September 21, 2012

Promoting Self-Published Books

Author Kate McGuinness read from her legal thriller Terminal Ambition on Sept. 19th, 2012 at the Fairfield, Iowa Public Library. Her publicity efforts for this self-published mystery novel, which educates readers about sexual harassment in work places, began nearly a year before its publication date. Listen to Kate’s tips regarding how to promote self-published novels (and her advice to people experiencing sexual harassment at work) on kruufm.com. Kate makes good use of social media sites to promote her book: visit her Pinterest boards for examples of creative marketing techniques.

Kate McGuinness and Cheryl Fusco Johnson

September 19, 2012

Robert Wolf Jump-Starts Everyone’s Writing

Robert Wolf is the cofounder and director of Free River Press, a nonprofit publishing house currently headquartered in Decorah, Iowa. The press’s motto is “Telling America’s Story” and its primary mission is “to create an enduring collection of Americana, a literary mural, a mosaic, written primarily by people without literary ambition.”

Cover of Aver Y Ahora

Besides encouraging ordinary people to record their stories, Robert has authored and edited many books, including An American Mosaic: Prose and Poetry by Everyday Folk and Jump Start: How to Write from Everyday Life, both published by Oxford University Press. Through Free River Press, he wrote and publishedThe Triumph of Technique: The Industrialization of Agriculture and the Destruction of Rural America. In addition to leading writing workshops, Robert directs seminars and rural economic development projects through Free River Press.

Aired on Iowa Public Radio, his six-part commentary, Developing Rural Regional Economies won the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Best Radio Editorial of 1994. In 2007 a Free River Press book edited by Robert, Aver & Ahora (Yesterday & Today): Stories of Sant Fe and Northern New Mexico, won a New Mexico Heritage Preservation Award.

Tune in to kruufm.com Friday, Sept. 21 at 1 PM CST or Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 AM CST to learn Robert’s sure-fire techniques for getting everyone writing.

September 13, 2012

College Professor Pens Legal Thrillers

Mary Vermillion, Author of Seminal Murder

A Professor of English at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mary Vermillion pens legal thrillers to highlight social issues. So far, she’s written three books in her Mara Gilgannon mystery series. The fictional Mara, a radio talk show host, has gotten entangled in mysteries involving a small town resisting the opening of a new Walmart store and a rape charge involving college basketball players. Seminal Murder, the latest installment in the series, focuses on crimes taking place in an artificial insemination clinic.

Mary teaches a broad range of courses, including Shakespeare, Creative Writing, and Law and Literature. She and her students host book clubs with inmates at Anamosa State Penitentiary. Mary and a colleague recently toured England with students.

Mary will be featured Friday, Sept. 14th at 1 PM CT on “Writers Voices.” The show will be rebroadcast Monday, Sept. 17 at 8 AM. Listen in at kruufm.com.

September 5, 2012

Legal Thriller Explores Sexual Harassment

Kate McGuinness, Terminal Ambition

Friday, Sept. 7 on Writers Voices I’ll interview a very learned and accomplished guest. Kate McGuinness studied writing at the University of Southern California where one of her teachers was Janet Fitch, the author of the Oprah book club selection, “White Oleander.” Kate studied creative writing at UCLA, too. Earlier she’d earned a J.D. from the University of San Diego. For 17 years Kate practiced law at a major international law firm, where she was one of a handful of women to achieve partnership status. Later, a Fortune 500 company recruited Kate to be its General Counsel. Eventually Kate decided to leave the corporate world and devote herself to writing. Today she uses her writing career to advocate for women’s rights. Her essays on women’s issues have appeared in many publications, including Forbes Woman, The Women’s Jezebel, and The Girls Guide to Law School. In 2012, Kate’s first novel, Terminal Ambition, was published: it’s a legal thriller that explores issues of discrimination and sexual harassment. An appendix defines sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and other pertinent terms. Kate also includes 12 steps people faced with these problems can take. Join us Friday at 1 PM CT on Writers Voices at kruufm.com!

