are. Cause we're only an hour in to the fair. How many, do you have a lot of people come through so far? 

Melissa Roos 35:59
I have. Yes. We've been busy. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 36:02
good. All 

Melissa Roos 36:02
It is 

Rich Bennett 36:03
right. So I'm going to issue something that I just asked my last guest. And I don't think I asked you this on our podcast or on our other episode. But for you, the first time a reader came up and asked you to sign one of your books. What was the feeling that went through your head? 

Melissa Roos 36:21
I'm like, really? You want 

Rich Bennett 36:23
it? 

Melissa Roos 36:23
me to sign you should read it first 

Rich Bennett 36:26
Maybe 

Melissa Roos 36:26
and then see if you want me to sign it. It's just so humbling. 

Rich Bennett 36:32
Yeah. 

Melissa Roos 36:32
it. You know, you're just don't, well, even to see your name on the cover is humbling. 

Rich Bennett 36:37
Yeah. Oh, 

Melissa Roos 36:37
You 

Rich Bennett 36:37
yeah. I 

Melissa Roos 36:37
know. 

Rich Bennett 36:38
never thought of 

Melissa Roos 36:38
So yeah, it's just, it's an incredible feeling. 

Rich Bennett 36:41
I guess now just becomes automatic. 

Melissa Roos 36:43
no, 

Rich Bennett 36:43
No, 

Melissa Roos 36:43
I still know. Cause like, if they want their name, I have to make them spell it because I'm nervous to write my own name. And I want to make sure I write their name correctly too. So because when I write for them, all the spelling goes out the door. I can't. I have to write their name down. They could repeat it to me and I still have to write it down because otherwise, it just makes me nervous. 

Rich Bennett 37:05
But you're not using a pen name either, right? 

Melissa Roos 37:07
No, 

Rich Bennett 37:07
true. 

Melissa Roos 37:07
I'm not. 

Rich Bennett 37:08
Which could be a plus because if you were using a pen name, sometimes you could sign the wrong name. 

Melissa Roos 37:14
That's 

Rich Bennett 37:14
That's what happened to young lady who was just on. 

Melissa Roos 37:16
Okay, 

Rich Bennett 37:17
and then, but she said when she was writing notes for her school, she would write a pen name by mistakes. 

Melissa Roos 37:24
Okay, I could see where that would happen. 

Rich Bennett 37:26
I can because it's funny, I've had, um, and I never thought about that, but a friend of mine who's an author. He said the first time that happened to him, he just, like you say, he couldn't believe it. It's like, why would you want my autograph? 

Melissa Roos 37:40
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 37:41
He's asked him 

Melissa Roos 37:42
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 37:42
that out loud. But it went through his head. He said, now it's just amazing how many people want that. So tell everybody the genre that you write. 

Melissa Roos 37:52
So I write Romantic suspense or mystery romance. So 

Rich Bennett 37:57
I 

want to see if I get it right, 'cause you got six books, but didn't you start doing a pandemic? 

Melissa Roos 38:08
I did, my first one came out in 2020, January of 2020, so it came out and we shut down, so, 

yes. 

Rich Bennett 38:26
So, I know I asked you this before, but for aspiring authors, I think it's important. Uhm, the hardest part, 

Melissa Roos 38:34
ehm, 

Rich Bennett 38:35
it's published. What's the 

Melissa Roos 38:37
marketing? 

Rich Bennett 38:37
hardest afterwords? The 

Melissa Roos 38:39
The marketing, always the marketing, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 38:42
The, ehm, yourself, public, I love his hat, I'm sorry. My trade, no, he's like no. Those of you listening, a little boy just came running by, look a little cowboy, silver glittery. 

Melissa Roos 38:58
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 38:58
Oh, god, uhm, the, 'cause with the, your self-published though, right? 

Melissa Roos 39:06
I had one, my first one was traditionally, but the rest are self-published. 

Rich Bennett 39:09
All right, so even with the first one, the publishing company didn't do the marketing for you. 

Melissa Roos 39:12
No, they don't. 

Rich Bennett 39:14
And I think a lot of the aspiring authors don't realize that. They always look for a publisher thinking that, but review, 'cause your self-published now, which do you prefer? 

Melissa Roos 39:26
I prefer the self-publishing just because I have more control 

Rich Bennett 39:29
Right. 

Melissa Roos 39:30
over everything. 

Rich Bennett 39:31
Now, when you say more control, 

Melissa Roos 39:36
So timeline, like I'm on my own timeline, not on theirs. I can pick my own cover. Sometimes they don't let you pick, they just get input. Sometimes they let you pick, depends on your publisher, you know, but 

Rich Bennett 39:51
wow, 

Melissa Roos 39:51
so yeah, so I just like, I like all the little extras. I like to do the bookmarks that match the, you know, my cover. 

Rich Bennett 39:59
yeah, 

Melissa Roos 39:59
And I just like the feel of my own cover, like I know what I want in the cover, so, and sometimes they don't agree. And like I 

Rich Bennett 40:06
right. 

Melissa Roos 40:06
said, the main thing though, is the timeline. Like, I push through when I want to get it out and... 

Rich Bennett 40:14
You, yours aren't in audio book version yet, aren't they? 

Melissa Roos 40:18
I 

Rich Bennett 40:18
Or are 

Melissa Roos 40:18
only have 

Rich Bennett 40:18
they? 

Melissa Roos 40:19
one 

Rich Bennett 40:19
One 

Melissa Roos 40:19
in 

Rich Bennett 40:19
in 

Melissa Roos 40:19
audio, 

Rich Bennett 40:20
audio version. 

Melissa Roos 40:20
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 40:20
Okay, and with that, you used somebody else. You didn't do it yourself. 

Melissa Roos 40:24
With the audio, I used, it was new at the time, Amazon's AI. 

Rich Bennett 40:30
Oh, that's your year to win. It told me about that. Has it gotten better? 

Melissa Roos 40:35
I haven't gone back. I just haven't had a chance to 

Rich Bennett 40:37
Yeah. 

Melissa Roos 40:38
look at the AI audio recently. I'm assuming it has. I don't know. 

Rich Bennett 40:43
Okay, 

Melissa Roos 40:44
I don't sell a lot of them, but I don't push it either, because 

Rich Bennett 40:47
right. 

Melissa Roos 40:47
it is AI and I don't... I don't anything else that I have as AI, so... 

Rich Bennett 40:52
So, with your books, do you sell more paperback, hardback, E-pubs? 

Melissa Roos 40:59
I would say E-books. 

Rich Bennett 41:01
Really? 

Melissa Roos 41:01
Paperback, yep. 

Rich Bennett 41:04
That's surprising. 

Melissa Roos 41:06
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 41:06
Because it's... I would say people, I'm just going by my daughter. So, like, 20s on down, love the physical book. 

Melissa Roos 41:20
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 41:20
Because they can, and they won't get rid of it. They'll read it again and again. 

Melissa Roos 41:24
Right. 

Rich Bennett 41:24
Which, I mean, people do that with movies, so why not books? 

Melissa Roos 41:28
Right. 

Rich Bennett 41:29
But, E-pub. I... although I did find out today too, I didn't know you could do this on Kindle. It'll have the text to speech, so it'll read it to you. 

Melissa Roos 41:39
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 41:40
It's like an audiobook, I guess. 

Melissa Roos 41:41
Yeah, kind of. 

Rich Bennett 41:44
No, because you're only gonna get one voice. But I tried doing the Kindle thing. It's hard for me to read. I like the physical 

Melissa Roos 41:50
I do too. 

Rich Bennett 41:51
book. And yes, I am still reading. 

Melissa Roos 41:54
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 41:55
And after I had Melissa on the author, Pitch, and you did. You sold me on it, and I started reading it. And it is good. You all listening, you would really, really like it. 

Melissa Roos 42:09
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 42:10
So, next year, you coming back for this again? 

Melissa Roos 42:13
Yeah. If they'll have me. 

Rich Bennett 42:14
How many book fairs do you do, roughly? 

Melissa Roos 42:17
It depends. I already have a couple signed up for next year. And then I add more as the year goes on, so I have two more signed scheduled for this year 

Rich Bennett 42:27
Right. 

Melissa Roos 42:28
yet. 

Rich Bennett 42:28
So, what else are you doing in person wise to push your books? 

Melissa Roos 42:34
So I've done 

Rich Bennett 42:35
signings? 

Melissa Roos 42:36
I've done book signings. I went to Bethany Beach bookstore and it is signing there. I love that. And I've done the high school book fair. So that's fine. 

So I just went and it was fun just to talk to the kids. It Coupalico High School. That's more of my kids went to high school. So... 

Rich Bennett 43:12
Always been a peep-peep of mine because I remember doing job fairs. But it was always in elementary schools, which 

Melissa Roos 43:18
Oh. 

Rich Bennett 43:19
career fairs, whatever you want to call 'em. 

And my biggest complaint was why don't high schools do them? Yeah. To me it would make sense. You're the first person I've taught to where a high school has done 

Melissa Roos 43:32
that. 

Rich Bennett 43:32
something like 

Melissa Roos 43:32
Okay, yeah. They do it every year. I actually got asked to come back again this year. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to make it, but yeah. 

Rich Bennett 43:38
And how many different podcasts have you been on so far? Are you getting on enough of 'em? 

Melissa Roos 43:43
I haven't been on too many. I've been on three. So beside counting yours. Well...why? I don't know. It's hard to... I think it's hard to find them. I'm just like used you reach out and, you know, people don't always get back to you. 

Rich Bennett 44:01
Well, that is true. I have a funny feeling. I'm just going to have to start something else where all the authors can just go to the website, and I can have different podcasts listed. 

Melissa Roos 44:16
That's a good 

Rich Bennett 44:17
Maybe 

Melissa Roos 44:17
idea. 

Rich Bennett 44:18
I'll do that. An authors podcast network. 

Melissa Roos 44:22
That's 

Rich Bennett 44:22
idea. 

Melissa Roos 44:22
a 

Rich Bennett 44:23
See, 

Melissa Roos 44:23
great 

Rich Bennett 44:23
here it is. You're giving me 

Melissa Roos 44:24
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 44:24
ideas. 

Melissa Roos 44:25
great idea. 

Rich Bennett 44:27
Gotta stop that. Alright. 

Melissa Roos 44:29
Tell 

Rich Bennett 44:30
everybody where they can find your book. First of all, tell everybody the names of the books. I don't think you did that yet, did you? 

Melissa Roos 44:36
Nope, not yet. 

Rich Bennett 44:37
Okay, what's the names of the books? 

Melissa Roos 44:38
So, my first book is You Can Hide. Then I have it "In the Shadow of the Black Moon." That's actually sent in Ocean City, Maryland. So, in case any Maryland people are listening right now, right? I have two books in Pennsylvania, and one of those is Cherry Hollow, and the other one is "The Further I Fall". I have one set in Nashville, and it is Tennessee Wishes. And then the one that came out in December is "The Truth By Is At The Edge". 

Rich Bennett 45:04
And where's the new one going to be based out of? 

Melissa Roos 45:06
It's also Pennsylvania, 

Rich Bennett 45:08
Okay. 

Melissa Roos 45:09
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 45:09
How did it feel? Tell everybody the website and where they can follow you. 

Melissa Roos 45:13
So, I'm on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the big ones, local bookstores, cupboard maker books, 

Bethany Beach books, and Delaware, 

Firefly books, and Kutztown, Pennsylvania. So, those are 

Rich Bennett 45:34
my-- What's the website? 

Melissa Roos 45:35
I'm sorry. 

Rich Bennett 45:36
What's the website? 

Melissa Roos 45:37
A Firefly 

Rich Bennett 45:38
No, 

Melissa Roos 45:38
book? website. 

Rich Bennett 45:38
your 

Melissa Roos 45:39
Oh, my website is just Melissa Roos' author. 

Rich Bennett 45:43
R-O-O-S. 

Oh, does it 

Melissa Roos 45:46
two-- 

Rich Bennett 45:47
only do 

Melissa Roos 45:47
That's right. Two 

Rich Bennett 45:48
Okay. 

Melissa Roos 45:48
O's. 

Rich Bennett 45:48
For a minute, I was like, "Wait, did I just say three O's? R-O-O-S." 

Melissa Roos 45:52
It' like Rooster 

Rich Bennett 45:53
Yeah. 

Melissa Roos 45:54
without 

Rich Bennett 45:54
I 

Melissa Roos 45:54
the-- 

Rich Bennett 45:55
remember. Melissa, thank you so much. Now, get that name or something more. Books. Give your daughter a break. 

Melissa Roos 46:00
Thank you so much for having 

Rich Bennett 46:01
My 

Melissa Roos 46:02
me. 

Rich Bennett 46:02
pleasure. 

So, now I am sitting down with Serena Straus, another author here at the Book Fair Belair. I'm just going to ask your first question because-- Just-- we're on the upper concourse, and I'm looking down, it's amazing. How'd you find out about this? 

Sarena Strauss 46:23
Um, that's a great question. I came for the first time last year 

Rich Bennett 46:27
Okay. 

Sarena Strauss 46:27
and just in going to other book cons and things like that, some people recommended it. So I wrote to them and asked if they wanted somebody right science fiction and-- 

Rich Bennett 46:38
O science fiction. 

Sarena Strauss 46:39
Science fiction, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 46:41
There's not a lot of them down there. There are. 

Sarena Strauss 46:43
There. No, there aren't. 

Rich Bennett 46:45
What happened to that genre? 

Sarena Strauss 46:48
You know, I just think romance and fantasy is like having its moment, and the rest of us writing other stuff, we're out there, and our audience needs to find us, and we need to find them. That's all. 

Rich Bennett 47:01
Now, are you local or-- 

Sarena Strauss 47:04
I was born in Maryland, but now I live in New York. 

Rich Bennett 47:08
So you drove down from New York. 

Sarena Strauss 47:10
Well, I actually flew up from Florida, but that's a different story. [LAUGHS] 

Rich Bennett 47:16
OK, but I see-- From New York, but you flew off from Florida for this. 

Sarena Strauss 47:21
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 47:21
Wow. I say, so far, you wonder you work because you're the furthest. 

Sarena Strauss 47:26
OK. 

Rich Bennett 47:27
Oh, It was probably the shortest time-wise, I wouldn't take it two hours. 

Sarena Strauss 47:32
Ehm, it was, uh, the traffic from the airport was real. [laughing] 

Rich Bennett 47:38
It was probably the longest for you still. So how long have you actually been writing? 

Sarena Strauss 47:42
So, I have, I published my first book in 2006. 

Rich Bennett 47:47
2006, I have made books you have out now. 

Sarena Strauss 47:50
So I have one non-fiction, um, two fiction with the third coming out, and then I have, uh, another book coming out in a different genre in 2027, uh, short story in an anthology. 

Rich Bennett 48:04
Book it, wait, wait a minute. 

Sarena Strauss 48:05
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 48:06
So you have two other books coming out? 

Sarena Strauss 48:08
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 48:10
Do you- do you write more than one book at a time? 

Sarena Strauss 48:14
Um, usually I am outlining or thinking about the next book while I'm writing the book I'm working on. 

Rich Bennett 48:22
Really? 

Sarena Strauss 48:23
Yeah, so right now I'm editing the final book in my trilogy, and the next book is finished and waiting for editorial feedback, so I- like I'm juggling a few things. 

Rich Bennett 48:35
Hey, that doesn't get confusing. 

Sarena Strauss 48:38
Um, it's good because- especially between doing the initial draft of a book and the editing, 

Rich Bennett 48:44
Right. 

Sarena Strauss 48:44
it's good to step back and take a break and kind of forget a lot 

Rich Bennett 48:48
Yeah. 

Sarena Strauss 48:48
about the book so you can come to it with fresh eyes so it tends- it tends to work out timing wise, like while I'm waiting for editorial feedback on the completed but unedited novel, I'm editing the one that I recently got my feedback on. 

Rich Bennett 49:03
I mean, because I know people can- will read more than one book at a time which I still don't under- end the same genre, which I don't understand how they can do that. But to be working on more than one book at a time, my brain would be mashed potatoes. 

Sarena Strauss 49:21
I think the hardest temptation to avoid is- Trying to move toward all the other ideas in your head 

Rich Bennett 49:28
yeah. 

Sarena Strauss 49:28
before you've really done a good job finishing the ones you're working on, so like not- not being tempted by the shiny new thing yet, you know. 

Rich Bennett 49:36
Now, are you self-published or are you going through a publisher? 

Sarena Strauss 49:38
I'm traditionally published. 

Rich Bennett 49:40
Traditionally. 

Sarena Strauss 49:41
Yeah, I'm with a small press. 

Rich Bennett 49:42
Okay. 

Sarena Strauss 49:43
Um, and my sci-fi trilogy is with one publisher and then I have a domestic suspense novel coming out that'll be with a different publisher. 

Rich Bennett 49:54
Domestic 

suspense. 

Sarena Strauss 49:56
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 49:57
What exact- because I've heard a suspense, but what is domestic suspense? 

Sarena Strauss 50:02
I call it like thriller light, so it's small town intrigue kind of dark things in a small town kind of kind of book. 

Rich Bennett 50:13
Oh, really? 

Sarena Strauss 50:14
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 50:14
Oh, that could be Are you so self-important, tell everybody the names of your books and the genres. 

Sarena Strauss 50:22
Oka. So my sci-fi trilogy is called Re Inception. It's set 100 years in the future where we have the technology to instantly eliminate unwanted human behaviors. And as you can imagine, nothing goes wrong. 

Rich Bennett 50:41
Ooh. Okay. 

Sarena Strauss 50:43
So that's- that's the trilogy. The first two books are out Re Inception and De Inception and then the final one's called Mass Inception. That'll be out shortly after the New Year. 

Rich Bennett 50:53
Okay. Why? 

Sarena Strauss 50:54
And then my domestic suspense novel, uh, which I don't have a pub date for yet, that will be called Such Nice People. 

Rich Bennett 51:02
Such nice people. 

