June 29

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
June 29, 1900: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry born.

Q&A with Caitlin Rother

  

 

 

Caitlin Rother is the author of the new novel Staged, a sequel to her novel Hooked. A former investigative reporter, she lives in San Diego. 

 

Q: Staged is your second novel featuring your characters Katrina Chopin and Ken Goode--do you think they've changed at all from one book to the next?

 

A: This is the sequel to Hooked, and it picks up less than a month after Hooked leaves off, so no, they haven't changed in a significant way.

 

That said, Katrina and Goode grow closer emotionally in this book as they continue to investigate who is truly responsible for the deaths of Simon and Victoria Fontaine, who are found dead at the beginning of Hooked as the circle widens and they try to figure out who is in the cabal that their prime suspect mentioned before he was found dead in the opening chapters of Staged.

 

They also work more closely in this book as they investigate the murders of Katrina's parents -- off the books, because it is a conflict for Katrina and Goode is not part of the detective team who is allegedly still working the case, in fact, he's told to stay out of it -- and Goode is there for Katrina as she makes some surprising discoveries about her family and also as a stalker continues to threaten her life.  

 

Q: What inspired the plot of this new novel?

 

A: I have written several true crime books about staged scenes -- homicides staged as accidents, suicide staged as homicide, and a hanging death staged as a suicide or a murder (it's still unclear which), so I used that knowledge to write this book, in which two deaths seem very suspicious to Goode and his sergeant, Rusty Stone.

 

One is an alleged suicide by hanging, which they believe is a homicide, and one appears to be natural death, but they believe it might be a homicide.

 

Another thread in this book is Katrina's discovery about her family through genetic genealogy, i.e. via a DNA test, which was inspired by my research for one of my true crime books, Body Parts, which I recently updated after detectives were finally able to identify the first victim of serial killer Wayne Adam Ford 25 years after he murdered her, thanks to genetic genealogy. 

 

Q: In our previous Q&A, you said you rewrote Hooked many times--was that the case with Staged as well?

 

A: Thankfully, no! After rewriting Hooked and its prequel, Naked Addiction, countless times over 17 and 19 years, respectively, I think I've finally got the hang of it. So, Staged took less than a year to write, as did the next two books in the series and the first in a new series, all of which are under submission but have yet to be published. 

 

Q: As someone who writes both fiction and nonfiction, do you have a preference?

 

A: I really enjoyed writing a dozen true crime books and learned a tremendous amount about homicides and homicide investigations, which has informed my fiction.

 

Now that I'm engrossed in writing psychological suspense and thrillers, I'm going to stick with that for a while, because it's fun and far less stressful. It's a lot more difficult to write true crime books these days for many reasons than it was when I started out.

 

That said, I've always enjoyed the research that comes with writing nonfiction, and was missing that, so I'm deep into the study of sociopaths and psychopaths right now for the next novel I'll be writing. It's fascinating.    

 

Q: Can you say more about what you’re working on now?

 

A: As I said above, I'm doing research for the sequel to a book in a new series I'm writing. The first one, which I believe I described in our last Q&A, is under submission, so I'm plotting the next one while I wait to hear from my publisher.  

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: If anyone wants to know more about the back story of Detective Ken Goode, they can read Naked Addiction, which is the prequel to the Katrina & Goode series. Goode has been in my head for at least 36 years by now! 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Caitlin Rother. 

Q&A with Nan Bauer-Maglin and Daniel E. Hood

  

Nan Bauer-Maglin

 

 

Nan Bauer-Maglin and Daniel E. Hood are the editors of the new book Loving Arrangements: Stories About Modern Living and Loving. They also edited the book Gray Love. Bauer-Maglin is a professor emerita at the City University of New York, and Hood is a retired professor of sociology. 

 

Q: What inspired you both to create this new anthology?

 

A: We, my coeditor Dan Hood and I, have been asked: “Why this topic; why write about Loving Arrangements?” Well, the idea of Loving Arrangements started with queries we got about some of the pieces in our previous book Gray Love: Stories About Dating and New Relationships After 60 (which came out in 2023, coedited by Dan and myself).

 

Gray Love was about people over 60 looking for love, mostly by using online dating. Some found a relationship, some gave up--accommodating themself to being single or not-- and some designed somewhat alternative relationships (mainly what is known as LAT, living apart together). LAT is a familiar term now, but a few years ago it was not well-known; so people wanted to know more about such arrangements.

