Winner for Human Relations Book award - Celi Ryker pens "Augusta" exemplifying how resilience is a mental attitude.

Celia, a silver and gold winner for Human Relations Indie Book Award, writes a human-interest novel based on the real-life struggles of her grandmother. Celia Ryker brings to life Augusta, highlighting the struggles of a young girl forced to grow up too fast.

Ryker shares with us in an interview the following:

Why Ryker’s grandmother inspired the writing of Augusta.

Who her grandmother was and why she is Ryker’s heroine.

The struggles women faced during the early part of 20th century America.

How Augusta survives two bad marriages: one at age 13, and one who abandons her.

The challenges of raising four children on her own during the Great Depression

Why Augusta is haunted by a decision she has to make due to poverty.

Author Celia Ryker has been a horse trainer, horti-culturalist, and hiker, and has been writing all
of her life.
Celia's first career was with horses. She trained horses and taught students on Southeast
Michigan's hunter jumper circuit for more than 30 years. Her second career sent her back to
school to study gardening fine arts and landscape design. They were not just careers -- they were passions and when life left room for a new passion she began to distance hike. Her husband, Don, said, "She got to H in the alphabet and stopped. She went from horses, to horticulture, to hiking."
She has also penned two books, Augusta, historical fiction based on her grandma’s life, and
Walking Home: Trail Stories, a memoir of her hiking a 300-mile trail in her 60’s.
Born in Detroit, she grew up in, Clarkston, a small town thirty miles northwest of Detroit. She
attended a small Catholic school, Our Lady of the Lakes, in Waterford Michigan. After high
school, at age 17, she wanted to learn how to train horses, teach riding and make a living in the
horse business. She was able to do what she loved, although the income was touch and go at
times.
She moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida as a young adult. A few years later she moved again, and
bought a farm in Ortonville, Michigan. Through this line of work, she met the man who would
become her husband. They have been together for 38 years. 

After injuring her back in a horse-riding accident, she was forced to switch to a new career.
She attended the Michigan School of Gardening and received their Gardening Fine Arts
certification followed by another in Landscape and Garden Design.
Throughout these years with horses and gardening, she took creative writing classes at Oakland University and Oakland Community College. Ryker attended writing seminars; kept journals, wrote poems and short stories. She wrote a gardening article for a local newspaper for a short time and became involved in writing groups: The League of Vermont Writers, Michigan Writers, Independent Publishers and Authors of New England, and The White River Junction Writers Group. She’s been featured on WCAX-TV, WDEV-Radio, New Pages, My Champlain Valley Local 22/44 News, and other local media outlets.
She and her husband split their time between Vermont and Michigan with their border collie,
Flurry. To learn more, please consult: celiaryker.com

Patients deep in a medically-induced coma may experience alternate lives spanning decades, ultra-real episodes of nightmare and chase, or a wide range of NDEs from the stunningly beautiful through to the depths of Hell. We have spent the past few years exploring these events, seeking parallels and possible mechanisms.

Alan Pearce is a journalist, broadcaster, former BBC correspondent, and author of several books. He has contributed to numerous publications, from Time Magazine to The Sunday Times of London. He lives in Nouvelle Aquitaine, France.

The Big Story: In a genre-bending memoir, Merrie Reagan weaves together her private recollections, family moments, and personal philosophies with snapshots of history, pop culture, and current events, acting as both a contemporary guide and time capsule for future readers.

The So What: Journaling from January 2007 to February 2021, the various personal recollections and musings of the author cover a wide range of topics, including relationships, current events, politics, religion, spirituality, psychology, and both western and alternative medicine. In addition to being insightful, readers are inspired to think about their own personal lives and ideologies.

Key Messages: Life Flashes: A Memoir invites readers to reexamine divine existence and at the same time to reassess numerous aspects of life, both past and current. Reagan is available to discuss, among many other things:

The Source: Former educational tutor, small business owner, and part-time freelance news and feature article writer, Merrie H. Reagan resides in America, in the state of Massachusetts. She savors reading, writing, ballroom dancing, singing, homemaking, and yard work. Merrie watches varied public and network television programs, including All Things Bright and Beautiful, Call the Midwife, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, CBS Sunday Morning, and Funny You Should Ask. Her new book is Life Flashes: A Memoir (Stillwater River Publications, February 2022). Learn more at merriehreagan.com.

