My guest today is English but emigrated to New Zealand when she was 59. She published her first book just before her 70th birthday and is currently writing book number 8. Having discovered her passion, she now intends to write till she dies! Living well is the best revenge, so they say, and one of her latest books is about Abandoned Wives. Beware ex-husbands of a talented writer! Welcome to Authors Over 50, Pat Backley.

My guest today is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander with 25 years of military service. He holds a Bachelor of Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Now, he has logged over 7,000 hours in his 10 years as a school volunteer. His children’s books have themes of courage, teamwork, and trust. No surprise as those topics describe his own life as an extraordinary public servant. Bravery and honor run deep in his family as he hails from a descendent of a Revolutionary War veteran who served as George Washington’s bodyguard during the Battle of Yorktown. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Darcy Guyant.

My guest today always wanted to be a librarian, but when she lost her eyesight, she did the next best thing and became a sweet contemporary Western romance author. And novels aren't the only thing she writes. She has two award-winning short stories and has been known to pen a few lines of poetry. But when she does get a free moment, she's off to the local coffee shops, library, writing workshops, book festivals, spinning vinyl with her hubby, or hanging with her Eagle Scout, their kitten and her retired guide dog. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Chrissy Hartmann.

My guest today was raised in Texas, but after graduating from Brown University, she taught in Egypt, Turkey, and Japan. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and was awarded a teaching Fulbright to Syria. Her stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in The Barcelona Review, National Public Radio, and the LA Review of Books to name a few. She writes bi-lingual books of short stories in English and Arabic and has a collection of stories about X-patriate life. Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at the American University in Cairo. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Gretchen McCullough.

My guest today writes fiction, essays, and book reviews and reads anything that’s not nailed down. She brings a long career in social justice to her work, covering authors of color and women writers as a critic and author interviewer at NPR Books, the Washington Post, The Millions, and elsewhere. She also publishes short fiction and essays in a wide variety of outlets, and she’s a member of the Board of Directors of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Martha Anne Toll.

My guest today was born in Hong Kong, and is a British writer. She has a degree in Spanish and a Masters in Responsible Business Practice and Sustainability. She’s a published nonfiction author who has also worked as an international freelance journalist. Her fiction is inspired by her many years living and working in different countries across Europe, Asia, and Australia. From migration to climate change to acts of terrorism and political unrest to family dynamics, she writes about some of the 21st century's defining topics. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Lucy Weldon.

My guest today has an MBA in corporate finance and has been self-employed for twenty-five years. The father of three, he and his wife live in Concord, MA, and his book of poems, Where Inches Seem Miles, was selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best independent books. He was born in 1954, the year the Supreme Court mandated school desegregation, but he attended all-white public schools in his hometown of Columbus, GA, through sixth grade. His novel, Never, is a coming-of-age story in the segregated South. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Joel Johnson.

My guest today is a San Antonio-based writer, award-winning child advocate, and retired U.S. Army Major. As a former foster care youth and abuse survivor, she chronicled her journey from childhood trauma to child advocacy in her memoir, Misplaced Childhood: A True Story of Resiliency and Child Advocacy. She donates author profits or royalties to her local Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program because she is passionate about their mission of serving abused and neglected children in foster care. She has received many awards for her volunteer efforts for education and advocacy, most notably with CASA. She is also a “DIY” enthusiast and creates custom-painted themed furniture for children leaving foster care and entering their forever families. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Joan Ulsher.

My guest today owns Creative Lakes Media, LLC, a freelance writing and book editing services company. She’s the author of the novel The Moments Between Dreams, five nonfiction educational books, and a short story contributor to the Minnesota Stories anthology. She instructs writing craft and completed the Iowa University Mini-MFA Workshop. She splits her time between California and Minnesota with her husband and two daughters. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Judith F. Brenner.

My guest today is a transplanted New Englander who makes her home in Northern Virginia. In addition to writing upmarket fiction with environmental themes, she writes non-fiction in the science, technology, and business categories with a passion for research, seashells, birds, and the ocean. She has been a member of the Boston Malacological Club since she was ten years old. She’s the former Vice President of Communications for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, the founder of Women’s Fiction Day, and is the Executive Editor of the WFWA magazine, WriteOn! She has an MFA from George Mason University and The Pelican Tide is her first novel. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Sharon J. Wishnow.

