A Book and a Chat with Leonard H Roller

From ancient Greece to the 21st century, poets have gazed at the heavens, trying to unlock the mystery and beauty of the cosmos in verse. In his charming new collection, DARKLIGHT, Leonard H. Roller, one of those poetic seekers, leavens his fascination with the cosmos and love of writing poetry with a gentle humor that will leave readers chuckling while they ponder the great celestial questions and What It All Means.

In the 77 poems in DARKLIGHT, Roller employs a range of poetic styles – from classical sonnets to free verse – to present his unique vision of such astronomical concepts as black holes, dark energy, the “Big Bang” theory, white dwarf stars , multiverses, the possible beginning and end of our universe and the existence of God.

Readers need not be well-versed in such subjects – or in poetry itself – to enjoy Roller’s poems. His writing is user-friendly and will appeal to those who love poetry, are intrigued by cosmology, as well as those looking for something different, a touch of profundity, but refreshingly free of pretense and confusing obscurity. Roller’s ideas and writing style go down easily. Simply put, the poems in DARKLIGHT are fun.

Roller holds advanced degrees in journalism and literature, is well-read in physics and astronomy. His love affair with the heavens began as a “star struck” boy peering into the night sky through a telescope given to him as a birthday gift. Though infatuated with poetry throughout his life, he began to take writing poetry seriously after reading a book by actor Stephen Fry titled “The Ode Less Traveled,” a manual on poetic style and form.

“I discovered that I really wanted to write poems,” Roller says. Astronomy and things celestial became natural subjects for him. In time, he started to send his work to literary magazines, where many of his poems were published.

Roller’s poetry reflects his darkly humorous view of the universe. “It has both a light side and a dark side. I don’t know what God had in mind, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that He made the world – and us — tongue-in-cheek, a cosmic cocktail of tears and laughter.”

The imagery of Roller’s poems is striking and amusing. A black hole is likened to a gobbling troll, a quasar to a wedding feast, the death of stars to the fading of a movie queen:

As time and celestial taste go by,
They are no longer stellar queens.
Whether with a shriek or a sigh,
They leave the screen.

Roller hopes his poems will encourage readers to think a little about where we came from and where we’re going, “…about what we’re doing here and why.”

So listen now and share an interesting and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Leonard Roller

Barry

Direct link to this show and all my other arched shows.

“A Book and a Chat with Leonard Roller” and all my other archived shows

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:

“Leonard Roller – Darklight”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

All about Barry Eva his books and parodies and much more – Across the Pond LLC

Read Full Post »

A Book and a Chat with Tamera Will Wissinger

It is a pleasure to have another of the member of the Class of 2K13 (debut YA and mid grade authors) in the form of Tamera (like camera) Will Wissinger. Who joined me to chat about her debut book “Gone Fishing”, a charming new children’s novel written in verse.

The middle of three children Tamera remembers well going fishing with her parents when she was young, and I still when her schedules allow, going fishing with her husband. In fact several scenes from the book are taken straight from her family fishing experiences.

About “Gone Fishing” (taken from authors web site):

Using a wide variety of poetic forms – quatrains, ballads, iambic meter, rhyming lists, concrete poetry, tercets and free verse – this debut author tells the story of a nine-year-old boy’s day of fishing. Sibling rivalry, the bond between father and son, the excitement – and difficulty – of fishing all add up to a day of adventure any child would want to experience.

Matthew Cordell illuminates this novel-in-verse throughout with his energetic black-and-white line drawings.
While each poem can be read and enjoyed on its own, the poems work together to create a story arc with conflict, crisis, resolution and character growth.

The back matter of this book equips the reader with a Poet’s Tackle Box of tools and definitions for understanding the various poetic forms the author uses in this story.

The book has received numerous praising reviews from people of all ages.

“Just the thing for readers with a burgeoning interest in poetry—or angling.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A playful verse narrative of the joys and perils of a family fishing trip. . . . This tender, well-crafted sibling story should hook many readers.”
—Kirkus

“Engaging verse that’s just the right depth and length for chapter-book readers. . . A solid, entertaining story to hook children on poetry.”
—Booklist

“All of Sam’s episodes take the form of poems, each discreetly labeled by its poetic form, which is then defined at the end of the book. . . most will enjoy the notion that there are as many ways to tell a tale as to catch a fish.”
—Bulletin

The book is a delightful book that not only will entertain readers of all ages with a compelling storyline, as well as introduce them to many forms of poetry.