Sarena Strauss 51:03
Such 

Rich Bennett 51:04
people. 

Sarena Strauss 51:04
nice 

Rich Bennett 51:08
So I guess there, they didn't have their- what was the thing they said there, um, bad habits or whatever, erased? 

Sarena Strauss 51:17
Uh, no. Totally different, different world. 

Rich Bennett 51:20
Okay. Oh, man. Alright. So was the first book. How long did that actually take it right? 

Sarena Strauss 51:25
Yeah. I mean, the first book, I took the longest because, like I was iterating a lot, 

Rich Bennett 51:31
Yeah. 

Sarena Strauss 51:31
I'm getting it written. So that one, it probably took from when I wrote it to when it was published three, four years. Um, it, you know, it went through a few different drafts and then some of it was just figuring out what the right publishing path was for it. It's, um, it's kind of social science fiction, which is a little bit of a, you know, Enice California, 

Rich Bennett 51:56
Yeah. 

Sarena Strauss 51:56
so I, um, I went with a small publisher who, um,you  know, they're willing to take I think more risks than big publishers. Um, so yeah, it was about finding the right, the right house for it and that, that's been a great experience. Um, and then two years between each of the sequels. 

Rich Bennett 52:14
Okay. So what actually led you to write science fiction? 

Sarena Strauss 52:18
Uhm, so weird, I mean, weird pathway. The first book I wrote was nonfiction. 

Rich Bennett 52:24
Okay. 

Sarena Strauss 52:24
I used to be a prosecutor in the Bronx. And I wrote a book called 'Bronx D. A.' that was about that 

Rich Bennett 52:29
'What the fuck is that? ' 'I have a lot of 

Sarena Strauss 52:31
experience. 

Rich Bennett 52:31
stories to 

Sarena Strauss 52:32
I have- 

Rich Bennett 52:32
tell-' 

Sarena Strauss 52:32
'I have a lot of stories, and Bronx D. A. had its own cool path. It was actually picked up as a TV pilot, but then, sadly, we- we lost our TV spot to JJ Abrams, which... 

Rich Bennett 52:45
'Oh wow! 

Sarena Strauss 52:46
'Hard to fall'. 

Rich Bennett 52:47
Yeah' 

Sarena Strauss 52:48
But after I finished Bronx D. A. I thought I wanted to keep writing, I wanted to try fiction, and I thought, "Oh well, I'll write crime, that makes sense." And I- I started writing crime novels, and I was like, "Well, I don't really read crime novels, and I don't really watch crime TV." 

Rich Bennett 53:05
Right. 

Sarena Strauss 53:05
Why am I writing something that isn't what I love to read? Uhm, and I love science fiction, so I started writing science fiction, and, uhm, that's- it's been amazing. 

Rich Bennett 53:16
Alright, so, obviously then you had to watch a science fiction show. 

Sarena Strauss 53:20
A lot, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 53:21
Alright, Star Trek, what was it? What was your favorite? 

Sarena Strauss 53:24
Well, so, I have an older brother, and growing up, because he's older, he got to pick what we watched, 

Rich Bennett 53:30
Okay. 

Sarena Strauss 53:30
and he was- so he dragged me into sci-fi originally. We watched, like, I- I'm gonna date myself here, but, yeah, $6 million man and the 

Rich Bennett 53:41
kid. 

Sarena Strauss 53:41
whole 

Rich Bennett 53:41
See, I thought, when you said date yourself? 

Sarena Strauss 53:43
(laughs) 

Rich Bennett 53:43
You're gonna go, like, even further back, you say, like, "Doctor Who." 

Sarena Strauss 53:48
I- you know, I was never, like, I never watched "Doctor Who," 

Rich Bennett 53:52
Right. 

Sarena Strauss 53:52
but, like, all those, like, a lot of Star 

Rich Bennett 53:54
$6 

Sarena Strauss 53:54
Trek. 

Rich Bennett 53:55
million, man, wasn't that- isn't that- oh, wait a minute, oh no, that was- oh, that was the 

Sarena Strauss 53:59
wasn't 

Rich Bennett 53:59
'70s, 

Sarena Strauss 53:59
that- That was, yes. 

Rich Bennett 54:00
Oh, okay, never mind. Wow. 

Sarena Strauss 54:02
I was very young. I was very, very young. Uhm, but, yeah, my brother got me into it, and then he also, uhm, when I was a little older, gave me my first, u, he gave me The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, and that really, like, sucked me into the sight- the written sci-fi 

Rich Bennett 54:21
Ooh, 

Sarena Strauss 54:21
novels. ho, ho, ho, 

Rich Bennett 54:22
ho, 

Sarena Strauss 54:22
and I've loved it ever since. 

Rich Bennett 54:24
Ooh, I- so for an aspiring author, what's the biggest piece of advice you could give him? 

Sarena Strauss 54:32
I- I mean, my biggest piece of advice would be write what you love and don't chase trends, uhm, because trends change and taste change, and uhm, I- I mean, we should be writing for joy and for passion, and I think that really shines through in our writing, so don't worry about what- what's getting the buzz, worry about writing what you love, and your audience will find you. 

Rich Bennett 54:57
This question I've been asking a couple of the authors, uh, lately, because I- I just- I think it's amazing. The first time a reader asked you to sign one of your books, what went through your head? 

Sarena Strauss 55:13
yeah. Uhm, you know, it just feels a little surreal, 

Rich Bennett 55:17
Yeah, 

Sarena Strauss 55:17
because the- the imposter syndrome's real, and especially if you've had another career, like I have, you know, something that's been paying the bills. That question of, like, when do I actually get to call myself a writer or tell people I'm a writer, and even after I wrote Brown's D. A., I didn't like- I felt like I wrote a book, I didn't feel like I was a writer. 

Rich Bennett 55:37
Ye. 

Sarena Strauss 55:38
Uhm, so I think when people actually ask you to start signing it, or somebody's like, you know, "Oh, I read about your book, or I saw a review, or they're seeking me out," it's like- it's- it's an amazing feel- like you put your heart and soul in it, to know that somebody actually wants to- to read it, as 

Rich Bennett 55:54
Yeah. 

Sarena Strauss 55:54
a- 

Rich Bennett 55:55
Alright, so what's the next big thing for Serena Strauss as an author? 

Sarena Strauss 56:01
Uhm, so, I mean, finish my trilogy. [laughs] I have- I hopefully have some big announcements coming soon that I'm not allowed to share yet. So, you have to follow me on social media. I'm going, as we say, in the publishing world, I am going vague. 

Rich Bennett 56:22
Okay. 

Sarena Strauss 56:22
I am going vague. I- I will hopefully have some really exciting announcements soon, but I'm not- I'm not allowed to- 

Rich Bennett 56:30
Ned, do you have a website as well? 

Sarena Strauss 56:32
Uhm, yes. 

Rich Bennett 56:33
Alright, so you're going to also announce them on the 

Sarena Strauss 56:35
It'll- yeah, my website, my newsletter- I'm very easy to find Serena Strauss. 

Rich Bennett 56:39
website. 

Sarena Strauss 56:40
I'm the only one. You can spell it wrong, and you'll still find me. So, my website, serenastraus, and on social, I'm Serena Strauss everywhere, 

Rich Bennett 56:51
It's 

Sarena Strauss 56:51
so- 

Rich Bennett 56:52
something you just said, and you're the first one to say this. You have a newsletter. 

Sarena Strauss 56:57
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 56:58
How often 

Sarena Strauss 56:58
does- Stack. [laughs] 

Rich Bennett 56:59
So, but how often does that go out? 

Sarena Strauss 57:02
Uhm, I don't- I'm not somebody who regularly publishes 

Rich Bennett 57:04
Okay. 

Sarena Strauss 57:05
on "Substacks" so I 

Rich Bennett 57:06
Good, 

Sarena Strauss 57:06
only- 

Rich Bennett 57:06
'cause I become- that can become a pain. [laughs] 

Sarena Strauss 57:09
Yeah, I mean, some people are great at 

Rich Bennett 57:11
Yeah. 

Sarena Strauss 57:11
that. I'm really only sending things when I have news to an out. So whether it's publishing news or appearances or, you know, sometimes I just have something to say, 

Rich Bennett 57:21
Right.

Sarena Strauss 57:21
like, especially because I'm writing sci-fi, if I see something really interesting or cool in the media, especially about the themes I deal with, like mind modification and technology and stuff. But mostly I'm not trying to clutter people's inboxes unless 

Rich Bennett 57:37
some . 

Sarena Strauss 57:37
I have 

Rich Bennett 57:37
Good. 

Sarena Strauss 57:38
I say. 

Rich Bennett 57:39
So people need to go to your website. They need to sign up for your newsletter. 

Sarena Strauss 57:43
Yep, 

Rich Bennett 57:43
They need to follow you on Amazon. So this way they know when your next book comes out because that little thing at home is not one around here, Alexa will notify 

Sarena Strauss 57:53
yep. 

Rich Bennett 57:53
them. 

Sarena Strauss 57:55
Am I big top secret, vague news? 

Rich Bennett 57:57
Yes, yes. Which, see now I got to follow you on social media just so I could find out. 

Sarena Strauss 58:02
There you go. 

Rich Bennett 58:03
Why do I have a funny feeling you're going to be in a TV show or something? 

Sarena Strauss 58:07
I've been on TV before. 

Rich Bennett 58:09
(laughing)

On a show? 

Sarena Strauss 58:11
I actually, I was in a documentary. I don't even know if you can find it anymore, but it was on the Discovery Channel. It was called Crime and Justice, The Bronx. 

Rich Bennett 58:19
Okay. 

Sarena Strauss 58:20
And then I used to be a talking head. So I used to do a lot of crazy TV. 

Rich Bennett 58:27
Really? 

Sarena Strauss 58:27
Yeah. 

Yeah, back when there was court TV, I did a lot of court TV. 

Rich Bennett 58:31
That is amazing. Well, Serena, I want to thank you so much. I'm going to be emailing you because you need to come on my other podcast as well and picture books. 

Sarena Strauss 58:43
I would love that. 

Rich Bennett 58:44
So thank you so much. 

Sarena Strauss 58:45
Yeah, thank you. Thanks for talking to me. 

Steven Gellman 58:48
Maybe we've run to each other somewhere. 

Rich Bennett 58:52
So Frederick, 

Steven Gellman 58:55
did you work out in Frederick? 

I'm sorry. 

Rich Bennett 58:56
Did you do work out in Frederick? 

Steven Gellman 58:57
Well, yeah, so I'm a musician for a living, so I kind of play everywhere. 

Rich Bennett 59:03
Really? How long you been playing? 

Steven Gellman 59:06
I've been playing since the late '90s. (laughing)

Rich Bennett 59:11
Seriously? 

Steven Gellman 59:11
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 59:12
Guitar? 

Steven Gellman 59:13
Yup, guitar, voice, right songs. I have 10 albums out. 

Rich Bennett 59:20
Okay, it's gotta be from the music industry. 

Steven Gellman 59:22
Yeah, maybe you've seen me somewhere 'cause I've been everywhere for a 

Rich Bennett 59:26
time. 

Steven Gellman 59:26
long 

Rich Bennett 59:27
I 

Steven Gellman 59:27
(laughing)

Rich Bennett 59:28
used to play, I stopped playing actually. 

Steven Gellman 59:30
Oh, then that's probably...

Rich Bennett 59:31
Played was '86. 

Steven Gellman 59:33
Oh, okay, well that was a 

Rich Bennett 59:34
I'm old. 

Steven Gellman 59:34
beautiful... 

Rich Bennett 59:35
Yeah, 

Steven Gellman 59:35
(laughing)

Rich Bennett 59:36
but my son playing for a while. I wish we could back into it. I always said he was Stevie Ray Vaughan reincarnated, he's that damn good. 

Steven Gellman 59:45
was 

Rich Bennett 59:46
But when he was playing, I would go to all the different places mainly around here.But  also when I worked, but the last radio station I worked at 100.7 a. m. A, I used to go to different places to see the, so I probably did see you out there playing somewhere. 

Steven Gellman 1:00:03
Probably. I get that a lot, people are like, you look familiar and this, 'cause you know they've seen me playing at a winery or 

Rich Bennett 1:00:11
a 

Steven Gellman 1:00:11
bookstore or something over the years. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:13
Yeah, what kind of music? 

Steven Gellman 1:00:14
So with singer-songwriter, so like a acoustic folk Americana. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:19
So you're telling stories. 

Steven Gellman 1:00:21
Yeah, which...

Rich Bennett 1:00:22
Something that's missing. 

Steven Gellman 1:00:23
Yeah, which was, you know, I guess not a weird transition into novel, 

Rich Bennett 1:00:29
Wow, so those of you listening, I have Stephen Gellman. Is it Gellman Gellman? 

Steven Gellman 1:00:33
so. Gellman. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:33
Gellman, Gellman. Stephen Gellman on musician author. What else? 

Steven Gellman 1:00:39
A 

Rich Bennett 1:00:39
songwriter. 

Steven Gellman 1:00:41
I think that's about 

Rich Bennett 1:00:42
That's 

Steven Gellman 1:00:42
it. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:43
it 

Steven Gellman 1:00:43
(laughing) 

Rich Bennett 1:00:43
for you, 

Steven Gellman 1:00:44
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:00:44
right? 

Steven Gellman 1:00:44
yeah. Nerd. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:46
Wait a 

Steven Gellman 1:00:47
I 

Rich Bennett 1:00:47
minute. 

Steven Gellman 1:00:48
say I'm a nerd before I'm anything. So, you know, if you get me started talking about Star Wars or Lord of the Rings or anything that I'll totally 

Rich Bennett 1:00:56
on. 

Steven Gellman 1:00:56
nerd out 

Rich Bennett 1:00:56
D&D? 

Steven Gellman 1:00:57
Of course. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:58
Have you met Brandy Stoker yet? 

Steven Gellman 1:01:00
Oh yeah, I met...

Rich Bennett 1:01:01
Okay. 

Steven Gellman 1:01:01
And another Booker of that. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:03
Okay, okay, 'cause I had her on and she told me about D&D. I said, "Wait, really? 

Steven Gellman 1:01:10
(laughing)

Rich Bennett 1:01:10
"I've always been wanting to learn 

Steven Gellman 1:01:13
to 

Rich Bennett 1:01:13
have a learning."

Uh-huh. 

So, she's supposed to be getting some people together. 

Steven Gellman 1:01:16
Oh, really? 

Rich Bennett 1:01:17
Yeah, 'cause I figured it'd be pretty cool to sit down into a podcast. 

Steven Gellman 1:01:22
Uh-huh. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:23
D&D? 

Steven Gellman 1:01:24
And there are...

Rich Bennett 1:01:25
And I think it's growing. 

Steven Gellman 1:01:27
Yeah, it's getting popular again. So, I played it as a kid in high school, you know, and 

Rich Bennett 1:01:32
Yeah. 

Steven Gellman 1:01:35
then picked it back up and, uh, you know, went a little bit later, and then it's come and gone throughout my life, but I loved all that stuff. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:46
Too, because now a lot of people crack me up around and play it online. 

Steven Gellman 1:01:49
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:50
Yeah. But the board part, you're still, uh, I say, board, you know, board game. But it's board and a board game. It's a table game, I think. 

Steven Gellman 1:01:58
Yeah, it's 

Rich Bennett 1:01:58
You're still seeing a 

Steven Gellman 1:01:59
role 

Rich Bennett 1:01:59
lot of 

Steven Gellman 1:01:59
playing. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:59
people role playing. 

Yeah. 

The money he spends on these figurines 

Steven Gellman 1:02:17
and, oh, yeah, yeah. Does he paint them? 

Rich Bennett 1:02:19
Oh, yes. Oh, yeah, he put, he goes into detail and everything. I'm just blown away and, and the case is that he buys the carrier. I'm going to say, 

Steven Gellman 1:02:29
oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you're talking about. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:31
'Cause I'd be told, I said, I told him, I said, you gotta teach me how to play this. I wanted to learn. My problem is I never have the time to. I said, I have a funny feeling, I knew the answer to this. What genre do you write? 

Steven Gellman 1:02:44
So, oh, yeah. No, I write contemporary YA. It's not fantasy. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:48
Oh, okay. Wow. 

Steven Gellman 1:02:49
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:49
Okay. It's not what I was expecting. 

Steven Gellman 1:02:52
No, I fell into it by accident. You know, I told you I was a musician. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:56
Right. 

Steven Gellman 1:02:57
So, um, and that's what I do for a living. So when COVID happened, I had, I lost all my work because I'm a working musician. So, um, I had a lot of time on my hands and I was I was in bed watching TV and I thought I gotta find something to do with my life and I thought about I was at another book festival because 

Rich Bennett 1:03:22
okay. 

Steven Gellman 1:03:22
I love books. I love books my whole life. And I was walking around this festival. This was, um, the year before COVID hit and there was this place called the writer center. And I was looking at the booth going, I wonder what that is and they saw me looking so they're like, come on over. They're like, so you're a writer and I said, no, and they said, well, you seem very interested. What do you do for a living? And I said, well, I'm a singer-songwriter and they went, um, hello. And I was like, what? Like it didn't occur to me. And they're like, hello. I'm like, what? They're like, it's in your title. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:58
Yeah. 

Steven Gellman 1:03:58
And I was like, oh, yeah, I guess it is. Ha, ha, how funny. I'm like, who knows? Maybe someday I'll write a book. Right. And then I just went about the festival and went back to life. And then when I lost all my work, I remembered that conversation. And I thought, you know, maybe I should take this time and write a book. And that's what I did. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:18
Well, the thing is, too, with the type of music you write, I would think writing a book with you already got a head start. 

Steven Gellman 1:04:25
Yeah. So I used to think there was no connection and then I realized there is a connection. So with folk music, it's like you already picked up on this. You don't listen to folk music for the beat. The 

Rich Bennett 1:04:38
story. 

Steven Gellman 1:04:38
For the story. So I have been telling stories all these years just within, you know, four minute folk songs. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:47
Yeah. 