Daniel E. Hood

 

In addition, two articles in Gray Love sparked a lot of discussion: one by a man who described his relationship with two women, both of whom were uncomfortably aware of each other; a second piece was by a woman who described how she was “dating” a man who had a primary relationship with a different woman, the primary ”squeeze” was unaware of the secondary “squeeze.”

 

So, with this expressed interest in LAT and triangular relationships, Dan and I felt that there was a book here, that the ideas and actualities of love, marriage, and the couple were ripe for exploration.

 

Q: How did you choose the essays to include in the book?

 

A: There are 31 writers and 29 pieces (two of the 29 pieces are jointly authored). The ages of these writers vary from 23 to 81.

 

For more than any other book of ours, there were many who thought they would contribute, but pulled back when they understood how much might be revealed. So, it is notable that these 31 writers did not hesitate to write about their intimate feelings and personal relationships.

 

All the writers responded to calls we posted on the internet (or calls forwarded to them by friends) except for a few that we searched for to make sure we had diversity of writers and diversity of topics.

 

The 29 personal essays in this collection offer a variety of perspectives and experiences with nontraditional relationships and forms of cohabitation. The contributors include married couples who live in separate cities and single people who find companionship through communes and cohousing.

 

These essays also present varied outlooks on the practice and ethics of having multiple partners, with some embracing large polycules while others opt for “monogamish” relationships.

 

There are many different stories to tell, from close friends living together to form a chosen family, to couples navigating the shifting boundaries of their relationship as one partner begins a gender transition.

 

With contributors across generations and representing the full ethnic and cultural diversity of the United States, Loving Arrangements demonstrates the myriad ways that we live and love today.

 

Q: How do you think ideas about love and marriage have changed in recent decades, and what do you see looking forward?

 

A: In Europe and America, there has been a change in marriage over the last 200 years from a political/social/economic bonding within a community to a more personal, exclusive love relationship between a couple in an increasingly individualized culture.

 

Today, besides now answering a person’s emotional and companionate needs, marriage provides a range of legal benefits such as tax advantages, partner’s Social Security, health care coverage, social status and recognition, but rarely is shaped by family business needs.

 

Attitudes towards and commitments to marriage continue to evolve as the Pew Research Center indicates via this statistic comparing 2024 to 1970 marriages: the share of adults who are currently married is now 50 percent, down from 69 percent in 1970 (Pewresearch.org/social-trends/2026/03/25/the-united-states-at-250-how-the-country-has-changed-in-the-past-50-years).

 

There are many factors that can explain why the traditional idea of marriage is coming unraveled at this time.

 

In no particular order, they include the recent COVID-19 pandemic’s confinement of individuals and couples that led to either an eventual breakup or a deeper commitment; online dating, which has opened up a myriad of possible relationships; advances in health care that make longer lives possible and may encourage a redefinition of self at different life stages; the expansion of college and work opportunities for women and minorities that create new possibilities for economic independence for individuals in these groups; and the popularization of reproductive technologies that allow family planning inside and outside of marriage.

 

From a more sociohistorical perspective, these changes are related to a series of social movements, mainly in the United States and Europe. In the 20th century, this began with the American civil rights movement, which then became a model for later movements seeking new individual rights (e.g., the women’s movement and the gay rights movement) and changes in the rights of the disabled and other “new” minorities.

 

One “symptom” of all this is the search for a more meaningful way of “doing” marriage and family, a way—or ways—that “respect(s)” the rights of both/all partners. Many people are experimenting with alternative living and loving arrangements such as cohabitation near or with friends, communal living, polyamory, and living apart together.

 

Laws are beginning to follow these family practices. For example, since 2023, at least five cities have adopted protections for polyamorous families, including Portland, Oregon, Oakland, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. We see these changes perhaps as a sign of things to come,  

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: In The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center (St. Martin’s Press, NY, 2024) Rhaina Cohen argues that there is “a need to dislodge fixed ideas about who (and how many people) we can spend the rest of our lives with.” She says, as does our book, that we need “more models of deep relationships. That’s because our adult lives are not one continuous scene; they’re extended stories with unpredictable turning points.” 

 

Loving Arrangements contributes to this “dislodging,” Many of the stories in this book question those "well-worn cultural scripts," and some may even become drafts for new ones.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Nan is working on two more anthologies, one on infidelity and one on dementia.

