What's Next on The Book Squad: Bye... For Now

On October 26, 2007, The Book Squad will begin an indefinite hiatus from the air.

To go out in style, Karyn and Wendy will re-broadcast interviews that mean a great deal to them, for reasons they will discuss later. Karrine Steffan's interview from October 12 will air again, in support of her latest title, The Vixen Diaries.

Next, Roscoe Orman's interview from October 5 will air. Orman talks about his life as Gordon on Sesame St., as well as about his latest book, Ricky and Mobo.

Then joining the mix, live, via phone, is DeMonica D. Gladney, author of Willing to Wait: From Revelation to Manifestation. Gladney, in addition to being a poet and author, is a corporate lawyer and former president of the Houston Lawyers Association.

Our special live in-studio guest is Christina"Chrissie Love" Russell of 102.9 Island FM Radio in Nassau, Bahamas.

So join us for our last Friday together on wmet1160.com as we say a fond farewell for now and turn out all the lights behind us...

What's Next on The Book Squad

We have pets... and something completely different on The Book Squad this Friday.

The "Pets" part of the show begins with Patricia B. McConnell, author of For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend. McConnell has much-needed advice for those of us who love and cherish our dogs but don't have a clue as to why they do some of the things they do.

Then Ann M. Martin joins us to talk about Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food. Martin discusses the dirty little secrets of pet food companies and offers her own alternatives, nutritional advice, and strategies to avoid scams aimed at pet owners.

The "Something Completely Different" comes in the form of Essence best seller Daaimah S. Poole, author of All I Want is Everything. In this, her latest novel, Poole says she "confronts a dilemma that many of us tackle every day -- fear. Fear of putting our all into a dream and walking into the unknown."

Marcus Robinson is in the Author Spotlight.

Plus Heather Taylor from The Heather Taylor Show loved co-hosting so much that she's back again. And there's Wendy's World.

So sit, fetch, roll over, and listen to The Book Squad on wmet1160.com, tomorrow from noon to 1:00 PM. We'll even let you sit on the couch!

What's Next on The Book Squad: Vixens and Secrets!

It's a day for the ladies on The Book Squad.




First up, we have Karrine Steffans -- no descriptor needed. The always controversial author of Confessions of a Video Vixen is back with her latest, The Vixen Diaries, in which she regales us with lessons learned after the ascent afforded her with the publication of Confessions.

Then Dari Dyrness-Olssen shares Seven Secrets For Girls: Simple Solutions to Survive Boys and Stay Sane. She says to girls that "THIS WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK THAT YOU WILL EVER READ. The information found in this book will positively affect your life FOREVER. After reading SEVEN SECRETS you will have the skills to become happier, healthier, and more satisfied with your life." We're all for that.







LaConnie Taylor-Jones , author of When I'm With You, is in the Author Spotlight.





Plus there's much more, including Wendy's World.





So join us today at noon on wmet1160.com. Hey, ladies!

What's Next on The Book Squad: Celebrating the Capital Bookfest!

This weekend in D.C., it's all about The 3rd Annual Capital Bookfest. Not to toot our own horn -- TOOT, TOOT! -- but The Book Squad is one of the sponsors of this event, taking place on Saturday, October 6 at the Blvd @ Cap Centre, in Largo, Maryland. Over 100 authors from a myriad of genres will be there. Three of them will appear on tomorrow's Book Squad.

Poet, F.O.T.B.S., and organizer of the event, Kwame Alexander, is first up to whet your appetites with what awaits you at the event. He's holding down every aspect of The Bookfest, right down to the weather, which, he promises will be in the moderate eighty-degree range.

Those of you who were rabid fans of Sesame Street in your youth will undoubtedly remember our next guest, Roscoe Orman. The actor, who has played Gordon for thirty-five years, has written his second book, Ricky and Mobo, a story of a boy and his favorite mechanical horse.

Next we shift gears to John Amaechi, author of the controversial Man in the Middle. Amaechi tells us about his life's journey, from a hardscrabble existence in Manchester, England, to being a closeted gay man in the uber-masculine NBA, to his present quest to make the world a better place.