Steven Gellman 1:04:48
So it was just expanding upon that into novel form. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:52
That is awesome. So what was the first book you wrote then? 

Steven Gellman 1:04:55
So I'm here with 

Rich Bennett 1:04:57
my and it was during COVID. 

Steven Gellman 1:04:58
So my, 

Rich Bennett 1:04:59
oh, this is your 

Steven Gellman 1:04:59
This is my debut. So it was six years between writing it in publication 

Rich Bennett 1:05:05
debut. 

Steven Gellman 1:05:06
because well publishing goes very slow. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:09
So you're not self published. 

Steven Gellman 1:05:10
So no, I'm not. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:11
Okay. 

Steven Gellman 1:05:13
So I wrote the book, life started coming back to normal. I had no idea what you do once you write a book. And so I just kind of been like, I don't know what to do. Work started coming back. I just put it away for a long time. But I kept thinking about it. I'm like, I wrote this thing that I love. I can't let it go. So just started doing research about what you do. You're like, okay, you got to get an agent. That's really hard to 

Rich Bennett 1:05:43
Yeah. 

Steven Gellman 1:05:43
do. Yeah. Took a long time. And I got an agent and then got a publisher. And so my book just came out a couple of weeks ago. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:54
Really? 

Steven Gellman 1:05:54
Yeah. And my second book is with my agent now. So she's going to sell it in the fall and I'm writing my third book right now. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:02
That's you're right. 

Steven Gellman 1:06:04
Your third book. Third book is long and I'm writing my 11th album of music too. So. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:10
All right. So with the book, 

Steven Gellman 1:06:14
uh-huh. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:15
You're still going through a publisher. 

Steven Gellman 1:06:17
What's 

Rich Bennett 1:06:17
been the hardest part? I know you're, you're 

Steven Gellman 1:06:20
the waiting. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:23
wait. What six 

Steven Gellman 1:06:25
The 

Rich Bennett 1:06:25
years, 

Steven Gellman 1:06:26
I mean, yeah. Well, like you, when you query to get agents, it's 

Rich Bennett 1:06:29
yeah, 

Steven Gellman 1:06:29
like, Most of 'em won't even respond. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:34
yeah. 

Steven Gellman 1:06:35
So, it's just the 'Waiting, 

Rich Bennett 1:06:37
'Waiting, 

Steven Gellman 1:06:37
the 

Rich Bennett 1:06:37
the'... Self-publish, you never went in your head. 

Steven Gellman 1:06:39
So, because I was an indie musician... 

Rich Bennett 1:06:42
Yeah... 

Steven Gellman 1:06:43
I was... I did not want to go to a self-publishing route with my novel. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:48
Okay. 

Steven Gellman 1:06:48
So, I was like, either somebody's gonna publish this, or I'm not doing it because... As I said, I've been doing music a long time, and you know, I'm a little bird now. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:59
It 

Steven Gellman 1:07:00
was like, I need enough, so... Anyway, so that was the route I was determined to go. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:07
Now, where can people actually find your book 

Steven Gellman 1:07:10
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:07:11
besides there? 

Steven Gellman 1:07:12
so any bookstore, and if the bookstore doesn't have a non-shelf, they can order it, but... 

Rich Bennett 1:07:18
You 

Steven Gellman 1:07:18
web... Most 

Rich Bennett 1:07:18
have the 

Steven Gellman 1:07:19
stores in the area, huh? 

Rich Bennett 1:07:20
You have a website as 

Steven Gellman 1:07:21
I 

Rich Bennett 1:07:21
well? 

Steven Gellman 1:07:21
do. That's hiddenpoet.com, so it's H-I-D-D-E-N-P-O-E-T.com. And that's... When you 

Rich Bennett 1:07:32
It's 

Steven Gellman 1:07:32
go... 

Rich Bennett 1:07:33
perfect! 

Steven Gellman 1:07:33
Yeah, so when you go the hidden poet, it'll say author or musician, and you can go either way, or 

Rich Bennett 1:07:39
That's 

Steven Gellman 1:07:39
both. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:40
why it's so perfect because it goes together with both... both things. The books. 

Steven Gellman 1:07:44
Yeah, yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:07:45
oh wow! Wow, so how did you find out about the book fair then? 

Steven Gellman 1:07:50
So, a... Another author friend who was here last year recommended it to me. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:57
You can drop the name? 

Steven Gellman 1:07:58
Oh, her name was... Is Liza Achilla? 

Rich Bennett 1:08:01
Okay. 

Steven Gellman 1:08:01
She was here last year, and she recommended it to me, so I applied, and then Sam who runs this book fair... Accepted me, and now I've gotten to know Sam a bit, you know, and she's very sweet. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:15
Oh, yes, 

Steven Gellman 1:08:15
And, 

Rich Bennett 1:08:15
you. 

Steven Gellman 1:08:16
like I said, this world is new to me. The book's only been out, you know. I don't know, 

Rich Bennett 1:08:22
Two 

Steven Gellman 1:08:23
eight, 

Rich Bennett 1:08:23
weeks? 

Steven Gellman 1:08:23
twelve 

Rich Bennett 1:08:24
here? 

Steven Gellman 1:08:24
weeks 

Rich Bennett 1:08:24
Yeah. 

Steven Gellman 1:08:24
The most. So, I'm just getting acquainted in meeting people, but everyone I meet, people like Sam, everyone's so wonderful. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:33
Has anybody asked you to sign a copy of the book yet? Had that feel? 

Steven Gellman 1:08:36
Yeah, I've been down there as signing, yeah, so... 

Rich Bennett 1:08:38
But you're probably used to it with the albums too. 

Steven Gellman 1:08:42
So, I had a special edition made 

Rich Bennett 1:08:44
festival. 

Steven Gellman 1:08:44
for the Today too, 

Rich Bennett 1:08:45
Oh, 

Steven Gellman 1:08:45
with 

Rich Bennett 1:08:45
come. 

Steven Gellman 1:08:46
sprayed edges. Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:08:49
that's fun. 

Steven Gellman 1:08:49
so 

Rich Bennett 1:08:52
Okay, I am learning more and more today, Collectors of Dissues, Special Edition. 

Steven Gellman 1:08:57
Oh, yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:08:58
yeah. And now you've crept me if I'm wrong. With that, you have to have a separate, I'm probably going to get it wrong. ISDBN number, whatever. 

Steven Gellman 1:09:07
So, will every book has a separate ISBN number, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:10
So, special edition has to have it turned 

Steven Gellman 1:09:12
Yeah, everybody... Whether 

Rich Bennett 1:09:14
out... 

Steven Gellman 1:09:14
it's like a paperback, hardback, they all have different 

Rich Bennett 1:09:17
Wow. Yeah... 

Steven Gellman 1:09:18
numbers. Just same in music, like if it's out on CD or on vinyl, you know, so... 

Rich Bennett 1:09:26
Brad Cox. 

Steven Gellman 1:09:27
What? 

Rich Bennett 1:09:27
Do you know Brad Cox? 

Steven Gellman 1:09:29
I don't. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:30
Yeah. Okay. Pullin' back a minute, thinkin' of your music. It's like, wait a minute. That's how I knew the name. You weren't all mouthful of graffiti podcast. 

Steven Gellman 1:09:40
No, 

Rich Bennett 1:09:40
no. Okay. 

Steven Gellman 1:09:41
No, no. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:41
All right, so Brad, if you're listening, you've got to get Stephen on your podcast. 

Steven Gellman 1:09:45
Hey. Oh, yeah? 

Rich Bennett 1:09:48
Yeah, 

Steven Gellman 1:09:49
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 1:09:49
yeah. 

Steven Gellman 1:09:49
cool. That would be fun. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:51
He 

sometimes does live recordings. Whoever with will get out and play, they do it 

Steven Gellman 1:09:58
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 1:09:58
at... 

Steven Gellman 1:09:58
yeah, I 

Rich Bennett 1:09:59
too. 

Steven Gellman 1:09:59
do that I, um, like, so downstairs, I have my book, 

Rich Bennett 1:10:03
Right. 

Steven Gellman 1:10:04
but because I'm a musician, I wrote songs inspired by the novel, so I also have vinyl records downstairs too, with music inspired by the book. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:15
That is 

Steven Gellman 1:10:16
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:16
awesome. So, people... All right, so now people need to buy the book and the album, the g... 

Steven Gellman 1:10:21
Right, right, 

Rich Bennett 1:10:22
right. 

Steven Gellman 1:10:22
right, 

Rich Bennett 1:10:22
And listen to the song, like, it's almost like the Wizard of Oz while listening to Pinkful. 

Steven Gellman 1:10:27
Ha ha ha. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:30
Bad. Stephen, I want to thank you so much. I'm going to get in touch with you because you got to come on my other show as well and pitch 

Steven Gellman 1:10:38
Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:39
the book, pitched up books. Yeah, 

Steven Gellman 1:10:43
I'll bring my guitar, play it, the song. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:46
You know what? I will have Brad co-host that one. 

Steven Gellman 1:10:49
Well, 

Rich Bennett 1:10:50
you live in Frederick. So, I mean, that's a good drive 

Steven Gellman 1:10:52
And 

Rich Bennett 1:10:52
for 

Steven Gellman 1:10:52
then, you forget I've been a musician a long time. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:55
you're 

Steven Gellman 1:10:56
All 

Rich Bennett 1:10:56
always 

Steven Gellman 1:10:56
I do is drive. All 

Rich Bennett 1:10:57
right. 

Steven Gellman 1:10:58
I do is drive. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:59
We'll make it happen. Stephen, thanks a lot, 

Steven Gellman 1:11:02
Rich, 

Rich Bennett 1:11:02
man. 

Steven Gellman 1:11:03
thank you so much. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:04
So now I'm sitting here with ED Olippert. Why would I hear that last name, Lippert? I'm thinking of an old movie with Don Adams. He was a fish. I forget the name of the movie 

E.D. Lippert 1:11:19
talking 

Rich Bennett 1:11:20
though. You know what I'm 

E.D. Lippert 1:11:22
about? I don't remember the name of the movie. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:25
But I don't think it was Lippert. 

E.D. Lippert 1:11:26
No. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:28
Now I gotta go. 

E.D. Lippert 1:11:29
There aren't a of Lippert's around. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:32
Yeah, I gotta go find that movie 

E.D. Lippert 1:11:34
though. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:34
now I so with you, I just asked you this 

E.D. Lippert 1:11:40
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:40
right away. How long have you been 

E.D. Lippert 1:11:41
I 

Rich Bennett 1:11:42
writing? 

E.D. Lippert 1:11:43
have only been writing for maybe six years. Now it's something I've wanted to do since I was a little girl. My friend and I, we were avid readers and we always say we're going to write the next great American novel and of course we never did. So as I got closer to retirement, I thought, you know what? This is something I want to do it. I'm gonna do it. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:02
I've been finding, because I talk to authors all the time, but it's amazing how many authors do not write their first book until they retire. 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:12
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:13
Or even later? 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:14
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:15
I think I had a young lady on, she wrote her first book. She was 70. 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:20
Oh wow. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:21
And then I had another lady on. When I had her on, she was 101. 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:26
Oh God, 

Rich Bennett 1:12:26
her. 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:26
bless 

Rich Bennett 1:12:27
Still and she was getting ready. She had to get eye surgery done then. She was going to write her another book as she wrote it at 103. 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:36
That's amazing. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:38
103. 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:39
I hope I'm still around at 103 and I can still be writing. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:43
Keeping it, hey I always said I'm going to be 100 and still doing this. People may not understand what I'm saying, but sometimes I don't understand what I'm saying now. So yeah. So you started writing six years. 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:54
Yeah, I was in my early 60s. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:56
And how many, wait 

E.D. Lippert 1:12:58
a 

Rich Bennett 1:12:59
minute, what? Yeah. Now, 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:00
um, 70 is around the corner for me 

Rich Bennett 1:13:02
So what? 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:02
now. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:02
No, you're, you are not 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:04
show. Yeah. Don't tell anybody. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:06
You look good. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:07
Well, thank you. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:08
And 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:09
Thank 

Rich Bennett 1:13:09
that's 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:09
you. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:09
something else I'm noticing too. As, as we get older, it's, because growing up, somebody said, you know, said they were 50. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:18
Oh, you thought it was old. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:20
Yeah, but they looked like they were 80. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:22
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:23
And then you go back and watch some of the old shows. We were just talking on this the other day. I think like red fox when he did Samfordon. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:29
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:13:29
I think he was in his 40s or 50. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:32
Yeah, he looked old. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:33
Errol Conner with Argy Bunker was the same way. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:35
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:36
But they looked a lot older. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:37
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:38
But now you're seeing people in their 70s and 80s, you would think they're in their 40s. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:43
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:43
It's amazing. So where'd you find the water 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:46
you're 

Rich Bennett 1:13:47
from the founder youth that 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:48
I 

Rich Bennett 1:13:50
need it. 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:50
No, you shouldn't have. My dad was here earlier. He's 94. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:54
Really? 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:54
Yeah, he's amazing. He's absolutely amazing. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:58
Wow, 

E.D. Lippert 1:13:58
I take after him. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:00
That it. Oh man. And he was 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:02
walking. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:02
just 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:03
He was just walking around. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:05
I don't know if you watch the originals, but the gentleman that threw out the first pitch on opening day. What was he? A hundred and 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:12
yeah, he was, I want to say 103. I could be 

Rich Bennett 1:14:15
Something 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:15
mistaken, but 

Rich Bennett 1:14:16
like 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:16
I 

Rich Bennett 1:14:16
that. And 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:16
saw 

Rich Bennett 1:14:16
he was in 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:16
it. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:17
his hundreds. 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:17
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:18
And he was not in a wheelchair 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:20
now. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:20
He's amazing. That's why I say age is nothing but a number. All right, so it's six years. How many books have you written? 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:27
Four, four. Four. Now we want my first one. I had the idea probably 30 years before I started it. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:36
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:37
But I had kids. You know, you raise a family. I was working and 

Rich Bennett 1:14:40
kids getting in the way. 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:41
Thank 

Rich Bennett 1:14:42
Geez. 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:42
you. They're wonderful. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:44
I want to trade. 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:45
Now I wouldn't either. So I had the idea for a long time. It 

Rich Bennett 1:14:49
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:49
was just kind of sitting in the back of my head. So that one, now the ones after that I didn't. But yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:56
So the first, now what genre is all the same genre? 

E.D. Lippert 1:14:59
The first two were in like suspense thrillers. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:03
Okay. 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:03
Yeah. And then I feared off into historical 

Rich Bennett 1:15:07
fiction. I love 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:08
fiction. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:08
historical 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:09
That's my thing. If I'm going to pick up a book to read, that's my go to. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:13
All right. So your latest ones, historical fiction? 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:16
No. I have one after that. But I did do historical fiction. And then the one right after that is a middle Green, a middle-bred novel about a baseball game. And it was based on, I know it sounds crazy, right? 

Rich Bennett 1:15:29
Wow. 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:30
We had a baseball family. My dad coached his, you know, his 

Rich Bennett 1:15:33
Okay. 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:33
whole life. My brother actually played this game in the 60s. And when we were in our 30s, he wrote a short story about it. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:43
Okay. 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:43
tried to get it published and either one of us knew what we were doing so we didn't and I came across and he passed in 2010 and I came across this short story and I thought you know what I'm going to make a full blown novel 

Rich Bennett 1:15:55
it. 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:55
out 

Rich Bennett 1:15:56
Wow. 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:57
And it was fun to write. It 

Rich Bennett 1:15:58
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:15:58
was fun to write. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:00
I the historical fiction one who's that about. 

E.D. Lippert 1:16:02
That's actually about I don't know if you know in the in the new testament. There's like two sentences about this woman who was unclean and she 

Rich Bennett 1:16:12
Okay. 

E.D. Lippert 1:16:12
reached out and she touched Jesus's robe and she was healed. I heard that one time and I was thinking what was life like. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:20
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:16:21
For an unclean person in the first century and I did a lot of research and then I just from that I did it I built a life for her and which started out really nice, you know. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:31
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:16:32
And then took a bad turn for about 12 years and I just wanted to see to imagine what it was like. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:39
So I have the eye. I haven't asked anybody this. 

E.D. Lippert 1:16:42
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:43
All of all your books, if somebody comes to you, they're not looking for a specific genre. They just want to read something that you've written. What would be the first book you recommended them of yours. 

E.D. Lippert 1:16:59
Probably my very first one when. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:03
Okay. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:03
Because it's I cried when I finished writing it. My father and I would never say I gladly made my father cry. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:14
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:14
But when he finished reading it, he called me and I could hear him crying. So I know that that one is very emotional and then after that would be the unclean. Because that's also pretty emotional. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:26
Alright, so when is what's the genre of that one again? 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:29
That's a suspense thriller. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:31
Spence Thriller. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:32
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:33
Okay. 

right. So now, all right, wow. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:37
All 

Rich Bennett 1:17:37
Because I thought there's only been one book that actually made me cry. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:41
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:42
watched the movie first and then made me cry. I read the book and I was in tears 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:46
I 

Rich Bennett 1:17:46
and that was Tuesday's with Moory. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:48
Oh yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:49
So 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:50
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:50
now I got to get going. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:51
I'll bring it up to you when we're done here. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:53
I mean that's. Wow. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:55
Yeah. I saw it and I'm not a cryer. You 

Rich Bennett 1:17:59
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:17:59
know, I just I'm not. But when I finish that book, I'm writing that there's last few pages. I was just crying. 

Rich Bennett 1:18:06
So was it because of the story or the fact that you finished the book? 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:09
It was because of the story 

Rich Bennett 1:18:11
That's good. 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:11
and I don't want to give away the ending. 

Rich Bennett 1:18:13
No, no. 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:14
But it was emotional. 

Rich Bennett 1:18:17
Yeah, 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:17
it was emotional. 

Rich Bennett 1:18:19
All right. So now I know. Are you local? 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:23
Yeah, in Valer. 

