Last Week's Guests

MARIANNE PEEL, a poet from Chicago, Illinois, joined us to tell us about her journeys throughout the world, the human connections that she has made, and to explain how all came together in her new book of poetry, "No Distance Between Us".
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FROM HER PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE:
"MARIANNE PEEL is a poet, musician, and retired English teacher. She received Fulbright-Hays Program awards to further her research in Nepal and Turkey and to support her work as a teacher. She also served as an educator in China’s Guizhou province and as a volunteer at Kara Tepe refugee camp in Lesvos, Greece. Peel’s poetry has appeared in numerous print and online journals. No Distance Between Us is her debut book."
smpbooks.com/authors/marianne-peel/

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AMY NORDHUES, an author and sexual abuse survivor from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, joined us to discuss her story, including her latest release, "Prayed Upon: Breaking Free From Therapist Abuse".
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FROM HER WEBSITE:
"Amy Nordhues is a survivor of both childhood sexual abuse and sexual abuse as an adult at the hands of a mental health professional. She is a passionate Christ-follower and expert on the healing God provides. She has a BA in psychology with minors in sociology and criminology. Her devotions have been published in The Secret Place (Judson Press) and include: A Big Softy, Winter 2018, Fixer Upper, Summer 2019, No, Thank You, Summer 2021 and Unveiled, Fall 2021. Her essay, Give Me a Sign, won 2nd place at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference Foundation Awards. She blogs at www.amynordhues.com. A married mother of three, she enjoys spending time with family, writing, reading, photography, and all things comedy.
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She hopes that through her ministry, she can shed a light on the very under-reported issue of therapist/clergy abuse both to offer support to the victim and to aide loved ones so they can better assist the victim with the very arduous process of healing. She also hopes to work towards improving the laws in her state which currently has no legislation regarding therapist abuse. In over half of the states in our country, it is illegal for a therapist to engage in sex with a client. The power differential that exists in any therapeutic relationship makes it impossible for a client to give consent. For this reason, the patient entering therapy must be protected."
amynordhues.com

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JAMES A. ROSS, an author from Jackson, Wyoming, joined us to discuss his writing career, and his debut novel, "Hunting Teddy Roosevelt", as well as his "Coldwater" series.
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FROM HIS WEBSITE:
"Storytelling is fun, but it never paid the bills. To take care of necessities, I’ve at various times been a Peace Corps volunteer in the Congo, a low-level staffer for a Midwestern Congressman and a three-piece suited Wall Street lawyer and deal maker. Hey, it was a living. These days I write from my home in the Teton Valley of Wyoming, where elk and other four-legged residents outnumber the two-legged variety by ten to one, and the patrons of the local cowboy bars appreciate a well-told tall tale.My short fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I have been a guest storyteller on the Moth Main Stage and a several times winner of the live storytelling competition, Cabin Fever Story Slam.
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My debut historical novel, HUNTING TEDDY ROOSEVELT, won the American Book Festival Fiction Award for historical adventure, the Independent Press Distinguished Favorite award for historical fiction, the Firebird Book Award for action/adventure, and was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award for historical fiction and shortlisted for a Goethe Historical Fiction Award. My debut mystery novel, COLDWATER REVENGE won the American Book Festival Fiction Award for mystery/suspense: hardboiled crime and the Firebird Book Award for legal/thrillers. The second book in the series, COLDWATER CONFESSION, is scheduled for release in April 2022."
https://www.jamesrossauthor.com

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