 Former educational tutor, small business owner, and part-time freelance news and feature article writer, Merrie H. Reagan resides in America, in the state of Massachusetts. She savors reading, writing, ballroom dancing, singing, homemaking, and yard work. Merrie watches varied public and network television programs, including All Things Bright and Beautiful, Call the Midwife, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, CBS Sunday Morning, and Funny You Should Ask. Her new book is Life Flashes: A Memoir (Stillwater River Publications, February 2022). Learn more at merriehreagan.com.

Hi!

This is Lou Evans from the U.S. pop-rock band WORLD5.  We know Doug and Donald for many years , have our songs on BBS Radio (the link for our band page on BBS Radio) for years, and did an interview on BBS Radio in 2017 with Al Cole.  We have a brand new album coming May 10, 2024 (Release by Spectra Music Group) and I would love to do an interview on BBS Radio again! The band and me as the lead singer have very interesting stories (see more in our bio), I can promise it won´t be boring. I look very much forward to hearing from you! Best, Lou Evans / WORLD5

https://world5music.com/band 

https://milpitasbeat.com/powerhouse-singer-songwriter-lou-evans-on-an-upswing/

For upcoming stories, please consider Kataluna Enriquez, Miss International Queen USA 2024, Former Miss Nevada USA, and the first and only trans woman at Miss USA as of today.

A warrior for gender equality and championing mental health, Kataluna Enriquez is a multi-dimensional fashion designer and the owner of KatalunaKouture. As a Filipino American model, Kataluna is a survivor of physical and sexual abuse along with years of trauma, Kataluna made history by being the first Transgender woman to win Miss Nevada USA, and the first to compete in the 70 years History of Miss USA. 

She can comment on:

-The Miss Silver State Organization training young girls throughout the country on building a positive mindset, branding and self-confidence. 

-Being crowned Miss International Queen USA 2024 and set to compete in Pattaya, Thailand in the world’s biggest transgender pageant, Miss International Queen. 

-Her transition socially during freshman year in high school, modeling in college then pageantry and media presence around 23 

She says “I am currently reigning as Miss International Queen USA 2024, and hopes to win Miss International queen as the first Asian first generation American and 3rd crown for the USA. When I was young, I had no one to look up to since there was no one like me in the media. I then became the person I needed when I was younger.”

Social Media: IG - Mskataluna

Kataluna made history in 2021 as the first transgender woman to win Miss Nevada USA.

She is the reigning Miss International Queen USA 2024, set to compete in Miss International Queen in Thailand.

The Big Idea: Adoptees are an invisible community living in plain sight, but whose adopted status is unseen by others. They share a fundamental core experience of separation from their mother or primary caregiver that leaves a deep psychic wound, no matter how well they fare later in life. The powerful effects of this developmental trauma can last a lifetime. The So-What: Imaginally, there’s an orphan who lives within them. The orphan is homeless, restless, disconnected, and searching for something or someone it can’t find, including its very soul. For some, the orphan’s persistent presence may arise intermittently through feelings and behavior at any stage of life or circumstance. No orphan, however, is beyond redemption. The lost orphan can be found in the shadows and brought to the safety and security of light. Disconnection can be healed by loving reconnection. The Source: Stephen Rowley, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist practicing in Bainbridge Island, Washington. His professional past includes serving as an elementary school teacher and principal, and a school district superintendent in Washington and California. He has been a college professor at three universities, teaching courses in educational administration and organizational theory. He holds a Ph.D. in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University. His new book is: The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny (Chiron Publications, Sept. 2023). Learn more at stephenrowley108.com/memoir/. Key Messages: With his background as a psychotherapist and educator, his interest in Jungian psychology and Zen Buddhism, Stephen Rowley can address: - What fundamental core experiences adoptees share - How the adopted child reckons with the paradox of a comfortable upbringing and a powerful emotional loss - How early childhood wounds result in “primitive agonies” that cause disproportionate emotional reactions - What relational complexities are especially inherent to most, if not all, adoptees - Where adopted children may find hidden blessings

Stephen Rowley, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist practicing in Bainbridge Island, Washington. His professional past includes serving as an elementary school teacher and principal, and a school district superintendent in Washington and California. He has been a college professor at three universities, teaching courses in educational administration and organizational theory. He holds a Ph.D. in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University. His new book is: The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny (Chiron Publications, Sept. 2023). Learn more at stephenrowley108.com/memoir/.