Victoria Rowell, accomplished television actress and philanthropist, has now added memorist to her list of talents. With her book The Women Who Raised Me, Rowell chronicles her life as a biracial ward of the state of Maine who could've fallen through the cracks of an overburdened foster-care system -- had it not been for several amazing women who loved, guided, and nurtured her.

Author Heather Taylor, host of WMET 1160's The Heather Taylor Show, is today's guest co-host with Wendy in studio.

So listen Friday -- noon, Friday -- to The Book Squad on WMET1160.com. And see you Saturday, October 6 at The 3rd Annual Capital Bookfest.

What's Next on The Book Squad: ROAD TRIP!

This week, Karyn and Wendy broadcast The Book Squad from the Infinity Publishing's 8th Annual Author's Conference in sunny Valley Forge, PA. Conference attendees will attend seminars and gain strategies for producing and marketing their self-published books.

First up, conference attendee Eric Kampmann, President of Beaufort Books and Midnight Trade Distributors, appears on the show to discuss how he came to bring the O.J. Simpson tome, If I Did It, to the masses.

Tom Gregory, Infinity Publishing's President, tells Book Squad listeners about his latest endeavor, Authornation, the online community for authors, writers, poets, and their readers.

Jane M. Martin, the author of Breathe Better, Living in Wellness: Winning Your Battle Over Shortness of Breath shares with us the secret of better living through better breathing.

Lastly, Conference Coordinator John Harnish visits with other break-out Infinity authors in tow.

So, listen to The Book Squad on Friday, from noon to 1:oo on wmet1160.com and check out the new improved website! It's the next best thing to being with Karyn and Wendy at the conference.

What's Next on The Book Squad: All of the West Indian Massives!

Karyn and Wendy are back with new shows for you, the devoted listeners. And, as summer winds down, we cleave to the lazy hot days of summer -- elsewhere -- by showcasing authors from the West Indies.




First up, we have award-winning Haitian-born author Edwidge Danticat, whose latest work, Brother, I'm Dying, is a touching journey of how she comes to terms with tragically losing both her biological and surrogate fathers at the same time, all while preparing herself for impending motherhood.







Next, there's Jamaican author Colin Channer, often called "Bob Marley with a pen," according to Wikipedia. He discusses his latest, The Girl With the Golden Shoes, a 2007 Washington Post Spring Pick.

Also joing Karyn and Wendy is Sofia Quintero, aka Black Artemis, nuesta hermana dominicana y puertoriquena from the Bronx, holding it down with her latest Names I Call My Sister. She challenges essentialist notions of Latino culture, feminism, and street lit, all interwoven with a hip hop sensibility.

Deborah Slappey Pitts is in the Author Spotlight.





So, listen to The Book Squad tomorrow on WMET1160.com. We'll keep an iced Bacardi and Coke waiting for ya...

The Book Squad Begins a Two-Week Hiatus...

... but we'll be back on September 21 with whole new guests and a brand spanking new website. In the meantime, we'll be re-running two of our most favorite shows. Listen at wmet1160.com, if you haven't been with us from the beginning.

Thanks for sticking with us for this fantastic ride that is The Book Squad. We appreciate it!

What's Next on The Book Squad

We have in store for you an unprecedented day on The Book Squad:

One hour. Six author interviews. Six women with smoking hot literary careers. The Femme Fantastik Tour kicks off with a stop at our studios. In addition to The Book Squad's own Wendy Coakley-Thompson, the Tour consists of the following authors who will be front and center:

Lori Bryant Woolridge

Carmen Green
Nina Foxx

ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Berta Platas

Trisha Thomas

Sammy E. Williams is in the Author Spotlight

Join us tomorrow at wmet1160.com. Isn't it the ultimate fantasy to have eight women entertain you all at once...?

Karyn and Wendy Catch the YouTube Wave!

Hey, y'all!