Rich Bennett 1:18:24
Okay. Good. So now I know when you when you come on my other podcast, I have a funny feeling. That's going to be the first book you pitch. And I'll explain how that works. We're done. Wow. All right. So with you as an author, what's the next thing for you? 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:41
The next thing that I'm working 

Rich Bennett 1:18:42
an author. 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:42
on 

Rich Bennett 1:18:43
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:44
I'm embarrassed to say I don't really focus on one thing at a time. So I've got a couple of them in the works. 

Rich Bennett 1:18:50
You're another one that raised more than one book at a time. 

E.D. Lippert 1:18:52
I have. Well, let me tell you. Let me start off. I say I have. I have 14 grandchildren. And a couple of them want to write books with me. 

Rich Bennett 1:19:01
Oh, that is all. 

E.D. Lippert 1:19:02
So the 13 year old, we're pretty much done. His mother is editing it. My daughter. And so we're waiting on her. I've got one with my 11 year old brand daughter. That's fun. That we're having fun writing. And then I have one that's another thriller where I can tell you the general idea. A woman finds out that her husband has hired someone to kill her. 

Rich Bennett 1:19:30
Okay. 

E.D. Lippert 1:19:30
Let's just put it this way. The tables get turned a little bit. And then I have one that I'm working on with my husband. So it's I don't know if there's something wrong with me that I can't focus on one thing at a time. 

Rich Bennett 1:19:44
Who did I just have on Serena Strauss was just on. 

E.D. Lippert 1:19:47
Okay, 

Rich Bennett 1:19:47
She can work on more than one. I know I know people can read more than one book at a time, 

E.D. Lippert 1:19:52
I do. 

Rich Bennett 1:19:53
but the right morning one at a time. But I love the fact that your grandchildren are interesting. You're helping them. 

E.D. Lippert 1:19:59
It's fun. The first one, we started it when he was 12, like I said, he's 13 now. And it was all his idea. Everything that happens in the book was his idea. But I just wrote it out and put in the, you know, the dialogue and the you know, made it, so that it would be it would flow well. 

Rich Bennett 1:20:20
Have you now that you're retired? Have you ever thought about, uh, I don't know, like holding little class, free classes for kids if they want to learn how to write? 

Ah, they're still kids that want to learn how to 

E.D. Lippert 1:20:47
write. 

Rich Bennett 1:20:48
Uhm, I don't know how many school newspapers are anymore, or even creative writing classes, but I think it's great the kids need to, because my daughter was writing when she was younger. And she was told was she was in high 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:04
school, 

Rich Bennett 1:21:05
she was in the writer's script that we did through a club, had two authors doing it. And they told her, 'You have to get a manuscript done because you're that good'. And then... Got in high school and just stopped writing. 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:18
Yeah. You 

Rich Bennett 1:21:19
see, you need to get back to do it. Of course now everything is with being a daycare teacher, she... 

Oh, 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:28
Yeah, there you go. 

Rich Bennett 1:21:29
yeah. See? I'm gonna have to tell her she ought to work on 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:32
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:21:32
a children's book or 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:34
I 

Rich Bennett 1:21:34
something. I said, 'yeah'. to be 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:35
have 

Rich Bennett 1:21:35
sure that people find your books, 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:36
Right now, they're on Amazon. I'm 

Rich Bennett 1:21:38
okay. 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:38
working with a company, so I have to go through everything again and reread it. But I'm working on a company that will branch out and put me in different bookstores and in the libraries and things like that. I've done it all through self-publishing. 

Rich Bennett 1:21:54
So people can follow you on Amazon, so when the next books come out, they're 

E.D. Lippert 1:21:58
alert. Right. 

Rich Bennett 1:21:58
Ned, do you have a website as well? 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:00
I do, it's edlipperc.com. 

Rich Bennett 1:22:03
L-I-P. 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:03
I'm sorry. 

Rich Bennett 1:22:04
ERT. 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:04
edlippercbooks.com, 

Rich Bennett 1:22:06
edlippercbooks.com. 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:08
yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:22:09
Now any of your books in audio form? 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:11
Not yet, working on that as well. 

Rich Bennett 1:22:13
Okay. I so, and I've been asked any other authors this. The first time a reader came up and asked you to sign the book. What went through your head? 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:24
I didn't know what to write. I just thought, what do I say? 

Rich Bennett 1:22:28
So 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:29
I just wrote edlipperc, you know? But 

Rich Bennett 1:22:34
that could be hard too. Just write edlipperc, and it's your full name. 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:37
Yeah. But it was kind of 

Rich Bennett 1:22:40
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:40
cool to have somebody do that. So now, today, I mean, we've got quite the crowd 

Rich Bennett 1:22:44
Yeah, 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:44
here. 

Rich Bennett 1:22:45
we do. 

E.D. Lippert 1:22:45
So we've sold quite a few. And it's nice to autograph for people. 

Rich Bennett 1:22:50
Oh. So for aspiring authors, I'm going to go even a step further. For young kids that want to get into writing. What's the biggest piece of advice you could give them? 

E.D. Lippert 1:23:06
I would say just do it. Don't be, you know, have the courage to do it. Don't let anybody talk you out of it. Don't let anybody look at it and say, yeah, it's okay. You know, stick with it. Write your story and then find somebody who can help you perfect the, the dialogue, perfect the settings and the flow. Because it's a process. 

Rich Bennett 1:23:29
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And don't be 

E.D. Lippert 1:23:31
freak. That's right. Yeah, have no fear. 

Rich Bennett 1:23:34
a 

E.D. Lippert 1:23:37
That's my one grandson. He has absolutely no, the one we've 

Rich Bennett 1:23:40
written. 

E.D. Lippert 1:23:40
already 

Rich Bennett 1:23:40
Yeah. 

E.D. Lippert 1:23:41
He's already working on one by himself and. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:23:45
That's amazing. 

E.D. Lippert 1:23:46
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:23:46
Well, Elizabeth, I want to thank you so much. And I know we're going to be talking again 

E.D. Lippert 1:23:52
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:23:52
because I need to get you on, on, well, on this one again, but the regular shows usually a little bit of an hour. I know we could talk for a 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:00
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:24:01
while. But also my other one, the author pitch because that's only like short form, like this. 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:06
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:24:07
But I love it because with that one, the authors come on, they pitched a book one book at a time, and then they read an excerpt from it. And it's something about when you hear the author read from the book. 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:23
yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:24:24
I think it sells the book more. And I've been finding that out with all the authors that have come on. I'm not wanting to read romance. I found myself getting these romance books after your authors 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:34
out. 

Rich Bennett 1:24:35
read Problem. 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:36
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:24:36
Because you, the, 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:39
the. 

Rich Bennett 1:24:40
like a good trail, for me, you leave the people 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:43
Right. 

Rich Bennett 1:24:43
hanging, wanting to know what happened. 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:44
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:24:45
And I did that with, it was Melissa Ruse, I think, or, or no, it's Kristi Wolf. I was like, or what happened to the guy? She goes, or you got to get the book to re-sub. 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:55
It's not fair. I'm fair. 

Rich Bennett 1:24:57
Thank you so much. 

E.D. Lippert 1:24:59
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 1:25:02
Your listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett, we'll be right back. If you love books, you need to experience the book fair at Bel Air. This incredible community event brings together authors, readers, and book lovers of all ages for a celebration of stories, creativity, and connection. What makes it special is the chance to meet authors in person, hear their stories, and purchase books directly from them. I've attended myself, and I can tell you there's nothing quite like discovering a great book and talking with the person who wrote it. It makes the experience more personal and far more meaningful. Whether you're looking for your next favorite read, something for your kids, or even a unique gift, you'll find it at the book fair at Bel Air. It's family, friendly, welcoming, and full of the kind of energy that reminds you why books matter. Learn more and see upcoming event details at bookfair@belair. org. Again, that's bookfair@belair. org. All right, so I'm sitting here with Nicole M. Wolverton, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:26:21
Wolver, 

Rich Bennett 1:26:22
Wolverine. [Laughter] Wolverine. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:26:23
Wolverine. 

Rich Bennett 1:26:23
He just so happy she writes 'Horror'. Hard Wolverine, do you write about 'Where' whilst I'm on? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:26:29
I have not 

Rich Bennett 1:26:30
yet. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:26:30
yet. 

Rich Bennett 1:26:30
Not yet. Now I'm giving you an idea. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:26:32
You never know. Anything can happen. 

Rich Bennett 1:26:35
Right, so, I want to get this out right away because this is important, especially for all you authors listening. Nicole does something that I always tell authors to do. She gets on another podcast. How many have you been on? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:26:50
Oh, I could not even begin to count. Um, I most recently I was, I just recorded an episode of 'Cradle to the Grave' with Eric Hanson. 

Rich Bennett 1:26:59
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:00
Maybe a week ago? 

Rich Bennett 1:27:02
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:03
That was delightful. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:04
Was that virtual or 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:06
Oh, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:06
okay? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:06
Um, he's in California. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:09
And you're located 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:09
I'm, 

Rich Bennett 1:27:10
here. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:10
I'm in Philly. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:11
Oh, you're in Philadelphia. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:12
Yep. Yup. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:14
A Emmy. Wait, wait, wait, Emma, books if you're written. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:17
So, my third novel will come out in March, 

Rich Bennett 1:27:21
Okay. okay, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:22
up next year. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:24
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:24
I mean, asking an author how many books she's actually written is a loaded question. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:29
Oh, you're right. How many books are published? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:32
Three. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:33
Okay, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:33
Well, Uh, 

Rich Bennett 1:27:33
three, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:34
well, no. Two, three next year. Well, three by May. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:37
right. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:38
Four by the end of the year. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:39
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:40
Hahahah. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:41
You're, I never thought about that 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:42
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:27:42
because I always ask how many books have you written? Well, I've written 20 but I've only had two published. Yeah, I never thought about 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:49
that. Oh, yeah. [Laughs] 

Rich Bennett 1:27:52
All right. So with you, because I love the fact that you're right, horror. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:27:58
All right. So I'm going to tell you the story of why I write horror. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:02
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:03
My grandmother was a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:08
Get outta here. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:09
Huge Alfred Hitchcock fan. So, and I spent a lot of time with my grandmother as a kid 

Rich Bennett 1:28:13
You were watching Alfred Hitchcock 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:14
all 

Rich Bennett 1:28:14
a 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:15
the time. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:15
lot. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:16
Plus, she had the very unhinged idea to read me the original Grims Fairy Tales, which as you know are very, very bloody. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:25
Uh-huh. Uh-huh. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:26
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:27
[Laughs] 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:27
So I was kind of doomed from the start. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:30
[Laughs] 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:31
And my father, who was a terrible father, took me to see the exorcist at the drive-in when I was five. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:39
Oh my god. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:41
So yeah, I was primed for it. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:46
I-I-I-I-I-I-that 

scared my sister. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:49
[Laughs] 

Rich Bennett 1:28:50
[Squee'ders] 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:50
[Laughs] 

Rich Bennett 1:28:51
My son, I thought he was young when he was, and he left. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:28:54
Yeah. Some of us are just like that. 

Rich Bennett 1:28:56
That one didn't really, I mean, it was kind of scary. The movie that really scared me was the original Amityville horror. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:05
Oh yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:29:07
Because when I found out that it was true, I'm like, "ah, ah..." [Laughs] 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:13
So there is a book coming out, uh, later this, actually, pretty-pretty soon, 

Rich Bennett 1:29:18
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:19
uh, Rabatone, who won a stoker for one of his other books. Wrote a book that's coming out in October, called Amityville, I believe, Awakes or Returns, 

Rich Bennett 1:29:30
A-uh. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:30
one or the other. Uh, I'm doing an event with him in Doyle's Town, Pennsylvania for that. But I have- I have it on good authority, it's just as scary as the original movie. 

Rich Bennett 1:29:42
Nope. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:42
[Laughs] Nope, 

Rich Bennett 1:29:44
Nope. nope, nope, nope. I'm not watching it. Nope. I-I did watch the remake. I forget who he was at. That wasn't scared. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:52
Who was that? Ryan Reynolds, 

Rich Bennett 1:29:53
Yeah. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:53
I believe? Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:29:54
That wasn't as 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:55
No. 

Rich Bennett 1:29:55
scary- Because it was him. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:58
Probably, I 

Rich Bennett 1:29:59
It's 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:29:59
mean- 

Rich Bennett 1:29:59
hard to see Deadpool in a scary role. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:01
Yeah. You can't be scared of Ryan Reynolds. 

Rich Bennett 1:30:03
[Laughs] I-so, I-how long- I can understand 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:07
well. 

Rich Bennett 1:30:07
now Alfred Hitchcock, as 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:08
[Laughs] 

Rich Bennett 1:30:09
How long have you been writing now? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:12
Since then. 

Rich Bennett 1:30:13
Oh, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:13
Uh, 

Rich Bennett 1:30:13
since 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:14
yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:30:14
you were a kid. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:14
since I was a little kid, even before I could really write words, uh, my mother kept this, uh, it's a story that I drew, like, to- 

Rich Bennett 1:30:23
Oh, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:24
yeah. Stories? Me and my best friend, who was an imaginary friend named Mona, who had knives for fingers. 

Rich Bennett 1:30:33
So, you're, like, a female Edward Cesar-Hans- 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:36
Kind of, but before Edward Cesar-Hans, for sure. 

Rich Bennett 1:30:39
And before Freddy Krueger. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:40
yes. Oh, yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:30:40
Yeah. Wow. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:42
So, I have been writing since forever. [Laughs] 

Rich Bennett 1:30:45
Holy guy, so when- what year was your first book published? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:50
2013. 

Rich Bennett 1:30:50
2013. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:51
Yeah, and I was in my mid-to-late thirties? 

Rich Bennett 1:30:55
Okay, and what's that book called? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:57
It is, uh, what is it? 

Rich Bennett 1:30:58
I 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:30:58
The trajectory- 

Rich Bennett 1:30:59
don't know. That's how I'm asking 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:00
[Laughs] 

Rich Bennett 1:31:01
you- 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:01
It's called The trajectory of dreams. 

Rich Bennett 1:31:03
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:04
It is a psychological thriller rather than a horror 

Rich Bennett 1:31:07
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:07
novel. that's just where I started. 

Rich Bennett 1:31:09
Right. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:10
And And between that and my second book was quite a while. My second book came out in 2024. And 

Rich Bennett 1:31:18
them. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:18
between 

Rich Bennett 1:31:18
Wait, you said the first was 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:19
2013. 

Rich Bennett 1:31:20
2013. Yeah, it's quite a stretch. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:22
Yep. Yep, but in between then, I had probably about 40ish short stories published. 

Rich Bennett 1:31:28
Oh, okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:29
And at this point, I'm up to maybe 53 or 54. 

Rich Bennett 1:31:34
Now, Now we're the short stories also hard. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:36
Yes, almost all of them are 

Rich Bennett 1:31:38
harer. Do they even, then we used to those were published in books are like the mad, I remember the 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:44
Magazines, yeah. Magazines, 

Rich Bennett 1:31:44
magazines, magazine. Yeah, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:45
um, anthologies. There's plenty of horror anthologies 

Rich Bennett 1:31:48
oh, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:48
out. 

Rich Bennett 1:31:49
I love getting the books of different ghost stories. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:52
Oh, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:31:53
Well, I'm big in a harer. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:31:56
You might be interested in a book I put together for a publisher a few years ago. It's called Body's Full of Burning. It is the first and only at the moment. Anthology of horror. That is through the lens of menopause. 

Rich Bennett 1:32:10
Really? Really? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:11
Yes. Yes. Now, there is another anthology that's coming out. I think next year or somewhere around there from so below books that is also to do with Perry menopause and menopause. And it's another short story anthology. So I'm super excited to see another one coming out. 

Rich Bennett 1:32:26
Interesting. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:27
Yeah, it's a great, great anthology. And I can't wait to read the one from so below books. 

Rich Bennett 1:32:33
I don't know if I want to read that, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:34
Yes, you 

Rich Bennett 1:32:35
though. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:35
do. 

Rich Bennett 1:32:37
know if I really want to. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:38
You can tell your wife. It's an incredibly cathartic book when she's pissed off at men. 

Rich Bennett 1:32:43
No, No, I 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:43
she- 

Rich Bennett 1:32:43
think she 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:44
went 

Rich Bennett 1:32:46
We kayaking for the first time, separate kayaks. She can bump it into me. I think she was purposely trying to knock me out. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:53
Possibly, yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:32:55
I learned how long it took me to learn how to sleep when I opened. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:32:58
I hear 

Rich Bennett 1:32:59
Don't you. Don't make an Irish Redhead 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:33:00
man. 

Rich Bennett 1:33:01
man. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:33:01
(laughter) 

Rich Bennett 1:33:02
So, I so I defends the first one. What's the other ones? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:33:06
So, So what did I bring with me today? I brought three anthologies that I have work in. 

Rich Bennett 1:33:12
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:33:13
One One sold out, which I was really excited about. And what was that one? I think it was hauntings and horror frost. That is a Canadian publisher. 

Rich Bennett 1:33:23
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:33:23
And it's all short stories that are set in winter months. So right around now when it's hot outside. 

Rich Bennett 1:33:30
Yeah. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:33:30
It's a great anthology to read because it makes you feel cold. There There is another anthology I brought, pretend you don't see her. That's all women artists all horror. My story in there is um well, I should say that, when I was editing bodies full of burning, I came up with an idea for a story, but because I was editing, I couldn't really put my own story in there. 

Rich Bennett 1:33:55
Right. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:33:55
So I saved it and it's in this anthology. 

Rich Bennett 1:33:58
Wow. Wow. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:33:59
And it's about menopause and vampires. 

Rich Bennett 1:34:03
Interesting. It's interesting. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:04
Yes, 

Rich Bennett 1:34:06
indeed. Menopause and vampires. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:09
Indeed. Indeed. I don't know why nobody thinks of it 

Rich Bennett 1:34:11
I 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:11
because 

Rich Bennett 1:34:11
know you want to. I mean with horror, you can. I mean, there's so many different twists you can do. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:17
A thousand percent 

Rich Bennett 1:34:19
and I don't know why a lot of all there's no. More authors aren't really writing just regular 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:25
horror. Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 1:34:26
I mean, that's um so you're the female Alfred Hitchcock. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:30
Haha. 

