Thrilling Reading to Keep Your Mind Engaged

My Favorite Books

It’s been awhile since I posted regularly. I’ve finished revisions to my book Time’s Echo and sent it off for comments from beta readers. Which means, I’ve time to post a few book suggestions for you.

The summer has become autumn and maybe your reading tastes have changed too. Recently, I’ve read some interesting books by former and upcoming podcast guests that I think you might enjoy.

John DeDakis, a former CNN editor, has a fascinating book series about a young woman who becomes a journalist when she finds her aunt on the garage floor of their home with the car running. The police think it’s a suicide, but Lark Chadwick is not so sure. The first book in the series is Fast Track. In this book she discovers dark secrets about her parent’s death in a train accident when she was a baby. Her investigation is encouraged by her soon to be mentor, Lionel Stone, a Pulitzer-Prize winning former editor for a national publication. He’s now semi-retired, living in his Wisconsin hometown and running the local newspaper. There are several edge of your seat installments to this series which should keep you busy for a month or two. 

If you’re into memoir, you might enjoy Red Bird, by Diandra Ford-Wing inspired by two traumatic events in her life, the mysterious death of her beloved Aunt in Africa, and the equally unexplainable death of her Mother not many months later. I found this book to be quite inspirational as Diandra deals with her grief.

I may have suggested this book before, but it’s good enough to suggest again. It’s The Housekeeper’s Secret, by Sandra Schnakenburg. Sandra grew up in a troubled home. From the outside her family looked like they had it all. When Lee joins the household has the new housekeeper, Sandra, her mother and siblings gain some much needed stability. It isn’t until Sandra is an adult that she discovers that Lee has a secret she wants Sandra to discover and share with the world in a book. It’s a real life detective story. I never thought a memoir could be this riveting. This book is a page turner.

As the AI debate rages, the series by Guy Morris beginning with Swarm might be for you. One of the main components in this story is based on actual events. A rouge AI program named SLVIA was developed by the NSA. They sent it out to learn assuming it would return, but it didn’t and now Derek Taylor, a fugitive hacker has direct contact with SLVIA through an implant in his head. This is good for awhile until a Chinese AI virus threatens national security, SLVIA, Derek, and Lt. Scott must stop the virus from spreading across the globe. I’ve only read the first book, but am looking forward to reading the next books in the series which are, The Last Ark, and The Image.

If military mysteries are your style, Early This Morning by Darrell Berry might be for you. The structure is interesting. From the beginning we know the villains are at the Pentagon and in Congress, but what we don’t know is how the company of mostly gay service men and women will survive the extremely dangerous mission they’ve been sent on. 

My next suggestion is a fantasy series by J.F. Monroe, beginning with The Legendary Guardians: Reunions. I never thought of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as heroes, but in these books they are fighting angels and demons who want to start a war on Earth. 

If you’re a writer, you might be interested in Lorraine Haataia’s book, Finish Your Book. It’s full of tips for new and even experienced authors who feel the need to refresh their skills in a supportive writing community. Lorraine is the founder of Prolific Writers Life were writers and experts connect. Writer’s get feedback and encouragement to not only finish their book but explore the options for publication and promotion. I belong to PWL and can testify that it’s a fun place to meet fellow writers and publishing experts.

My final suggestion is historical fiction story by D. H. Morris, The Girl of Many Crowns. It’sbased on her ancestors, Judith of France, a descendant of Emperor Charlemagne, and Baldwin Iron Arm of Flanders. Judith is a pawn in her father, King Charles political machinations when she’s married at the age of 12 to Aethelwulf the aging King of Wessex in England. The marriage is an attempt to fortify France against the Danes (Vikings) who are raiding all over what is now Europe. When Aethelwulf dies two years after their marriage, she’s then forced to marry his son who is cruel and power hungry. But when he dies, her father tries to marry her off again. This time she refuses and is imprisoned in one of her father’s palaces. But she has fallen in love with Baldwin, the mentor and protector of her younger brother, Louis. They cause a scandal in the Holy Roman Empire when they elope aided by Louis and her other brother Charles. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happened to Judith and Baldwin. It’s a gripping story.

That’s all for my book suggestions. I’d like to hear what books you’ve been reading lately that we might want to put on our reading lists.

Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters: Captain Newman, M.D.

The issue of mental and emotional health is a topic of much debate these days. After the pandemic and now all the chaos going on in the world, those of us who might not have acknowledged the fact that our own emotional and even mental well-being are in jeopardy are now considering how to cope.

Celeste and I decided we’d contribute to the discussion by talking about four movies dealing with mental and emotional health issues. These movies were ground breaking in that they were made during times when mental health was an almost taboo subject.

The first of these is Captain Newman, M.D. (1963). It’s based on a real-life doctor, Captain Ralph Greenson, a psychiatrist who worked with traumatized service men during WW II and was one of the first to identify the symptoms of PTSD following combat. Gregory Peck heads an all-star cast including Angie Dickinson, Tony Curtis, Eddie Albert and Robert Duvall, a year after his appearance with Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird.

The movie shows how war affects those who fight. Some of the characters in the movie, like the Base Commander, think that claiming mental illness is a way to avoid going back into battle. It’s not until a tragedy involving an important colonel happens that the Commander begins to understand that “battle fatigue” is a real thing.

We hope you will watch both our analysis and the movie. If you’ve seen it, tell us how it affected you.

Balancing Healthy Skepticism With Musical Dreams

Hi! I’m Gillian. I’ve been an artist my whole life, creating book covers on Wattpad and drawing my own comic books. I got into writing songs and stories in high school and haven’t stopped since. I graduated from the University of Washington and Columbia Publishing Course. I love to think of out-of-the-box ways to promote your brand or product, because I think everyone has a story worth telling.

