Books That Make You Podcast Desiree Duffy

Books That Make You Go On a Science Fiction Adventure That’s Both Epic and Inclusive
A writer since she was a child, Rebecca Inch-Partridge grew up writing stories about The Bionic Woman meeting, say, Captain Kirk.
Escaping the Dashia, her first novel, is a YA science fantasy that tells the story of young telepath Twyla, abducted by her mother and forced to participate in the criminal organization that comprises the family business. The book was published by Black Rose Writing.
A member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and Broad Universe, Rebecca frequently speaks at writers’ conferences and pop culture conventions. Her writing, both fiction and non, has appeared in several magazines, and she has won Honorable Mention in the likes of Writers of the Future and Writer’s Digest contests. She received her bachelor’s degree from William Jessup University in (and she swears this isn’t an oxymoron) Management and Ethics.
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Books That Make You Stand at the Crossroads of God, Science, Technology and History
A scientist who believes in both God and evolution, Mark J. Rose is also an author who whisks readers back in time with his series Matt Miller in the Colonies, a set of historical science-fiction stories. Along with his curiosity and creativity, he carries an adventurous and exploratory spirit, which has him traveling and researching in-person many of the places he writes about.
For Mark, travel enriches his writing. One can Google a place, he says, but physically being there gives off an irreplaceable “vibration” the virtual world can’t duplicatee. For The Virginian, he visited Ben Franklin’s house in London — hardly a big tourist destination there. While writing the series’ most recent book, Architect, he organized a private tour of the Capital building in Colonial Williamsburg.
Mark is a director of research and development at a startup biotech company, and holds a doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry.
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Books That Make You Succeed in the Workplace, and Avoid Burnout
More and more, it’s becoming important for women in the workplace to recognize that the old rules no longer apply, and to adopt a new playbook.
Women may be natural leaders, but they’re burnt out. Even after playing by the rules, they still don’t achieve their much-deserved leadership roles. Now, with Randi Braun as their coach, they stand on the edge of something major.
Randi addresses subjects such as addiction to perfectionism, the reasons for burnout and unhappiness, what exactly is broken with the old system, the hard process of silencing our inner critic and rising above the quest for external validation.
A sought-after thought leader, speaker, and author of the women’s leadership book Something Major: The New Playbook for Women at Work (New Degree Press, 2023). Randi’s book brims with stories, testimonials, facts and figures. One play at a time, she’s changing women’s lives—all while wearing pink three-inch pumps.
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Books That Make You Feel Like You’ve Been Taken Off on a Grand Fantastic Journey
In J.W. Zarek’s BookFest Award-winning novel “The Devil Pulls the Strings,” time-travel, twisted history and secret societies come crashing together.
Since Boone was six, he’s been haunted by a Wendigo spirit, which doesn’t help his debilitating panic attacks or gut-wrenching guilt. Now, come Saturday, a cursed Immortal seeks to destroy New York City. But all Boone wants is to just keep a promise to a friend, a friend he nearly killed last Sunday.
Set in modern-day New York City, 1813 Genoa, Italy and Wentzville, MO, the book threads together Slavic mythology, secret societies, bromance, Paganini’s music and time travel.
In his day job, J.W. Zarek has helped catch bad guys for the government. While in Japan, he taught English Conversation in Japan, and can analyze anyone’s handwriting. He’s hunted pirates in the Persian Gulf, and has sailed twice through the Suez Canal.
While working at the FBI, his thesis on relationship red-flag behaviors earned him an invitation to present a paper at the First Annual Forensics Congress in China. This, in turn, led him to writing his award-winning book “Naughty or Nice – Whose List Are You On?”, now available as a handout during lectures.
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Books That Make You Feel the Power of Loyalty, Nobility, Friendship—and Share Them with the Young Ones
Children’s books with positive, uplifting messages are a great way to not only introduce children to reading, but to give them a baseline of virtues, with ideas that impart life lessons to help them grow. And empathy, courage and friendship are all thematic virtues found in the Bookfest-Award-winning “Bunky and the Walms: The Christmas Story.”
Aleksandra Tryniecka, the author, a poet, writer and Assistant Professor at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Poland, as well as a poet and fiction writer. In addition to “Bunky and the Walms: The Christmas Story” (Wipf and Stock/Resource Publications, October 2021), she is the author of the forthcoming book, “Women’s Literary Portraits in the Victorian and Neo-Victorian Novel” (Rowman & Littlefield, Lexington Books, February 2023).
While working on Bunky’s further adventures, she enjoys 19th-century British literature, especially anything by Anthony Trollope and Wilkie Collins. The Cheshire Cat is one of her favorite literary characters…aside, of course, from Bunky!
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Books That Make You Understand the World Afresh, Perhaps Through Children’s Eyes
Author Kelly Anne Manuel has released four wonderful series for kids, all bearing a suite of positive messages. All in all, there are 31 books, one for every day of the month.
The Essentials Series—here, kids learn the importance of positive self-talk, with daily, positive affirmations that help children face their fears.
The Classics—timeless books where all generations can find meaning, and which help kids maneuver through challenging situations.
The Rainbow’s End Series—stories that aid in imaginary play. Each book begins with “The other day I went to visit a friend…”, and so whisks readers to a different place, where everything is possible.
My Name Is Series—with these, children can their internal and external nature, exploring self-esteem and clear communication. They offer the child the opportunity to say: “This is who I am.”
Kelly’s books meet children where they are. They help children see the world in an altogether inspiring—and entertaining—way, and to meet it with curiosity and confidence.
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