Rich Bennett 1:34:31
When you get your own TV show. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:33
Dare to dream. 

Rich Bennett 1:34:36
So what's the next big thing for you as an author? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:39
So I have a book called Meat Sweats that's coming out in March. 

Rich Bennett 1:34:42
Call 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:42
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:34:43
it what? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:45
It's called Meat Sweats. I call it Dexter Meat's Yellow Jackets. 

Rich Bennett 1:34:50
Oh. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:34:51
It's a vegetarian turned accidental cannibal. 

Rich Bennett 1:34:54
cannibal. 

So it's comedy har. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:00
Not Not really if you can believe it. Um, 

Rich Bennett 1:35:03
Oh oh 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:03
god. 

Rich Bennett 1:35:03
my 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:04
I 

Rich Bennett 1:35:04
God. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:04
mean, it's a little funny. Everything I write is a little bit funny. 

Rich Bennett 1:35:07
Yeah. Yeah. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:07
I can't. But yeah. And then at the end of the year, I have a novella coming out 

Rich Bennett 1:35:14
Oh. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:14
called Mother Mort's Carnival Phantasmagorica. Not an easy title, but it's coming out with an Oracle Card Deck. 

Rich Bennett 1:35:23
No. No. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:24
Yeah. Yeah, it'll be great. 

Rich Bennett 1:35:26
Oh wow. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:27
I'm I'm working with a publisher right now who puts out novellas with Oracle Card Decks and Tarot Card Decks. And it's fantastic. The packages they put together are gorgeous. It's ethereal visions publishing. They're great. 

Rich Bennett 1:35:43
Interesting. Interesting. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:43
Yeah. Yeah. Fantastic. 

Rich Bennett 1:35:45
Alright. I have a funny feeling. I know the answer to this. Are you big into the paranormal as well? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:51
So I mean, yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:35:53
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:35:53
Uh, when my husband and I got married in 2000, we took our guests on a ghost tour in the middle of the reception. 

Rich Bennett 1:36:02
Where was the reception at? New Orleans. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:36:05
'The risk, no, we got 

Rich Bennett 1:36:06
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:36:06
married in Philly, but there used to be a boat that sailed up and down the Delaware called the Liberty Bell. 

Rich Bennett 1:36:14
It 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:36:14
was a paddle wheel boat. 

Rich Bennett 1:36:15
It's 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:36:16
not there anymore, of course, but we had 

it was fantastic. 

Rich Bennett 1:36:31
Well, that would've been delightful, but I don't think they do weddings there. Ha-ha-ha-ha! And that was awesome though! Oh, it was great. So, that kind of gives you the idea of the paranormal that I am into. Yeah, did it? a penitentiary. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:36:34
Well, that would have been delightful, but I don't think they do weddings there. It's 

Rich Bennett 1:36:39
pretty awesome, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:36:40
Oh, it was great. So, that kind of gives you the idea of the paranormal that I am 

Rich Bennett 1:36:44
though. Yeah. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:36:44
interested in. So, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:36:47
Oh, wow. Okay. So, for aspiring authors out there, especially ones that want to get into horror, what's the biggest piece of advice you can give him? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:37:00
So, So, this is a piece of advice that I give any writer, no matter their 

Rich Bennett 1:37:05
genre? genre, 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:37:05
genre, 

Rich Bennett 1:37:06
right. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:37:06
Read widely. Read everything you can get your hands on. 

Rich Bennett 1:37:11
Thank you. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:37:11
Oh, yeah. Like, I will read anything you put in front of me. I will read, I read nonfiction, I read politics books, I read romantasy, I read everything. And that is the thing that you need when you are a horror writer, because you need to be able to reference other genres 

Rich Bennett 1:37:29
Yeah. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:37:29
to be interesting and to be good at it. I read a lot of poetry, because that helps with craft. And then the second thing, of course, is to understand that when you are ready to put your work out there for submission, your your rejections often don't have anything to do with the quality of your work. So, keep going. 

Rich Bennett 1:37:49
Yes, Yes. I love the fact that I think you may be one of the very few that have said to read wide, you know, at least read. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:37:58
Yeah, it's important. 

Rich Bennett 1:37:59
Read 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:37:59
Read 

Rich Bennett 1:38:00
everything 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:38:00
everything. It's 

Rich Bennett 1:38:01
read 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:38:01
It's 

Rich Bennett 1:38:01
every. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:38:01
real important. 

Rich Bennett 1:38:03
So the very important as well, where can people find their find your books and follow you? 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:38:08
So, So, I will start with where you can see me online. 

Rich Bennett 1:38:11
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:38:12
My website is Nicole Wilverton.com. You can find me on Instagram and. Blue Sky at Nicole M. Wilverton. I'm also on Tiktok at Nicole Wilverton Author, Author, I believe. I also study horror academically. 

Rich Bennett 1:38:29
yeah. Yeah. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:38:29
And I talk a lot about that on Tiktok. It 

Rich Bennett 1:38:32
Okay. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:38:32
talked about horror studies and what I'm doing, where you can find my books is everywhere. You can find them on the publishers website. You can find them on Amazon on bookshop. org in bookstores, wherever you buy books. 

Rich Bennett 1:38:46
Perfect. Perfect. Nicole, I want to thank you so much. I can't wait to talk to you again. 

Nicole M. Wolverton 1:38:51
Thank you for having me on, Rich. 

Rich Bennett 1:38:52
I'll I'll tell you what we're done. 

So, So now I am. This is a really different because I have a mermaid here. a A real mermaid. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:39:06
Hello, 

Rich Bennett 1:39:07
Right? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:39:07
I'm happy to be here. 

Rich Bennett 1:39:08
Mermaid Mermaid Tasha 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:39:10
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:39:10
is. But she lost her fins just like Ariel. You know, I guess we can come on land and come off automatically, right? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:39:16
Yeah. When I dry out too much. Back. 

Rich Bennett 1:39:19
All right. So with I just love it. Mermaid Tasha. Um, I take it. Your genre is is the children's 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:39:27
books? 

Rich Bennett 1:39:27
books. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:39:28
Yes. They're children's books. 

Rich Bennett 1:39:29
Really? Really? Okay, what got you into that? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:39:32
The The books 

Rich Bennett 1:39:33
and not into writing children's books. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:39:35
So I already own my mermaid company. Um, we do birthday parties, festivals, hotels, pretty much anything you want to mermaid for. And, um, one of our main focuses is about conservation. So it was seemed like the next logical step to kind of just incorporate children's books into bringing not only something that people coming to our events, but I could then take home with them, but kind of further exploring that conservation message and giving a reason for oh, well, now my mermaid friend lives in the ocean, and I need to care about her home. Well, now here's actual steps right now for me that I can kind of take when I go home to not use a plastic bag or to throw away the trash that I see on the street, or that sort of thing that children can do. 

Rich Bennett 1:40:21
So your books aren't are aren't only just teaching kids, the adults are learning from them as well. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:40:27
Yeah, Yeah, ideally. 

Rich Bennett 1:40:30
That That right there. And I've always said this. All of the other children's authors I've had on I noticed their books do the same thing. If an adult is learning from it. Then then you did good. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:40:44
Yes, 

Rich Bennett 1:40:44
Because most of the time it's the adults reading to the kids 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:40:47
exactly. 

Rich Bennett 1:40:48
And that is amazing. So what with this? The books that you're writing. Actually, how many have you written? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:40:55
I have 10 of them. 

Rich Bennett 1:40:57
What? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:40:58
10. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:00
Do you do the illustration as 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:02
No, 

Rich Bennett 1:41:02
well? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:02
I wish. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:03
Who 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:04
my 

Rich Bennett 1:41:04
does My 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:04
life a lot easier? 

Rich Bennett 1:41:05
Who does the illustration 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:07
Uhm, I've been finding people off of Fiverr.com but my most recent one, one of the mermaids that performs for me she actually illustrated it. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:13
for you? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:14
So I'm 

Rich Bennett 1:41:14
Okay. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:14
very fortunate that I have now found her. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:17
Books, Box, when was the first one published? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:20
Uh, Uh, 2022. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:22
So, So, four years ago? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:24
Uh-huh. Yep. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:28
10, you have 10 books published? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:30
Yes, sir. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:31
Alright, those of you that are wonder-why is that so shocked? It's because they're picture books, right? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:37
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:37
A The children's author, yeah, I know it's not as many words as a novel. But with Whatas she's doing finding artists on Fiverr, finding artists' period, it takes a while to draw those and, 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:53
Mm-hmm. uh-huh. 

Rich Bennett 1:41:53
You're sending the pages, the story to her, 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:41:59
and 

Rich Bennett 1:42:00
and then they're drawing it up. So it takes, still takes some time. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:42:04
Yeah, the illustrations definitely are the longest, 

Rich Bennett 1:42:07
And And you have to, like, now you self-published? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:42:10
but I am self-published. 

Rich Bennett 1:42:11
So you have to like what you see, or what these artists are sending because you've used more than one, 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:42:17
Yes. So for, um, the main, like, Mermay Tasha books, there's two sort of series. They can be read in any order. Mermay 

Rich Bennett 1:42:25
right? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:42:26
Tasha, and then, like, Mermay Tasha's friends, for the Mermay Tasha ones, three of them use the same illustrators. So for that, um, it was a little bit easier because the illustrator already knew kind of the style we were going for, the main character, all that, um. And then, two of the other ones is a different illustrator, but again the same illustrator. So it makes it slightly easier, but still not. 

Rich Bennett 1:42:53
All right, so I take it. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:42:54
*laughs* 

Rich Bennett 1:42:55
When you were growing up, you were big into Mermay Tasha? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:42:58
Uh, actually not. I, of course I liked, uh, H2O just said, water, the Australia and Mermay Tashow. 

Rich Bennett 1:43:07
Oh, Oh, I remember that 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:43:09
yes! 

Rich Bennett 1:43:09
yes, 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:43:09
yes. But, yeah, a lot of Mermayts, they get into it because they grew up watching little Mermayt or H2O or whatever and they dream of always being a Mermade. I, I wasn't all sorts of magical creatures where Wolf's Film Pires, which is, but not necessarily Mermades. I just, I feel like Mermayts are a great way to bridge the gap between people that wouldn't care about the ocean. I'm getting them to now care because, oh, now my Mermayt friend lives there. So now I have to care about her home and protecting where she lives. 

Rich Bennett 1:43:39
So what is it that gave you this concern with the ocean and everything? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:43:45
I Um, I live on Del Marva, which 

Rich Bennett 1:43:47
Mm, 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:43:47
I don't know where exactly your viewers are located, but it's a peninsula. We have the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and we have a whole bunch of rivers and watersheds in between. There's actually over 1.7 million acres of wetlands 

Rich Bennett 1:44:01
Um, yeah. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:44:01
on Del Marva, which is quite a lot. So waters away of life, you know, people need it to survive. They need it for recreation. They need it to make their money and to eat their food and all this. And so growing up on Del Marva, we were taught in school how important it is to take care of the environment. But I live in a very touristy town. So in the summertime, people come in and you can see, Not necessarily that they're purposefully trying to disregard the environment, but they just don't know better. 

Rich Bennett 1:44:30
right? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:44:30
And another thing that we're taught on living near the water is that even if you live far away on the mountains, your actions are still going to have an effect here at the 

Rich Bennett 1:44:41
Floor's 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:44:42
beach. 

Rich Bennett 1:44:42
down hill. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:44:42
Exactly. And people that might live in land, I don't know because I don't live in land, but I feel like they might not be that aware. Or they might not because they can't see it firsthand. 

Rich Bennett 1:44:53
Yeah. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:44:53
They might just forget about it. So just kind of bringing awareness to, "Hey, you're coming to visit me at the beach." kind of be aware of what you're doing and how it's affecting 

Rich Bennett 1:45:05
So, 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:05
our way of life here. 

Rich Bennett 1:45:06
With With your, because you have a business, doing Marmaege. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:11
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:45:14
Have you ever thought about starting a non-profit to help? Because I know you have like the Chesapeake Bay 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:20
Have 

Rich Bennett 1:45:20
Foundation and other ones. But because of your, the love you have for, and it's important. That, and even with the books, I mean some of the proceeds could, it's up to you. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:34
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:45:34
But have you ever thought about starting a non-profit 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:36
definitely. 

Rich Bennett 1:45:36
to raise a more awareness about that? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:38
Yeah, I have thought about it. It's just, I haven't fully looked into everything that it would take. 

Rich Bennett 1:45:43
Yeah. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:43
So that's something that I do need to look more into. 

Rich Bennett 1:45:46
Oh, it is a lot of work. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:48
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:45:49
Cheap to start a non-profit either. All right. So with your books, you're here at the book fair. How do you end up here at the book fair? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:45:58
my cousin actually lives here in Bel Air, or near Bel Air. My sister lives in Abingdon and I, I don't know if my cousin lives also in Abingdon or if she lives in Bel Air. Anyway, she lives around here somewhere. No. 

Rich Bennett 1:46:11
Okay. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:46:11
But she came here last year, so I saw photos and videos of the event and I was like, "That looks like a great event. I want to go to that event." So, yeah, so she was posting from being there. So obviously it was a little too late for I want you to join at that point. But from her post, I was able to see the event and follow it from social media so that way I was sure. As soon as signups for this year opened, 

Rich Bennett 1:46:36
like, "great. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:46:36
I was Let me in on that I want to be there." 

Rich Bennett 1:46:40
Alright, so I have the issue, this is, I've been asking other authors this, but I know as a children's author, it's a little bit different because the parents may ask but the parents don't sometimes the little kids won't. 

When, When, the first time somebody asked you to sign one of your books, what went through your head? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:03
To be honest, I don't know if they asked me or if I was just so excited that I was 

Rich Bennett 1:47:08
You 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:08
like, "Do 

Rich Bennett 1:47:08
did it all 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:08
you want me to 

Rich Bennett 1:47:09
the 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:09
sign 

Rich Bennett 1:47:09
fuck. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:09
it?" 

Rich Bennett 1:47:09
Yeah. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:09
Yeah. I feel like most of the time it's me being like, "I can sign it, do you want me to sign it?" 

Rich Bennett 1:47:14
You know what? And I'm glad you do that because I have seen where, especially for kids, they are so excited when the author signs their book. And I've seen this of other, I mean, kids I know. And they're like, "Yeah, Mr. Rich, look, look. I'm glad you did that. That is awesome, that is so cool." So what's the next big thing for you as an author? 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:42
I'm actually doing an event next weekend, the Indies and Bookworms Festival in Baltimore. 

Rich Bennett 1:47:48
Okay. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:48
It's 

Rich Bennett 1:47:48
It's 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:47:49
a a book festival like this but all of the authors are independently published. And for that book, a few of the authors submitted short stories for an anthology. 

Rich Bennett 1:47:59
Okay. Okay. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:48:00
The anthology is a charity anthology whose money goes towards the Maryland SPCA. 

Rich Bennett 1:48:05
Oh, wow. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:48:06
I guess technically that's already published because it comes out next weekend but that's my next big thing that I'm really excited about. That was not mermaid so it's a lot harder to write and they wanted it some sort of pet focused. And my mother actually works at veterinary radiation oncology. So she helps pets with cancers so I kind of focus the story on, I still made an ocean because I'm mermaid, Tasha. It has to relate somehow. But on a little seahorse that was going through a healing process like that. And it was the the hardest thing I've ever written. So that was my next big project that I'm really excited. 

Rich Bennett 1:48:46
Where can people find your books, website, and follow 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:48:51
you? Yeah. Author tasha hate HAI ght.com. And then also if they just Google mermaid tasha comes up, oh my socials are at mermaid tasha. So Facebook, Instagram, tiktok, YouTube. 

Yeah. Yeah. My ebooks are on Amazon. Some of the paperbacks are on Amazon. I published through lulu.com. So if you go specifically to lulu.com, you can also get it there. But you can get them all on my main author website as well. 

Rich Bennett 1:49:18
You say you publish your Google? Lulu. Oh, Lulu. Oh Lulu. It's all the people here at the book fair are 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:49:26
L, 

Rich Bennett 1:49:26
getting. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:49:26
u, l, u, 

Rich Bennett 1:49:27
Lulu. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:49:27
dot. Yep. 

Rich Bennett 1:49:29
I knew you did. I was just testing. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:49:31
No No worries. 

Rich Bennett 1:49:33
Mermaid Mermaid tasha, I want to thank you so 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:49:36
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 1:49:36
much. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:49:36
thank you, you, 

Rich Bennett 1:49:37
And, 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:49:37
Tasha. 

Rich Bennett 1:49:37
oh god, you got to come on again because there's, I could sit there for an hour. I could talk to your mother too. Because I'll tell you after we're done. Thank you so much. 

Mermaid Tasha Haight 1:49:48
Of course. Thanks for having me. 

Rich Bennett 1:49:49
Now I'm sitting here of Cal your wild. Another author here at the book fair, Bella, who I can't wait to get into the book here. But we'll talk about the book in a minute. So first of all, how are you doing, 

Calia Wilde 1:50:04
I 

Rich Bennett 1:50:04
Cal? 

Calia Wilde 1:50:04
am doing well. So it's been a busy day. 

Rich Bennett 1:50:07
Oh, Oh, my god. It's amazing. Do you hear last year? 

Calia Wilde 1:50:11
No, I was. This is my first time here. 

Rich Bennett 1:50:13
All right. So last year was at the army this there ain't no way all these people would have sent the army author wise. But it's amazing how many? It looks like you may have died down a little bit now, but how many people have come through? 

Calia Wilde 1:50:28
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:50:28
And I think there's what 150 some of us? 

Calia Wilde 1:50:32
I I don't know. 

