EPISODE 670 - Barbara Viniar - Little bird is the story of a girl who finds the courage to forge her own path to womanhood in 1910

I was born and raised in the Bronx, NY, but once I left for college at 17, I never went back. With the benefit of having lived in many other places in the U.S. and abroad, I now look back fondly on my neighborhood, a place where people knew and cared about each other. But as a teenager I couldn’t wait to escape. I wanted to meet new people and explore New York City, which I was able to do at the H.S. of Music and Art, one the city’s selective high schools at that time. Being immersed in the arts was one of the defining experiences of my life.

Writing brings me joy. It will be the cornerstone of this chapter of my life.

“With meticulous historical research and heartfelt storytelling, Viniar introduces an unforgettable heroine - not because Fannie is extraordinary, but because she feels so real. She’s the kind of character who becomes a friend, someone you’ll root for as she navigates the trials of youth, immigration and identity as a Jewish woman. ”

— Robyn Rosen, Ph.D. Professor of history, Marist College

Book - Little Bird - “Like the heroine of her timeless novel, Barbara Viniar has meticulously embroidered this story of a talented young woman torn between the tradition she respects and the dreams she can’t deny.”
— Elyce Wakerman, author of A Tale of Two citizens and Father Loss

After an old photograph and newspaper article revealed that my grandmother, Fannie, was married to a cousin at 17 and later divorced, I felt compelled to tell her story. But with only a few dates and names to go on, I had to create the story from my imagination.

It took three years of writing and rewriting, not to mention researching the life of a Jewish immigrant in New York City from 1910 – 1917 to finish Little Bird.

I only hope that my Fannie captures what might have been true about my grandmother. I often feel that telling her story has been a way of discovering my own.

They say writers are either compulsive plotters or “pantsers,” happy to let their stories evolve without a plan. I am somewhere in between. I had a detailed outline when I started, but then characters surprised me. Their voices changed the story.

I am often asked if I have written fiction before. Have I always dreamed of writing a novel? Absolutely not! This passion, this commitment of time and emotional energy to writing a novel has all been new to me. I would sit down at my desk and lose track of time. It still fills me with terror and joy.

https://barbaraviniar.com/

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EPISODE 669 - Leonard D. Hilley II - epic fantasy series, sci-fi suspense, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and young adult novels

Leonard D. Hilley II grew up in Fort Payne, AL, where his never-ending curiosity introduced him to the world of biology and books. During his youth he was an avid insect collector and reared butterflies and moths. His love for science eventually merged with his writing. He currently resides in Marietta, Ohio, where he writes science fiction thrillers, epic high fantasy, and YA mysteries.

Education: B.S. Biology; MFA in Creative Writing

Leonard D. Hilley II is the author of Predators of Darkness Series, The Chronicles of Aetheaon, The Forrest Wollinsky Vampire Hunter Series, and The Nocturnal Trinity Series.

Leonard D. Hilley II also writes short stories for YA. Two books were inspired by his early love of biology: Rearing Dragons in My Backyard and Fiddling Worms. He also writes a mystery series for YA: Dee’s Mystery Solvers.

https://leonarddhilleyii.com/

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EPISODE 489 - Author Darlene Campos Shares the Amazing Story of Holocaust Survivor Pete Philipps

Hello! Hola! I'm Darlene P. Campos, an Ecuadorian-American author who is also a proud Houstonian.

I earned my BA in English-Creative Writing with a Medicine and Society Studies minor from the University of Houston (Go Coogs!) and my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso (Go Miners!).

I am the author of the young adult novels Behind Mount Rushmore, Summer Camp is Cancelled, and Heaven Isn't Me, traditionally published by Vital Narrative Press.

Pete Philipps' Interview
Pete grew up in Essen, a major industrial city on Germany’s Ruhr River. His father worked as a cattle hide dealer for an international trading company in nearby Mühlheim. His mother was a designer for a fashionable women’s dress shop. Pete, his younger twin brothers, and parents lived together in an apartment.

1933–39: Pete had barely passed his first birthday when the Nazis came to power. His father realized the danger that now faced Jews in Germany, and the family left for Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1936. Pete attended Jewish school there, but the times were unsettling. In fall 1938, the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia, was incorporated into the Nazi Reich, and the following March, German troops marched into Prague. Shortly thereafter, Pete’s family left for Italy, where they settled in the Genoa suburbs. There, they were attacked by local antisemitic fascists. Soon after Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, the Philippses immigrated to Ecuador.

1940–45: In Quito, the Philippses joined the growing colony of refugees from Germany. Pete attended a private boys’ school. His father set up business making margarine, while his mother did clothing alterations and knitting. In May 1941, just six months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Philippses arrived in the United States. Pete’s father returned to his former company.

After the war, Pete learned that his paternal grandmother, who had fled earlier to the Netherlands, had been deported to Auschwitz, where she perished. He completed his education and, after a tour of military duty in Germany, became a journalist for the New York Times.

https://www.ushmm.org/remember/holocaust-survivors/volunteers/pete-philipps
https://www.ushmm.org/
https://www.darlenepcampos.com/
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podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/

Published: Jan. 20, 2025

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