Talking travel, robots, and Moscow marriages at the Rhode Island Author Expo

This December saw the return of the Rhode Island Author Expo, run by the Association of Rhode Island Authors. Along with emceeing the event, Citywide Blackout co-host Max Bowen sat down with some of the many talented writers to talk about their new releases, story inspirations, character development, and what we can expect down the road. 

McLaughlin shares details of upcoming books

Heidi McLaughlin, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, joins me to talk about her two upcoming novels, “Sail Away With Me” (Dec. 31) and “The Art of Starting Over” (Feb. 1). Both are romance stories, and we go into the details of the potential couples, her character development process and how these fit into her over 60 previous works.

Getting married in 1979 Moscow

Joann and Jim Mead have an interesting story about how they met—in Moscow 1979. In their new book, “Married in Moscow: A Red-hot Memoir during Cold War Times,” the couple talk about what brought them to Moscow in the first place and their memorable moments there. Joann and Jim share their first impressions of each other and how they went from two strangers to a marriage that lasted the years.

From travel blogging to crime thriller

To say that C.B. Giesinger has had a wide-ranging writing career would be putting it mildly. From her travel blogging, where she shows readers some of the best places to check out across the globe, she’s also tried her hand at all sorts of genres of books. Most recently, she released “Where the Salt Water Ends” a thriller in which the mother of a missing child begins an investigation when other kids are taken, and the truth is not something she wants to learn.

C.B. and I talk about her different types of writing, portraying strong female characters, and future works.

YA author is back with second “Courage Kids” book

In 2023, I got to meet debut author Nishita Roy-Pope to talk about her first book. “Courage Kids: The Secret Soccer Ball.” Now, Nishita has continued the series with “Courage Kids-Robots, Sharks and the Missing Glow” and with a name like this, you just know it’s going to be a great story. Nishita talks about what inspired this book and how it continues the first one. We also go into this new role for Nishita and how she plans to grow it in the future.   

Kelly Swan Taylor shares the newest story in teen mystery series

Kelly Swan Taylor is now in the fourth volume of her Wright Detective series, this time set amidst a new love for her protagonist, Tessa Wright. We explore the different ways that the series has progressed and how Tessa has changed since the first book. Kelly also shares the role that Tessa’s love interest Mason plays in the new book as well as the potential for new titles.