Rich Bennett 1:50:33
I 

Calia Wilde 1:50:33
I 

Rich Bennett 1:50:34
think 

Calia Wilde 1:50:34
mean, 

Rich Bennett 1:50:34
it was a 

Calia Wilde 1:50:34
I 

Rich Bennett 1:50:34
lot. 

Calia Wilde 1:50:35
was, I would give him the opportunity by a friend of mine who was here last year and she says, Oh, you got to, you got to 

Rich Bennett 1:50:40
the. 

Calia Wilde 1:50:40
sign up for 

Rich Bennett 1:50:41
Who is that? 

Calia Wilde 1:50:42
That was Christy will. 

Rich Bennett 1:50:44
Wolf. Wolf. 

Calia Wilde 1:50:45
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:50:45
Oh my 

Calia Wilde 1:50:46
She has been 

Rich Bennett 1:50:46
god. 

Calia Wilde 1:50:46
doing a amazing 

Rich Bennett 1:50:47
one 

Calia Wilde 1:50:47
job just like pushing 

Rich Bennett 1:50:49
a, uh, 

Calia Wilde 1:50:50
this. It's 

Rich Bennett 1:50:50
geez. 

Calia Wilde 1:50:51
Great. 

Rich Bennett 1:50:52
This is a second time her name came up. 

Calia Wilde 1:50:55
Hahahaha 

Rich Bennett 1:50:56
CRYSTY IS DANGEROUS! 

Calia Wilde 1:50:58
Sias. 

Rich Bennett 1:50:59
Every time she's been on my show, I forget how many times she's been on. She always embarrasses me. 

Calia Wilde 1:51:07
Oh, no. 

Rich Bennett 1:51:07
Oh, yeah. I think she's got to go. 'cause that's how I found that when it comes to romance novels. That's how I found out about a chili pepper scale. 

Calia Wilde 1:51:17
Oh, yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:51:17
I didn't know that was such a 

Calia Wilde 1:51:19
thing. Yep. 

Rich Bennett 1:51:20
And when she told me And, um, Kayla Dykeman was co-hosting with me at the time. And her and Kayla, and they are just doing everything they can to embarrass 

Calia Wilde 1:51:30
me. 

Rich Bennett 1:51:30
me. 

Calia Wilde 1:51:31
[laughs] 

Rich Bennett 1:51:32
And And they succeed it. So, so I'm sorry that you know, Christie. No joke. All right. So, what kind... what genre are you writing? 

Calia Wilde 1:51:40
So I write, uh, "Bad Boy" "Bad Girl" romance. And, um, 

Rich Bennett 1:51:45
me... another 

Calia Wilde 1:51:45
let 

Rich Bennett 1:51:46
chili pepper 

Calia Wilde 1:51:47
It 

Rich Bennett 1:51:47
is. thing. 

Calia Wilde 1:51:47
It is a chili, it's open door. So, it's what they call open door. You know, if you were to walk up to a bedroom, and the door is shut, that's great. That's probably under a two spice level. So, is that door cracks open? You get in the three and four, I'm in the four range. I'm not quite five where, you know, there is a ton of, say, inquestable other... other than the people in the bed. Try not to embarrass you, 

Rich Bennett 1:52:17
okay? 

Calia Wilde 1:52:18
I mean, 

Rich Bennett 1:52:18
Oh, 

Calia Wilde 1:52:18
I could 

Rich Bennett 1:52:19
no. 

Calia Wilde 1:52:19
totally go over the edge. 

Rich Bennett 1:52:20
I I had. So, the last time, I think it was... no. Another time that I think Christie was on Samantha, who runs the book fair. I forget who else, but the one lady, 'cause 'cause she write... she was talking about what she writes. I said, "So, what do you five chili peppers?" She goes, "No, it's arodica. 

Calia Wilde 1:52:38
Oh, that would be, 

Rich Bennett 1:52:38
Pen 

Calia Wilde 1:52:39
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:52:39
house." 

Calia Wilde 1:52:39
Five is arodica, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:52:41
And who? 

Calia Wilde 1:52:42
Five is definitely arodica. That's where you get toys in the bedroom. 

Rich Bennett 1:52:45
Penthouse Pen house form. 

Calia Wilde 1:52:46
Yeah, no. 

Rich Bennett 1:52:47
That's what that 

Calia Wilde 1:52:48
It 

Rich Bennett 1:52:48
was. 

Calia Wilde 1:52:48
does, I mean... I'm trying to remember if I've ever read "Pen House" form. I did read the letters to Playboy. 

Rich Bennett 1:52:55
Okay. 

Calia Wilde 1:52:55
Is younger, you know, I mean? 

Rich Bennett 1:52:56
Yeah. 

Calia Wilde 1:52:57
Curiosity. But, um... Yeah, now you got me down a rabbit 

Rich Bennett 1:53:03
hole. 

Calia Wilde 1:53:03
hole. 

Rich Bennett 1:53:03
Oh, no. 

Calia Wilde 1:53:04
Just gonna 

Rich Bennett 1:53:04
So... 

Calia Wilde 1:53:04
have to go down that. I could tell you authors who would work well for writing for "Pen House" forearm... 

Rich Bennett 1:53:12
Oh, I bet. 

Calia Wilde 1:53:13
Which, you know, their stuff is suppicy, you know? I'm gonna just name drop Logan Black because his Wonderland series is just off the chain. And then he has what's really interesting. Arodica, Detective Nor, set back like in the 1940s, which is kinky. Yes, you should see your face. It's 

Rich Bennett 1:53:38
Wow. 

Calia Wilde 1:53:38
funny. 

Rich Bennett 1:53:39
Okay, Okay. So how many books have you actually written? 

Calia Wilde 1:53:42
Oh gosh. Um, I have over 30 titles on Amazon, which includes the short stories. I have about 17, I think, full. 

Rich Bennett 1:53:53
How many... How long good... Wait, let me rephrase this. How long ago was your first book published? 

Calia Wilde 1:53:59
In 2016, I believe. 

Rich Bennett 1:54:02
So in 10 years, 

Calia Wilde 1:54:03
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:54:03
you've written that much. 

Calia Wilde 1:54:04
Yeah. Yes. Yeah. I've passed the 150,000 words, definitely passed the 150,000 wordmark in a year. And about two years ago, I passed my million wordmark. And it shows, you know, like when you write that long 

Rich Bennett 1:54:23
Yeah. 

Calia Wilde 1:54:23
and you write over a million words and you write intentionally, you know, for sale or for, you know, publication, it's not just, you know, the hobby writing or anything. But once you pass that million wordmark, you're writing takes on this, like, uh, I don't almost say, a a, uh, muscle memory, 

Rich Bennett 1:54:42
yeah, 

Calia Wilde 1:54:42
rather than, you know, I'm constantly trying to dream it up or wing it or, you know, cokes the mues out or anything. It becomes very much muscle memory, yet my character still surprised me, which is very fun. 

Rich Bennett 1:54:57
So you're a full-time author-prenorph? 

Calia Wilde 1:54:59
No. 

Rich Bennett 1:54:59
You're still working? 

Calia Wilde 1:55:00
I still work full-time, yes. 

Rich Bennett 1:55:03
When do you find a time to write? 

Calia Wilde 1:55:05
I don't watch TV. That's the thing, 

Rich Bennett 1:55:08
That's 

Calia Wilde 1:55:08
you 

Rich Bennett 1:55:08
a 

Calia Wilde 1:55:08
know? 

Rich Bennett 1:55:08
smart thing. So your ideas are original, then, too, when it comes to the books. 

Calia Wilde 1:55:14
Yes. Yeah, I don't, I don't go, like, copying TV shows. Although I do admire, you know, the writing room for some TV shows is amazing. You can 

Rich Bennett 1:55:24
Yeah. 

Calia Wilde 1:55:24
always tell when it's a really, it's a writing room that clicks, and their personalities just feed each other because the show gets so good. 

Rich Bennett 1:55:33
Okay, so, Nick, 'cause you brought your one book up here, not mine to rescue, And and destroyers, Hegersteads, I think it takes place in Hegerstead? 

Calia Wilde 1:55:45
the biker club is, uh, in Hagerstown, and you will see in that series mentions of places and, and, you know, just like the, the places you could actually walk around Hagerstown, and point. Yeah, that's Nichols house. There's a synagogue as grandparents went to. 

Rich Bennett 1:56:10
you from Hagerstown 

Calia Wilde 1:56:11
originally? I'm from Frederick, Maryland. 

Rich Bennett 1:56:14
Not far 

Calia Wilde 1:56:16
far from there, so I can always take a road trip and just kind of get the feel of everything. Um, the other series that I have that's adjacent to that is said in a fictitious town, which is actually loosely based on Carlyle in Pennsylvania. So, So I'm setting them, you know, in these smaller towns, not the municipalities, but, you know, kind of get a flavor of that. 

Rich Bennett 1:56:38
So both of biker clubs, 

Calia Wilde 1:56:40
both are biker clubs, and then I have a Mafia du Wett that I did a bunch of historic research for. It was really funny 

Rich Bennett 1:56:48
because I wish Mafia Italian. 

Calia Wilde 1:56:50
So it's really interesting because it's not truly Italian, it's Sardinian. 

Rich Bennett 1:56:54
Okay. 

Calia Wilde 1:56:55
So the Sardinian island, was home to the neurologic settlement, which were the, they guess that these are the sea people, the pirates 

Rich Bennett 1:57:06
right, 

Calia Wilde 1:57:06
of the Mediterranean that brought down Carthage, and I based this family as once they retired from piracy and from assassins for higher, because Egypt hired him as assassins as well, that their family kept. In the business of assassination and passed it down to 4000 plus years of family business. And I call it the sinister legacy because the left hand police is the right hand, the right hand rules the world, the left hand brings that brings them down if they get too big. 

Rich Bennett 1:57:44
Okay. Okay. So I'm I'm getting a little facet like you have a fascination for like bad boys here. 

Calia Wilde 1:57:51
Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 1:57:53
What got you into that? 

Calia Wilde 1:57:54
So the hero isn't always the good guy 

Rich Bennett 1:57:57
True. 

Calia Wilde 1:57:57
or girl and there's a line like for some people they have to have a little more darkness. In order to identify with them, not everybody's, you know, squeaky clean, not everybody's had an easy life, you know. When you've had a rougher time of things, it's nice to escape into people that aren't so perfect that they intimidate you. And I know that none of my bad boys or bad girls would intimidate 

Rich Bennett 1:58:34
Yeah. Yeah. 

Calia Wilde 1:58:34
somebody with how perfect they are because they're not. So. 

Rich Bennett 1:58:38
All right, so what is it that actually got you into wanting to be an author? 

Calia Wilde 1:58:42
It was really weird because I didn't plan on being an author. I really didn't. I was an artist from age three on I won awards at like age five. I wanted to be an artist. I kept getting told there's no money in art. You know, that's one of the biggest biggest things that you can do to crush a child spirit is to tell them that whatever they choose isn't going to make them money and. 

Rich Bennett 1:59:07
Yeah. 

Calia Wilde 1:59:08
You know, then you then you. I don't know why do people do that? I have no idea. 

Rich Bennett 1:59:13
I 

Calia Wilde 1:59:13
So. 

Rich Bennett 1:59:13
don't know. I learned a lot about. 

Calia Wilde 1:59:15
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:59:16
history from 

Calia Wilde 1:59:16
I mean, 

Rich Bennett 1:59:17
another 

Calia Wilde 1:59:17
it's like, Oh, I want to go I want to be a ton to people on radio or on podcasts. And people are like, why would you want to do that? You know, 

Rich Bennett 1:59:26
Yeah. 

Calia Wilde 1:59:27
why don't you want to be something normal like an accountant? Oh, So anyways, getting back to where I started with writing, I would draw like the stories. 

Rich Bennett 1:59:41
Right. 

Calia Wilde 1:59:41
If I read a book, I would imagine beyond the book and then draw the characters and kind of, you know, fanfiction stuff like that when I was younger. I always tied that with the art 

Rich Bennett 1:59:53
Yeah. 

Calia Wilde 1:59:53
somehow. Then I'll blame token on this because it's starting with token in fifth grade. And in 2001, I went to go see the movie, the Peter Jackson, First Lord of the Rings movie came out in 2001. I I must have eaten something spicy or something like that because I had dreams all night long and they just would not stop. It was like, I would wake up and I'd be like, wow, that's cool. If I fall back asleep and it would keep going, it was like this massive game of Thrones type 

Rich Bennett 2:00:24
Really? 

Calia Wilde 2:00:24
thing. Yeah. And by the time I woke up, 

Rich Bennett 2:00:41
you're 

Calia Wilde 2:00:43
good, right? 

Rich Bennett 2:00:43
Yeah, I won't have it. I can't put my windows down. 

Calia Wilde 2:00:47
So So. Okay, so I go to see Lord of the Rings the Movie and have these dreams. They just wouldn't quit all night long. And then I decide, well, you know, this is not stopping. I've dreamt it the next night, believe it or not. Just kept going. 

Rich Bennett 2:01:03
Right. 

Calia Wilde 2:01:03
I was like, I'm going to write this down and get it out of my head. 50,000 50,000 words later, I had a book. 

Rich Bennett 2:01:11
Really? Really? 

Calia Wilde 2:01:12
Yeah. I was like, you know, there's something to this because I had another book poking at me, saying hey, write me, hey, write me. And then that turned into a third book, which turned into actually looking at and learning how to write. And then over the years, you know, you build up this collection of trunk novels. And finally, I just actually said, you know what, I'm going to start publishing. So even before I published, I must have written at least five full novels before I even published. 

Rich Bennett 2:01:49
Wow. Wow. 

Calia Wilde 2:01:50
And And mind you, they're not that good. 

Rich Bennett 2:01:55
But don't get rid of them. 

Calia Wilde 2:01:57
Oh no. 

Rich Bennett 2:01:57
Don't get rid of them. 

Calia Wilde 2:01:58
No. 

Rich Bennett 2:01:58
I mean, I don't know why, but some people even go back and listen to my first episode. I can. I cringe. 

Calia Wilde 2:02:06
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 2:02:07
But But you get better over time. 

Calia Wilde 2:02:09
Yes, you do. 

Rich Bennett 2:02:10
I something very important. Tell everybody where they could be size here in the book fair, because we're not live anyways. Where can people find your books and 

Calia Wilde 2:02:18
So 

Rich Bennett 2:02:19
website and follow you? 

Calia Wilde 2:02:19
Right. Right, the easiest way is calliowile.com, which is C-A-L-I-A-W-I-L-D-E. 

Rich Bennett 2:02:29
Because of E, because you're extraordinary. 

Calia Wilde 2:02:31
E, because extraordinary or blame the German side dot com. All my books are there. There is links from the books in on the website out to wide publication. So cobalt plus Amazon store, Barnes and Noble, Google Play Apple. I'm trying to get everything wide. So 

Rich Bennett 2:02:54
Right. 

Calia Wilde 2:02:54
that 

Rich Bennett 2:02:54
Right. 

Calia Wilde 2:02:54
it's it's easy for people to obtain. I'm also have a few books on overdrive for libraries. 

Rich Bennett 2:03:01
Perfect. Perfect. 

Calia Wilde 2:03:02
Yeah. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:03:03
I want to thank you so much. You're going to be on again. I know you are. Well, you got a lot of books to pitch. So you've got come on my other 

Calia Wilde 2:03:09
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 2:03:09
podcast at pitch end and individually. And you still live out in Frederick, right? 

Calia Wilde 2:03:14
Yes, still a forever 

Rich Bennett 2:03:16
equipment to record virtually. 

Calia Wilde 2:03:18
I do. Um, I have a short microphone and yeah, 

Rich Bennett 2:03:21
I that's right. I forgot because you. 

Calia Wilde 2:03:23
right. 

Rich Bennett 2:03:23
Yeah. 

Calia Wilde 2:03:23
Yeah, video stuff. 

Rich Bennett 2:03:24
All 

Calia Wilde 2:03:25
And in a little, um, oh gosh, what is it? Scarlett, two way. 

Rich Bennett 2:03:29
Oh, Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. There are no tornadoes coming out. 

Calia Wilde 2:03:35
I hope not. I know I was thunderstorms coming in. 

Rich Bennett 2:03:37
Yeah, as long as they're done by the time we were ready to pack up, right? 

Calia Wilde 2:03:41
Yeah. Yeah. Thank 

Rich Bennett 2:03:42
you so much. 

Calia Wilde 2:03:43
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 2:03:44
All right. So now I am sitting here Lord Blackwood, who I believe is another one that Christy Wolf has sent up to try to embarrass me because correct me if I'm wrong, Lord, you write the spicy stuff as well. 

Lore Blackwood 2:03:58
Of course I do. 

Rich Bennett 2:03:59
How many chili peppers? 

Lore Blackwood 2:04:01
It depends on the book. And it depends on the person's opinion. 

Rich Bennett 2:04:05
That's okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:04:07
So often we wind up hearing that it's somewhere between two and four, but some people have said five and some people have said one. And for the same book. So there is a yes. There is a wide range of opinions as far as what constitutes. Listen to me. Constitutes. Woo. Um and how to actually define it in a particular way. Okay. So that's, 

Rich Bennett 2:04:35
Okay, 

Lore Blackwood 2:04:36
yeah, nobody's really in complete agreement. 

Rich Bennett 2:04:38
Right. 

Lore Blackwood 2:04:38
And Right. And that's part of the beauty of what we do, right? Everybody has a different view of things and that goes into writing and voice as well. 

Rich Bennett 2:04:47
So how long have you been, I'm just going to call the genre of spice now. It's, it's, it's, not, it's more than romance, right? 

Lore Blackwood 2:04:56
yeah, It is. So I have been writing romance for more than 20 years, but under different names. All right. So, but I have been writing spicy romance for just over one year. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:15
Wait. All right. So you started writing 20 years ago? 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:18
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:19
Really? 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:20
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:21
That was your first book published 20 years ago too. 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:24
So my first. So under another name? 

