Bookable Space: A Space to Launch (and re-launch) Books

In this engaging episode of Bookable Space, we’re joined by Amy W Daughters reading from  You Can Not Mess This Up. A True Story That Never Happened. Three readings and three questions, Amy talks to us about writing herself, researching the past, and writing her way back to who she was. Bio:A native Houstonian and a graduate of Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer for more than a decade — mostly covering college football and sometimes talking about her feelings. Her debut novel, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened (She Writes Press), was selected as the Silver Winner for Humor in the 2019 Foreword INDIES and the Overall Winner for Humor/Comedy in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Awards. Her second book, Dear Dana: That time I went crazy and wrote all 580 of my Facebook friends a handwritten letter (She Writes Press, 2022), has won several awards, including the 2023 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal for NonFiction Relationships, and caught the attention of Kelly Clarkson! An amateur historian, hack golfer, charlatan fashion model, and regular on the ribbon dancing circuit, Amy — a proud former resident of Blackwell, England, and Dayton, Ohio, currently lives in Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston. She is married to a foxy computer person, Willie, and is the lucky mother of two amazing sons, Will and Matthew.About the book:It’s 2014 and Amy Daughters is a 46-year old stay-at-home mom living in Dayton, Ohio. She returns to her hometown of Houston over the Thanksgiving holiday to discuss her parents’ estate—and finds herself hurled back in time. Suddenly, it’s 1978, and she is forced to spend 36 hours in her childhood home with her nuclear family, including her 10-year old self. Over the next day and a half, she reconsiders every feeling she’s ever had, discusses current events with dead people, gets overserved at a party with her parents’ friends, and is treated to lunch at the Bonanza Sirloin Pit. Besides noticing that everyone is smoking cigarettes, she’s still jealous of her sister, and there is a serious lack of tampons in the house, Amy also begins to appreciate that memories are malleable, wholly dependent on who is doing the remembering. In viewing her parents as peers and her siblings as detached children, she redefines her difficult relationships with her family members and ultimately realizes that her life story matters and is profoundly significant—not so much to everyone else perhaps, but certainly to her. Amy’s guide said her trip back in time wouldn’t change anything in the future, but by the time her 36 hours are up, she’s convinced that she’ll never be the same again.About the Host:Yvonne Battle-Felton is an author, academic, and podcaster. Her debut, Remembered, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Not the Booker, and shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize. Winner of The Shirley Jackson Award, Curdle Creek is her second novel. Yvonne was a finalist in the Hurston Wright Foundation Legacy Zora Award for Fiction, has been awarded the RSL Scriptorium Award, and lives in West Yorkshire, England. She aims to create a literary community bringing readers and writers together over words. 

In this episode of Bookable Space, we’re joined by Maura Casey. Maura reads to us from Saving Ellen: A Memoir of Hope and Recovery and answers three questions about writing, research, and more. Over a 35-year journalism career, Maura Casey worked as a reporter and opinion writer for four newspapers, including as a member of The New York Times editorial board. She has won 45 national and regional journalism awards. She writes a weekly Substack column called Casey’s Catch with 3,900 subscribers.  Maura began to keep journals at the age of 12 and never stopped. She also never re-read them. When she did, during the Covid-19 lockdown, she was surprised to see they contained pages of scenes at home about her big Irish family, her alcoholic father, wise-cracking mother and her sister Ellen struggling with kidney disease and its aftermath. The result is her first book, “Saving Ellen: A Memoir of Hope and Recovery.” It was published last year by Skyhorse Publishing. She welcomes reader comments at authormcasey@gmail.com.Luanne Rice, author of “Last Day” and “The Shadow Box” “Saving Ellen” is a shimmering memoir of childhood, tender and honest, full of tumult and complicated love. It's a stunning portrait of an Irish Catholic family, but the heart of the story, and the beauty of how the Caseys love each other through it all, is universal. It's a brilliant book.”About the Host:Yvonne Battle-Felton is an author, academic, and podcaster. Her debut, Remembered, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Not the Booker, and shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize. Winner of The Shirley Jackson Award, Curdle Creek is her second novel. Yvonne was a finalist in the Hurston Wright Foundation Legacy Zora Award for Fiction, has been awarded the RSL Scriptorium Award, and lives in West Yorkshire. She is the Academic Director of Creative Writing at Cambridge University.  

In this episode of Bookable Space, Robbie Bach reads from The Block Chain Syndicate and talks to us about writing places that inspire story, writing what you want to read, and more.About the Book: When a dead man begins blackmailing Senator Tamika Smith, it sets off a chain of chilling events. Her boyfriend is kidnapped. A school shooting leaves his daughter wounded. A shadowy digital syndicate unleashes a string of crimes, from fraud and identity theft to assassination, all choreographed with military precision. As the country teeters on the edge of economic collapse, Tamika races against time to rescue her family and uncover the truth behind a global conspiracy built on blockchain and buried secrets.Bach’s insider knowledge of the tech world and his deep involvement in civic and policy circles lends a chilling authenticity to this thriller. With themes ripped from current headlines, AI, disinformation, political extremism, and digital vulnerability, The Blockchain Syndicate is not just a suspenseful read; it’s a wake-upcall.About the Author:Robbie Bach joined Microsoft in 1988. Over the next twenty-two years, he worked in various marketing, general management, and business leadership roles,including supporting the successful launch and expansion of Microsoft Office. As Chief Xbox Officer, he led the creation and development of the Xbox business,including the launch of the Xbox and its highly popular successor, the Xbox 360. He retired from Microsoft as the president of the Entertainment and DevicesDivision in 2010.In his new role as a civic engineer, Robbie works with corporate, philanthropic, and civic organizations that are driving positive change in our communities.  He was an Arjay Miller Scholar at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he earned his MBA, and a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina,where he earned his degree in economics.He and his wife, Pauline, reside in Washington State, with their yellow lab, Roscoe. They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