 

The first, Stepping Out: Writing about Infidelity, explores one of the oldest and most complex human dramas: what it means to break or feel broken by the mutual bond of fidelity. Stepping Out gives a voice both to those who have “cheated” and those who have been “cheated upon,” revealing not only what happened, but more importantly, the way the writers understand their own motives, actions, and experiences.

 

The second, Caregrievers: Stories from the Frontline of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, will be a collection that can help with understanding and managing the emotional impact of the day-to-day life of this disease. The selections are written by people who lived with, cared for, or cared about someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s.

 

Dan has no immediate book plans. He is busy getting to know his new grandson and doing volunteer work for The Innocence Project.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Nan Bauer-Maglin. 

Q&A with Bose Akadiri

  

 

Bose Akadiri is the author of the new book The Stay Joyful Method: Using Joy as a Tool to Rise, Lead, and Redefine Success. She is a motivational speaker and corporate trainer, and is the CEO of Goal and Grind LLC. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Stay Joyful Method?

 

A: I’d seen the impact of my work with teams and wanted to create something that would be accessible to people who didn’t work at a company bringing me into work with their team.

 

Accessibility to knowledge is important to me, which is why I’ve also worked to ensure my book is available at libraries. Everyone deserves to hear that they not only deserve joy but also learn how to use joy as their greatest tool in life.

 

Q: How would you define joy?

 

A: I define joy as a tool that we each have within us and we can tap into our individual joy. Joy is not the same for each person, which is one of the most beautiful things in life. 

 

In order to define your joy, spend quiet time with yourself and do a brain dump of everything that comes to mind which brings you joy. Consider a project that you reflect on fondly from time to time. Think about the last time you laughed so hard your stomach hurt.

 

As you grow, your joy does as well. It is fluid in that what brings you joy can shift overtime. Joy is your driving force in difficult times to keep going, as you know what’s on the other side of the hard work. To the opposite, joy is your motivation to stop something that’s not aligned before you go too far in the wrong direction.

 

Q: Who do you see as the perfect audience for your book?

 

A: My book was written for the person who is ready for a mindset shift to lead with their heart as much as their mind without caring what others think of them. 

 

My readers want more from life than living in fear or being constricted by living inside an easily defined box. They’re excited to create a lifestyle for themselves that will amplify their joy in the four key areas of life (personal, professional, health, and financial).

 

Q: What impact has it had on you to write this book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: Writing a book is the hardest thing I’ve ever done and also the most rewarding. I hope that readers not only feel inspired by The Stay Joyful Method but that they feel compelled to act on their joy, seek out their joy, and find power in using their joy as a decision-making compass.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I continue to write as that brings me joy! For five-plus years prior to working on my book, I wrote almost every morning. I knew I’d author at least three books but I didn’t know which one would come first.

 

Now that my first book has been published, I’m doing three things.

 

First, I’m listening to readers and how they are receiving The Stay Joyful Method. I’m very intrigued by what people tell me their takeaways are and the impact it’s having on their lives. 

 

Second, I’m focusing on my clients and their teams’ needs to ensure the impact of leading with joy continues.

 

Third, I’m enjoying doing fireside chats and interviews. Hearing the questions folks have about The Stay Joyful Method brings me an immense amount of joy as I get to see it through their eyes.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Life is too short not to enjoy it. The world around us contains an abundance of expectations for us, but that world doesn’t even know us…not on a deeply personal level, anyway.

 

You get to choose how you live, who you live with, and the work that supports your life. So why not choose to live with joy? You can live with people who bring you joy and attain a job that you enjoy. It might not happen all at once, but the starting point is you making time to define what brings you joy.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Sarah Howden

  

 

 

 

Sarah Howden is the author of the new children's picture book The Wise Pickle. Her other books include The Tunnel. She lives in Toronto.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Wise Pickle?

A: I had been thinking a lot about how one thing can transform into something else – like how a single rock can become many grains of sand, or how a puddle can evaporate and then become raindrops – and I couldn’t quite get a handle on that concept, as a story.

 

But then one day, this pickle character popped into my mind, and the story arrived almost fully formed. Like a pickle from the clouds, maybe? Haha.

 

Anyway, I realized it also showed change and transformation, as the pickle has gone from seed to cucumber to pickle to… this new role it finds itself in, after having been discarded at the side of the road.

Q: The Booklist review of the book says, “Prospective Samuel Beckett fans — or any readers open to receiving inscrutable life lessons from a pickle — will find much to chew over in this droll slice of deadpan dilly-dally.” What do you think of that description?