Rich Bennett 2:05:30
Okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:31
I did some comic books. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:34
No, 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:34
on. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:35
come 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:35
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:35
on. 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:36
Seriously. And then, uhm, that wasn't quite where I wanted to be. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:41
Right. 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:42
Okay. Okay. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:42
Are they still 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:43
And. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:43
available? 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:44
No. Thank God. No. 

Rich Bennett 2:05:47
Okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:05:48
I will not find them. Umm, And then, Oh, I don't want to say too much. But, but I wound up picked up by a big 6 at the time, uh, traditional publishing 

Rich Bennett 2:06:07
in... 

Lore Blackwood 2:06:07
house. 

Rich Bennett 2:06:07
in. Okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:06:09
And have been writing, um, published material with romance in it. Um, since. First First publication date with that major press was 2010, but things have happened prior to that as well. So, but 

Rich Bennett 2:06:29
Wow. 

Lore Blackwood 2:06:29
like I said, spice. Only Only for one year and about a week, if we really drill down to this. And, um, and of course, we would drill down to this because it's spice, right. Um, but. Sorry. Umm, But yeah. So, um, and that all happened in part because of a dare. 

Rich Bennett 2:06:55
Oh, oh. Really. 

Lore Blackwood 2:06:57
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:06:58
So what are you like writing better? 

Lore Blackwood 2:07:00
Oh, I love writing all of it. You just, 

Rich Bennett 2:07:02
Okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:07:02
you know, I get to build a world, I get to put very troubled characters into said world. And make their world even worse and see how they react. And it's all good fun. 

Rich Bennett 2:07:14
So, So, are you working on another book now? 

Lore Blackwood 2:07:17
I am. I 

Rich Bennett 2:07:18
Spice 

Lore Blackwood 2:07:18
actually. actually... Spice 

Rich Bennett 2:07:19
or God. 

Lore Blackwood 2:07:21
And, um, a charity anthology that I have a spicy story and we'll come out August 15. Okay. And we were told we had to include spice. And so I was like, all right. So, uh, yeah. Um, the, the other things that I am working on just to put your mind at ease under my other name. I am also working on some much tamer gentler things, but we're not here to talk about that. 

Rich Bennett 2:07:50
What made me, how many different names? 

Lore Blackwood 2:07:51
Um, Um, so I technically have three names. Okay. Well, yeah. Technically three. Um, but my day job is as a ghost writer and a book coach for an international agency. 

Rich Bennett 2:08:04
Get out of here. 

Lore Blackwood 2:08:05
No, Now, seriously. And so as a result, I, I am Legion. 

Rich Bennett 2:08:12
You're 

Lore Blackwood 2:08:13
I am Legion. There are many of me technically because I have written quite a few ghost written quite a few books. 

Rich Bennett 2:08:21
Wow.Wow. All right. So with the ones that you're the ones that you're selling for you. I don't forget how to 

Lore Blackwood 2:08:34
the, 

Rich Bennett 2:08:34
do this. How many have you published either on your. 

Lore Blackwood 2:08:40
So So as my spicy name, as Laura Blackwood, um, we now have, um, fourth one is coming out. This at the end of this month. And then there's a couple of anthologies I'm involved in. 

Rich Bennett 2:09:00
Okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:00
Okay. So, and to put people's mind at ease to two of those four. Our technically novella length, not 

Rich Bennett 2:09:10
length. 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:10
novel 

Rich Bennett 2:09:11
Right. 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:11
Because Because I am human, 

Rich Bennett 2:09:13
only. 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:13
and there's. Um, and, and manage to maintain some semblance of sanity. So. 

Rich Bennett 2:09:20
Now are you local? 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:22
I am not local. I am New York State. 

Rich Bennett 2:09:26
Drove I drove down or flew 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:28
I, I, I, we did drive down. Um, we have family in New Jersey. 

Rich Bennett 2:09:34
down. Okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:34
And when I say we, I should say my husband has family. So this is family by marriage. Um, we love them though. Yeah, so we, uh, we stayed with family and then drove in absurdly early this morning so that the husband could set up the booth 

Rich Bennett 2:09:54
I 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:54
because 

Rich Bennett 2:09:54
love 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:54
he 

Rich Bennett 2:09:54
that 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:55
likes it. 

Rich Bennett 2:09:55
so he could say it. Absolutely. 

Lore Blackwood 2:09:57
We know what we do well. And this is why we are still together more than 30 years after having met. So, you know, that's just. 

Rich Bennett 2:10:07
Okay. Okay. You're really baffling me here first of all because you said you, you started writing 20 years ago. You've been married 30 years. 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:17
Yes. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:10:18
But yeah, 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:19
But 

Rich Bennett 2:10:20
yet looking at you, I would swear you're probably mid 30s. 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:24
Well, I really like you, Rich. I appreciate that 

Rich Bennett 2:10:27
I-- 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:28
so much but no, I am so not. 

Rich Bennett 2:10:30
So I guess riding keeps you younger. 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:32
Oh god, it does not. 

It is the thing that makes me feel like I'm going to turn to dust at any 

Rich Bennett 2:10:40
I 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:40
moment. moment. 

Rich Bennett 2:10:41
I love I've been asking, uh, most of the authors this question today, when you had your first reader come up and asked you to sign a book. 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:51
Yes, 

Rich Bennett 2:10:53
what was that feeling like? 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:54
It was like, Oh my gosh, I've got to remember what name I'm signing in this book. 

Rich Bennett 2:10:58
I do it. 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:58
Okay, 

Rich Bennett 2:10:59
Yes. 

Lore Blackwood 2:10:59
so that, that and today, even God bless Sarah wherever she may be. The third book I signed for her. I started signing with the wrong name and then I was like, Oh no, that needs to look like an L. Let's make that happen. Um, so that occasionally happens, but I can also say this the very first book I signed as my main name. 

Rich Bennett 2:11:26
As your real 

Lore Blackwood 2:11:28
name 

Rich Bennett 2:11:28
Okay, 

Lore Blackwood 2:11:28
now, 

Rich Bennett 2:11:28
your main author name. 

Lore Blackwood 2:11:30
yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:11:30
Okay, got you. 

Lore Blackwood 2:11:31
Uh, 

I did not sign that one correctly either and I even put a little note in that particular book saying, this is the first book I've ever signed. Please excuse me for having signed the wrong name. Um, so yeah, yeah, these things happen. 

Rich Bennett 2:11:49
you need to write a spicy novel or whatever, uh, titled or something about a woman with many aliases. 

Lore Blackwood 2:11:59
You 

Rich Bennett 2:11:59
What a 

Lore Blackwood 2:11:59
know, Joked joke for years. Um, so when I when I started all of this and had that big traditional deal and all that good stuff, I was hanging out with some traditional authors and at the time I didn't know that you were allowed to have multiple pen names and I met one particular sci fi author. And we wound up at the same event together. And she set up four different name tags and I was like, Hello. What is happening here? Um, and she really took me under her wing and kind of explained, Oh no, this is this is the way we do things. And so there was a brief period where I would joke with people really there's only like a dozen of us writing for the entire freaking industry, but we all use so many other names. 

Rich Bennett 2:12:51
[laughter] 

Lore Blackwood 2:12:51
So 

Rich Bennett 2:12:52
That's that's gotta be hard to those, especially like you said when you're signing books. or Yeah or or even like I had one author on earlier, who had to write a note for one of her kids for school and bring her as her signed as her pen name. 

Lore Blackwood 2:13:08
Yeah, Yeah, that can be really disastrous if you're a spicy author. 

Rich Bennett 2:13:12
Or even signing checks. 

Lore Blackwood 2:13:13
Right, Right, right. Yeah, that changes things tremendously. Yeah, luckily, and I think the ghost writing has really helped with this. I'm able to compartmentalize things enough that generally I don't mess it up. Okay. 

Rich Bennett 2:13:28
Yeah. 

Lore Blackwood 2:13:28
Um, and so, because the spicy stuff that I am writing is slightly different in genre, not very, but slightly different in genre that makes it easier also to separate those two sides in a way 

Rich Bennett 2:13:45
yeah, 

Lore Blackwood 2:13:45
and and focus on the one for this writing and not worry about the other at the same time. 

Rich Bennett 2:13:51
All right, but from a business standpoint, 

how how do you like have all the different pen names under just one business title? 

Lore Blackwood 2:14:03
Yeah, Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:14:03
Okay, 

Lore Blackwood 2:14:03
So, 

Rich Bennett 2:14:03
Okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:14:04
so this is what typically happens. You typically wind up forming. If you're an Indie, right. If you're an Indie, you typically wind up forming some sort of business entity. I frequently hear that an LLC is recommended. That's what I have. Um, and then you're allowed to establish pen names and in different states, you're allowed to have DBAs doing 

Rich Bennett 2:14:26
Yeah. 

Lore Blackwood 2:14:26
business as. Um, and so I've racked up a number of those. 

Rich Bennett 2:14:32
[laughter] 

Lore Blackwood 2:14:33
And you're, you're able to make those separations and those separations are vital in this business because I don't want. Wow, that's some thunder. I don't want the readers of my other name stuff to stumble 

Rich Bennett 2:14:52
in. Right, 

Lore Blackwood 2:14:53
to my spicy things. And I specifically don't want that because years ago, when I was running with this particular trad group, there was a very popular author who I managed to sit down with and she was heartbroken because she had been established in YA and had writing very well, very well received stuff in YA for years 

Rich Bennett 2:15:23
right. 

Lore Blackwood 2:15:23
and then she made the transition to adult fiction and she kept the same name. No one had warned her. Her publishers, her editors, nobody had warned her and then the hate mail began because she was seen to have betrayed the readers. Okay, so moms who were used to buy in their teen girls, this, you know, bebop, vampire sort of stuff, suddenly they were having to have big talks with little girls. 

Rich Bennett 2:15:53
So with, this just fascinates me the, different pen names. Do you have separate websites for each one? 

Lore Blackwood 2:16:00
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:16:00
Okay. Alright. 

Lore Blackwood 2:16:01
And, and ideally what you're supposed to do also because the way the algorithm works, you're supposed to use different browsers, you're supposed to do all of that. Yeah. Yeah. Evidently, there is so much overlap that in order to maintain the sanctity of one particular pen name versus another, you're supposed to take all of these different steps. It's a lot. And so a lot of us kind of do the, yeah, this is me, but today I'm also this because there's only so much you can do, right? 

Rich Bennett 2:16:30
So, 

Lore Blackwood 2:16:31
So. 

Rich Bennett 2:16:31
yeah. Wow. See, again, I'm learning more stuff. Even after 11 years, I'm still learning more stuff about this industry. 

Lore Blackwood 2:16:41
Well, I could say the same thing because honestly, just coming to events like this and just getting a quick chance to look around, I always find something that I'm like, ooh, I hadn't thought about that. 

Rich Bennett 2:16:53
Yeah. 

Lore Blackwood 2:16:53
You know, so there's always something to learn, Syria. 

Rich Bennett 2:16:55
Had you find out about the event? 

Lore Blackwood 2:16:58
So, this event showed up, I believe, in one of the Facebook groups for bookish events. 

Rich Bennett 2:17:04
Okay. 

Lore Blackwood 2:17:04
And I saw it and I was like, oh, that sounds interesting. And then I, I started to notice some of my friends were messaging me going, hey, did you apply 

Rich Bennett 2:17:15
thing? thing? 

Lore Blackwood 2:17:15
to this particular I'm like, all right. Let's see what it is. And it's neat. I like this. 

Rich Bennett 2:17:22
And it's actually dying down now because I mean, it was. 

Lore Blackwood 2:17:28
Oh Oh, yeah. Yeah. There was quiet a crowd. 

Rich Bennett 2:17:31
And I'm glad I'm up here and not down there. 

Lore Blackwood 2:17:33
Right. 

Rich Bennett 2:17:33
Well, number one, we wouldn't hear each other 

Lore Blackwood 2:17:36
Right. 

Rich Bennett 2:17:36
because it is noisy down there. 

Lore Blackwood 2:17:38
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:17:38
So you're going to be back here again next year, hopefully, right? 

Lore Blackwood 2:17:40
I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking about it. I mean, I wound up getting a lot of different, acceptances exceptances to 

Rich Bennett 2:17:49
right, 

Lore Blackwood 2:17:49
different events. And so I'm kind of juggling. And I did promise myself that next year, I was going to limit how many we're doing because this year, We We started in January events, but because of the weather in our area, those were all online. So they were virtual 

Rich Bennett 2:18:06
yeah. 

Lore Blackwood 2:18:07
book signings and things like that. And that was really cool. But at this point, I only have two weekends at this point before Christmas that are open. 

Rich Bennett 2:18:19
Wow. 

Lore Blackwood 2:18:19
So we are running every weekend some other place to do book signings. 

Rich Bennett 2:18:25
But that's all part of the marketing part of in an author pranor. 

Lore Blackwood 2:18:28
It is. And, and I love it because I love getting to meet people and talk to people and joke with people and all of that 

Rich Bennett 2:18:35
and 

Lore Blackwood 2:18:35
and 

Rich Bennett 2:18:35
try to embarrass 

Lore Blackwood 2:18:36
oh 

Rich Bennett 2:18:36
some people. 

Lore Blackwood 2:18:37
Oh 

Rich Bennett 2:18:37
Yeah. 

Lore Blackwood 2:18:37
my gosh. I have had some fun today, Rich. I will say because when we, when we hand out the omega heat books and and those sorts of things, they also come with things like the bracelet that says the lady always gets what she wants and the little ribbon badge that says chute toy. And then they also get to pick a pin. And so, yes, I, there have been a couple of moments. 

Rich Bennett 2:19:10
Oh my god. 

Lore Blackwood 2:19:12
Yeah, Yeah. But everybody just such a kick out of it. And, and I like to see that 

Rich Bennett 2:19:17
You're having 

Lore Blackwood 2:19:17
because 

Rich Bennett 2:19:17
fun with it. 

Lore Blackwood 2:19:19
exactly, exactly. And, and they're, you know, if I look at this from a historical view and my background is actually in history education. If I look at it that way, the fact that I can as a, things things and, and. other women to enjoy spicy sort of stories and things like that, this is this is something that's pretty new when we Ya. 

Rich Bennett 2:19:50
get and good historical fiction book. 

Lore Blackwood 2:19:53
It could be fun, but ya. I mean, you really think about it. When you look at the way the romance industry itself is typically looked down upon by everybody 

Rich Bennett 2:20:04
Yeah. 

Lore Blackwood 2:20:04
and dismissed so readily and yet. The, uh, event at Yale in 2023, which was a romance writer's workshop, um, told us in no uncertain terms that the entire publishing industry is very much built on our backs. So all of those celebrity books that you wind up seeing, these people who get these really huge deals, 

Rich Bennett 2:20:29
yeah. 

Lore Blackwood 2:20:30
the money has come from mostly romance writers who get much smaller advances, tremendously smaller advances on average. 

Rich Bennett 2:20:38
Yes, 

Lore Blackwood 2:20:39
Yes, but other people profit from it. Why? There's a lot of reasons why. Okay. So to be able to take on the spicy role, you know, do that sort of thing and know that women are able to be more up front about what they enjoy and what they like to read. You know, men have always been able to do that. So Yeah. So, um, I'm a big one on the whole idea of what's fair for the goose is fair for the gander, right? 

Rich Bennett 2:21:11
I think something that a lot of people don't realize you go back several years ago to a lot of those romance novels. Yeah, you look at the author and it's a woman's name, but it was a guy that wrote it using a pen name. 

Lore Blackwood 2:21:25
There were some situations like that 

Rich Bennett 2:21:27
and and there were a lot of situations 

Lore Blackwood 2:21:28
And 

Rich Bennett 2:21:28
like that. 

Lore Blackwood 2:21:29
the reverse is also true when you go back and you look at some of the, I don't want to say early sci fi, but sci fi from the like the 60s and 70s, if you were a woman who wanted to write science fiction, you needed to come up with a name that was not so feminine. 

Rich Bennett 2:21:44
Yeah, 

Lore Blackwood 2:21:45
Okay. So I mean, there's 

Rich Bennett 2:21:48
wow. 

Lore Blackwood 2:21:48
there's a lot that goes into it, but what's in a name is Shakespeare writes, right? 

Rich Bennett 2:21:53
Yeah, Yeah, I so for aspiring authors. What's the biggest biggest piece of advice you can give them 

Lore Blackwood 2:22:00
Finish finish the book. And that's because I have for all of these years, every time under whatever name I'm at an event under. I have frequently had people ask, how do I get to be behind the table where you are? And the main difference is most of the people who come up and say they want to write a book never finish the book. Okay. Once you do that, then you can do so many things. You know, it's, it's the same idea as you can't edit a blank page, right? Okay. So write the book. Give yourself permission to write the book. And this is something that I see. I have to say more often to women writers. Okay. You have to give yourself permission to take the time. Yes, there's always something to be done. There's always someone who needs something. There's always dusting or sweeping and on deadline, our houses are always cleaner. I will say that 

Rich Bennett 2:23:09
prove 

Lore Blackwood 2:23:10
because we 

Rich Bennett 2:23:11
so 

Lore Blackwood 2:23:12
bad. But the fact of the matter is, if you are able to give yourself permission to finish the book and you find it in your heart to actually do the work, because it is work, Then, then I think you're going to see that the world opens up for you in a way. And that's very important. But if you don't give yourself permission to actually finish that book, you're never going to get on the other side of the 

Rich Bennett 2:23:43
Yeah. 

Lore Blackwood 2:23:44
table. 

Rich Bennett 2:23:44
It's like a river once it starts flowing. 

Lore Blackwood 2:23:47
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:23:47
It doesn't stop 

Lore Blackwood 2:23:48
very much so. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:23:49
So where can people find books by law, blackwood? 