The Book Squad has gone Internet video. Check out our promo below, made as a collaborative effort between Karyn and Wendy and Ryan J. Heathcock, a talented D.C.-area videographer.

Hope you like it. Let us know what you think by dropping a comment here or e-mailing us at info@thebooksquad.com.

What's Next on The Book Squad

On Friday's Book Squad, we're meeting authors who have the courage to examine their lives through memoirs.

Mary Gordon, a successful fiction writer in her own right, talks to us about her latest nonfiction work, a memoir called Circling My Mother. In the book, Gordon explores her mother's extraordinary life, their relationship, and Gordon's own role as a daughter.

Next up is journalist Mike O'Connor. Through Crisis, Pursued by Disaster, Followed Closely by Catastrophe: A Memoir of Life on the Run -- what Kirkus Reviews calls his "riveting debut" -- O'Connor delves into his childhood of lies created by his parents and his quest to get to the hidden truth.

Yolanda Tucker is in the Author Spotlight.

So join us tomorrow at noon on wmet1160.com. We'll give you something to remember...

What's Next on The Book Squad

It's Manly Men Day on The Book Squad, and we've got two authors whose pursuits and life experiences have ensured -- in spades -- that they, indeed, qualify to be present.


Anthony Swofford is first up to introduce us to his next literary gem, Exit A. Unless your address is under a rock, you must know that Swofford is also the author of Jarhead, his memoir detailing his life as a Marine sniper during Desert Storm -- a book which later became a film starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Speaking of authors who have a film connection, The Book Squad welcomes back Eric Van Lustbader. Again, unless you're living under that same rock mentioned above, you also know that Van Lustbader has taken over Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne franchise. This time, he discusses his own non-Bourne-related work called The Testament, which is, according to The Barnes and Noble Review, "a pedal-to-the-metal thriller."



Kevin Johnson is the featured Author Spotlight.



Plus there's an extended Wendy's World!


I know -- way too much excitement for one Friday. But join us on wmet1160.com tomorrow and MAN UP!

Book Squad Fun

When Steve Santagati had first appeared on The Book Squad, he'd asked why he'd gotten the feeling that the show was being conducted in someone's basement, like Wayne's World or a public access show like that.

Well, as homey as it may feel on the show, we have an actual studio and have had actual guests who've written actual books.

Here some various and sundry Book Squad moments...

• Wendy and Karyn goofing off in said studio, between commercial breaks. Kudos to our crack hair and makeup team!

• F.O.T.B.S. (Friend of The Book Squad) Lori Bryant Woolridge, meeting her public at Karibu, Bowie Town Center, Bowie, MD, where she signed her latest, Weapons of Mass Seduction, July 2007.

• Karyn and F.O.T.B.S. Jason Miccolo Johnson, author of Soul Sanctuary, in studio during the show, July 2007.

What's Next on The Book Squad

Karyn's down in Florida trying to be The Ultimate Author. Wendy's in D.C. with her ultimate family. So they've selected their two favorite interviews for rebroadcast.

Karyn chose Walter Mosley, author of This Year You Write Your Novel, for his amazing writing chops. Wendy chose Steve Santagati, author of The Manual: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date, and Mate -- and What Women Can Do to Come Out on Top because he gave her helpful tips on the care and feeding of men... and because he made her laugh hysterically.

If you missed these authors before, listen tomorrow at noon on wmet1160.com.

Like pizza, they're better the second time around...

What's Next on The Book Squad

We begin the dog days of August with an ecclectic mix of authors.

Nathan Englander joins us, sharing aspects of his first novel, The Ministry of Special Cases, which was eight years in the making. Englander’s short fiction has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and numerous anthologies including The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Anthology, and the Pushcart Prize. Englander’s story collection, For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, became an international bestseller, and earned him a PEN/Faulkner Malamud Award and the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Washington D.C.-based novelist J. J. Michael is next to discuss her latest, It's Not Over Yet, a fictional exploration of the paranormal. Michael, a lifelong student and teacher of Metaphysics and healing principles, is the founder of Pathtotruth.com and publisher of Path2truth.com, an ezine that promotes spiritual awareness, self-development and world peace. Michael has appeared on the local Virginia Cable Television and has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR). A renowned numerologist, Ms. Michael appeared in CNN's segment, "A Wrinkle in Time."