Gillian McMahon is a multimodal creator. From writing songs and playing in her band, “The Sleepy Haunts,” to working as a graphic designer and publishing professional, to writing original stories, and to acting, she aims to do it all. 

Website, LinkedIn, Instagram: @itsgillianm @thesleepyhaunts @the.perseephone

The Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, Washington

Neumos, Seattle, Washington

Chop Suey, Seattle, Washington

Renaissance Fairs across the Country

Story-Power on Patreon

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power Patreon Community so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

PodMatch

If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. I call them a dating service for podcasters. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.

Affiliate link for PodMatch only.

Prolific Writers Life

My husband, Barry and I are members and experts at Prolific Writers Life, which offers members a variety of free online work sessions and discounts on coaching with industry experts. They offer opportunities to hone your writing skills, develop your author brand, and connect with a supportive community in live events. You can participate in group chats or send private messages to members through Prolific Writers Chat. If you’ve got a writing project, or are an expert who can help members finish their books, come join the community.

They also offer fun events like Films for Writers, which is free for anyone who wants to attend. It’s like a film club. We watch the movies about writers often with tidbits about their writing life, and then come together on the last Friday evening of every month to discuss the movie. You can check out Prolific Writers Life with a free 14 day trial to see if this the community you have been looking for. 

Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters

Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. Celeste and I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.

Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, and the kind of world we want to live in.

Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.

Promoting Your Work by Podcast Guesting

Photo by Los Muertos Crew on Pexels.com

I know most of you who follow me are creative in some way. With the world in as much chaos as it is right now, we need you to share your creative work. Many of you probably already have ways you share your work with the world, but some of you might not have considered being a podcast guest as one of them. 

I am not a marketing and promotion expert, but I have been the host of the podcast Story-Power for five years. All of my guests are creative in one way or another. Being a guest on my show and others is a wonderful way for you to reach a wide range of potential followers.

The number of podcast offerings has grown immensely over the last few years. And while these podcasts are likened to the old style radio shows, they have one huge difference. Most podcasters and their guests are ordinary people sharing their stories about how they came to create their book, artwork, music, product, course, business, or their expert advice on lots of topics.

While there are lots of types of podcasts focused on many different things, as an creator you will find that there is a large niche of offerings for you to connect with and share the story of how you became a writer, or whatever creative thing you do, and what your latest creation is about. But how do you find these podcasts, and how do you request to be a guest?

First of all, it might be good to listen to a few podcasts that are close to the things you’ve created. Make note of the ones you like the best. Most podcasts have websites where you can request to be a guest. The podcast that inspired Story-Power was, “What Should I Read Next” with Anne Bogel. They often put out requests for guest submissions on their website and their Patreon Community. I know there are others who do the same.

Another way you can request to be a guest is by joining what I call “a dating service for podcasters”. Just when I was beginning to wonder how I was going to find more guests for Story-Power, I was contacted by PodMatch. They are one such service and they were just getting started. I liked their mission statement, the way they offered suggestions to me for either guests, or hosts who were looking for connections, (I signed up as both a host and a guest.) and the way they helped me organize my tasks. There are many such podcast dating services that you can check out. If you find one you like just know that there will most likely be a fee of some kind to join. For example, the lowest tier to join PodMatch is $26 a month.

A third way you can find podcasts that fit your goal to become a guest is through social media. LinkedIn, Alignable, and others have special interest groups, podcasting is often one category of group you can join. You can also join other creative groups and get advice on how to find guest spots on popular podcasts.

Once you’ve done some research about which podcasts you might like to be a guest on, the next thing to do is jot down some things you would like to share as a guest. Many hosts will ask you for a list of questions to ask, or topics you would like to talk about. The best hosts I’ve enjoyed chatting with have a conversational format. They don’t stick to a specific script, though that might be a comforting way for you to begin your podcast guest journey.

As a courtesy to the podcast host, when your episode airs, they will send you a link or links for you to share with your social media community. You can also keep the links and use them as part of your project promotion tool box. One thing that’s great about being a podcast guest, your work will be introduced to lots of people who never would have found your except through the podcasts you have been a guest on.

On a personal note, podcasting has been a wonderful experience for me. I have met people from all over the world doing a myriad of creative projects. I’ve been introduced to fabulous books, music, and artwork. In fact, it was through Story-Power that I met Lorraine and Dave Hern and became a member and expert at Prolific Writers Life. You never know who your story will impact. When you appear on a podcast, you will benefit in ways you will most likely not expect.

I invite you to go listen to Story-Power on Apple, Spotify, or here on my website, Sage Woman Chronicles, and see if you might want to be one of my guests. I have openings at present in June of 2026 and beyond. We can schedule a conversation close to the release date for your episode. Please note that I am not always able to read your books, listen to your music, or check out your artwork or other products before I record an episode, but I will try to do so. I love talking with creative people of all kinds. I hope you will be one of them.

This post contains an affiliate link for PodMatch only.

Story-Power on Patreon

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power Patreon Community so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters

Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. Celeste and I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.

Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, and the kind of world we want to live in.

Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.

Guest Appearance on “A Writer’s Day”

Whew what a busy time it’s been for me. I got the revisions for *Time’s Echo* done and sent off. And I’ve recorded some Story-Power episodes and the latest Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters. More on that later.

But, I was a guest on “A Writer’s Day” with Ruth Douthitt and while we did talk a little bit about my books, mostly we talked about the fabulous Bette Davis movie, *Now, Voyager*, which is an upcoming movie Celeste and I will be talking about. So you get two conversations about an extremely important movie since it deals with mental and emotional health. It has some great tips for healing and coping with controlling people.

So, here’s my conversation with Ruth on Spotify. I hope you go check out her podcast and enjoy our conversation.