Author Stephen Watts (pen name S.R. Watts) and actor and narrator Preston Geer discuss their audio book collaboration for Stephen’s new novel, The Celestial Flame. This is book one in the Divine Saga, a 5-part sweeping epic that combines both fantasy and science fiction and is filled with familial dynasties, political drama and intergalactic war. Stephen wrote this novel hoping it help people find some relief from anxiety, depression and trauma, much like his favorite fantasy books (such as LOTR) did for him when he was young. And Preston Geer worked hard to bring The Celestial Flame to life in audiobook format.

Authors M.M. Downing and S.J. Waugh discuss their new middle grade series, The Adventures of the Flash Gang, about eleven-year-old boy named Lewis Carter who is orphaned and left to fend for himself during the Great Depression in 1930’s Pittsburgh. But Lewis has some physical challenges that make it difficult for him to pull off the same stunts as other streeter orphans. So, Lewis resorts to science to help him in his plight. He becomes so successful that people assume there is an entire gang at work, and he becomes the most notorious food thief in all of Pittsburgh. By the way, he foils a Nazi plot as well. Episode One: Exploding Experiment and Episode Two: Treasonous Tycoon are available now.

Author Candace Kade discusses her newest book, Hybrid. It is the second installment in Candace’s young adult near-future science fiction trilogy known as The Hybrid Series, which she likens to Ready Player One meets Divergent. In Hybrid, Candace takes on the issues of CRISPR and genetic alteration, adoption and the meaning of family, as well as a bit of fun, including the wonderful celebration of the Lunar New Year. Even though Hybrid is the second book in the series, it is really more of an origin story for main character Lee Urban as she struggles with the idea of family—how difficult it can be, but also how hard we will fight to keep it.

Author Thomas R. Weaver discusses his debut novel, Artificial Wisdom. In this techno-thriller murder mystery, it is 25 years in the future. The world is polarized by politics and is gripped by war, climate change and technology that has advanced exponentially. Tom began writing by asking: What if the global community were to put its faith in an AI leader in a Brexit-style referendum? But all of this serves as a backdrop to a very personal and human story that centers around a reporter whose personal tragedy and grief has a direct connection to the crises that plague the global community.

Author Dr. Marschall Runge discusses his debut novel, Coded to Kill. In this techno-medical thriller, a state-of-the-art medical records system gets hijacked, giving the hijackers unfettered access to private information and the ability to change the patient records of some very important people—which means that medicine’s greatest breakthrough has become the world’s most efficient killing machine. As Marschall explains, everything in this book is possible, and some of it has already happened.

Author Gary Braver discusses his new book, Rumor of Evil. In this mystery novel, Gary weaves together two seemingly unrelated murders—one past and one present. Two police detectives catch a case of a woman’s murder that is staged to look like a suicide. As their investigation unfolds, they discover clues leading back to a decades-old murder of a teenage foreign exchange student. Gary believes the draw of the mystery genre comes down to the differences between true crime stories and fiction—namely that in fiction, motives become clear and, in the end, justice is usually served.

Author D.P. Behling discusses his new series, Josh & Sen Save the Multiverse. In the first book, The Path of One, two unlikely friends, one human and the other immortal, are thrown together to try to accomplish the impossible—rescue Josh’s four-year-old daughter, stop a genocidal soul-harvester, and save the multiverse. Dave’s inspirations include video games, sci fi fandoms, mythology, the difficult job of parenting, and the recent pandemic. Despite the sweeping and sometimes serious nature of this series, Dave’s favorite aspect of writing it was working humor into the stories.

Author Emily Shiner discusses her two of her new books: The Wife in the Photo and The Hotel. If you love a good revenge plot, check out The Wife in the Photo. It’s a psychological thriller filled with secrets, twists, a mysterious death and edge-of-your seat family drama. Emily’s other book, The Hotel, is a locked-room thriller that reveals what can go wrong when you’re trapped in a beautiful clifftop hotel during a blizzard with a family of strangers. As the author of more than a dozen books, Emily writes stories designed to keep her readers up at night.