Author Lauren Spicer joins us to dish about the last minute preparations for the taping of her reality show The Ultimate Author. The Book Squad's own Karyn Langhorne is part of the cast. Plus we'll also have your shot of Wendy's World.

Join us tomorrow on wmet1160.com, 'cause next week, we're having a compilation show, so you won't have us to kick around!

*CORRECTION: Last week, this blog incorrectly identified The Bracelet as romance author Karen Rose Smith's sixtieth book. It is actually her fifty-ninth. The fact that she has written so many that we could actually make that mistake remains impressive.

What's Next on The Book Squad: Revisiting Our Past

It's deja vu all over again on The Book Squad today. We're ending the month of Jult by checking in with past guests to see what they've been doing.




First up is John Callahan, from our Writing While Dead show. He returns to further discuss the process of resurrecting Ralph Ellison's novel Juneteenth -- from a manuscript allegedly destroyed by fire in 1967, to having it grace the world's bookshelves decades later. He'll also share with us his latest, A Man You Could Love, in which he poses the question: Can politics be an expression of love? Let's as the latest iteration of the Sharks and The Jets here in D.C.





Remember Jason Miccolo Johnson, the author of Soul Sanctuary, his photographic essay of the Black Church? He'd been a guest on our Spirituality show. A Washington DC resident, Miccolo Johnson has photographed the African Methodist Episcopal Church in an official capacity for a quarter of a century. He'll chat with us about what he's got percolating.

And you can't forget Karen Rose Smith from our Valentine's Day show. She has written fifty-nine romance novels. Her latest, The Bracelet, is #60. She'll be talking about the book and the miraculous feat of writing sixty romance novels.





Plus there's more Wendy's World.





So join us on wmet1160.com today at noon. Hey... haven't I seen you before?

What's Next on The Book Squad: Potpourri!

Which is French for "Today's show has no central theme!"

Jamie Malanowski is first up to fill us in on his latest, The Coup, his delicious new satire about a conspiracy to execute a power grab for the White House. Yes, it's fiction. He's the managing editor Playboy magazine. A member of the original staff of Spy, where he worked seven years, he has also been an editor at Time and Esquire, and has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Washington Monthly, and many other publications.

Those still recovering from the fatty July 4th meal will appreciate the next guest. Medical journalist and heat attack survivor Robert E. Kowalski joins us to discuss his latest health book The Blood Pressure Cure: 8 Weeks to Lower Blood Pressure without Prescription Drugs. In addition to having written several bestselling books, he has published The Diet-Heart Newsletter for twenty years, maintains his Web site thehealthyheart.net, averages twelve media interviews monthly, and is launching an alliance with iamplify.com to be their provider of heart health information.

Friend of The Book Squad (FOTBS) and Borders District Manager Juliana Wood tells us what Borders stores in the region are doing to celebrate the arrival of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Plus there's Wendy's World!

Come join us at wmet1160.com. As always, we're keeping your seat warm for you.

On Today's Book Squad

We're back! Hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.

This week, we're talking to the authors of debut novels.


First up, Savannah J. Frierson joins us to discuss her first born Being Plumville, a story of interracial love and friendship down south. Frierson is a recent graduate of Harvard University who concentrated in African and African-American Studies and English. Frierson won the Dorothy Hicks Lee Prize for her creative thesis on African-American literature. She is originally from Blythewood, South Carolina, and now lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.



Local D.C.-area author Shauna Seliy is also in the house with us. Her novel When We Get There, which received a starred review from Booklist (that's a good thing, people) explores one boy's coming-of-age over the course of a long, eventful, brutally cold winter.



There's also Wendy's World, Around Town, and Karyn chats her experiences with reality TV on The Ultimate Author.