Lore Blackwood 2:23:54
So So you can technically find them pretty much everywhere. They are available through Ingram, which is one of the big places to purchase books. So bookstores can get them their libraries can get them there. And they are, yes, absolutely. All sorts of different book events because I'm going nonstop for the rest of the year pretty much. And barns and noble, you can order them and have them picked up in your store. Or if you live out near me ish, you can get them in the 

Rich Bennett 2:24:32
Utica 

Lore Blackwood 2:24:33
Yudica knew Hartford Barnes and Noble, you can get them in the Vestel Binghamton Barnes and Noble, uhm, et cetera. 

Rich Bennett 2:24:43
And what's the website? 

Lore Blackwood 2:24:45
LoreBlackWood.com. 

Rich Bennett 2:24:47
Hello Hello, R-E. 

Lore Blackwood 2:24:48
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:24:48
Blackwood. 

Lore Blackwood 2:24:49
Yes. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:24:51
No, I want to thank you so much. It's...Oh, God, I got to get you back on again because there's a lot I want to talk to you about when it comes to the industry. 

Lore Blackwood 2:25:02
I would love to. 

Rich Bennett 2:25:03
And, and of course the other books as well. 

Lore Blackwood 2:25:05
Yeah, yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:25:07
And now stay dry too when you walk out. 

Lore Blackwood 2:25:09
Oh, yeah, it sounds like it's going to be very, very damp out there. All right. 

Rich Bennett 2:25:14
Big bags. 

Lore Blackwood 2:25:14
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 2:25:15
Sure. Alright, so now I am sitting here with a young author. Piper Thomas, the children's author, right? 

Piper Thomas 2:25:24
Yes. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:25:24
I was having a lot of no time. 

Piper Thomas 2:25:27
I'm feeling 

Rich Bennett 2:25:27
feeling that your books...and I always say this about a children's author. If adults learn from them, then you know you got a good book. 

Piper Thomas 2:25:38
That's when I tell everyone to come up, I say it's for the inner child as much as it is for the outer child. 

Rich Bennett 2:25:42
So your books are like that 

Piper Thomas 2:25:43
then? Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:25:45
Perfect. All right. So with you, Larry, a pouch, inside joke there. you're, How many books have you written now? 

Piper Thomas 2:25:56
Three. My newest book came out this year in May. 

Rich Bennett 2:25:59
In May. And they're all...now when I say children's books are illustration books, right? 

Piper Thomas 2:26:03
Yes, Yes, they're all 

Rich Bennett 2:26:04
books. 

Piper Thomas 2:26:04
picture 

Rich Bennett 2:26:05
Alright. Dad, do you...are you the illustrator as well? 

Piper Thomas 2:26:09
Yeah, I illustrate them, but so I'm illustrating it does take a lot of work and...yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:26:14
and it's 

Piper Thomas 2:26:15
Tired of it. So it's just...it's so much to like write the book and then also draw all the pictures. And I went to art school for illustration. So I have a lot of illustration friends and they're going to help me out, illustrate my next books. So I don't have an illustrator name on the book cover 

Rich Bennett 2:26:30
Right. and... Great. 

Piper Thomas 2:26:31
The Future, I'm just trying to separate my name from illustrator. So that way I can like give my books the best chance and I'm not tired when I'm drawing. 

Rich Bennett 2:26:38
I...well, and I guess working with an illustrator...well you haven't done it yet. Because working with an illustrator, if it's local and you already see your friends, right? That's a good thing because I know it can take longer. Because as you're writing...yes... You have to give it to them. Are you self-published? 

Piper Thomas 2:26:58
yes, 

Rich Bennett 2:26:59
Alright, so you got to make sure that whatever they draw is perfect to 

Piper Thomas 2:27:06
you. 

Rich Bennett 2:27:06
you. 

Piper Thomas 2:27:07
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:27:07
Right. Right? But being self-published...yeah, that's a good thing because if you're going through a publisher, the publisher's got to like 

Piper Thomas 2:27:15
it. 

Rich Bennett 2:27:16
So that's a good thing. But you want to stop drawing, illustrating just the books, not...okay. 

Piper Thomas 2:27:23
Yeah, just the books. I think 

Rich Bennett 2:27:24
okay. 

Piper Thomas 2:27:25
art for me is better as a hobby. I can't sell every one of my talents and I need something to be just for me. So it takes a lot of pressure off of my drawings if a million people aren't like viewing it. 

Rich Bennett 2:27:37
When and how many other talents do you have? 

Piper Thomas 2:27:39
I can juggle. I could make 

Rich Bennett 2:27:41
I'll 

Piper Thomas 2:27:41
balloon 

animals. I did a few birthday parties where I did balloon animals. I'm working on my ventriloquism. It's not good 

Rich Bennett 2:27:49
call 

Piper Thomas 2:27:49
at all yet. 

Rich Bennett 2:27:49
it what? 

Piper Thomas 2:27:50
My ventriloquism, I think puppets are really cool. So I'm getting into that. And I'm tall. So...Wait 

Rich Bennett 2:27:57
a minute. Come on. Seriously ventriloquism? 

Piper Thomas 2:28:00
Yeah, I think it'd be really cool to learn. I want to 

Rich Bennett 2:28:02
voice. 

Piper Thomas 2:28:02
throw my voice. 

Rich Bennett 2:28:02
I would love to do it. 

Piper Thomas 2:28:03
Yeah, I 

Rich Bennett 2:28:04
I wish I could. As As long as it's like one of the newer dummies, 'cause you look at some of those old movies, you're young. If you go back and look at some of the old movies, some of those dummies are scary. 

Piper Thomas 2:28:18
Yeah, they get creepy the further you go back. And also when I do school visits, I do a bunch of magic tricks and the kids love them. So I'm a busy girl. 

Rich Bennett 2:28:27
Okay, wait a minute now, you're really blowing my mind here. So a magician, you want to get into ventriloquism? Yeah, I already forgot the artist, author. What was the other, oh, you can juggle? 

Piper Thomas 2:28:40
Yes, 

Rich Bennett 2:28:41
balloon. balloon. 

Piper Thomas 2:28:41
and the 

Rich Bennett 2:28:42
And balloon women. You don't want to be a clown too, do you? 

Piper Thomas 2:28:45
I I would. I would totally be a clown if I was able to. They just weren't hiring, so I did this. 

Rich Bennett 2:28:51
Piper. 

Piper Thomas 2:28:51
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 2:28:52
sure. You know what? You'll never have, you'll never be short of a career. 

Piper Thomas 2:28:57
Oh, for 

Rich Bennett 2:28:57
Cause there's so many things that you like to, so what got you into writing children's books? 

Piper Thomas 2:29:03
Um, writing has always been an interest of mine. And it's, writing was kind of more of a necessity than 

Rich Bennett 2:29:08
like... 

Piper Thomas 2:29:08
life. 

Rich Bennett 2:29:08
Yeah. 

Piper Thomas 2:29:08
...something I did. As soon as I learned how to write, I was writing all the time. I've always had so many And then, I like to describe it as like a journaler and loveless storytelling. If I wasn't journaling, I was writing fiction. And at a certain point, I'm like, it's time to, like, start publishing this. 

Rich Bennett 2:29:26
I love that. 

Piper Thomas 2:29:27
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 2:29:28
Wow. Alright, so, and I love asking this 'cause you got three books written, right? When When did the first book come out? 

Piper Thomas 2:29:37
Uhm, 

2020-2021. 'Cause I was- 

Rich Bennett 2:29:41
2021, okay. So, you've been writing for five years. 

Piper Thomas 2:29:44
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:29:45
Excuse me. Um, the first time that somebody- although with children's books they probably didn't ask you, you probably asked them if you wanted to sign the book, or did they ask you? 

Piper Thomas 2:29:55
Sometimes they ask me. Sometimes I pre-sign some books. 

Rich Bennett 2:29:58
Okay. 

Piper Thomas 2:29:59
It just depends on 

Rich Bennett 2:29:59
first. 

Piper Thomas 2:29:59
the 

Rich Bennett 2:30:00
So, the first time somebody asked you if they- if you would sign it, signed a book. What was- 

Piper Thomas 2:30:05
Oh my gosh. It's so crazy. Early- even earlier today, um, someone bought one of my books. And it's just like, here you go. This is your first book and I'm like, that's crazy. I'm the first book you're reading. 

Rich Bennett 2:30:15
Wow. 

Piper Thomas 2:30:15
Gosh. I'm like, this is so 

Rich Bennett 2:30:16
like, 

Piper Thomas 2:30:17
insane. I'm To sign Like, now I have to sign this book. Your first book ever. It's so crazy. And especially till like, be able to do that. That's so young. It's just like 

Rich Bennett 2:30:26
yeah. 

Piper Thomas 2:30:26
an insane feeling. It's just- I'm so grateful. 

Rich Bennett 2:30:30
Doesn't feel real. Doesn't. 

Piper Thomas 2:30:31
No. No. I'm like, this is- no, think- like, I'm impacting your life. 

Rich Bennett 2:30:34
Yeah. 

Piper Thomas 2:30:36
(laughs) 

Rich Bennett 2:30:36
That's That's awesome. So, the three- you have three books 

Piper Thomas 2:30:39
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:30:39
out. And what are the three books and what are they about? 

Piper Thomas 2:30:42
So the first book is Black Boog Soup. That one came out in, like, 2021. And that one's about a frog with allergies. So the frog, he's allergic to red bugs, and they're having a red bug soup party at his class. So it deals with, like, classroom allergies, because I had classroom allergies. And there's always like, trials you go through when you have them. So the first thing is, they're like, well, if you eat enough of your allergen, you won't be allergic anymore. That's not true. 

Rich Bennett 2:31:06
No. 

Piper Thomas 2:31:07
And there's only like, repeat or there's reactions. And then- or they'll try to give you a substitute food. And that doesn't work either. Now you just feel left out. Like, now you're double-left out. So the first book goes through that. And they have to, like, figure out how to handle the kid with allergies in the classroom. 

Rich Bennett 2:31:21
Right. Right. 

Piper Thomas 2:31:22
The second book is what if a book or a balloon? And that's one's, like, more imagination based. Because when you're reading to your listener, you guys need a bond and, like, have conversation. And you look like talking points to just sit there and imagine if you're a kid. And, like, when it was going on in their head, there's no screen. There's no scrolling. 

Rich Bennett 2:31:39
Right. 

Piper Thomas 2:31:39
You guys make everything up. So that's a, like, exercise for their imagination. And then the last one is the littlest library. And which came out earlier this year. 

Rich Bennett 2:31:49
The littlest library. 

Piper Thomas 2:31:50
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:31:50
Okay. 

Piper Thomas 2:31:51
That one came out earlier this year in May, and this one features a little girl and she wants to be an author. So she is an author. And she wrote a book. But her family is so insanely busy. And they don't have the time to read it. And, you know, writing's not, like, loud, like 

Rich Bennett 2:32:05
dancing. 

Piper Thomas 2:32:05
singing or 

Rich Bennett 2:32:05
Yeah. 

Piper Thomas 2:32:06
It's so quiet and vulnerable, making it so easy to overlook. So she feels overlooked. And so she starts venting to her teddy bear, like, who can read my books? No one in this house is willing to read my books. And at her teddy bear, she was like, you know, I've never read a book before. And she's like, no way. So she makes a small book because the bear is complaining about how big and heavy the books are and they just won't fit in her hands. So then the main character makes a tiny book for her bear to read. And then she goes on to, like, the bear reads the book. She loves it. She made 

Rich Bennett 2:32:37
book. 

Piper Thomas 2:32:37
her favorite 

Rich Bennett 2:32:37
Yeah. 

Piper Thomas 2:32:38
And then later on, the mother stops her, she was like, oh, did you make her her book? Like the one you're asking me about? And she's like, no, I completely forgot. So then they make an entire library of tiny books. And then her stuff animals, they ask her to read her book at the end. It's so sweet. And then at the end of it, after the story ends, there's materials to make a tiny book in the back of it. 

Rich Bennett 2:32:59
it. The 

Piper Thomas 2:33:00
same thing the main character was doing. 

Rich Bennett 2:33:06
Yeah. Yeah, so I get well for you or it sounds like your books could be, I guess, pre-K going up. 

Piper Thomas 2:33:13
They're five to eight. 

Rich Bennett 2:33:14
Five. Five. 

Piper Thomas 2:33:15
Yeah, I do my visits. 

Rich Bennett 2:33:16
Really? Really? 

Piper Thomas 2:33:16
Great. 

Rich Bennett 2:33:18
You don't think younger? 

Piper Thomas 2:33:21
I mean, a younger can read it. 

Rich Bennett 2:33:22
Oh, yeah. 

Piper Thomas 2:33:22
Or they're willing to listen. I think it's because like, you're what you're like three, you're not that overlooked yet. I don't understand the feeling, but I don't know if you have the word. 

Rich Bennett 2:33:32
But, and I don't know if you ever been told this because they say like, when a woman is pregnant, it's always good to read. 

Piper Thomas 2:33:42
yes, 

Rich Bennett 2:33:42
That because they took that in. Somehow another to baby so excited. I would think even reading at a pre K level, daycare level, if you go, and read the read the books, not the kids reading it, of 

Piper Thomas 2:33:55
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:33:55
course. But I think they, it still sinks in. They learn from it. and And you, for what you've told me already, Excuse me, your books are teaches something that people need to know. Especially the first one you talked about with allergies? I mean... 

Alright, so with yours, you have to have an epipend, right? 

Piper Thomas 2:34:19
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:34:19
Okay, and this has been a pep pep of mine, this I don't understand. But the first book could help raise awareness for this. You go to a lot of businesses, a of places we'll have Narcan on hand, in case somebody overdoses. Why Why don't we do that with epipends? 

Piper Thomas 2:34:39
I agree, especially in restaurant 

Rich Bennett 2:34:40
situations. Yes. 

Piper Thomas 2:34:41
It's like the easiest place for that to happen. 

Rich Bennett 2:34:43
Yeah, Yeah, I mean, to me that makes sense. That book could help raise awareness for things like that because it's number one, it's scary to see somebody and I've had happen a lot because I'd love doing cookouts. 

Piper Thomas 2:34:58
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 2:34:58
You know and somebody doesn't tell me I'm allergic to cinnamon or dill and then all of a sudden they're like, 

Piper Thomas 2:35:05
Yeah, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 2:35:05
you know, thank yes. 

Piper Thomas 2:35:07
So You only have so much time. 

Rich Bennett 2:35:08
Yeah, Yeah, and new things are expensive. 

Piper Thomas 2:35:10
Yes Yes. 

Rich Bennett 2:35:11
The epipends are expensive. It doesn't make sense. It should be free, restaurant chef, but now I'm going on my ramp. 

Piper Thomas 2:35:18
All 

Rich Bennett 2:35:19
All right. So what's the next big thing for Piper Thomas as an author? 

Piper Thomas 2:35:24
So I'm 

Rich Bennett 2:35:24
working besides getting away from the illustrator. 

Piper Thomas 2:35:25
Yeah, Yeah. I'm working on an activity book and it'll be a companion to all the books existing. So they all have like a hit and worm game in it, but I wanted to give them all a bit more bonus content. So like the tiny books in Lewis Library will be in the activity book and then there's words, searches, there's mazes, there's like connected dots. There's like everything in there. There's like a decoding puzzle, like spot the 

Rich Bennett 2:35:48
oh 

Piper Thomas 2:35:48
difference. 

Rich Bennett 2:35:48
Oh, wow. 

Piper Thomas 2:35:49
And I want to add some things related to the books I have out already. So by the time I'm onto the fourth, you have everything you can need to read the first. 

Rich Bennett 2:35:56
And I love that. 

Piper Thomas 2:35:57
first 

Rich Bennett 2:35:58
You got your ribs got a website right? 

Piper Thomas 2:36:00
Yes, I have a website. I'm working on it. It's up, but I'm still adding things to it, 

Rich Bennett 2:36:06
which is good because you're going to be writing more books. So 

Piper Thomas 2:36:08
that 

Rich Bennett 2:36:08
you got to keep 

Piper Thomas 2:36:08
it. 

Rich Bennett 2:36:09
to 

Piper Thomas 2:36:09
Yes, 

Rich Bennett 2:36:09
what's the website? 

Piper Thomas 2:36:11
it's It's Piper Thomas dot neocities, I don't work

Rich Bennett 2:36:17
what a day and just let you know, I don't know if you could hear the thunder in the background. 

But I was able to get out of there pretty dry. By the time I finished packing up and walked outside, the rain had more or less stopped, so or the thunderstorms that stopped. So that was a good thing. But, man, what an incredible celebration of books, creativity and storytelling, that place was packed. I think 2400 people came through. I believe that was your port. I saw the book fair. Belair was packed with authors. Readers, families and definitely people eager to discover something new. And I had so much fun sitting down with these talented authors and learning about the imagination, the courage, research, the humor and the heart behind their work. From children's books and young adult fantasy to science fiction paranormal stories, romance, some of them often chilly pepper scale suspense music and even more. Every conversation reminded me that they're truly as a book and an author for everyone. And I have to admit, I was honored to be one of the featured podcasts. I've done live recordings, but this is the first time I have ever set up an event at an event and recorded with people. And it was a blast. But authors need more than people admiring their work. They need our support. So, of course, by their books, recommend them to friends, share photos on social media with their book, and tag the authors when you do. And of course, myself. And most importantly, if you finish your book, take a few minutes to leave an honest review. If it was a children's book, I know you don't want your child to leave a review, but as I'm the right one, you could post it in your name, saying it's from your child. Reviews help authors reach new readers. It helps them build credibility and continue doing what they love. It may seem like a small gesture, but to an author, it can make a tremendous difference. So, events like the Book Fair Belay remind us why reading still matters. Books help children develop their imaginations. They introduce us to experiences beyond our own, and sometimes give us exactly the message we need at exactly the right time. So keep reading, keep discovering new authors, and keep supporting the people brave enough to put their stories into the world. Until next time, I'm Rich Bennett. Thanks for listening and remember, every great conversation starts with someone willing to listen and someone willing to share. Now it's your turn. Join the conversation by sharing this episode. Leave in a comment or reaching out to me directly. Take care. Be kind to one another, and I'll talk with you again soon.