“Nobody writes alone—and if they do, I don’t think they write well.” In this riveting episode of Uncorking a Story, debut novelist and former fashion exec Kay Smith-Blum shares how a haunting dream, buried Cold War secrets, and a real-life radioactive whale led to her award-winning novel Tangles. We dig into her writing process, the staggering truth behind the Hanford nuclear site, and the twists in her own personal history—including finding her birth family and saving a sibling’s life. This is historical fiction reimagined—and a life story that reads like a novel. Key Themes: From Fashion to Fiction: Kay’s journey from Neiman Marcus exec to award-winning novelist proves it’s never too late to rewrite your story. Uncovering Hanford’s Dirty Secrets: Tangles is based on chilling real events—radioactive whales, poisoned salmon, and decades of government cover-ups. The Dream That Sparked a Novel: A single, surreal image—red hair floating in water—launched the story that would become Tangles. A Family Found, and Saved: Kay’s discovery of her birth family led to a stunning twist—she was the perfect stem cell match for the brother her birth parents kept. Redefining Historical Fiction: With a dual timeline and environmental thriller elements, Tangles challenges what the genre can be. Persistence Pays Off: It wasn’t her first manuscript—or her second—that broke through. But when she found the right story, publishers noticed. Writers Need a Village: Kay credits writing groups, critique partners, and deep craft study as the backbone of her success. Buy Tangles Amazon: https://amzn.to/4jCejau Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781685135065 Connect with Kay Website: https://www.kaysmith-blum.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.smithblum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discerningksb/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-smith-blum-3877273/ X: https://x.com/kaysmithblum Connect with Mike Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/ If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. #HistoricalFiction #KaySmithBlum #ColdWarSecrets #HanfordWhistleblower #RadioactiveWhale #WomenWriters #UncorkingAStory #DebutAuthor #EnvironmentalThriller #TanglesNovel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on From the Front Porch, it’s another New Release Rundown! Annie, Erin, and Olivia are sharing the June releases they’re excited about to help you build your TBR. When you purchase or preorder any of the books they talk about, enter the code NEWRELEASEPLEASE at checkout for 10% off your order! To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 532) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app: Annie's books: Flashlight  by Susan Choi (6/3) Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (6/3) Among Friends by Hal Ebbott (6/24) Olivia's books: The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (6/3) King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (6/10) The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick (6/17) Erin's books: A Family Matter by Claire Lynch (6/3) Kakigori Summer by Emily Itami (6/10) Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess (6/10) From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading Audition by Katie Kitamura.  Olivia is reading The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell.  Erin is listening to Audition by Katie Kitamura. If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

After the (connected) short stories of Safer Places, Kit Anderson‘s new book is a full-on graphic novel called Second Shift (again from Avery Hill) which has gotten some breathlessly positive reviews from writers who give the impression they totally understand it. At Deconstructing Comics, our reviews tend to be more nuanced. What did we think … Continue reading #842 Struggling with Kit Anderson’s “Second Shift”

Regulators in Europe have forced a ban on dangerous diet culture social media posts - but will it make a difference? Helen asks body image expert Florence Gillet. Plus, Dubai Police are on hand to update us on their efforts to curb E-crime, we discuss the power of women over 50 in the workplace, and as the Beckhams make headlines for all the wrong reasons, therapist Marissa Peer explores the sad realities of family estrangement…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are Back! Join us while we kick off season 7! In this episode of the Booktalks Podcast, we reconnect after a break, sharing personal updates, discussing our reading habits, and diving into our favorite books and authors. We reflect on the evolution of our podcast, the challenges of managing our TBR lists, and our preferences between genres like romance, fantasy, and thrillers. The conversation also touches on anticipated upcoming releases and the comfort of revisiting favorite shows and books.    Chapters 00:00 Welcome Back and Catching Up 01:54 Running and Life Updates 04:15 Book Recommendations and Reading Retreats 06:25 TBR Challenges and Book Hoarding 08:54 Romance Authors and Recommendations 11:40 Thrillers vs. Fantasy 14:05 Comparing New Releases 17:23 Looking Back on Last Year’s Reads 18:07 Exploring Five-Star Reads 21:22 Diving into Author Trends 25:36 Anticipating New Releases 29:16 Comfort Shows and Books 33:53 Wrapping Up and Future Reads 36:55 Follow us on Instagam @Booktalkspodast.mp4

In this episode, we discuss Neal and Jarrod Shusterman's novel Dry.

Recording of Off the Shelf Radio Show from WDLR with co-hosts Nicole Fowles and Molly Meyers-LaBadie with guest, Delaware County Prosecutor Melissa Schiffel.  This week, we chat about Schiffel's Safety Scholars program and storytimes with therapy dog Emmy. And, of course, what we're reading!  Recommendations include Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver, and The Boring Book by Adam Ciccio. Read more about today's episode here.  Listen live every Friday morning at 9 AM https://wdlrradio.com/program-schedule/off-the-shelf/   This episode originally aired on May 30, 2025

In this episode, the hosts explore René Girard's mimetic theory through Friar Elias Carr's 2024 book "I Came to Cast Fire: An Introduction to René Girard." The conversation examines how human desires aren't entirely our own but are shaped by imitating others, creating cycles of rivalry and conflict that have defined human societies throughout history. The hosts discuss Girard's insight that humans are the "culture-making animal" whose social structures evolved from the "scapegoat mechanism" - a process where communities channel violence toward a single victim to restore peace. They look at how this pattern created religious rituals, myths, and prohibitions that formed the foundation of ancient civilizations. The discussion moves from ancient ancestor worship to biblical interpretations, examining how Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection uniquely exposed this scapegoat mechanism from the victim's perspective, offering humanity a path beyond mimetic violence. The hosts work through these dense philosophical concepts while questioning evidence for some of Girard's more controversial claims. Connecting cultural evolution, religious worship, and human conflict, this episode presents the hidden mimetic patterns Girard identified in human societies. The conversation covers anthropology, religious studies, and theories about how imitation shapes both our individual desires and our collective institutions.

Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley, author of "The Affirmative Action Myth," argues that the racial preference policies of the 1960s and 70s have had an overall negative impact on the success of Black Americans. He says that Black incomes, homeownership, and educational attainment were all on an upward trajectory prior to these policies being implemented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are flying monkeys?, Linda wonders - until her friend illuminates their place in relation to narcissists. Narcissism is key to understanding the Widow and Abe Strapp, two deliciously terrible main characters in Michael Crummey's novel, The Adversary (Knopf) -- which just won the Dublin Literary Award for 2025; this psychology is also key to understanding why certain subplot characters choose to orbit around them. Since the novel may be read as a kind of running commentary on the present political moment, we must remember that we - not just readers, but rather the people who might see our reflections in the "subplot" characters - are important to the kinds of decisions made. The conditions of the subplot are affected by those of the plot - but that may also work in reverse. The interview with Crummey also connects his earlier novel, The Innocents (2019, Random House Canada), and The Adversary to William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, explaining how these two novels might be read in relation to each other.Linda Morra (executive producer); Maia Harris (associate producer); Raphael Krux (music) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.