Another author I met at the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies is political thriller author Michael Fedor. We spoke about his experience as a political operative and how it has shaped his writing today. He was first a schoolteacher and then a political operative. Our conversation can be heard below. Fedor has worked as […]

I met horror author Michael Kelso at the Festival of Books in the Alleghenies. He agreed to be interviewed about his work. A retired corrections officer, I asked him how it shaped his writing. I also asked him about the writing process. The interview can be seen below. **Related Posts** The 2024 Festival of Books […]

On Monday I sat down with local author Hilary Hauck for an interview. She is one of the organizers of the 2024 Festival of Books in the Alleghenies. Allegheny Independent Media is a media sponsor for this event. It will be on September 20 & 21 in Ebensburg, PA. Day one of the Festival The […]

In 2018, I saw that PBS had an online poll called the Great American Read for the best novel or series of novels. To Kill a Mockingbird won the poll followed by Outlander (series), Harry Potter (series), Pride and Predjudice, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Wuthering Heights (of which the title of my […]

This week (Sept. 18-24) has been declared banned books week by the American Library Association. Above is a graphic from them detailing the complaints to local libraries, schools and other institutions about certain books, signings by authors, and films. This Friday I will be at the Cambria County Library to give a reading from my […]

Maus by Art Spiegelman was the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer prize.  It tells the story of the Holocaust with the Jews depicted as mice and the Nazis depicted as cats.  The news that a school board in Tennessee has banned the book  (summarized by David Corn in MotherJones) has made me think of my […]

On Tuesday, I went to a talk by local author Pat Farabaugh on his book Disastrous Floods and the Demise of Steel in Johnstown.  He gave a review of the 3 major floods in Johnstown’s history and why the steel mills pulled out of Johnstown a few years after the 1977 flood.  In the interest […]

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     Local Author Selected For Regional Festival (Ebensburg, PA) This year, Ebensburg will be host to The Festival of Books in the Alleghenies which will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2021 from 9AM until 4PM in Historic Ebensburg. This 4th annual regional festival is free to attend and will […]

I will be presenting my book Wuthering Depths in Johnstown: By the Numbers at the annual writers conference of the Writers Association of Northern Appalachia. It will be in Wheeling, WV on September 10-12 at Oglebay Park. I will also be presenting my book at Classic Elements in Johnstown on July 10th at 1PM.  It’s […]

I’ll take another break from Coronavirus to talk about my book and the second anniversary of my Best Nonfiction Book of All Time poll.  Hopefully it’s more inspiring this holiday season.  First my book. Christmas tree created by Duane Webb showing books by local authors (myself included).  You can bid on it at the Community […]