This Week's Podcast Guest: Dan O'Brien

Clearly, Dan O'Brien was born to be a writer. As a small child, he created stories to entertain his friends and relatives. As an adult, his many novels and screenplays bring enjoyment, knowledge, and often, a new perspective on the world.  This Friday, he will dish about his writing process and publishing experiences on the WITS podcast.

Dan will also talk about The Path of the Fallen, his riveting Science Fiction/Fantasy novel. However, in true Renaissance fashion, Dan has not limited himself to one genre. Instead, he has committed himself to growing as a writer, which for him means telling stories that move him, including romance and philosophy.

He has also created an online writer's marketplace of sorts, The Dan O'Brien Project. Whether you are a full-time writer or on the verge of starting that first book, you will find a wealth of information on all things writing. You can also read Dan's novels and contact him regarding his writing and publishing consulting company.

Path of the Fallen was originally a much longer book, but Dan shortened it for publishing purposes. Now, he is preparing to release the unabridged version! For more information, visit his Kickstarter page.

You can also connect with Dan on Facebook or Twitter.  And don't forget to tune into the WITS podcast on Friday to hear more about his work.

Join Us for A Conversation with Author Luke Hays

If you're interested in mysteries, murders, and mystics, be sure to tune in when I speak with Luke Hays about his new novel, Psychic Detective.  Set in 1883, the story centers around New York Pinkerton Detective Henry Larsen, who is called to California to solve a string of brutal killings in the small town of Littleton.

To say that Larsen is a gifted crime solver is an understatement, for in addition to his traditional sleuthing skills, he is also a psychic. Of course, given his profession and the era in which he lives, he can't let anyone find out about that! No matter what, Larsen will do whatever it takes to find the killer before he can claim his next victim. 

Luke Hays, a born and bred New Englander, has been a prolific writer since grade school. At 21 years old he has already published two novels and is currently working on a third; which is the second installment of  his trilogy, The Blood Line.  

Click here to listen to the podcast

Like what you heard? Psychic Detective (as well as Luke's first novel, The Sorcerer's Apprentice: The Blood Line) is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and
Outskirts Press

Also, be sure to check out Luke's blog, Rise of the Fallen. where he offers his thoughts on writing, as well as reviews of the latest movies.

Tune in for a Converation with Award-Winning Novelist Michael Loyd Gray

It’s 1966. The Beatles have taken over the airways, Star Trek is in its first season on NBC, and 389,000 American troops are stationed in Vietnam.  This is the setting of Michael Loyd Gray's latest novel, King Biscuit.

A war is going on Argus, Illinois as well, between sixteen-year-old Billy Ray Fleener and his father.  While his father dreams of Billy Ray joining the family business,  Billy Ray dreams of moving to California, becoming a surfer, and getting into Margie Heinrich’s pants—not necessarily in that order. Instead, he gets a summer job laying pipe and the dubious distinction of town hero after saving Purdy Boy, the mayor’s wife’s dachshund.

When his beloved uncle and role model Mitch is killed in combat, Billy Ray feels like he must leave Argus or be stuck there forever. With little more than the clothes on his back, he hops a bus for Helena, Arkansas to visit Mitch’s grave.  Along the way he meets up with a cast of characters as varied and polarized as America itself, from a marine captain home on leave to a band of hippies bound for Graceland. Each teaches him something about love, loyalty, and the true meaning of freedom, but what Billy Ray really learns is that everyone has the power to define who they are. He may have left Argus a boy, but he returns a man. 

Click here to listen to the interview

Like what you heard? Order King Biscuit here.

Michael Loyd Gray is an award-winning author, journalist and college professor. Born in Arkansas, he has lived and worked all over the country, including Illinois, New York and Arizona, Texas, and Michigan. He has a MFA from Western Michigan University and a Journalism degree from the University of Illinois. His novels have earned several awards, including the 2008 Sol Books Prose Series Award, the 2005 Alligator Juniper Fiction Prize and the 2005 The Writers Place Award for Fiction. Not Famous Anymore was awarded a grant by the Elizabeth George Foundation.  King Biscuit was originally written under the title December’s Children and was a finalist for the 2006 Sol Books Prose Series Prize. To learn more about Michael Loyd Gray's work, visit http://www.michaelloydgray.com/

Friday's Podcast Guest: Novelist Michael Loyd Gray

Anyone who listens to our podcast knows that I'm a huge fan of Michael Loyd Gray's work. A few months ago he joined me to discuss Not Famous Anymore, the story of a Hollywood movie star who escapes to the rural Midwestern town of his boyhood.  It was such as pleasure, not only to hear Michael's thoughts on the book, but on his creative process in developing plot and character.

That's why I'm so pleased to announce that Michael will be back this Friday to discuss his latest novel, King Biscuit. King Biscuit is the poignant story of Billy Ray Fleener, a sixteen-year-old boy growing up in the Vietnam Era. Torn between his overbearing, ultra-conservative father and the ghost of his "cool" uncle, Billy Ray sneaks out of town, determined to see the world and, hopefully, find his place in it. 