My guest today is a poet, fictionist, photographer, Sunday columnist, lawyer, and radio host/commentator. He has a B.A. in journalism / film-making, an M.A. in creative writing from New Mexico State University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He has also driven a cab in New York City, practiced law for decades in San Francisco, delivered the late-night news (in English) on Taiwan, and wandered through China, Tibet, Perú, and Mexico. He’s crossed the U.S. on motorcycles many times. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Peter P. Goodman.

My guest today and his wife have lived an extraordinary life of ministry. Once described as “mavericks,” they literally stepped out into the unknown to embrace God’s call and experienced His presence in a way that only comes through a life of obedience. Whether planting and pastoring churches, traveling the world to perform concerts, building a house in Mexico, traveling from village to village in India, or walking across America, they have followed God’s voice as He led them forward, one step at a time. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Rick McKinney.

My guest today is a career educator who studied history and French at Gonzaga University and has an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Washington. Her essays, poetry, and short fiction have appeared in various literary journals and anthologies. Her debut historical novel, The Ways of Water, was published in 2023. She lives with her husband on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula, where she tends a small orchard and writes about family, the power of place, and social and spiritual issues. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Teresa H. Janssen.

My guest today worked as a journalist in New York and Washington, D.C., before returning to her native Detroit to pursue a freelance writing career and teach writing. She created Your People, a marketing and public relations company focusing on storytelling that guides authors in building their brands and marketing their work. She founded an independent publishing imprint for women over 40 and hosts the Make Meaning Podcast. She teaches writing worldwide, leads writers’ retreats, and facilitates The Writers Community. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Lynne Golodner.

My guest today gained over 45 years of experience practicing entertainment and media law. He received his BA from the University of Rhode Island, his Juris Doctor from the Franklin Pierce Law Center, and a Masters of Law in Trade Regulation from New York University School of Law. Now, he is the author of multiple award-winning books, both fiction and non-fiction. The Shakespeare Killer is his seventh novel. He currently lives in North Carolina with his wife of 49 years, Carol Ann. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Douglas J. Wood.

My guest today, when not busy writing, spends his time as a college professor with both an M.A. in Education and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing. He hosts a weekly podcast on the Comics in Motion Podcast network, where he critically analyzes indie comics and graphic novels. His Austen Chronicles, a modern-day Young Adult series, is a reimagining of the Jane Austen novels. He shares his empty nest with his wife, a librarian, and they read books and watch sunsets. Welcome to Authors Over 50, A.R. Farina.

My guest today is a best-selling writer and multiple, literary award nominee. She’s a graduate of Colorado College, earning both a BA in English and a master’s degree in education. She has dedicated her life to educating children and helping women navigate fertility treatment with confidence and hope. She is a national and international speaker on IVF, fertility, family building, women's history, and her experience as an in vitro pioneer. She made headlines in 1983, giving birth to one of the world's first IVF babies, known as "Colorado's Miracle Baby." Welcome to Authors Over 50, Ellen Weir Casey.

My guest today grew up in the time of Prohibition and bootleggers. Her father was one of the first rum runners in the country and was murdered by the Mafia in a turf war at the age of 29. My guest was just two at the time. Now 101, she still writes every day with the perseverance and commitment of a woman half her age. “The truth is liberating, but sometimes elusive.” She explains. “I’m always looking for it and how to best write about it, and I probably always will.” Welcome to Authors Over 50, Babette Hughes.

My guest today earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, where she studied Ancient Greek. Years later, she earned a Master of Sciences in Nursing from Ohio State University. Years later still, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from Ashland University. She lives and writes in Ohio in a house she and her husband built out of discarded things. As a psychiatric nurse practitioner since 2008, she operates a solo mental health practice where she does everything from cleaning the toilet to writing prescriptions. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Amanda Irene Rush.

My guest today is a writer, meditation teacher, and Buddhist practitioner. With graduate degrees in computer science and counseling psychology, she worked in software development management before moving into the non-profit sector as the executive director of an organization working with underserved children and families in Honduras. Her passions are family, meditation, teaching mindfulness, spirituality, writing, talking with close friends, and walking in nature. She lives in the greater Boston area with her husband of more than thirty years. Welcome to Authors Over 50, Liz Kinchen.