So join us on today at noon on http://www.wmet1160.com/. If it's your first time, we'll be gentle...

No Book Squad This Week

Karyn and Wendy wish you an extended Fourth of July holiday. See you back on the air at wmet1160 on Friday, July 13. Watch this space for more details...

What's Next on The Book Squad

We're ending the month of June like fireworks -- with a big bang!

We'll be in the presence of greatness when literary icon Walter Mosley shows up as our guest this Friday. We could go on ad infinitum about the twenty-eight best selling and critically acclaimed novels he's written. So few are as well-equipped as he to talk about developing an idea into a manuscript, as he does in his latest, This Year You Write Your Novel, a primer on the writing process.

Next, joining us to discuss her long-awaited memoir is actress, talk show host, and now author Robin Givens. She talks about, among other things, marriage to Mike Tyson, mistreatment from a voracious press corps, and motherhood on her road to self-actualization in Grace Will Lead Me Home.

For our mothers of tweens in our audience, Junie B. Jones enlightens us about her new book, Aloha-Ha-Ha, and about The Stupid, Smelly Bus Tour, appearing here in the DC area on July 2nd.

Come join us on wmet1160.com. Think of us as the appetizer before your Fourth of July meal of burgers and dogs!

What's New on The Book Squad: WWD!

Welcome to our WWD show. "WWD?" you may ask. It's Writing While Dead, and it's not as sinister as you might think.

Today, The Book Squad showcases already-successful authors who have taken on the mantle of writing in the style of their deceased contemporaries. We'll delve into what it entails to inhabit the literary skins of the creators of some of this era's most recognizable fiction.

Eric Van Lustbader is the author of numerous best selling novels, including The Testament and The Ninja. He's been commisioned to continue Robert Ludlum's legacy as the author of the Jason Bourne novels, including The Bourne Legacy and the latest, The Bourne Betrayal.

With Juneteenth occurring this week, it's only fitting that we'd have with us John Callahan, who discusses the process of resurrecting Ralph Ellison's novel of the same name -- Juneteenth -- from a manuscript allegedly destroyed by fire in 1967, to having it grace the world's bookshelves decades later. He'll also share with us his latest, A Man You Could Love, in which he poses the question: Can politics be an expression of love? Probably not here in D.C...

Also on the agenda, Karyn regales us with stories from her travels to Florida last week week for The Ultimate Author casting call.

Join us on wmet1160.com this Friday at noon. Bring a pulse...

What's Next on The Book Squad

It's June, and t'is the season to be wed. So, on The Book Squad, we'll be talking about weddings, whether you need ideas from a preeminent lifestyle guru, whether you want to run away to tie the knot, or whether your focus is on using the actual wedding ceremony as a tool to build your relationship as a couple.





The preeminent lifestyle guru in the house is Colin Cowie, discussing his eponymous Colin Cowie's Extraordinary Weddings: From a Glimmer of an Idea to a Legendary Event. You've seen Colin over the years on Oprah, Live with Regis and Kelly, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and Extra! 'Nuff said.

For the couple wanting to chuck the familiar trappings of home in favor of a destination wedding, we have Carley Roney and JoAnn Gregoli, authors of The Knot Guide to Destination Weddings. Carley is the co-founder of TheKnot.com, the number one wedding brand worldwide. JoAnn, who has planned over one-hundred destination weddings, is the owner of Elegant Occasions, Inc.










Those into wedding preparation as a relationship builder can learn a thing or two from two PhDs: Judith Sherven and James Sniechowski, authors of The Smart Couple's Guide to the Wedding of Your Dreams: Planning Together for Less Stress and More Joy. Judith and Jim, who are also a married couple, are two of the country's most respected and pioneering authorities on successful relationships.





Toria Wyrick is in the Author Spotlight. And today's Man-spondent on the subject of love and marriage is David Kletzkin.





So join us on wmet1160.com. We don't require a lifetime commitment -- just one hour out of your day.