Unsolicited book review Tuesday.Today's installment: Conversation with Richie Billing about his book Together We Rise (2025)Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer Richie Billing--who's across the pond in Liverpool. Richie reached out via email, and truly I was just captured by his book from the jump. Both the inventiveness of including a score, the beauty of the maps, and, of course, the story that, while fantasy, was both prescient and timely. Here's his bio:Richie Billing gave up his job as a lawyer to pursue his passion for writing. He writes all kinds of stories, but mostly fantasy fiction. His tales often explore real-world issues, zooming in on the characters and their troubles. His short fiction has been widely published, with one story adapted for BBC radio. In March 2021 his debut novel, Pariah’s Lament, was published by indie press Of Metal and Magic Publishing. Richie also hosts the podcast The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed, and his craft book on writing fantasy, A Fantasy Writers’ Handbook, has helped some writers land book deals. When not writing, Richie works as an editor and digital marketer and teaches creative writing both online and in his home city of Liverpool. Most nights you can find him up into the early hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.You can find him online at: https://richiebilling.com/

Or at his Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/RichieBillingYou can order copies through his webpage: https://richiebilling.com/booksThanks for listening and/or watching!Your friendly intensely curious author and indie publisher!http://www.michaelmacbride.com#unsolicitedreview #bookreview #unsolicitedbookreview #macbride #books #booktok #bookstagram #fantasy #richiebilling #togetherwerise #urbanfantasy

On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, Michael David MacBride (that's me!) and Francine Romine MacBride sat down in front of a live audience at Fine Print Bookshop in Saline, Michigan to launch MacBride's latest novel: At The Wake. Recorded live with no edits. Enjoy!

Grab a copy from Fine Print or anywhere you can buy books.

Here's the blurb from the book:

At the Wake is an unflinching exploration of family, legacy, and the long shadow cast by one man's life. Achiel Van Slyck was a man of contradictions-a war hero who took pride in his service, but also a vindictive neighbor, a volatile father, and a man whose actions shattered lives, including his own. When he murdered Clifford Ellis in 1975, the crime sent shockwaves through his family and community, leaving scars and secrets that would ripple across generations.

Through a kaleidoscope of perspectives-his wife, children, siblings, and even his victims-Achiel's story unfolds in fragments, revealing a complex portrait of a man shaped by trauma, war, and a simmering rage. As each family member recounts their experiences, they grapple with the truths of their shared past, the weight of Achiel's legacy, and their own struggles to reconcile love, anger, and loss.

Set against the backdrop of small-town dynamics and spanning decades, At the Wake delves into the messy, often painful process of confronting one's history. It's a tale of resilience, reflection, and the ways in which families try to move forward while bearing the imprint of the past. Michael David MacBride weaves a haunting and evocative narrative that challenges readers to ask: can we ever truly escape the shadows of our ancestors?

Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer Bronson Lemer, and even though we're on Zoom he's also in Minnesota. He chose the book we both read--The Evening Crowd at Kirmser's--and we sit down to talk about the book, writing, memoirs, queer history and culture, and any number of other things.Here's his bio:Bronson Lemer is the author of The Last Deployment: How a Gay, Hammer-Swinging Twentysomething Survived a Year in Iraq and The Lonely Veteran’s Guide to Companionship. His work has appeared in Guernica, Creative Nonfiction, The Southeast Review, Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers, and elsewhere. A 2019 McKnight Writing Fellow, he lives in St. Paul.You can find him online at: https://bronsonlemer.com/Or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/blemerYou can pick up copies his books at @MagersandQuinn : --https://www.magersandquinn.com/product/The-Lonely-Veterans-Guide-to-Companionship/27097640--https://www.magersandquinn.com/product/The-Last-Deployment-How-a-Gay,-Hammer-Swinging-Twentysomething-Survived-a-Year-in-Iraq/2187786

And grab a copy of Brown's book right at the University of Minnesota press: https://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816636228/evening-crowd-at-kirmsers/Thanks for listening and/or watching!Your friendly intensely curious author and indie publisher!http://www.michaelmacbride.com#unsolicitedreview #bookreview #unsolicitedbookreview #macbride #books #booktok #bookstagram #memoir #ricardojbrown #kirmser #eveningcrowd #lgbtqia #stpaul #minnesota #lastdeployment #lonelyveteran