Join us on Friday as Michael talks about the book, as well as what inspired him to write about this defining moment in American history.

Join Us for a Conversation With Award-Winning Author Michael Loyd Gray

It seems that with each passing day, our society is becoming more and more obsessed with fame. We spend countless hours watching, reading about, and sometimes even stalking, those who have it. For many people, fame is the ultimate dream, even if it means they have to air their dirty laundry on a reality show to get it. Rarely does anyone consider the downside of living in this golden fishbowl, but award-winning author Michael Loyd Gray does just that in his excellent new novel, Not Famous Anymore.

Elliott Adrian is in many ways a Hollywood cliché: small town boy who made good; a movie star with a mansion, a collection of sports cars, and an entourage of sycophants to fulfill his every desire; another celebrity behaving badly, without a care for anyone but himself. But beneath the flippant, arrogant façade beats the heart of an empty, desperately unhappy man. After his latest alcohol-fueled stunt lands him in rehab, Elliott decides he’s cashing in his chips and leaving L.A.—and fame—for good.

Disguising himself with a mustache, a cowboy hat and a series of vehicles that have seen better days, Elliott escapes his golden cage and begins driving back to the Midwest. He is not sure what he is doing, but he knows he is driven by an inexplicable need to make things simpler. What he finds, however, is that his life is about to get a heck of a lot more complicated.

In creating the rich world of his novels, Michael Loyd Gray draws both on his own experiences and the many pearls of wisdom he has gleaned from literature, music, and movies. His work, he has said, is inspired by that of Ernest Hemingway, but also writers such as Bobbie Anne Mason, Ellen Gilchrist, Raymond Carver, Stuart Dybek, Daniel Curley, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Whether you are a published author, aspiring writer, or just someone who loves a good read, you'll thoroughly enjoy listening to Michael Loyd Gray speak about his love of literature and his own creative process. Click below to listen to the podcast.

Michael Loyd Gray is an award-winning author, journalist and college professor. Born in Arkansas and raised in Champaign, Illinois, he has also lived and worked in New York, Arizona, Texas, and Michigan. He has a MFA from Western Michigan University and a Journalism degree from the University of Illinois. His novel Well Deserved won the 2008 Sol Books Prose Series Award. His story "Little Man" won the 2005 Alligator Juniper Fiction Prize and the 2005 The Writers Place Award for Fiction. Not Famous Anymore was awarded a grant by the Elizabeth George Foundation. December’s Children, another of his novels, was a finalist for the 2006 Sol Books Prose Series Prize and is forthcoming in 2012 from Sol Books as the young adult novel, King Biscuit.

Currently, Michael is a full-time online English professor at South University, where he co-founded Asynchronous, the student literary journal.

Not Famous Anymore is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This Week's Podcast Guest: Michael Loyd Gray

Join us on Friday as award-winning author Michael Loyd Gray discusses his latest novel, Not Famous Anymore. Both a poignant social commentary and an excellent read, this book cements Gray's place among America's best contemporary authors.

Elliott Adrian is in many ways a Hollywood cliché: small town boy who made good; a movie star with a mansion, a collection of sports cars, and an entourage of sycophants to fulfill his every desire; another celebrity behaving badly, without a care for anyone but himself. But beneath the flippant, arrogant façade beats the heart of an empty, desperately unhappy man. After his latest alcohol-fueled stunt lands him in rehab, Elliott decides he’s cashing in his chips and leaving L.A.—and fame—for good.

As he travels along the dusty back roads of small town America, Elliott learns that quitting fame is not as easy as he had thought. But as he struggles to shed his movie star persona and avoid a rabid pack of paparazzi, he encounters friends whose pearls of real world wisdom lead him closer to his truth. For Elliot’s real journey is not about escaping Hollywood, but about
rediscovering himself.

Michael Loyd Gray is an award-winning author, journalist and college professor. Born in Arkansas and raised in Champaign, Illinois, he has also lived and worked in New York, Arizona, Texas, and Michigan. He has a MFA from Western Michigan University and a Journalism degree from the University of Illinois. His novel Well Deserved won the 2008 Sol Books Prose Series Award. His story "Little Man" won the 2005 Alligator Juniper Fiction Prize and the 2005 The Writers Place Award for Fiction. Not Famous Anymore was awarded a grant by the Elizabeth George Foundation. December’s Children, another of his novels, was a finalist for the 2006 Sol Books Prose Series Prize and is forthcoming in 2012 from Sol Books as the young adult novel, King Biscuit. Currently, Gray is a full-time online English professor at South University, where he co-founded Asynchronous, the student literary journal.

Be sure to tune in on Friday to learn more about Michael Loyd Gray and his craft.