A: I really got a kick out of this review. I admire Beckett and appreciate his absurdist take on existence. I’ve always loved work that gives you a laugh but underneath makes you think about big topics. I couldn’t be more flattered.

Q: What do you think Sabina Hahn’s illustrations add to the book?

A: What I love about Sabina’s illustrations is she’s not trying to cutesy-up the characters but rather to show the pickle and the animals as real, fully-formed figures.

 

Her style brings a sort of gravitas to the subject matter, and a tenderness, like when the animals bring out that pillow for the pickle to rest on. And yet there’s a wonderful sense of humour infused in it as well.

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?

A: I hope they’ll find it funny and also that they might relate to the pickle if they’re feeling stuck or dealing with changes they don't have control over.

 

Maybe they’ll take away that there’s still humour in hard situations, or that when something unexpected or unwanted happens, you can still get through it, possibly make some friends along the way, and end up somewhere else that isn’t so bad at all.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’ve got a couple of picture books coming out from Owlkids next, the first one in Fall 2028. The editing process has just begun!

 

And then I’ve got a couple of other stories rattling around in my head that I have to start sculpting down into stories that are ready for submission. Always fun trying to hash out the particulars in the early stages (though I have to battle my procrastination tendencies).

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: I think my favorite illustration in the book is the one where the chipmunk says "Summon the dog." There's a dignified solemnity and ceremoniousness to the chipmunk's pose and expression, and a sort of fatigued acceptance in the pickle. So perfect!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Dale V. Atkins

  

 

 

Dale V. Atkins is the author of the new children's picture book Dear Deer. Her other books include The Turquoise Butterfly. She is also a psychologist, and she lives in Connecticut.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Dear Deer?

 

A: Dear Deer was inspired by a real-life experience I had while walking in nature in June of 2021. I encountered a baby fawn trapped in a pond as the tide was rising. Nearby, a distressed doe repeatedly approached, retreated, and watched me. It felt as though she was enlisting my help.

 

Together, in a remarkable way, we became partners in ensuring that her fawn did not drown. That unforgettable experience became the foundation for the story.

 

As a psychologist, mother, and grandmother, I am increasingly concerned that many children are growing up disconnected from the natural world. Too often, they experience life through screens rather than through their senses. Nature invites children to slow down, look closely, listen carefully, notice patterns, ask questions, and engage fully with the world around them.

 

When children spend time outdoors, they naturally activate all of their senses. They learn to observe rather than simply consume information. They discover how to focus, wonder, wait, and pay attention. These experiences strengthen curiosity, empathy, patience, creativity, and problem solving. They also help children develop a deeper sense of connection to themselves, to others, and to the living world around them.

 

Through Dear Deer, I wanted to encourage children and adults to reconnect with nature and with one another. The story is ultimately about paying attention, responding with compassion, and recognizing that we are part of nature, not separate from it.

 

It is also about empathy and stewardship. When children learn to care about the creatures and habitats around them, they are more likely to become thoughtful caretakers of the world they will inherit.

 

Q: What do you think Amelina Jones’s illustrations add to this book?

 

A: Amelina Jones's illustrations bring an extraordinary sense of life, warmth, and wonder to Dear Deer. From the very beginning, she understood that this story was not simply about two children encountering wildlife. It was about entering a living, breathing world filled with beauty, mystery, and connection.

 

What I admire most is her ability to capture the awe and curiosity of the children as they explore the forest. Their expressions invite readers to see the natural world through fresh eyes, noticing details, asking questions, and experiencing the excitement of discovery. You can almost feel their sense of wonder as they move through the story.

 

At the same time, Amelina beautifully portrays the animals as active participants in the life of the forest. The deer, birds, insects, and other creatures are not simply background characters. They are engaged in their own busy, purposeful lives.

 

Readers see animals caring for their young, searching for food, exploring, resting, and interacting with their environment. This helps children appreciate that nature is full of relationships and activity, whether or not humans are present.

 

Her illustrations are rich with details that reward careful observation. Each time I look at them, I notice something new. She has created a forest that feels both real and enchanted, a place where children can imagine, explore, and feel connected to something larger than themselves. The light, movement, textures, and expressions draw readers into the story and encourage them to linger on every page.

 

I believe Amelina's artwork does more than illustrate the text. It expands it. She captures the emotional heart of the story and deepens its message of wonder, empathy, and connection to the natural world.

 

Her illustrations invite children to slow down, look closely, and experience the forest not simply as a setting, but as a vibrant community of living beings. That gift is one of the things that makes Dear Deer so special.