So listen now and share an interesting, and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Tamera Will Wissinger

Barry

Direct link to the show

A Book and a Chat with Tamera Will Wissinger

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from

“Tamera Will Wissinger”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:

“Tamera Will Wissinger – Gone Fishing”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Read Full Post »

A Book and a Chat with Jay P White

 

Jay P. White, is my guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat”. During his childhood he spent many summers sailing on Lake Erie. In the early 1980s, he worked delivering sailboats up and down the Eastern seaboard, to the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

Jay is the author of four published books of poems, and numerous essays, articles, fiction, reviews and interviews. His first and by no means his last novel “Every Boat Turns South” is dotted with his own experiences sailing the Caribbean waters.

As Jay shared with us during the program, the book had a tough time plowing through the merky waters of publishing, being tossed from agent to publisher the journey has taken over ten years, but as anybody who has read the novel will testify, the arrival of “Every Boat Turns South” was well worth waiting for.

About Every Book Turns South:

It’s the story of Matt Younger, a 30-year-old boat delivery captain who returns to Florida after a 13 year absence to make a confession to his dying father. Matt wants to tell his father about a failed boat delivery from
West Palm Beach to St. Thomas, but the father only wants to hear about Matt’s role in the death of the favorite son, Hale..

The book is meditation on dying, mixed with love and forgiveness, all tossed into an adventure odyssey that takes you along routes that I’m sure Jay himself has sailed, and many of the characters he has met along the way.

During the show we learned about what else Jay has been writing, another book of poems and an historical novel set during Prohibition entitled, Whiskey and Hard Water. Add to that the fact that there will be three more books in the Matt Younger series; there can be nothing but good times and fair winds ahead for today’s guest Jay P White.

So sit back and listen to an enjoyable thirty minutes on today’s “A Book and a Chat with Jay P White.”

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat with Jay P White”

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“Jay P White”

You can find out more about my guest and their book at:
“Jay P White – Every Boat Turns South”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Read Full Post »

A Book and a Chat with Lucha Corpi

 

Poet, novelist, and children’s book writer Lucha Corpi was my guest on “A Book and a Chat” today. Lucha is one of those people who have lived such interesting lives and produced such a myriad of different literature that chatting to her for thirty minutes only scratched the surface of this ladies talent.

Born in in a small town in Mexico called Jaltipan in the state of Veracruz, Lucha made her way as a young bride to Berkeley, California, arriving in 1964 when the hippy movement was flowing through the west coast. As Lucha explained to us during the show, she found it strange that these people thought it was “far out” to be walking around barefoot, whereas to Lucha it was just like being back in her home town.

From those early days Lucha started producing poetry, becoming a firmly establish Chicana poet with her book Palabras de Medioda/Noon Words. During the show we learned how Lucha writes her poetry in Spanish and her novels in English, though this first book has been translated into English by Catherine Rodriguez-Nieto.

From the poetry start, my guest went from a children book to then write novels, about her favorite subject of mystery. During the show Lucha shared with us, how her love of mystery and crime desended from reading to her father, except for the one “local crime page” which her father took out of the paper before the young girl could read it.

Since then Lucha Corpi has gone from strength to strength with the fourth book in the Gloria Damasco series coming out the end of last year called “Death at Solstice: A Gloria Damasco Mystery” coming out the end of last year.

With such an interesting an entertaining author the show just sped by, so why not sit back and listen to thirty minutes of pure enjoyment as I share “A Book and a Chat with Lucha Corpi”.

Or else you can download the mp3 file and listen to the show at another time.

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat with Lucha Corpi”

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“Lucha Corpi”

You can find out more about the books of Lucha Corpi:
“Lucha Corpi Books”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Read Full Post »

A Book and a Chat with Tinisha Nicole Johnson

My guest on tonight’s “A Book and a Chat” is Author/Writer/Poet “Tinisha Nicole Johnson”.

Tinisha has come a long way since at the age of eleven she started writing poetry, keeping several journals of these poems, some of which were published in books poetry collection books.

While poetry is still Tinisha’s first love she has produced novels and short stories across many different realms of writing from her first novel “Searchable Whereabouts” A mystery novel about a woman is trying to unravel the mysterious death of her beloved uncle. To her latest production “Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself as a Black Woman”

During the show Tinisha shared with us how “Lessons Learned” came about, the inspiration behind the writing and the hope she has that this book will help others.