A native Houstonian and a graduate of Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer for more than a decade — mostly covering college football and sometimes talking about her feelings. Her debut novel, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened (She Writes Press), was selected as the Silver Winner for Humor in the 2019 Foreword INDIES and the Overall Winner for Humor/Comedy in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Awards. Her second book, Dear Dana: That time I went crazy and wrote all 580 of my Facebook friends a handwritten letter (She Writes Press, 2022), has won several awards, including the 2023 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal for NonFiction Relationships, and caught the attention of Kelly Clarkson! An amateur historian, hack golfer, charlatan fashion model, and regular on the ribbon dancing circuit, Amy — a proud former resident of Blackwell, England, and Dayton, Ohio, currently lives in Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston. She is married to a foxy computer person, Willie, and is the lucky mother of two amazing sons, Will and Matthew.

Are Your Listeners Longing For Happiness In Their Lives?

The truth is most of us don’t know what makes us tick. We move through life unaware of what makes us happy and what makes us sad. Until you learn who you are and what you want, you will struggle with your relationship with yourself and everyone else.

Dr. Rita Louise, author of The Dysfunctional Dance of the Empath and the Narcissist, offers powerful guidance to what is going on inside each and every one of us. 

Dang, It Was Me All Along?, cuts through all of the psychological mumbo jumbo to show you how to find inner peace and contentment. 

Dr. Rita reveals to you how to mindfully look inward to remake yourself from the inside out. This book uses a unique blend of scientific data sprinkled with entertaining stories and frank commentary of Dr. Rita’s own pursuit of happiness that will make you laugh, think, and grow. 

You cannot change your past, but by applying the principles of this book you can transform your future and your life.

Dr. Rita would love to come onto your show to discuss this life altering topic with you and your listeners.  A former radio host herself, she can speak on a broad range of topics and is always an entertaining guest.

“Fran Dresher’s delivery without the whine”, is how one audience member put Dr. Rita Louise’s frank, funny yet honest approach. Dr. Rita Louise is the Founder of the Institute Of Applied Energetics and former host of Just Energy Radio.  

She is the author of the books The Dysfunctional Dance Of The Empath And Narcissist, Stepping Out Of Eden, ET Chronicles: What Myth And Legend Have To Say About Human Origin, Avoiding The Cosmic 2X4, Dark Angels: An Insider’s Guide To Ghosts, Spirits & Attached Entities and The Power Within: A Psychic Healing Primer as well as hundreds of articles that have been published worldwide. 

Dr. Rita has appeared on film, radio, television and has spoken at conferences around the world covering topics such as health and healing, relationships, ghosts, intuition, ancient mysteries and the paranormal.   

Share the inspiring story of a “solo” mom's pursuit of a dream to start an alpaca farm in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

At 37, Jane Lee Rankin receives news that upends her life: she's pregnant. Lee is a cancer survivor eighteen months in remission. Her boyfriend won't commit, and her father is unsupportive. When she decides to raise the baby by herself, Lee feels the scornful glances and judgmental whispers of her conservative hometown.

Armed only with a dream and a toddler, Lee marches into Banner Elk, North Carolina, a place where she knows no one, to start an alpaca farm. As a novice first-generation farmer, Lee faces nature's most potent setbacks, from disastrous weather events to attacks from predators. And yet, she forges on. 

With vivid storytelling, Farm Family features a cast of memorable animal characters-including alpacas, Millie, Celeste, Frosty, and Wildcard-and immerses readers into the not-always-pretty world of farming. 

At Apple Hill Farm, Lee trades fear for freedom. She trades disdain for dignity. She learns that her connection to animals is more vital than she knew, and with bravery and persistence, she creates a home—a farm family.

Jane Lee Rankin is a farmer and the founder of Apple Hill Farm, an award-winning first-generation farm in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Lee is an advocate for farmers through her leadership and involvement in the North Carolina Agritourism Networking Association. She frequently speaks about farm tourism and the benefits of diversifying farm portfolios at conferences locally and nationally. In 2021, Lee won runner-up for North Carolina Small Farmer of the Year.