My next guest is author Amy Shannon. Amy is a legend keeper, storyteller, and historian whose roots run deep in upstate New York. A lifelong resident of the Capital Region—Albany, Schenectady, and Saratoga Counties—Amy calls the Ballston Spa/Malta area is her true hometown, a place where she’s planted her heart and built a life of meaning.

A mother of four, Amy, shares a close bond with three of her sons, each one a steadfast supporter of her creative journey. She is the founder of the acclaimed Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews, a professional book reviewer, editor, author promoter, and host of the Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews podcast on Spotify.

My next guest is author TK Cassidy. After 40 years of traveling, award-winning author TK Cassidy has returned home to Montana. She has always been drawn to writing. From the moment she first held a pencil, she felt a profound sense of purpose. By the age of seven, she had already developed a writer's callus on her finger—a testament to her unwavering dedication that persists even after 60 years.

Her versatility as a writer is evident in her inability to confine herself to a single genre. At times, her wicked sense of humor takes center stage, crafting stories about unlikely characters like 70-year-old sisters turned cat burglars (yes, really!) or the endearing Scruffy, whose quest for a grand prize will leave you in stitches.

My next guest is author Ann Charles. Ann is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes hilarious, sometimes hair-raising, award-winning books filled with humor, mystery, adventure, romance, supernatural, and more! She has a B.A. in English (creative writing) from the Univ. of Washington. When she isn't escaping into story worlds filled with rowdy characters, she's arm wrestling her kids, road tripping with her husband, and arguing with her sassy cats.