A self help book, “Lessons Learned” addresses ten life lessons into a woman’s most intimate and professional life, while emphasizing the importance of self-love. The book touches on issues of happiness, self-love, a woman’s worth, family and more. Although the book caters mostly towards women of color, it is a book that any woman can benefit from. With powerful tips, messages, and suggestions it is, as Tinisha hopes a book that can help many.

During the show many area of Tinisha’s writing and work were discussed including what she is currently working on. So why not sit back and enjoy today’s “A Book and a Chat with Tinisha Nicole Johnson” or else download the mp3 and listen at your leisure.

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat with Tinisha Nicole Johnson”

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“Tinisha Nicole Johnson”

You can find out more about Tinisha and her books at:
“Tinisha Nicole Johnson – Lessons Learned”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Read Full Post »

A Book and a Chat with U.L. Harper

My guest on the show today has come a long way since teachers told him he could not be allowed to take a creative writing class. U.L. Harper has come a long way since those days. His current novel “The Flesh Statue” shows just how far.

U.L. went to college for journalism, getting literary feet wet at UCLA (University of Cypress Lincoln Avenue). His writing developed, as U.L shared with us, through the realms of a part time slam poet, moving around different cities cursing at the audience in the name of art and style. From there his writing continued as Editor in Chief for the Cypress Chronicle.

“The Flesh Statue” is a novel that touches many if life’s issues, many of which U.L shared with us during the show, from Alzheimer’s, which leaves the books main characters Langely’s Grandfather sitting like a statue made of flesh (hence the book title).

Subjects such as abortion, abuse, death, graffiti, neighborhood watch groups and the police fill the pages of this interesting, entertaining and poignant novel. As “The Flesh Statue” follows Langley on this search for answers, and the array of characters he meets along the way.

As U.L shared during the show, there is another novel in the pipe line and I’m sure we’ll hear pleny more about my guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat with U.L. Harper”

So why not sit back and listen to the show or else download it and share the broadcast at another time.

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat with U.L. Harper”

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“U.L. Harper”

You can find out more about Kathi and her books at:
“U.L. Harper – The Flesh Statue”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Read Full Post »

A Book and a Chat with “Irene Latham”

The various guests I’ve had on “A Book and a Chat” have covered many subjects along the way, however up and tell now, I’ve never discussed “quilting” on the program before, that is until today. Before you start thinking I’m on some form of craft kick, that is not the case. As we discovered during today’s show, my guest “Irene Latham” debut novel “Leaving Gee’s Bend” is about a whole lot more than just quilting.

Irene has been producing poetry since the age of eight, with a family that believed not only in reading and sharing what was produced by their children, but also showing them the wonders of the world in a modern form of “Grand Tour”.

Irene, resident of Birmingham, Alabama, for the past 25 years, she has published over 120 poems of various books, journals and anthologies, including a full-length collection WHAT CAME BEFORE, which was named Alabama State Poetry Society’s book of the Year and earned a 2008 Independent Publisher’s (IPPY) Award.

During what was a truly interesting, fun and educational sixty minutes, we were told about the story behind the book. How “Leaving Gee’s Bend” merges the history of that location in the early thirty’s, with a beautiful and meaningful story about a young girl not giving up, not letting herself down or anybody else, as well as the love of a daughter for her mother. It is a story that can make you laugh and cry on the same page.

There is so much information and shared during the show I do not know where to start writing about it. The best thing I can suggest is you listen to the show now or else download the mp3 file and share what was a fascinating one hour show, “A Book and a Chat with Irene Latham

Barry

“A Book and a Chat with Irene Latham”

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“Irene Latham”

You can find out more about Hope and his books at:
“Irene Latham – Leaving Gee’s Bend”

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:
Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond
Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat
Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Read Full Post »

A Book and a Chat with Jill Jepson

On today’s “Book and a Chat” my very special guest is… “Jill Jepson.“

Today on my blog radio show “A Book and a Chat” my special guest is traveler, professor, and transformational life coach, and the author of three books Jill Jepson.

Listen to the show an hear from Jill about traveling the world and finding that that writing and spirituality are closely tied, that writing is actually a form of spirituality. Her thoughts and inspirations are shared in her book. “Writing as a Sacred Path” Follow her as she explains that this wonderful book is a guide and help for writers of all kinds from poets to master writers, from those just starting out on the literary trail to help in just writing a school essay.

Join Barry (Storyheart) and Jill for thirty minutes as they discuss her life and her book.

You can listen to the show (as I am now) at

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Across-the-Pond

or at

http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com

“Writing as a Sacred Path” is a must read for all would be writers.

Thank you
Barry (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
“Across the Pond”

Read Full Post »