August 16, 2012

BK Loren, Theft

B.K. Loren has been a naturalist, large predator monitor for Colorado State Parks, professional brainstormer, assistant chef, ranch hand, furniture maker, UPS driver, and college professorwhile still managing to produce prose that reviewers deem visceral, lyrical, and incandescent. Her writing has garnered Pushcart nominations, fellowships, and inclusion among Best American Spiritual Writing anthologies. BK lives with her partner, two dogs, and two cats in Colorado, where long, daily walks enrich her reflections on life. Join us for a discussion of her debut novel, Theft, categorized by writer Ann Pancake as “part environmental novel, part elegy to place, part family tragedy, part murder mystery.” A riveting combination!

Listen via livestream on Friday, Aug. 17 at 1 PM CDT or Monday, Aug. 20 at 8 AM CDT: go to kruufm.com; at the top left, find “Playing On Air Now” and click “Listen Live.”

July 3, 2012

Almond-Encrusted Walleye

Last night I told the guys I was too busy to cook, so they made almond-encrusted walleye served with sauteed broccolini over garlic spaghetti. Yum!

June 29, 2012

Anne Greenwood Brown on Writers Voices!

Minnesota author Anne Greenwood Brown’s young adult trilogy about three menacing mermaids who live in Lake Superior with their slightly more compassionate brother was snapped up by Random House. Told from the brother’s perspective, “Lies Beneath,” the first book in the trilogy, has just been released. On Writers Voices, Anne explains how music helped her write from a teen boy’s perspective, how Michael Hauge’s teachings aided her plotting, and how she wrote, produced, and directed her own book trailer to increase sales. Listen in via livesteam today at 1 PM or Monday at 8 AM at kruu. (Click “Listen Live” under “Playing Now” on the top left corner of the screen.)

Anne will read from Lies Beneath at Prairie Lights Book Store in Iowa City Saturday, June 30^th at 2 PM.

June 21, 2012

Eric Johnson on Writers Voices!

Tomorrow on KRUU’s Writers Voices, Eric Johnson and I will discuss how to write, format, and publish an ebook. The show airs on KRUU FM at 1 PM. Listen in at kruufm.com.

Eric Johnson, founder of Inkslinger Industries, will discuss writing, formatting, and marketing ebooks and other topics related to new trends in publishing. Eric’s latest book, How to Make a Book with iBooks Author, was created in an ebook format.

Eric explored book arts at Brown University, where he handcrafted books using fine arts techniques taught by Walter Feldman, whose artists’ books are included in over 150 public collections. Eric also studied the interdisciplinary artistic practice of Cave Writing under author Robert Coover’s direction. (Cave Writing takes place in a CAVE simulator, a virtual reality environment typically reserved for scientific visualization.) While at Brown, Eric also served as a Writing Fellow.

June 1, 2012

Blue Fish Clothing Comes to Fairfield!

Jennifer Barclay & Friends - Photo by Cheryl Fusco Johnson

Tonight a new store opens on the Fairfield Square! Read my article about Blue Fish Clothing and its founder Jennifer Barclay in the Iowa Source. Jennifer started this company when she was only 17 years old! Now she has two–soon to be three–retail locations for her line of artisanal women’s clothing, which is made in the U.S.A. One short sentence from a caring, wise mentor set her on the path to success in designing women’s clothes. You’ll find it here.

May 24, 2012

Sharelle Byars Moranville on Writers Voices

Sharelle Byars Moranville explained how writers infuse their personal passions and issues into their work while discussing her latest book, The Hop, on Writers Voices. Tune in live on kruufm.com Friday, May 25 at 1 PM CST or Monday, May 27 8 AM CST. Afterwards find Sharelle’s discussion of her creative process in the archives of kruu.

← Previous 1 … 4 5 6 … 9 Next →