In this episode of Bookable Space, we’re joined by Bear. Bear reads from Becoming Raven Bear, An Alaskan Magical Memoir, and talks to us about who we are when we change our surroundings, building a home, and building ourselves. Its one of my favorite episodes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.About the Author:From 1968-1971, Bear traveled around the United States with his partner Jessica. They ultimately ended up in Alaska where they delivered their daughter in a remote cabin on the Yukon River in January of 1973. They split up in 1975 but still built another cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. Upon leaving that cabin alone on November 1st Bear froze his feet hiking on the river and almost died. He was stuck in an abandoned mining camp for 9 days waiting to be rescued.SummaryBecoming Ravenbear is set in the late 1960s through 1975. Follow Efrem/Bear/Ravenbear through his adventures and struggles as he travels around Europe, the United States and in the wildness of Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Join him as he searches for his spiritual connections and comes to trust the spirits of the deep wilderness.To contact Bear directly, please email razumnys@mac.com or visit the website to view hundreds of color photos here www.ravenbearstories.com 

Andrea Harrison reading from The Selfish Shellfish and the Sick Sea. Angela reads from the book and talks to us about the importance of teaching children about conservation, her love for the sea and more. About the bookThe author takes children on a journey to experience how the main shellfish character’s selfish and greedy behavior will propel other fish to work together with compassion to improve conditions and their survival in the ocean. This environmental story is meant to create an awareness in young children about the importance of preserving the ocean, as well as reminding them that problems affecting everyone in a community can be solved with cooperation, generosity, empathy, and truthfulness.About the authorAndrea Harrison, a retired elementary school teacher and current content marketing writer, always wanted to become a published writer. From very young, Andrea was always creating stories, some she wrote down and others she kept in her head, yet never had the courage to turn any of it into a book, until now. *While the sale mentioned in the episode has passed, visit Andrea's book page here for sales, offers, coloring sheets, and more.

In this episode of Bookable Space, we’re joined by Lacy Fewer. Lacy readds to us from  Yankeeland and talks about writing heartache, family history, living out dreams on the page, and connecting with the past.About Yankeeland:Brigid feels hindered by the strict society of her small Irish town in the early 1900’s and dreams of a new life in the land of opportunity they call Yankeeland—America. Brigid’s quest to have a child see’s her mental stability questioned. Caught up in a patriarchal medical establishment she has little power to fight. The new life in America Brigid dreamed about takes a drastic turn. Decades later Brigid’s grandniece discovers a sack full of letters which unravels the story and vows to tell the tale of what really happened to Brigid in Yankeeland. About the author:Lacy Fewer is a native of Dublin, Ireland. A graduate of University College Dublin, she has enjoyed a career in banking and finance. Following her passion for storytelling she has shifted her focus to writing. Yankeeland is her debut novel and was inspired by the discovery of her grandaunt's letter, which haunted her. She lives in Meath with her husband and children.

In this episode of Bookable Space we’re joined by Joyce Yarrow. Joyce reads to us from Zahara and the Lost Books of Light. We talk about writing the past, inspiration, and bringing places to life through research and imagination.About the bookJournalist Alienor Crespo discovers a trove of irreplaceable books rescued from the flames of the Spanish Inquisition. Using her gift of second sight, Alienor exploits her knowledge of the past to confront extremists, who are bent on destroying all evidence of harmony between Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Medieval Spain. The future of the underground library of Zahara is at stake as well as the lives of its protectors. Selected as Best Book in Historical Fiction by the PenCraft Award for Literary Excellence, Zahara and the Lost Books of Light will hold you spellbound until the end.

In this episode of Bookable Space, we’re joined by Eric Grandy. Eric reads to us from Accidental Paradise and talks about writing books where good people make good decisions.About the authorEric Grandy was born and raised in Baltimore. After graduating from City College and from Essex Community College, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and played six years for them. He went on to be a photographer, lab manager, driver for DHL and warehouse manager. Today he writes full time. About the bookIn Accidental Paradise, natural talent, hard work, and a childhood friend help LaVern Whitaker find her calling as an actress. When her life becomes overwhelming, they discover a small, North Carolina town where her true identity can remain unknown and she can stay out of the spotlight. The more she visits her secret getaway, the more deeply she feels connected to the history, the lifestyle, and the people. Could this place be her home away from home, or become the home she has dreamed of? Or will sinister forces rip it all away?

In this episode of Bookable Space, we’re joined by Ilana Debare. Ilana reads to us from Shaken Loose and Shaken Free. It’s an interesting discussion about writing Hell, researching and developing characters, and more.About the authorIlana DeBare is a former newspaper reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee. She’s author of a nonfiction book, Where Girls Come First: The Rise, Fall, and Surprising Revival of Girls’ Schools, as well as two fantasy novels, Shaken Loose and Shaken Free. She lives in Oakland, California.About the bookAnnie Maple, a 29-year-old college dropout, dies and goes to Hell. Trying to escape, she learns Hell is a profoundly unjust place filled both with truly evil people and billions of decent souls who simply didn’t happen to be Christian. Seeking the courage to transcend her past failures, Annie must choose between returning to life and challenging this system of divine injustice.Readers can find Shaken Loose and Shaken Free either online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.org, or by ordering from their local independent bookstore. Links to order online are also on my website at ilanadebare.com