 

Q: What do you think the book says about interacting with nature?

 

A: I believe Dear Deer reminds us that interacting with nature is not about conquering it, controlling it, or rushing through it. It is about entering the natural world with curiosity, humility, respect, and wonder.

 

The book encourages children and adults to slow down and pay attention. When we take the time to observe a bird building a nest, a butterfly moving from flower to flower, or a deer caring for her fawn, we begin to see that nature is full of stories, relationships, and lessons. We learn that we are not separate from the natural world. We are part of it.

 

One of the central messages of the book is that meaningful interaction with nature begins with noticing. In our fast-paced world, many of us move quickly from one activity to the next without truly seeing what is around us. Nature invites us to use all our senses. To look closely. To listen. To wonder. To be present. Those experiences help children develop patience, focus, empathy, and a deeper appreciation for life.

 

The book also suggests that caring about nature grows from connection. When children spend time outdoors and become familiar with the creatures, plants, and habitats around them, they are more likely to feel compassion and a sense of responsibility toward them. Stewardship begins with relationship.

 

At the same time, Dear Deer offers an important lesson about helping. Sometimes interacting with nature means stepping in when a living creature is truly in danger. Other times it means knowing when to observe respectfully and allow nature to unfold on its own. Learning that balance is part of developing wisdom and respect for the natural world.

 

Ultimately, I hope the book encourages readers to see nature not simply as a place to visit, but as a source of connection, learning, restoration, and amazement. Some of life's most important lessons can emerge when we slow down, pay attention, and allow ourselves to be fully present in the world around us.

 

Q: You also have a YouTube channel focusing on nature--can you tell us more about that?

 

A: I began these brief Nature Walk Talks during the COVID pandemic, when so many people were feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and disconnected from one another and from the natural world. My hope was simple: to invite people outside, even for a few minutes, to join me and hopefully experience the comfort, perspective, strength, and hope that nature so generously offers.

 

On each walk, I encourage you to slow down, breathe deeply, and notice. Together, we explore the lessons nature can teach us about resilience, patience, adaptation, connection, and wonder. Sometimes we pause to reflect on a personal challenge. Sometimes we simply observe the beauty around us. Often, nature provides a fresh perspective that helps us see our lives differently.

 

As a psychologist, educator, mother, grandmother, and lifelong nature lover, I believe that spending time outdoors is not merely an escape from daily life. It is a way of reconnecting with ourselves and the larger world of which we are a part.

 

Nature reminds us that we are both significant and small. We are connected to something much larger than ourselves. A changing season, a determined seedling, a soaring bird, or the rhythm of the tides can offer wisdom, comfort, and perspective when we need it most.

 

I ask people to join me as I explore the simple yet profound gifts of the natural world. Together, we breathe, notice, learn, and discover how nature can help us live with greater calm, curiosity, gratitude, and hope.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have begun leading group experiences designed to help people slow down, connect, and restore themselves through time spent in nature and in conversation with others.

 

These walks bring together people who may know one another, such as colleagues, friends, or community groups, as well as people meeting for the first time. Along the way, participants are invited to observe, reflect, share, and learn from both nature and one another.

 

Whether walking with health care professionals seeking a much-needed break and reset, community members looking for connection, or groups interested in learning about local wildlife and ecosystems, each walk offers an opportunity to step away from daily pressures and reconnect with what matters most.

 

Drawing upon my experience as a psychologist, educator, storyteller, and lifelong observer of the natural world, I incorporate brief mindfulness practices, sensory awareness, gentle conversation prompts, poetry, and lessons from nature.

 

Participants may be invited to notice the resilience of an osprey returning each spring, the patience of a heron waiting for the right moment, or the interconnectedness of a forest ecosystem and consider how these observations might apply to their own lives.

 

Nature has a remarkable ability to bring people together. Walking side by side often makes conversation easier, reduces stress, encourages curiosity, and creates space for authentic connection. Participants leave not only with a deeper appreciation of the natural world, but often with new perspectives, renewed energy, and a greater sense of belonging.

 

I am also “playing with the idea” of writing a third children’s book about osprey. Like the osprey, we all face journeys that require courage. We may leave familiar places, encounter challenges, and sometimes feel uncertain. Yet with patience, resilience, and the support of those who care for us, we discover strengths we never knew we had and often find our way home.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Dale V. Atkins. 

June 28

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

June 28, 1891: Esther Forbes born.